JP2005301369A - Driving force controller and driving force control method for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a driving force controller and a driving force control method for reducing the sense of incompatibility or the sense of displeasure of a driver in the congestion of a road on which its own vehicle is traveling. <P>SOLUTION: This driving force controller for a vehicle is configured to make a deceleration control part 46 control the deceleration of its own vehicle according to a positional relation between its own vehicle and a front vehicle located ahead of its own vehicle at the time of detecting the deceleration will of the driver by an acceleration sensor 11 being a deceleration detecting means. This driving controller of the vehicle is provided with a congestion judging part 44 being a congestion judging means for judging the congestion of a road on which its own vehicle is traveling, and when it is judged that the congestion is high by the congestion judging part 44, the deceleration control part 46 makes it difficult to start the deceleration of its own vehicle, or makes it possible to reduce the change of the deceleration of its own vehicle. Thus, it is possible to reduce the sense of incompatibility or the sense of displeasure in the congestion of a road on which its own vehicle is traveling. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle driving force control device and a driving force control method, and more particularly, to a vehicle driving force control device and a driving force control that control deceleration of the host vehicle when a driver's intention to decelerate is detected. Regarding the method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been proposed a vehicle driving force control device that controls acceleration / deceleration or deceleration of a host vehicle according to a positional relationship between the host vehicle and a preceding vehicle positioned in front of the host vehicle. The vehicle driving force control device that controls the acceleration / deceleration of the own vehicle controls the acceleration / deceleration of the own vehicle according to the positional relationship between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle without requiring the driver's intention to decelerate. For example, there is one shown in Patent Document 1. The conventional driving force control device for a vehicle shown in Patent Document 1 is an auto-cruise device provided in the vehicle, and the inter-vehicle distance (following inter-vehicle distance) between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle is the target inter-vehicle distance (reference following inter-vehicle distance). The acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle is controlled so as to maintain the above. In this conventional vehicle driving force control device, the target inter-vehicle distance can be set to “far”, “medium”, and “near”, and the target inter-vehicle distance depends on the degree of congestion (congestion status) of the road on which the vehicle is traveling. Is selected to reduce the driver's (uncomfortable) feeling of discomfort and discomfort.

  That is, the conventional driving force control device for a vehicle that controls the acceleration / deceleration of the host vehicle changes the target inter-vehicle distance according to the congestion degree of the road on which the host vehicle travels, that is, the target inter-vehicle distance when the congestion degree is high. Is controlled to be small. If the road on which your vehicle is traveling is congested, reduce the distance between the vehicles compared to when the vehicle is not congested, and use this vehicle from other than the lane in which your vehicle is traveling (including confluence lanes). Between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle can be suppressed, and frequent adjustment of the distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle under the control of the driving force control device of the vehicle is reduced. It reduces discomfort.

  On the other hand, a conventional driving force control device for a vehicle that controls the deceleration of the host vehicle generally controls the deceleration generated by the driver's intention to decelerate. For example, the deceleration is controlled by an engine brake that is generated when the driver removes his / her foot from the accelerator pedal (accelerator OFF) while the vehicle is traveling on a road. Here, when a vehicle travels on a road, the conventional general vehicle driving force control device upshifts an automatic transmission connected to an engine that is an internal combustion engine, and the vehicle travels constantly at a constant vehicle speed or higher. When the state is reached, control is performed so that the shift stage of the automatic transmission finally becomes the highest speed stage. However, the engine brake at the highest gear position is very small, and the deceleration generated by the driver's intention to decelerate is small. Therefore, when the relative vehicle speed between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle is large, that is, the vehicle speed of the own vehicle is larger than the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle, the inter-vehicle distance that is the positional relationship between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle is reduced. Even if deceleration of the host vehicle is started due to the driver's intention to decelerate, the relative vehicle speed between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle may not be decreased immediately because the deceleration generated by the driver's intention to decelerate is small. That is, even if the driver removes his / her foot from the accelerator pedal, a long time may be required until the distance between the host vehicle and the vehicle ahead becomes constant. In this case, in order to obtain a desired deceleration, that is, a desired inter-vehicle distance, the driver needs to brake by depressing the brake pedal in addition to releasing the accelerator pedal and performing engine braking.

  Therefore, in the above conventional vehicle driving force control device, when the driver intends to decelerate, the automatic transmission connected to the engine which is an internal combustion engine is downshifted, and the driver releases his foot from the accelerator pedal. Control is performed so that the deceleration caused by the engine brake is increased. As a result, the deceleration generated by the driver's intention to decelerate can be set to the deceleration desired by the driver, so that the driver's discomfort and discomfort can be reduced.

JP 2002-120594 A

  Here, when the vehicle travels at a constant speed or higher, for example, when traveling on a road such as an expressway, the driver maintains a constant inter-vehicle distance with the preceding vehicle located in front of the host vehicle. Then, operate the accelerator pedal (or brake pedal if necessary). The inter-vehicle distance that the driver maintains constant varies depending on the congestion of the road on which the vehicle is traveling. For example, when the road on which the vehicle is traveling is congested, the driver should travel with a shorter inter-vehicle distance, that is, with the vehicle closer to the vehicle ahead than when the road is not congested. And This can be caused by various causes. Generally, when the road on which the vehicle is traveling is congested, the lane other than the lane on which the vehicle is traveling (including merged lanes) It is considered that this is because the driver consciously tries to prevent the vehicle traveling on the road from being interrupted between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle.

  However, in the conventional vehicle driving force control device for controlling the deceleration of the own vehicle, the vehicle is controlled so that the deceleration caused by the engine brake generated by the driver's intention to decelerate is increased. When the vehicle is traveling, the deceleration generated by the driver's willingness to decelerate may be greater than the deceleration desired by the driver during congestion. That is, when the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the vehicle ahead decreases, when the driver removes his / her foot from the accelerator pedal, the inter-vehicle distance becomes constant in a short period and begins to depart. Therefore, the driver accelerates the vehicle by depressing the accelerator pedal and decelerates the vehicle by moving the accelerator pedal away from the foot in order to bring the vehicle running on a crowded road closer to the preceding vehicle. It is necessary to repeat the operation frequently. Therefore, the conventional driving force control device for a vehicle that controls the deceleration of the host vehicle may not be able to reduce the driver's uncomfortable feeling and discomfort at the time of congestion.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and provides a driving force control device and a driving force control method for a vehicle that can reduce a driver's discomfort and discomfort when the road on which the vehicle is traveling is congested. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, according to the present invention, when the driver's intention to decelerate is detected by the deceleration detecting means, the positional relationship between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle located in front of the own vehicle is established. When the vehicle driving force control device controls the deceleration of the vehicle accordingly, the vehicle has a congestion degree judging means for judging the degree of congestion on the road on which the vehicle travels, and when the congestion degree judging means judges that the degree of congestion is high Further, it is characterized in that it is difficult to start the deceleration control of the own vehicle or that the change in the deceleration of the own vehicle is reduced.

  According to the present invention, in the vehicle driving force control method for controlling the deceleration of the own vehicle in accordance with the positional relationship between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle located in front of the own vehicle, the driver of the vehicle driving force control device The procedure for determining the intention to decelerate, the procedure for determining the degree of congestion of the road on which the host vehicle is traveling, and when the degree of congestion is high, it is difficult to start the deceleration control of the host vehicle or the change in the deceleration of the host vehicle is And a procedure for controlling to become smaller.

  According to these inventions, when it is determined that the degree of congestion on the road on which the vehicle is traveling is high, it is difficult to start the deceleration control of the vehicle, and for example, the control that increases the deceleration generated by the driver's will to decelerate. Strict start conditions. Therefore, when the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle ahead decreases, the driver's willingness to decelerate, for example, the deceleration caused by the engine brake that occurs when the driver lifts his or her foot from the accelerator pedal, becomes smaller. It gradually becomes constant and leaves. As a result, the driver can accelerate the vehicle by depressing the accelerator pedal and move the accelerator pedal away from the foot in order to bring the vehicle running on a crowded road closer to the preceding vehicle. The frequency of repeating the operation of deceleration decreases.

  In the present invention, the driving force control device for a vehicle further includes lane number determining means for determining the number of lanes of the road on which the host vehicle is traveling, and the road on which the host vehicle is traveling is a plurality of lanes in the lane number determining means. When a certain determination is made, the congestion degree is determined by the congestion degree determination means.

  According to this invention, when it is determined that the road on which the host vehicle is traveling is composed of a plurality of lanes (including merge lanes) and the degree of congestion is high, control of deceleration of the host vehicle is started. It is difficult to control or the change in deceleration of the own vehicle is reduced. In other words, when there is a possibility that a vehicle located in another lane other than the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling may be interrupted between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle, the deceleration generated by the driver's willingness to reduce is reduced. The state in which the distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle is close can be maintained for a long time. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that a vehicle located in a lane other than the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling will be interrupted between the host vehicle traveling on a congested road and the preceding vehicle. As a result, unexpected interruptions by vehicles located in other lanes can be reduced, so that a sense of security can be given to the driver.

  In the present invention, the vehicle driving force control apparatus further includes road information acquisition means for acquiring road information on which the host vehicle is traveling, and the congestion degree determination means is the road acquired by the road information acquisition means. It is characterized by determining the degree of congestion from information.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to determine not only the degree of congestion at the current position of the own vehicle traveling on the road but also the degree of congestion at a position where the own vehicle will pass in the future. Thereby, the change of the deceleration which generate | occur | produces according to a driver | operator's deceleration will not occur frequently, and a driver's discomfort and discomfort can be reduced.

  In the present invention, the driving force control device for a vehicle further includes a surrounding vehicle detection unit that detects a surrounding vehicle that travels around the host vehicle, and the congestion degree determination unit includes the surroundings detected by the surrounding vehicle detection unit. The congestion degree is determined based on the number of vehicles.

  According to this invention, it is possible to determine the degree of congestion at the actual current position of the own vehicle traveling on the road based on the number of vehicles around the own vehicle. As a result, the change in the deceleration caused by the driver's will to decelerate occurs based on the degree of congestion at the current position of the host vehicle, so the driver's discomfort and discomfort can be reduced.

  In the present invention, the vehicle driving force control apparatus further includes a congestion detection unit that detects a driver's congestion intention, and the congestion degree determination unit is based on the driver's congestion intention detected by the congestion detection unit. Therefore, it is judged that the degree of congestion is high.

  According to the present invention, the degree of congestion at the actual current position of the host vehicle traveling on the road can be determined based on the experience of the driver. As a result, the driver's intention causes a change in the deceleration that occurs due to the driver's will to decelerate, so the driver's discomfort and discomfort can be reduced.

  The driving force control apparatus and driving force control method for a vehicle according to the present invention controls so that it is difficult to start the deceleration control of the own vehicle when it is determined that the congestion degree of the road on which the own vehicle is traveling is high. This reduces the deceleration generated by the driver's will to decelerate, reduces the frequency of repeating the acceleration of the vehicle by depressing the accelerator pedal and the deceleration of the vehicle by releasing the accelerator pedal from the foot. It is possible to reduce the driver's uncomfortable feeling and discomfort when the road is crowded.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited by the following Example. In addition, constituent elements in the following embodiments include those that can be easily assumed by those skilled in the art or those that are substantially the same. In the following embodiments, the case where the vehicle automatic brake device 14 is used to obtain the deceleration of the own vehicle will be described. However, the continuously variable transmission, the manual transmission with the automatic transmission mode, various brake devices (electrical devices) A regenerative brake device in an automobile or a hybrid vehicle, an exhaust brake device in a diesel vehicle, or the like may be used. Furthermore, you may obtain the deceleration of the own vehicle by carrying out cooperative control of both the automatic transmission 2 and various brake devices.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a vehicle driving force control apparatus according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, a vehicle driving force control device 1 according to the present invention is a front vehicle detection device that detects a positional relationship between an automatic transmission 2 and a host vehicle and a front vehicle positioned in front of the host vehicle. 3, the processing unit 42 includes a congestion degree determination unit 44 that is a congestion degree determination unit, a lane number determination unit 45 that is a lane number determination unit, and a deceleration control unit 46 that is a deceleration control unit that controls the deceleration of the host vehicle. An ECU (Engine Control Unit) 4 having the above, a lane number acquisition means for acquiring the number of lanes of the road on which the host vehicle is traveling, and a navigation as road information acquisition means for acquiring road information on which the host vehicle is traveling The system 5 and a vehicle automatic brake device 14 that can control the braking force of the host vehicle (excluding the braking force due to engine braking by the automatic transmission 2) by an ECU 4 described later. Reference numeral 6 denotes an engine which is an internal combustion engine. A torque converter 7 transmits a driving force generated by a crankshaft (not shown) of the engine 6 to the automatic transmission 2. Reference numeral 8 denotes a hydraulic pressure supply device that switches the gear position of the automatic transmission 2. Reference numeral 9 denotes an intake system for introducing air to be taken into the engine 6 from the outside of the vehicle. Reference numeral 10 denotes an exhaust system that exhausts exhaust gas exhausted from the engine to the outside of the vehicle.

  The automatic transmission 2 is a stepped transmission, and is connected to the engine 6 via a torque converter 7. A driving force generated by a crankshaft (not shown) of the engine 6 is transmitted to the automatic transmission 2 via the torque converter 7, and is transmitted from the automatic transmission 2 to the driving wheels via a differential gear and a drive shaft (not shown). . The automatic transmission 2 has a gear ratio that varies depending on the gear position, and the gear position is controlled via a hydraulic pressure supply device 8 based on a gear shift signal output from an ECU 4 (to be described later) depending on the driving condition of the host vehicle. . Here, the hydraulic pressure supply device 8 supplies hydraulic pressure for changing the gear position of the automatic transmission 2 to the automatic transmission 2 based on the shift signal output from the ECU 4.

  The forward vehicle detection device 3 is a laser radar device, and is attached to the front portion of the host vehicle. FIG. 2-1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a forward vehicle detection device. FIG. 2-2 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle. The front detection device 3 includes a light transmission unit 31, a light transmission scanning unit 32, a light receiving unit 33, a light receiving scanning unit 34, and a distance measurement unit 35. The light transmitting unit 31 includes a laser diode that outputs a laser and a drive circuit that drives the laser diode. The light transmission scanning unit 32 includes a reflection mirror that reflects the laser output from the laser diode of the light transmission unit 31 and a reflection mirror driving unit that includes a motor that swings the reflection mirror up and down. The light receiving unit 33 includes a light receiving lens and a photodiode that converts a reflected wave converged by the light receiving lens into an electric signal. As shown in FIG. 2B, the light receiving scanning unit 34 is a front vehicle in which a laser output from the light transmission unit 31 to the front of the host vehicle 100 via the light transmission scanning unit 32 is positioned in front of the host vehicle 100. A light receiving mirror that reflects the reflected wave reflected on the light 200 and guides it to the light receiving lens, and a light receiving mirror driving unit that includes a motor that swings the light receiving mirror to the left and right. The distance measurement unit 35 controls the drive circuit of the light transmission unit 31, the reflection mirror drive unit of the light transmission scanning unit 32, and the light reception mirror drive unit of the light reception scanning unit 34, and receives reflected waves from the laser transmission. The inter-vehicle distance and the relative vehicle speed, which are the positional relationship between the host vehicle 100 and the preceding vehicle, are calculated from the time until the vehicle ends.

  Specifically, the laser L output from the light transmission unit 31 is output to the front of the host vehicle 100 via the light transmission scanning unit 32. When the preceding vehicle 200 is positioned within the effective area of the laser L that is output (the area where the reflected light is detected by the light receiving section 33 via the light receiving scanning section 34), the laser L is reflected by a reflector or the like of the preceding vehicle 200. It becomes a reflected wave and returns to the vehicle 100. The reflected wave returned to the vehicle 100 is input to the light receiving unit 33 via the light receiving scanning unit 34. The distance measuring unit 35 measures the time from the transmission of the laser L by the light transmitting unit 31 to the reception of the reflected wave by the light receiving unit 33, and from this time in front of the same lane on the road R on which the vehicle 100 is traveling. It is detected that there is a vehicle (front vehicle 200) at the same time, and the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle 100 and the front vehicle 200 is calculated. Further, since the laser L is output from the light transmitting unit 31 at a predetermined cycle, the distance measuring unit 35 can calculate the amount of change in the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle 100 and the preceding vehicle 200 at a predetermined time. The relative vehicle speed between the host vehicle 100 and the preceding vehicle is calculated from the predetermined time and the amount of change in the inter-vehicle distance. The inter-vehicle distance and the relative vehicle speed calculated by the distance measuring unit 35 are output to the ECU 4 described later as shown in FIG.

  The ECU 4 is congestion level determination means for determining the congestion level of the road on which the vehicle is traveling based on road information input from the navigation system 5 described later. Further, it is also a lane number determining means for determining the number of lanes on the road on which the host vehicle is traveling based on the lane number information input from the navigation system 5. Furthermore, it is also a deceleration control means for controlling the deceleration of the host vehicle 100 by controlling the braking force of the host vehicle 100 by the vehicle automatic brake device 14.

  The ECU 4 receives various input signals from sensors attached to various parts of the vehicle on which the engine 6 is mounted. Specifically, for example, the engine speed detected by an angle sensor attached to a crankshaft (not shown) of the engine 6 and the air is taken in via an air filter 91 detected by an air flow meter 92 attached to the intake system 9. The amount of intake air, the amount of operation of the accelerator pedal (accelerator opening) detected by the driver, detected by the accelerator sensor 11 serving as deceleration detection means, the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 12, and the shift sensor 13. The shift position of the shift lever operated by the driver, the inter-vehicle distance output from the forward vehicle detection device 3, the relative vehicle speed, the lane number information output from the navigation system 5 described later, road information, and the like. An injection signal for controlling an injection timing and an injection amount of an injector (not shown) of the engine 6 based on these input signals and various maps such as an injection control map and a shift map stored in the storage unit 43 described later, and an illustration of the engine 6 A signal for controlling the output of the engine 6 such as an ignition signal for controlling the ignition timing of the ignition plug not to be controlled, a valve opening signal for controlling the valve opening of the throttle valve 93 of the intake system 9, and a change of the gear stage of the automatic transmission 2 An output signal such as a shift signal for performing the shift control, and a brake signal for controlling the braking force of the vehicle 100 by the vehicle automatic brake device 14 are output. The ECU 4 may perform the output control of the engine 6 in order to appropriately change the engine speed in accordance with the shift control of the automatic transmission 2.

  Specifically, an input / output port (I / O) 41 for inputting and outputting the input signal and the output signal, a processing unit 42 having a congestion degree determination unit 44, a lane number determination unit 45, and a deceleration control unit 46, The storage unit 43 stores various maps such as the injection control map and the shift map. The processing unit 42 includes a memory and a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and implements a vehicle driving force control method and the like by loading a program based on the vehicle driving force control method and the like to the memory and executing the program. There may be. The storage unit 43 is a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory, a volatile memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a volatile memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) that can be read and written. The memory can be configured by a combination of these. In this embodiment, the vehicle driving force control method is realized by the ECU 4, but is not limited to this, and may be realized by a control device formed separately from the ECU 4.

  The navigation system 5 is connected to an input / output port 41 of the ECU 4. An input / output port (I / O) 51 for outputting lane number information and road information to the ECU 4 and a satellite constituting a GPS (Global Positioning System). The antenna unit 52 for receiving traffic information (congestion information) from FM multiplex broadcasting, optical beacons, radio wave beacons, etc., constituting the positional information from the road and the traffic information communication system, the current position of the own vehicle 100, A processing unit 53 that calculates road information and the like of a traveling road, searches for a route from the current position of the vehicle 100 to a target position, and the processing unit via the input / output port 51 when operated by the driver. 53, an operation unit 54 for inputting various instruction data, a storage unit 55 for storing map data 55a and the like, and a console for outputting various guidance voices via the input / output port 51. A peaker 56 and a display unit 57 that displays the current position of the host vehicle 100, the road on which the host vehicle 100 travels, and road information on the road on which the host vehicle 100 travels are displayed via the input / output port 51. Note that the configurations of the processing unit 53 and the storage unit 55 are substantially the same as those of the ECU 4, and therefore the description thereof is omitted. Further, the map data 55 a may be stored in the storage unit 55, recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD, and read into the processing unit 53 through the input / output port 51 as appropriate. Further, the calculation of the current position of the host vehicle by the processing unit 53 is not limited to the case where the calculation is performed based only on the position information received by the antenna unit 52. The position information, the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 12, and the navigation system 5 are calculated. You may carry out based on the mounted gyroscope.

  The navigation system 5 is basically used when the host vehicle 100 performs navigation travel from the current position to the destination, that is, from the current location to the destination based on the address, telephone number, facility name, and the like. Specifically, the driver operates the operation unit 54 and inputs a destination. The instruction data based on the input destination is input to the processing unit 53. Next, the processing unit 53 calculates the current position of the host vehicle 100 from the position information received by the antenna unit 52 and reads the map data 55 a stored in the storage unit 55. Next, the processing unit 53 searches for an optimum route from the current position of the host vehicle 100 and the map data 55a to the target position. Here, the processing unit 53 can also search for the optimum route in consideration of the traffic information received by the antenna unit 52, that is, the congestion situation of the road on which the vehicle 100 is traveling and its surrounding roads. Then, the processing unit 53 displays, via the input / output port 51, current position data of the host vehicle 100, road data on which the host vehicle 100 travels based on the searched route, and road information on the road on which the host vehicle 100 travels. To the unit 57. The display unit 57 displays the current position data of the host vehicle 100, road data on which the host vehicle 100 travels based on the searched route, and road information on the road on which the host vehicle 100 travels. Further, the processing unit 53 appropriately outputs a guidance voice from the speaker 56 based on the searched route.

  The navigation system 5 includes a current position of the vehicle 100 calculated based on position information received by the antenna unit 52, traffic information received by the antenna unit 52, map data 55a stored in the storage unit 55, and The road information of the road on which the vehicle 100 is traveling can be acquired based on the above. In addition, the number of lanes on the road on which the vehicle 100 is traveling can be acquired based on the current position of the vehicle 100 calculated based on the position information and the map data 55a stored in the storage unit 55. it can. Therefore, the navigation system 5 has functions as road information acquisition means and lane number acquisition means.

  Next, a vehicle driving force control method using the vehicle driving force control apparatus 1 according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 3 is an operation flow of the vehicle driving force control apparatus according to the present invention. First, the processing unit 42 of the ECU 4 determines whether or not there is a driver's intention to decelerate based on an operation amount detected by an accelerator sensor 11 attached to an accelerator pedal serving as a deceleration detecting means (step ST1). Specifically, when the driver removes his / her foot from the accelerator pedal, that is, when the operation amount detected by the accelerator sensor 11 becomes 0 or almost 0, the processing unit 42 determines that the driver has a willingness to decelerate. . This is because when the relative vehicle speed between the host vehicle 100 and the preceding vehicle 200 is high, the distance between the host vehicle 100 and the preceding vehicle 200 is reduced, and the driver is required to keep the distance between the accelerator pedals constant. This is because the vehicle 100 is decelerated and the vehicle 100 is decelerated by engine braking.

  Next, when the processing unit 42 determines that there is a driver's intention to decelerate, the processing unit 42 checks the flag (step ST2). Immediately after the start of the vehicle driving force control method, F = 0. Next, the lane number determination unit 45 of the processing unit 42 acquires lane number information (step ST3). First, the processing unit 53 of the navigation system 5 travels based on the current position of the host vehicle 100 calculated based on the position information received by the antenna unit 52 and the map data 55 a stored in the storage unit 55. Calculate the number of road lanes. Next, the processing unit 53 outputs the calculated lane number information to the ECU 4 via the input / output port 51. Then, the lane number determination unit 45 of the processing unit 42 acquires the lane number information output from the navigation system 5.

  Next, the lane number determination unit 45 of the processing unit 42 determines whether the road on which the vehicle 100 is traveling is a plurality of lanes (step ST4). That is, in a lane other than the lane in which the host vehicle 100 is traveling, for example, when the host vehicle 100 is traveling in a traveling lane on an expressway, other traveling lanes in addition to the traveling lane in which the host vehicle 100 is traveling, Judge whether there are overtaking lanes, merge lanes, etc. This occurs due to the driver's willingness to decelerate, which will be described later, when there is a possibility that a vehicle located in a lane other than the lane in which the host vehicle 100 is traveling will be interrupted between the host vehicle 100 and the preceding vehicle 200. This is because the deceleration to be reduced is reduced so that the distance between the host vehicle 100 and the preceding vehicle 200 can be maintained for a long time. As a result, the possibility that a vehicle located in a lane other than the lane in which the host vehicle 100 is traveling is interrupted between the host vehicle 100 traveling on a congested road and the preceding vehicle 200 is reduced. It is possible to reduce unforeseen interruptions by vehicles located in other lanes, thus giving the driver a sense of security.

  Next, when the lane number determination unit 45 of the processing unit 42 determines that the road on which the vehicle 100 is traveling is a plurality of lanes, the congestion degree determination unit 44 of the processing unit 42 acquires road information (step ST5). ). First, the processing unit 53 of the navigation system 5 calculates the current position of the vehicle 100 calculated based on the position information received by the antenna unit 52, the traffic information received by the antenna unit 52, and the map stored in the storage unit 55. Based on the data 55a, road information of the road on which the vehicle 100 is traveling is calculated. Next, the processing unit 53 outputs the calculated road information to the ECU 4 via the input / output port 51. Then, the congestion degree determination unit 44 of the processing unit 42 acquires the road information output from the navigation system 5.

  Next, the congestion level determination unit 44 of the processing unit 42 determines whether the congestion level of the road on which the vehicle 100 is traveling is equal to or greater than a predetermined congestion level (step ST6). Here, the traffic information (congestion information) received by the antenna unit 52 of the navigation system 5 from FM multiplex broadcasting, optical beacons, radio beacons, etc. constituting the road traffic information communication system is, for example, “normal”, The information is divided into three stages, “congestion” and “congestion”. That is, the road information of the road on which the vehicle 100 is input, which is input to the congestion degree determination unit 44 of the processing unit 42, is also information divided into three stages. Accordingly, the congestion degree determination unit 44 of the processing unit 42 sets the predetermined congestion degree as, for example, “congestion” at the above three levels of congestion, and whether the road information of the road on which the vehicle 100 is traveling is “congestion”. Determine whether. The traffic information (congestion information) received by the antenna unit 52 of the navigation system 5 includes not only the degree of congestion of the current position of the own vehicle 100 on the road on which the own vehicle 100 travels, but also the position where the own vehicle will pass in the future. The degree of congestion is also included. That is, the congestion level determination unit 44 of the processing unit 42 can determine not only the congestion level at the current position of the vehicle 100 but also the congestion level at a position where the vehicle 100 will pass in the future. Thereby, the change of the deceleration which generate | occur | produces by the driver | operator's deceleration intention mentioned later does not occur frequently, and a driver | operator's discomfort and discomfort can be reduced. The predetermined congestion level may be “congested” instead of the “congested traffic”.

  Next, when the congestion level determination unit 44 of the processing unit 42 determines that the congestion level of the road on which the vehicle 100 is traveling is greater than or equal to the predetermined congestion level, the processing unit 42 changes the start condition for controlling the deceleration. (Step ST7). The deceleration control generated by the driver's intention to decelerate by the deceleration control unit 46 of the processing unit 42 to be described later is to control the deceleration of the host vehicle 100 to be large, and this deceleration control is started. The condition is set. There are various start conditions. In this embodiment, the start condition is the inter-vehicle time. The inter-vehicle time is defined by a map based on the vehicle speed of the host vehicle 100 and the relative vehicle speed, and the case where the control is started when the inter-vehicle time becomes equal to or less than the predetermined inter-vehicle time will be described. The inter-vehicle time is the inter-vehicle distance / the vehicle speed of the host vehicle 100, and indicates how many seconds it takes for the host vehicle 100 to travel the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle 100 and the preceding vehicle 200. When this inter-vehicle time is shortened, the time until the host vehicle collides when the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle 200 is zero is shortened. The start condition of the control of the deceleration generated by the driver's intention to decelerate by the deceleration control unit 46 of the processing unit 42 is set to, for example, a predetermined inter-vehicle time of 1.0 second or less at the speed of the host vehicle having the inter-vehicle time and the relative vehicle speed. When the processing unit 42 determines that the congestion degree determination unit 44 of the processing unit 42 determines that the congestion degree of the road on which the host vehicle 100 is traveling is equal to or greater than the predetermined congestion degree, For example, the time is changed to 0.7 seconds. That is, the control start condition for increasing the deceleration generated by the driver's intention to decelerate is made strict, that is, it becomes difficult to start the deceleration control of the vehicle by the deceleration control unit 46 of the processing unit 42.

  Next, the deceleration control unit 46 of the processing unit 42 determines whether or not the deceleration control of the host vehicle 100 is necessary, that is, whether or not the changed deceleration control start condition is satisfied. (Step ST8). Specifically, first, the deceleration control unit 46 of the processing unit 42 detects the inter-vehicle distance from the front vehicle 200 detected by the front vehicle detection device 3 input via the input / output port 41 of the ECU 4 and the vehicle speed sensor 12. The inter-vehicle time is calculated based on the vehicle speed of the host vehicle 100 detected by the above. Then, the deceleration control unit 46 determines whether or not the calculated inter-vehicle time is equal to or greater than the predetermined inter-vehicle time changed in step ST7.

  In step ST4, the road on which the vehicle 100 is traveling is not a plurality of lanes in the lane number determination unit 45 of the processing unit 42, or the congestion degree determination unit 44 of the processing unit 42 is traveling in the vehicle 100 in step ST6. If it is determined that the degree of congestion of the road being operated is less than the predetermined congestion degree, the deceleration control unit 46 of the processing unit 42 does not change the start condition for controlling the deceleration in step ST7. It is determined whether or not the above control is necessary (step ST8). In other words, if the road on which the vehicle 100 is traveling is a single lane, or if the road on which the vehicle 100 is traveling is a plurality of lanes, the degree of congestion is low, that is, if the road is vacant, this occurs due to the driver's willingness to decelerate. The deceleration of the host vehicle is controlled without changing the control start condition for increasing the deceleration. This is because when there is no lane other than the lane in which the host vehicle 100 is traveling, or when the host vehicle 100 is traveling on a vacant road, the host vehicle 100 and the preceding vehicle from other lanes. This is because the driver does not need to reduce the inter-vehicle distance, which is the positional relationship between the own vehicle 100 and the preceding vehicle 200, because no other vehicle is interrupted between the vehicle 200 and the vehicle 200.

  Next, when the deceleration control unit 46 of the processing unit 42 determines that the deceleration control of the host vehicle 100 is necessary, the deceleration control unit 46 calculates the necessary deceleration and sets the initial target deceleration (step ST9). The necessary deceleration is stored in the storage unit 43 based on the relative vehicle speed of the front vehicle 200 detected by the front vehicle detection device 3 input via the input / output port 41 of the ECU 4 and the inter-vehicle time calculated in step ST8. It is calculated by a map based on the stored relative vehicle speed and inter-vehicle time. The initial target deceleration is determined based on the calculated required deceleration. If the deceleration control unit 46 of the processing unit 42 determines that the deceleration control is not necessary, it repeats steps ST1 to ST8 until the deceleration control is required.

  Next, the deceleration control unit 46 of the processing unit 42 calculates the braking force of the host vehicle 100 by the vehicle automatic brake device 14 based on the calculated initial target deceleration. Control of deceleration of own vehicle 100 is started (step ST10). Specifically, first, the deceleration control unit 46 calculates the braking force of the host vehicle 100 by the vehicle automatic brake device 14 based on the initial target deceleration. Therefore, when the required deceleration is equal to or higher than the deceleration caused by the engine brake generated at a certain gear stage of the automatic transmission 2, the braking force of the vehicle 100 by the vehicle automatic brake device 14 is added as the deceleration. That is, the deceleration control unit 46 controls the vehicle automatic brake device 14 so that the deceleration generated by the driver's intention to decelerate increases. However, in the present invention, in step ST7, since it is difficult to start the deceleration control of the host vehicle 100, it is possible to suppress an increase in the deceleration of the host vehicle 100.

  Next, the deceleration control unit 46 of the processing unit 42 determines whether or not the actual deceleration that is the actual deceleration of the host vehicle 100 is equal to or greater than the necessary deceleration (step ST11). Specifically, the deceleration control unit 46 of the processing unit 42 calculates an actual deceleration based on a decrease per unit time of the vehicle speed of the host vehicle 100 detected by the vehicle speed sensor 12, and the calculated actual decrease It is determined whether or not the speed is equal to or greater than the necessary deceleration calculated in step ST9.

  Next, when the actual deceleration is greater than or equal to the necessary deceleration, the deceleration control unit 46 of the processing unit 42 calculates the necessary deceleration again and sets the target deceleration again (step ST12). The deceleration control unit 46 controls the deceleration of the host vehicle based on the necessary deceleration calculated again and the target deceleration set again. If the deceleration control unit 46 determines that the actual deceleration is less than the required deceleration, it checks the flag, that is, sets F = 1 (step ST18). Then, step ST1, step ST2, and step ST11 are repeated until the actual deceleration becomes equal to or greater than the necessary deceleration.

  Next, the deceleration control unit 46 of the processing unit 42 determines whether or not the required deceleration is equal to or less than a predetermined deceleration (step ST14). Here, the predetermined deceleration is a deceleration that does not require the vehicle automatic brake device 14 to control the deceleration of the host vehicle 100.

  Next, when the required deceleration is equal to or lower than the predetermined deceleration, the deceleration control unit 46 of the processing unit 42 ends the control of the deceleration of the own vehicle (step ST14), clears the flag, that is, F = 0. (Step ST15). When the deceleration control unit 46 determines that the required deceleration exceeds the predetermined deceleration, the flag is checked, that is, F = 2 (step ST19). And step ST1, step ST2, step ST12, and step ST13 are repeated until a required deceleration becomes below a predetermined deceleration.

  When the processing unit 42 determines that the driver does not intend to decelerate, that is, when the driver steps on the accelerator pedal and the accelerator sensor 11 detects a certain operation amount (operation of the accelerator pedal), the deceleration control unit 46 If the deceleration control of the host vehicle 100 has been started, the deceleration control is terminated (step ST16), and the flag is cleared, that is, F = 0 (step ST17).

  As described above, in the driving force control apparatus and driving force control method for a vehicle according to the present invention, it is difficult to start the deceleration control of the own vehicle, so that the inter-vehicle distance between the own vehicle 100 and the preceding vehicle 200 is reduced. In this case, the driver's willingness to decelerate, for example, the deceleration due to engine braking that occurs when the driver lifts his or her foot from the accelerator pedal is reduced, and the inter-vehicle distance gradually becomes constant and leaves. As a result, the driver can accelerate the vehicle by depressing the accelerator pedal and release the accelerator pedal from the foot in order to bring the vehicle 100 traveling on a crowded road closer to the front vehicle 200. The frequency of repeating the operation of decelerating the vehicle is reduced, and the driver's discomfort and discomfort can be reduced when the road on which the vehicle is traveling is congested.

  In the above embodiment, when the driver determines that the road on which the vehicle is traveling is congested, the deceleration control is performed in the deceleration control of the vehicle by the deceleration control unit 46 of the processing unit 42. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A map based on the relative vehicle speed and the inter-vehicle time stored in the storage unit 43 necessary for the required deceleration calculated by the deceleration control unit 46 of the processing unit 42 without changing the deceleration control start condition. It may be changed. That is, the map is changed so that the required deceleration calculated by the deceleration control unit 46 based on this map is smaller than the required deceleration calculated when the map is not changed. Thus, when the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle 100 and the preceding vehicle 200 is reduced, the deceleration due to the driver's intention to decelerate is reduced, and the inter-vehicle distance is gradually constant and can be separated.

  In the above-described embodiment, the congestion degree determination unit 44 of the processing unit 42 of the ECU 4 acquires the road information input from the car navigation 5 and uses this road information to determine the congestion degree of the road on which the vehicle is traveling. Judging, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the same as the front detection device attached to the front part of the own vehicle 100 which is a surrounding vehicle detection means for detecting a vehicle traveling in a lane other than the lane of the own vehicle 100, that is, a surrounding vehicle traveling around the own vehicle 100. Install multiple laser radar devices. And the congestion degree judgment part 44 of the process part 42 may judge a congestion degree based on the number of the surrounding vehicles detected by this surrounding vehicle detection means. In this case, the degree of congestion at the actual current position of the vehicle traveling on the road can be determined based on the number of vehicles around the vehicle 100. Thereby, since the change of the deceleration which generate | occur | produces by the driver | operator's will to decelerate occurs based on the congestion degree in the present position of the own vehicle 100, a driver's discomfort and discomfort can be reduced.

  In addition, for example, a congestion degree switch that is a congestion degree detection unit is provided around the driver's seat in the vehicle, and when the driver determines that the road on which the vehicle 100 travels is congested, the congestion degree switch is set. By turning ON, the congestion degree determination unit 44 of the processing unit 42 may determine that the congestion degree of the road on which the vehicle 100 is traveling is high. That is, it may be determined that the degree of congestion on the road on which the vehicle 100 is traveling is high based on the driver's intention of congestion detected by the congestion degree detection means. In this case, the degree of congestion at the actual current position of the vehicle 100 traveling on the road can be determined based on the experience of the driver. As a result, the driver's intention causes a change in the deceleration that occurs due to the driver's will to decelerate, so the driver's discomfort and discomfort can be reduced.

  In the above embodiment, the lane number determination unit 45 of the processing unit 42 of the ECU 4 determines whether or not the lane in which the host vehicle 100 is traveling is a plurality of lanes based on the acquired lane number information (step) After ST 3 and 4), the congestion degree determination unit 44 of the processing unit 42 determines the congestion degree of the road on which the vehicle 100 is traveling based on the acquired road information (steps ST 5 and 6). It is not limited to this. Steps ST3 and ST4 may be omitted. That is, the lane number determination unit 45 of the processing unit 42 is not provided, the lane in which the host vehicle 100 is traveling is not determined, and the congestion degree determination unit 44 of the processing unit 42 is based on the acquired road information. The degree of congestion on the road on which the car 100 is traveling may be determined. This is because when the vehicle 100 is traveling on a crowded one-lane road, the driver's feeling of pressure increases due to the rear vehicle located behind the vehicle 100, and the vehicle 100 and the vehicle 200 ahead. This is because there is a case where the vehicle-to-vehicle distance is reduced.

  Moreover, in the said Example, you may add the precondition which judges the congestion degree of the road where the own vehicle 100 is drive | working based on the road information which the congestion degree judgment part 44 of ECU4 was acquired. For example, the road type (general road, highway) of the road on which the host vehicle 100 traveling calculated by the processing unit 53 of the navigation system 5 is input to the processing unit 42 via the input / output port 41 of the ECU 4. When the road on which the car 100 is traveling is an expressway, the congestion degree determination unit 44 of the ECU 4 may determine the congestion degree. Further, when the vehicle speed of the host vehicle 100 detected by the vehicle speed sensor 12 input to the processing unit 42 via the input / output port 41 of the ECU 4 is equal to or higher than a certain vehicle speed (for example, a vehicle speed when traveling on a highway). The congestion degree determination unit 44 of the ECU 4 may determine the congestion degree.

  As described above, the vehicle driving force control device and the driving force control method according to the present invention are useful for the vehicle driving force control device and the driving force control method for controlling the deceleration generated by the driver's intention to decelerate. In particular, it is suitable for reducing the driver's discomfort and discomfort when the road on which the vehicle is traveling is congested.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the driving force control apparatus of the vehicle concerning this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a front vehicle detection apparatus. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the own vehicle and a front vehicle. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement flow of the driving force control apparatus of the vehicle concerning this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Driving force control apparatus 2 Automatic transmission 3 Front vehicle detection apparatus 4 ECU
44 Congestion degree judgment part (congestion degree judgment means)
45 Lane Number Judgment Unit (lane number judging means)
46 Deceleration Control Unit 5 Navigation System (Road Information Acquisition Unit, Lane Number Acquisition Unit)
52 antenna portion 55a map data 6 engine 7 torque converter 8 hydraulic pressure supply device 9 intake system 10 exhaust system 11 accelerator sensor 12 vehicle speed sensor 13 shift sensor 14 vehicle automatic brake device 100 own vehicle 200 forward vehicle

Claims (6)

When the driver's intention to decelerate is detected by the deceleration detection means,
In the vehicle driving force control device that controls the deceleration of the host vehicle according to the positional relationship between the host vehicle and the forward vehicle positioned in front of the host vehicle,
Congestion degree judging means for judging the congestion degree of the road on which the host vehicle runs,
When the congestion degree determining means determines that the congestion degree is high, control is performed such that it is difficult to start the deceleration control of the own vehicle or the change in the deceleration of the own vehicle is reduced. Vehicle driving force control device. Lane number judging means for judging the number of lanes on the road on which the vehicle travels;
2. The driving force of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein when the number of lanes determining means determines that the road on which the host vehicle is traveling is a plurality of lanes, the degree of congestion is determined by the congestion degree determining means. Control device. Road information acquisition means for acquiring road information on which the vehicle travels;
The vehicle driving force control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the congestion degree determination unit determines the congestion degree from the road information acquired by the road information acquisition unit. The vehicle further comprises a surrounding vehicle detection means for detecting a surrounding vehicle traveling around the vehicle.
3. The vehicle driving force control device according to claim 1, wherein the congestion level determination unit determines the congestion level based on the number of the surrounding vehicles detected by the peripheral vehicle detection unit. Further comprising congestion detection means for detecting the driver's congestion intention,
The vehicle driving force control according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the congestion degree determination means determines that the congestion degree is high based on the driver's intention of congestion detected by the congestion detection means. apparatus. In the vehicle driving force control method for controlling the deceleration of the host vehicle according to the positional relationship between the host vehicle and the forward vehicle positioned in front of the host vehicle,
A procedure for determining the driver's intention to slow down;
A procedure for determining the degree of congestion of the road on which the vehicle travels;
When the degree of congestion is high, it is difficult to start the control of the deceleration of the own vehicle or the control is performed so that the change in the deceleration of the own vehicle becomes small.
A driving force control method for a vehicle, comprising:

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