JP2007022236A - Controller of operation assisting device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a controller of an operation assisting device reducing operation load in starting, stopping or parking, in the operation assisting device including an operation unit for giving operation commands to a braking system and an accelerating system of a vehicle by manual operation. <P>SOLUTION: In the operation assisting device including an operation unit 10 for selectively giving operation commands to the braking system and the accelerating system of the vehicle, a controller 50 controls a brake drive system 60 and an accelerator drive system 70 of the vehicle in accordance with operation of the operation unit 10, and makes assisting control of the brake drive system 60 to support the operation of the operation unit 10 on the brake drive system 60 regardless of the operation of the operation unit 10. Thus, the operation load of an operator is reduced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a control device for a driving assistance device that controls a braking system and an acceleration system of a vehicle according to an operation of a manual operation device.

The device for assisting driving of a vehicle by a physically handicapped person with lower limbs includes an operation lever that is manually operated by the driver to selectively instruct the operation of the braking system and acceleration system of the vehicle. A driving assistance device composed of an operation unit, a brake drive system for driving a brake pedal, an accelerator drive system for driving an accelerator pedal, a control device for controlling the brake drive system and the accelerator drive system in accordance with an operation amount of an operation lever, and the like. It is known (see Patent Document 1).
JP-A-8-216737

By the way, in the case of a general vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission, from the viewpoint of preventing sudden start, etc., when the driver depresses the brake pedal, the operation position of the transmission is changed from the P (parking) range to the D (drive) range. The vehicle is allowed to start by allowing the change and releasing the brake by releasing the brake pedal from the brake pedal after the change to the D range.
On the other hand, in a vehicle equipped with a driving assistance device as described above, for example, after operating the operating lever to the brake side and locking the operating position of the operating lever by its locking function, the operating position of the transmission is changed from the P range to the D range. The vehicle can be started by changing to the range and further unlocking the operation lever. Thus, in a vehicle equipped with a driving assistance device, the braking operation and the change operation of the transmission cannot be performed in parallel, so the operation at the time of starting is complicated compared to a general vehicle, and the starting operation is Takes a long time. This is the same when the vehicle equipped with the driving assistance device is stopped (parked).
Further, in the case of a vehicle equipped with the driving assistance device as described above, an operation for smoothly starting the vehicle is not easy when a so-called slope starts on an uphill road.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a driving assistance apparatus having an operation unit that is manually operated to instruct the operation of a braking system and an acceleration system of a vehicle. Is to provide a control device for a driving assistance device that can reduce the operation burden when starting, stopping, and parking.

A control device for a driving assistance device according to the present invention is a driving assistance device having an operation unit that is manually operated by a driver to selectively instruct the operation of a braking system and an acceleration system of a vehicle. A control device for controlling the braking system and the acceleration system of the vehicle according to the auxiliary braking control for assisting the operation of the braking system by the operating unit, and for auxiliary control of the braking system regardless of the operation of the operating unit It has the means.
According to this configuration, in order to assist the operation with respect to the braking system by the operating unit, the braking system is controlled in an auxiliary manner regardless of the operation of the operating unit, so that the operation burden on the driver can be reduced.

In the above configuration, the auxiliary braking control means can adopt a configuration that auxiliaryly controls the braking system regardless of the operation of the operation unit when starting and / or stopping the vehicle.
According to this configuration, it is possible to reduce the operation burden on the driver at the time of starting or stopping when the operation is particularly complicated.

In the above configuration, the auxiliary braking control means may employ a configuration for controlling the braking system in accordance with a change in the operation position of the transmission provided in the vehicle.
According to this configuration, in a vehicle including an automatic transmission, it is possible to reduce a driver's operation burden associated with a change in the operation position of the transmission.

In the above configuration, the auxiliary braking control means can employ a configuration that causes the braking system to perform a braking operation when the operation position of the transmission provided in the vehicle is changed from the parking range to another range.
According to this configuration, when the operation position of the transmission is changed from the parking range to another range, the vehicle is automatically braked, so that sudden start can be prevented and the operation unit need not be locked to the braking side. Therefore, the operation at the start can be simplified.

In the above configuration, the auxiliary braking control means can adopt a configuration in which the braking operation is released in response to an operation of the operating unit with respect to the acceleration system.
According to this configuration, the state in which the vehicle is automatically braked regardless of the operation of the operation unit can be released by the driver's operation on the acceleration system, so that a process and device for releasing the brake are not particularly required.

In the above configuration, the auxiliary braking control means can adopt a configuration that auxiliaryly controls the braking system in accordance with the state of the vehicle, detects that the vehicle is stopped, causes the braking system to perform a braking operation, When the vehicle starts on an uphill road, the braking system is caused to perform a braking operation and the operation of the operation unit with respect to the acceleration system and the braking state of the braking system are released based on the state of the vehicle. The braking operation can be canceled when the operating position of the transmission provided in the vehicle is changed from a range other than the parking range to the parking range by causing the braking system to perform a braking operation.
According to this configuration, it is possible to reduce the operation burden on the driver when the vehicle is stopped or when a so-called slope starts.

  According to the present invention, in a driving assistance device having an operation unit that is manually operated to instruct the operation of a braking system and an acceleration system of a vehicle, it is possible to reduce an operation burden when starting or stopping.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1 to 3 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a driving assistance device including a control device, and FIG. 2 illustrates a basic function of the driving assistance device applied to a vehicle. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the relationship between various devices provided in the vehicle and the control device.
As shown in FIG. 1, the driving assistance device drives an operation unit 10, a control device 50, a brake drive system 60 that drives a brake pedal 80 as a vehicle braking system, and an accelerator pedal 90 as a vehicle acceleration system. An accelerator driving system 70 and the like are provided.

The operation unit 10 is provided to selectively instruct the driving amounts (operations) of the accelerator pedal 90 and the brake pedal 80 of the vehicle by being manually operated by the driver, and the operation lever 20 and the angle detector 30 are provided. I have.
The operation lever 20 is swingably supported by a support mechanism (not shown) toward the brake region side and the accelerator region side. Further, the operating lever 20 is biased from both the brake region side and the accelerator region side by a biasing means such as a spring (not shown), and is held in a neutral region between the brake region and the accelerator region when not operated.
The angle detector 30 is electrically connected to the control device 50 through a cable, changes the operation amount (tilt angle) of the operation lever 20 into an electric signal, and outputs the signal to the control device 50. The drive amounts of the accelerator pedal 90 and the brake pedal 80 are determined according to the operation amount of the operation lever 20 detected by the angle detector 30.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the brake drive system 60 includes a motor 61, a rotation amount detection sensor 62 that detects the rotation amount of the motor 61, a drive circuit 63 that drives the motor 61, an output shaft of the motor 61, and a brake pedal. Connecting member 64 and the like for connecting 80 and the like.
The motor 61 rotates the connecting member 64 to drive the brake pedal 80.
The drive circuit 63 feedback-controls the motor 61 based on a command from the control device 50 and information from the rotation amount detection sensor 62.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the accelerator drive system 70 includes a motor 71, a rotation amount detection sensor 72 that detects the rotation amount of the motor 71, a drive circuit 73 that drives the motor 71, an output shaft of the motor 71, and an accelerator pedal. 90 and the like.
The motor 71 rotates the connecting member 74 to drive the accelerator pedal 90.
The drive circuit 73 performs feedback control of the motor 71 based on a command from the control device 50 and information from the rotation amount detection sensor 72, and when abnormality such as disconnection or overcurrent occurs in the motor 71 or a rotation amount detection sensor. When an abnormality occurs in the detection amount 72, this abnormality is detected and output to the control device 50.

  As shown in FIG. 2, an accelerator opening sensor 310 is connected to the accelerator pedal 90, and a driving amount of the accelerator pedal 90 is detected by the accelerator opening sensor 310, and the detected driving amount is an engine described later. It is output to the control device 300.

  Here, the vehicle engine is provided in a cylinder 320, a piston 321 fitted in the cylinder 320, a crankshaft 322 connected to the piston 321 and an intake passage 323 above the cylinder 320, as shown in FIG. A throttle valve 324 for adjusting the intake air amount, a drive system 327 for driving the throttle valve 324, an injector 350 for injecting fuel, an intake valve 326 for opening and closing the intake passage 323, and an ignition plug disposed above the piston 321 340, an exhaust valve 331 provided in the exhaust passage 330 above the cylinder 320 and opening and closing the exhaust passage 330 is provided. The engine control device 300 adjusts the intake air amount by driving the throttle drive system 327 in accordance with the drive amount of the accelerator pedal 90. Thereby, the output of the engine is controlled according to the driving amount of the accelerator pedal 90.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a brake cylinder 440 of a vehicle brake system 400 is connected to the brake pedal 80. The vehicle brake system 400 includes a plurality of cylinders 410 connected to a brake cylinder 440 by pipes, a plurality of brake pads 420 driven by the cylinders 410, and a vehicle wheel (not shown) disposed between the plurality of brake pads 420. A brake disc 430 and the like are provided. When the brake pedal 80 is driven by the motor 61, the brake pad 420 is driven by the hydraulic pressure generated in the brake cylinder 440 and a braking force is applied to the brake disc 430.

The control device 50 is configured by hardware such as a processor and a memory, and necessary software. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the control device 50 corresponds to the amount of lever operation from the operation unit 10 (angle detector 30). The brake drive system 60 and the accelerator drive system 70 (drive amount thereof) are controlled.
In addition, the control device 50 executes auxiliary braking control for assisting control of the brake drive system 60 regardless of the operation of the operation unit 10 in order to assist the operation of the operation unit 10 with respect to the brake drive system 60 (braking system). Can do. The specific auxiliary braking control by the control device 50 will be described later.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the control device 50 is connected to various devices mounted on the vehicle, for example, the engine control device 300, the automatic transmission control device 600, etc. The vehicle status information MI (for example, vehicle speed, engine speed, etc.) obtained from various sensors (not shown) provided in the vehicle can be acquired.
In FIG. 3, the automatic transmission control device 600 controls the automatic transmission 610 of the vehicle according to a command from the transmission 100.
The transmission 100 includes a P range (parking) range, an R (reverse: reverse) range, an N (neutral) range, a D (drive: forward) range, a 2 (medium speed forward) range, and an L (low: low speed forward) range. Various operation positions including ranges are provided, and by changing the operation position of the operation lever 110, a command corresponding to each operation position is output to the automatic transmission control device 600. The automatic transmission control device 600 controls the automatic transmission 610 based on a command received from the transmission 100 and transmits information received from the transmission 100 to the control device 50. Thereby, the present operation position of the transmission 100 of the control device 50 can be known.

Next, an example of auxiliary braking control at the time of start of the vehicle by the control device 50 will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the controller 50 first determines whether the vehicle is stopped (step ST1). This determination is made based on vehicle speed information obtained from the engine control device 300, for example.
When it is determined that the vehicle is traveling, the control device 50 ends the auxiliary braking control routine, and when it is determined that the vehicle is stopped, the operation position of the transmission 100 is changed from the P range to another range (for example, , D range, R range, etc.) is determined (step ST2). This determination is made based on information received from automatic transmission control device 600.

  Next, when it is determined that the P range has been changed to another range, the control device 50 controls the brake drive system 60 to drive the brake pedal 80 regardless of the operation of the operation unit 10 to perform a braking operation. (Step ST3). As a result, the vehicle is braked and the sudden start of the vehicle is prevented.

  Next, control device 50 determines whether or not there is an accelerator opening signal of accelerator opening sensor 310 obtained from engine control device 300 (step ST4). That is, the control device 50 determines from the accelerator opening signal whether the operation lever 20 has been operated toward the accelerator region, and if the accelerator opening signal exists, controls the brake drive system 60 to control the brake pedal 80. The driving is stopped and the braking operation is released (step ST5). As a result, the driver can drive the vehicle according to the operation of the operation lever 20.

  As described above, when the vehicle starts, the operation lever 20 can be changed from the P range to another range without locking the brake region, so that the operation burden on the driver can be reduced and the vehicle can be started quickly. It can be surely prevented.

Next, an example of auxiliary braking control when the vehicle is stopped by the control device 50 will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the controller 50 first determines whether the vehicle is stopped (step ST11). This determination is made based on vehicle speed information obtained from the engine control device 300, for example.
The control device 50 ends the auxiliary braking control routine when it is determined that the vehicle is traveling, and controls the brake drive system 60 regardless of the operation of the operation unit 10 when it is determined that the vehicle is stopped. Then, the brake pedal 80 is driven to perform a braking operation (step ST12).

Next, control device 50 determines whether or not the operating position of transmission 100 has been changed from a range other than the P range (eg, D range, R range, etc.) to P range (step ST13).
When the control device 50 determines that it has been changed to the P range, the braking operation by the brake pedal 80 is no longer necessary, so the brake driving system 60 is controlled to stop driving the brake pedal 80 and release the braking operation. (Step ST14).
Thus, the driver can park and stop the vehicle by operating a side brake provided on the vehicle.

  In this way, when the vehicle is parked or stopped, the operation lever 20 can be changed from the range other than the P range to the P range without locking the operation lever 20 in the brake region, so that the operation burden on the driver can be reduced and the vehicle Sudden start can be reliably prevented.

Next, an example of the auxiliary braking control when the vehicle starts on a hill by the control device 50 will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, the control device 50 first determines whether or not the vehicle is stopped (step ST21).
When it is determined that the vehicle is traveling, the control device 50 ends the auxiliary braking control routine, and when it is determined that the vehicle is stopped, the control device 50 determines whether the road on which the host vehicle is currently stopped is an uphill road. (Step ST22). The determination as to whether the road is an uphill road is made, for example, by acquiring information from a navigation system mounted on the vehicle or by mounting a tilt sensor on the vehicle and acquiring tilt information.

  When determining that the vehicle is not an uphill road, the control device 50 ends the auxiliary braking control routine at the time of starting the hill, and when determining that the road is an uphill road, the control device 50 detects the inclination angle (step ST23). The control device 50 determines the accelerator opening required for starting the slope from the detected inclination angle.

Next, the control device 50 controls the brake drive system 60 to drive the brake pedal 80 regardless of the operation of the operation unit 10 to perform a braking operation (step ST24).
Then, the control device 50 determines whether or not the accelerator opening obtained from the accelerator opening sensor 310 exceeds the required accelerator opening (step ST25). Control is performed to stop the driving of the brake pedal 80 and the braking operation is released (step ST26). In this state, since the operating lever 20 has already been operated to the accelerator area side, the vehicle starts smoothly on a slope as soon as the braking operation is released.

  As described above, when the vehicle starts on an uphill road, the brake driving system 60 performs a braking operation, and the braking operation of the brake driving system 60 is performed based on the operation of the operation unit 10 on the accelerator side and the accelerator opening state of the vehicle. By releasing, it is possible to start the slope smoothly and with a simplified operation.

  In the above embodiment, the auxiliary braking control is performed when the vehicle is started and stopped. However, the auxiliary braking control may be performed only when the vehicle is started or stopped.

  In the above embodiment, the transmission shown in FIG. 3 is illustrated as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to a vehicle equipped with any form of transmission. The present invention can also be applied to a case where the lever and the operation lever of the driving assistance device are shared.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the brake drive system 60 is automatically controlled according to the change in the operation position of the transmission 100 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The brake drive system 60 can be configured to automatically perform a braking operation by operating the lock switch before changing the operation position from the P range to the D range. That is, not only the change of the operation position of the transmission 100 and the state of the vehicle but also the auxiliary braking control can be activated by an operation signal from the outside of the control device 50 or the like.

  In the above embodiment, the case of a vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the vehicle includes a means for acceleration and braking, such as an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, and a fuel cell vehicle. It goes without saying that the present invention can be applied if there is any.

  In the above embodiment, the case of a vehicle provided with a brake drive system 60 that drives a brake pedal as a braking system and an accelerator drive system 70 that drives an accelerator pedal as a vehicle acceleration system has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention also relates to a vehicle configured not to drive the accelerator pedal or the brake pedal according to the operation amount of the operation lever but to directly control the braking system or the acceleration system according to the operation amount of the operation lever. Can be applied.

  In the above embodiment, the case of the vehicle speed, the accelerator opening, etc. is exemplified as the vehicle state. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and auxiliary braking control is performed according to the state of another vehicle, for example, the engine speed. It is also possible to execute.

It is a block diagram of the driving assistance apparatus containing a control apparatus. It is a figure for demonstrating the basic function of the driving assistance device applied to the vehicle. It is a functional block diagram which shows the relationship between the various apparatuses with which a vehicle is equipped, and a control apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the auxiliary | assistant braking control process at the time of start of a vehicle. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the auxiliary | assistant braking control process at the time of a vehicle stop. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the auxiliary | assistant braking control process at the time of hill start.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Operation part 20 ... Operation lever 30 ... Angle detector 50 ... Control apparatus (auxiliary braking control means)
60 ... Brake drive system (brake system)
61 ... Motor 62 ... Rotation amount detector 63 ... Drive circuit 64 ... Connecting member 70 ... Accelerator drive system (acceleration system)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 71 ... Motor 72 ... Rotation amount detector 73 ... Drive circuit 74 ... Connecting member 80 ... Brake pedal 90 ... Accelerator pedal 100 ... Transmission device 110 ... Operation lever 300 ... Engine control device 324 ... Throttle valve (acceleration system)
327 ... Throttle drive system (acceleration system)
400 ... Brake system (braking system)
600 ... Automatic transmission control device 610 ... Automatic transmission

Claims (9)

In a driving assistance device having an operation unit that is manually operated by a driver to selectively instruct the operation of a braking system and an acceleration system of the vehicle, the braking system and the acceleration system of the vehicle according to the operation of the operation unit A control device for controlling
In order to assist the operation with respect to the braking system by the operation unit, there is provided an auxiliary braking control means for assisting control of the braking system regardless of the operation of the operation unit. 2. The driving assistance according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary braking control unit auxiliaryly controls the braking system regardless of an operation of the operation unit when the vehicle is started and / or stopped. Control device for the device. The control device for a driving assistance device according to claim 2, wherein the auxiliary braking control means controls the braking system in accordance with a change in an operation position of a transmission provided in the vehicle. The driving according to claim 3, wherein the auxiliary braking control means causes the braking system to perform a braking operation when an operation position of a transmission provided in the vehicle is changed from a parking range to another range. Auxiliary control device. The control device for a driving assistance device according to claim 4, wherein the auxiliary braking control means releases the braking operation in accordance with an operation of the operation unit with respect to the acceleration system. The control device for a driving assistance device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the auxiliary braking control means controls the braking system in an auxiliary manner according to a state of the vehicle. The control device for a driving assistance device according to claim 6, wherein the auxiliary braking control means detects that the vehicle is stopped and causes the braking system to perform a braking operation. The auxiliary braking control means causes the braking system to perform a braking operation when the vehicle starts on an uphill road, and the braking operation of the braking system based on the operation of the operation unit with respect to the acceleration system and the state of the vehicle. The control device for the driving assistance device according to claim 7, wherein the control device is released. The auxiliary braking control means detects that the vehicle has stopped and causes the braking system to perform a braking operation so that the operation position of the transmission provided in the vehicle is changed from a range other than the parking range to the parking range. The control device for a driving assistance device according to claim 3 or 7, wherein the braking operation is released.

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