JP2007022285A - Travel control system for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a travel control system for a vehicle leading a driver to a safety side when an operation of a brake device of the travel control system is automatically released irrespective of driver's intention. <P>SOLUTION: The travel control system for the vehicle performs a travel control by selecting an automatic travel control mode which executes the automatic travel control automatically controlling at least either a brake or an engine according to a vehicle speed, a driving operation state, and a travel environment, or an automatic control stand-by mode which does not execute the automatic travel control. The travel control system is equipped with: a control mode determination processing means 113; and seat belt control means 110, 116. The control mode determination processing means 113 performs the control mode determination so as to transit to the automatic control standby mode when the driving operation to stop the automatic travel control mode is performed or the vehicle speed of the own vehicle becomes under the predetermined value during traveling in the automatic travel control mode. The seat belt control means 110, 116 generate the tension by winding up the seat belt when it is transited to the automatic standby mode, or just before the transition, since the vehicle speed of the own vehicle becomes under the predetermined value. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicular travel control apparatus that detects a travel environment around a vehicle, specifically, an inter-vehicle distance from a preceding vehicle and the like, and performs vehicle travel control.

  Conventionally, for example, a vehicular travel control device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. This device detects the traveling environment around the vehicle, specifically, the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle, and performs the traveling control of the host vehicle in order to maintain this inter-vehicle distance appropriately. In this device, at least a control standby mode and a travel control mode are prepared, and when the transition from the travel control mode to the control standby mode is automatically performed regardless of the driver's intention, the driver is informed and warned. I try to arouse it.

  Similarly, the vehicular travel control device disclosed in Patent Document 2 changes the acceleration of the vehicle when the vehicle speed becomes equal to or less than the control release vehicle speed in the control process for maintaining the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle properly. The travel control is canceled so as to reduce the vehicle speed, and an alarm is issued to the driver.

  In addition, when the vehicle speed range in which the above-described device can operate is expanded to the vehicle stop state, the automatic brake control device disclosed in Patent Document 3 issues an alarm when the stop state by the automatic brake continues for a predetermined time. Thus, automatic braking for a long time prevents the vehicle power consumption from increasing or the automatic brake control solenoid valve from burning out.

JP 2001-10372 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-278096 JP-A-8-150910 JP-A-9-132113 (see below)

  As described above, the conventional vehicle travel control devices according to Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 operate when the vehicle automatically shifts from the travel control mode to the control standby mode regardless of the driver's intention. So that the driver can easily recognize the operation of the system. However, such a response based only on a simple sound alarm is insufficient as a system response. Specifically, once the generated braking force is stopped or reduced, a feeling of jumping out of the vehicle occurs, and for example, a driver who is in a state of reduced consciousness due to falling asleep may be led to the unsafe side. is there.

  Further, when the vehicle travel control device according to Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 is expanded to the stop state of the vehicle, when the vehicle reaches the automatic stop state from the travel control state, the vehicle consumption is For the purpose of preventing the increase of electric power and burning of the solenoid valve for automatic brake control, the device releases the automatic stop regardless of the driver's intention. However, even in this case, the response based only on such a simple alarm is insufficient as a response of the system. Specifically, by releasing the stop state once performed, a feeling of jumping out of the vehicle occurs, and for example, there is a case where a driver who is in a state of reduced consciousness due to, for example, falling asleep, may lead the driver to the unsafe side. If the automatic stop is canceled in a state where the distance from the preceding vehicle is very close, the driver's operation may not be in time and may collide with the preceding vehicle.

  As a method of coping with the problem of inviting the driver to such a state, as described in Patent Document 4, when the distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle becomes extremely close, the seat belt is automatically wound up, A device for restraining the driver to the seat immediately before has been proposed. However, in general, a sensor for detecting a distance between vehicles has a property that detection probability at a very short distance is low or detection accuracy at a very short distance is low. Therefore, a method for operating a sievert based on information on a distance between vehicles. Is not a reliable solution to this problem.

  The object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems, and when the operation of the braking device of the travel control device is automatically released regardless of the driver's intention, it is compared with the conventional case. An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicular travel control device that can guide the driver to the safe side.

  The present invention relates to an automatic travel control mode for executing automatic travel control for automatically controlling at least one of a brake and an engine in accordance with the vehicle speed, driving operation status, and travel environment of the host vehicle, and an automatic control standby mode for not performing the automatic travel control. And a vehicle travel control device that controls the travel of the vehicle when a driving operation for stopping the automatic travel control mode is performed during traveling in the automatic travel control mode or in the automatic travel control mode. Control mode determination processing means for performing control mode determination so that the vehicle shifts to the automatic control standby mode when the vehicle speed of the host vehicle becomes less than a predetermined value during traveling, and the vehicle speed of the host vehicle becomes less than a predetermined value. Seat belt control means for winding up the seat belt and generating tension at the time of transition to the automatic control standby mode or immediately before the transition , In the vehicle control system characterized by comprising a.

  According to the present invention, when the operation of the braking device of the travel control device is automatically released regardless of the driver's intention, the driver can be guided to the safety side as compared with the conventional case.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle travel control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The controller 101 is composed of a computer that performs calculations for controlling various externally connected actuators based on input information of various externally connected sensors.

  The cruise control switch 102 is a switch for switching a later-described control mode that is operated by the driver and managed by the controller 101. The brake switch 103 is a switch that detects a driver's brake operation. The vehicle speed sensor 104 detects the speed of the host vehicle, the yaw rate sensor 105 detects the yaw rate of the host vehicle, and the inter-vehicle distance sensor 106 measures a distance and relative speed with an obstacle existing in a specific range ahead of the host vehicle. .

  The engine control mechanism 107 is an engine control mechanism that adjusts the output torque of the engine that generates the driving force of the host vehicle based on an instruction from the controller 101, and the brake actuator 108 is a braking torque of the host vehicle based on the instruction from the controller 101. The alarm buzzer 109 generates an alarm sound for the driver or passenger based on an instruction from the controller 101, and the seat belt actuator 110 winds the seat belt based on an instruction from the controller 101. Then, tension is generated to restrain the driver or the occupant to the seat.

  In the controller 101 shown as a functional block, the road curvature calculation processing unit 111 estimates the curvature of the road on which the vehicle travels based on the output signals of the vehicle speed sensor 104 and the yaw rate sensor 105. The preceding vehicle determination processing unit 112 is based on the output signals of the vehicle speed sensor 104 and the inter-vehicle distance sensor 106 and the road curvature output by the road curvature calculation processing unit 111, and automatically selects from among a plurality of obstacles output by the inter-vehicle distance sensor 106. In addition to selecting the preceding vehicle that the vehicle is to follow, the preceding vehicle lost flag that is the result of the selection availability is output. The control mode determination processing unit 113 determines the control mode of the present apparatus based on the preceding vehicle lost flag output from the cruise control switch 102, the brake switch 103, the vehicle speed sensor 104, and the preceding vehicle determination processing unit 112, and the driver Outputs an automatic release flag that is set when automatic control release of an unintended device occurs.

  The alarm processing unit 115 determines whether or not an alarm is generated based on the automatic release flag output from the control mode determination processing unit 113 and drives the alarm buzzer 109. The seat belt control processing unit 116 determines whether or not to drive the seat belt actuator 110 based on the automatic release flag output from the control mode determination processing unit 113, and controls the seat belt actuator 110 with a predetermined driving pattern. The target acceleration calculation processing unit 117 calculates a target acceleration for performing follow-up traveling control and constant speed traveling control for the preceding vehicle. The engine control processing unit 118 drives the engine control mechanism 107 based on the target acceleration output from the target acceleration calculation processing unit 117 to control the output torque of the engine. The brake control processing unit 119 controls the braking torque of the brake actuator 108 based on the target acceleration output from the target acceleration calculation processing unit 117.

  The control mode determination processing unit 113 constitutes a control mode determination processing unit, and the seat belt control processing unit 116 and the seat belt actuator 110 constitute a seat belt control unit.

  FIG. 2 shows a flowchart of processing executed in the controller 101, and processing contents of the controller 101 will be described below. First, various variables handled by the controller 101 are initialized, and the alarm buzzer 109, seat belt actuator 110, engine control mechanism 107, and brake actuator 108 connected to the controller 101 are initialized (step S201). Next, the calculation cycle of this flowchart is controlled to 20 ms. That is, the process waits for 20 ms from the start of the previous execution cycle, and proceeds to step S203 when 20 ms elapses (step S202).

Next, input processing for storing output signals of the cruise control switch 102, the brake switch 103, the vehicle speed sensor 104, the yaw rate sensor 105, and the inter-vehicle distance sensor 106 in a memory (not shown) is performed (step S203). Next, using the input signals of the vehicle speed sensor 104 and the yaw rate sensor 105, the curvature 1 / R of the road on which the host vehicle travels is calculated according to the equation (1) (step S204).
1 / R = γ / V
γ: Yaw rate (rad / s)
V: Vehicle speed (m / s)

  Next, based on the output signals of the vehicle speed sensor 104 and the inter-vehicle distance sensor 106 and the road curvature output by the road curvature calculation processing unit 111, an object on which the vehicle follows the vehicle from among a plurality of obstacles output by the inter-vehicle distance sensor 106 (Prior vehicle) is selected, and the distance D and relative speed Vr of the preceding vehicle are stored in the memory. Further, the preceding vehicle lost flag is set / cleared according to whether or not the preceding vehicle can be selected (the flag is set when the target obstacle cannot be selected, and is cleared when the obstacle can be selected) (step S205). ).

Next, the control mode of this device is determined based on the outputs of the cruise control switch 102, the brake switch 103, the vehicle speed sensor 104, and the preceding vehicle lost flag Ylost output from the preceding vehicle determination processing unit 112 (step S206). The control mode has the following three modes: an automatic control standby mode, a constant speed travel mode, and a follow-up travel mode. The constant speed travel mode and the follow-up travel mode are combined into an automatic travel control mode.
Automatic control standby mode: Mode in which the driver waits for activation of the apparatus Constant speed driving mode: Mode in which the torque of the engine control mechanism 107 is controlled so that the vehicle speed matches the target vehicle speed Vt set by the driver Following driving mode: Step S205 Is adjusted to the target inter-vehicle distance Dt linked to the vehicle speed V, and at the same time, the output torque of the engine control mechanism 107 and the braking torque of the brake actuator 108 are adjusted so that the relative speed Vr becomes zero. Control mode

  FIG. 3 is a state transition diagram of these three control modes. The initial control mode is the automatic control standby mode M1. Here, when the vehicle speed V is equal to or higher than the predetermined value V1 and the driver performs a setting operation of the device by the cruise control switch 102, the vehicle transits to the constant speed traveling mode M2 or the follow traveling mode M3. Which transition is made depends on the state of the preceding vehicle lost flag Ylost. If Ylost is in the set state and the preceding vehicle is lost, a transition is made to the constant speed traveling mode M2, and if Ylost is in a clear state and the preceding vehicle is being detected, the transition is made to the following traveling mode M3.

  In addition, when the control mode is the constant speed travel mode, when Ylost becomes a clear state and a preceding vehicle is detected, a transition to the follow travel mode M3 is made. On the contrary, when the control mode is the follow-up running mode, when Ylost becomes the set state and the preceding vehicle is lost, the mode is changed to the constant speed running mode M2. When the control mode is either the constant speed driving mode M2 or the following driving mode M3, the control mode is automatically set when the driver cancels the cruise control switch 102 or the driver performs a brake operation (detection of the brake switch 103). Transition to the control standby mode M1. Separately from this, even when the vehicle speed V falls below (less than) the predetermined value V1, the control mode is shifted to the automatic control standby mode M1. However, in this case, since it corresponds to the transition to the automatic control standby mode M1 not intended by the driver, the automatic cancellation flag Ycancel is set as a process meaning this.

Next, a target acceleration At for performing the follow-up running control and the constant speed running control for the preceding vehicle is calculated (step S207). This target acceleration At is determined as follows according to the control mode.
Automatic control standby mode: At = 0
Constant speed travel mode: At = Kc × (Vt−V)
Follow-up running mode: At = Kt1 × (Dt−D) + Kt2 × Vr
Kc is an adjustment parameter that determines the response of the vehicle speed V to the target vehicle speed Vt in the constant speed travel mode, and Kt1 and Kt2 are adjustment parameters that determine the response of the acceleration A to the target acceleration At in the follow travel mode. It is.

  Next, the output torque of the engine control mechanism 107 is controlled so that the actual vehicle acceleration A (the differential value of the vehicle speed sensor 104) matches the target acceleration At calculated in step S207 (step S208). Next, the braking torque generated by the brake actuator 108 is controlled so that the actual vehicle acceleration A (differential value of the vehicle speed sensor 104) matches the target acceleration At calculated in step S207 (step S209). Then, based on the automatic cancel flag Ycancel created in step S206, when Ycancel is in the set state, as shown in FIG. 5, the alarm buzzer 109 is driven for a time of ΔT1 from the time t when Ycancel was set (step S210). ). Conversely, when Ycancel is in the clear state, the alarm buzzer 109 is not driven. Further, when Ycancel is in the set state based on the automatic release flag created in step S206, as shown in FIG. 6, the seatbelt actuator 110 is driven for a time of ΔT2 from the time t when Ycancel is set. A predetermined tension F1 is generated (step S211). Conversely, when Ycancel is in the clear state, the seat belt actuator 110 is not driven.

  FIG. 4 is a detailed flowchart showing the process of step S206, and the operation will be described according to this flowchart. First, the automatic cancellation flag Ycancel is cleared (step S401). Next, it is confirmed whether or not the control mode is an automatic control standby mode (step S402). If it is in the automatic control standby mode, the process proceeds to step S403. If it is not in the automatic control standby mode, the process proceeds to step S405. In step S403, the driver uses the cruise control switch 102 to set the device, and checks whether the vehicle speed V is equal to or higher than a predetermined value V1. If this condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S404, and if not, the process proceeds to step S410.

  In step S404, the state of the preceding vehicle lost flag Ylost is confirmed. If Ylost is in the set state, the process proceeds to step S409. If Ylost is in the clear state, the process proceeds to step S408. In step S405, it is confirmed whether the driver has performed a cancel operation of the apparatus using the cruise control switch 102 or the driver has performed a brake operation (from the brake switch 103). If this condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S410, and if not, the process proceeds to step S406. In step S406, it is confirmed whether or not the vehicle speed V is lower (less than) the predetermined value V1. If it is less than the predetermined value V1, the process proceeds to step S407, and if it is higher, the process proceeds to step S404. In step S407, the automatic cancellation flag Ycancel is set. In step S408, the control mode is set to the follow-up running mode, in step S409, the control mode is set to the constant speed running mode, and in step S410, the control mode is set to the automatic control standby mode, and the process ends.

  Step S201 in FIG. 2 corresponds to the operations 115, 116, 118, and 119 in FIG. 1. Step S202 is 101, step S203 is 111 to 113, step S204 is 111, step S205 is 112, and step S206 is 113, step S207 corresponds to 117, step S208 corresponds to 118, step S209 corresponds to 119, step S210 corresponds to 115, and step S211 corresponds to 116.

  Further, the vehicle speed is obtained from the vehicle speed sensor 104, the driving operation status is obtained from the cruise control switch 102 and the brake switch 103, and the traveling environment is obtained from the yaw rate sensor 105, the inter-vehicle distance sensor 106, and predetermined calculation values based on these values.

  As described above, in this embodiment, when the control mode is in the constant speed traveling mode or the following traveling mode, the vehicle speed V falls below V1, and the transition to the automatic control standby mode is performed regardless of the driver's intention. (When the control is automatically canceled), the automatic cancel flag Ycansel is set, and when this Ycancel is set, in addition to the alarm buzzer 109, the seat belt actuator 110 is set according to the pattern shown in FIG. It is configured to drive.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, when releasing the deceleration once performed regardless of the driver's intention, even if the driver is in a state of consciousness reduction by looking aside, falling asleep or listening to music, Unlike conventional alarm buzzer 109 notification means, the driver is not only urged, but also restrains the driver in a state of reduced consciousness to the driver's seat using the seatbelt actuator 110 to make the driver safer. There is an effect that it can be guided.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
Hereinafter, a vehicle travel control apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described. The configuration of the apparatus in this embodiment is the same as that shown in FIG. The processing flow also follows FIG. 2, but the processing contents of step S206 and step S209 are different.

The control mode determination process in step S206 in this embodiment will be described in detail. The control mode determination processing unit 113 determines the control mode of the present apparatus based on the cruise control switch 102, the brake switch 103, the vehicle speed sensor 104, and the preceding vehicle lost flag Ylost output from the preceding vehicle determination processing unit 112. There are four control modes: an automatic control standby mode, a constant speed travel mode, a follow-up travel mode, and an automatic stop mode, and the constant speed travel mode, the follow-up travel mode, and the automatic stop mode are set as the automatic travel control mode.
Automatic control standby mode: Mode in which the driver waits for activation of the apparatus Constant speed driving mode: Mode in which the torque of the engine control mechanism 107 is controlled so that the vehicle speed matches the target vehicle speed Vt set by the driver Following driving mode: Step S205 Is adjusted to the target inter-vehicle distance Dt linked to the vehicle speed V, and at the same time, the output torque of the engine control mechanism 107 and the braking torque of the brake actuator 108 are adjusted so that the relative speed Vr becomes zero. Control mode Automatic stop mode: A mode in which the braking torque of the brake actuator 108 is controlled in order to maintain the stop state of the vehicle.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing these four control mode state transitions. The initial control mode is the automatic control standby mode M1. Here, when the vehicle speed V is equal to or higher than the predetermined value V1 and the driver performs a setting operation of the device by the cruise control switch 102, the vehicle transits to the constant speed traveling mode M2 or the follow traveling mode M3. Which transition is made depends on the state of the preceding vehicle lost flag Ylost. If Ylost is in the set state and the preceding vehicle is lost, a transition is made to the constant speed traveling mode M2, and if Ylost is in a clear state and the preceding vehicle is being detected, the transition is made to the following traveling mode M3.

  Further, when the control mode is the constant speed traveling mode M2, when Ylost becomes a clear state and a preceding vehicle is detected, a transition is made to the following traveling mode M3. On the contrary, when the control mode is the follow-up running mode M3, when Ylost becomes the set state and the preceding vehicle is lost, the mode is changed to the constant speed running mode M2. When the control mode is either the constant speed driving mode M2 or the following driving mode M3, the control mode is automatically set when the driver cancels the cruise control switch 102 or the driver performs a brake operation (detection of the brake switch 103). Transition to the control standby mode M1.

  Separately, when the vehicle speed V falls below (less than) the predetermined value V1, the control mode is changed to the automatic stop mode M4. In addition, when the predetermined time ΔT3 has elapsed in the automatic stop mode M4, or when the driver cancels the cruise control switch 102, or when the driver performs a brake operation (detection of the brake switch 103), the mode changes to the automatic control standby mode M1. . However, in this case, since it corresponds to the transition to the automatic control standby mode M1 not intended by the driver, the automatic cancellation flag Ycancel is set as a process meaning this.

  In step S209, in the constant speed traveling mode and the follow-up control mode, braking is generated by the brake actuator 108 so that the actual vehicle acceleration A (differential value of the vehicle speed sensor 104) matches the target acceleration At calculated in step S207. Control torque. In the automatic stop mode, a predetermined braking torque is generated by the brake actuator 108, and the vehicle is stopped and maintained.

  FIG. 9 is a detailed flowchart showing the process of step S206 in this embodiment, and the operation will be described according to this. First, the automatic cancellation flag Ycancel is cleared (step S901). Next, it is confirmed whether or not the control mode is an automatic control standby mode (step S902). If it is in the automatic control standby mode, the process proceeds to step S903. If it is not in the automatic control standby mode, the process proceeds to step S905. In step S903, the driver performs a device setting operation using the cruise control switch 102, and checks whether the vehicle speed V is equal to or higher than a predetermined value V1. If this condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S904, and if not, the process proceeds to step S911.

  In step S904, the state of the preceding vehicle lost flag Ylost is confirmed. If Ylost is in the set state, the process proceeds to step S910. If Ylost is in the clear state, the process proceeds to step S909. In step S905, it is confirmed whether the driver has performed a cancel operation of the apparatus using the cruise control switch 102 or the driver has performed a brake operation (from the brake switch 103). If this condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S911. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S906. In step S906, it is confirmed whether or not the vehicle speed V is lower (less than) the predetermined value V2. If it is less than the predetermined value V2, the process proceeds to step S907, and if it is higher, the process proceeds to step S904. In step S907, it is confirmed whether or not a predetermined time ΔT3 has elapsed in the automatic stop mode. If ΔT3 has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S908, and if not, the process proceeds to step S909. In step S908, the automatic release flag Ycancel is set. In step S909, the control mode is set as the follow-up running mode, in step S910, the control mode is set to the constant speed running mode, in step S911, the control mode is set to the automatic control standby mode, in step S912, the control mode is set to the automatic stop mode, and the process is performed. finish.

  As described above, in this embodiment, when the control mode is in the automatic stop mode, the predetermined time ΔT3 has elapsed in the automatic stop mode, and the automatic control standby mode is entered regardless of the driver's will (automatic 6), the automatic release flag Ycansel is set. When the Ycancel is further set, the seat belt actuator 110 is driven by the pattern shown in FIG. 6 in addition to the alarm buzzer 109. It is configured.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, when the stop state once performed regardless of the driver's intention, even if the driver is in a state of reduced consciousness by looking aside, falling asleep or listening to music, etc. Unlike conventional alarm buzzer 109 notification means, not only merely calling attention, but also using the seat belt actuator 110, the driver who is in a state of reduced consciousness is restrained to the driver's seat to make the driver safer. There is an effect that can be led to.

  In the above description, when the predetermined time ΔT3 elapses in the automatic stop mode, the automatic travel control mode shifts to the automatic control standby mode. For example, in consideration of the heating problem in the brake described above, FIG. Thus, the brake actuator 108 is provided with a temperature sensor 108a so that when the temperature of the brake actuator 108 exceeds a predetermined temperature, a transition is made from the automatic stop mode to the automatic control standby mode. By generating the driver, the driver who is in a state of reduced consciousness can be restrained to the driver's seat, the driver can be guided to a safer side, and heating by the brake can be more reliably prevented.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
Hereinafter, a vehicle travel control apparatus according to still another embodiment of the present invention will be described. The configuration of the apparatus in this embodiment is the same as that shown in FIG. The processing flow also follows FIG. 2, but the processing content of step S211 is different. The contents of this embodiment can be applied to both the first and second embodiments.

  In step S211 in this embodiment, when Ycancel is in the set state based on the automatic release flag created in step S206, as shown in FIG. 7, the seat belt actuator is set for a time of ΔT4 from time t when Ycancel is set. 110 is driven in the retracting direction to generate a predetermined tension F2 on the seat belt. Further, thereafter, the seat belt actuator 110 is driven in the direction opposite to the retracting direction for the time of ΔT5−ΔT4 to generate a predetermined tension F3 on the seat belt. This is repeated three times for each period ΔT6.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the driver is in a state of reduced consciousness by looking aside, falling asleep or listening to music when canceling the stopped state or deceleration once performed regardless of the driver's will. However, it is a more effective notification means than the conventional alarm buzzer 109, and specifically, a sensory alarm is given to the driver who is in a state of reduced consciousness using the seat belt actuator 110 to drive the vehicle. Effect that the person can be guided to a safer side.

  The driving pattern of the seat belt actuator 110 described above is merely an example, and the same effect can be obtained by generating the tension in a predetermined pattern in which the direction and the number of times are predetermined.

  In each embodiment, the tension may be a tension that is large enough to restrain a person on the seat, or a tension that is large enough to give a human alarm. .

  Further, the timing for winding the seat belt and generating the tension may be simultaneous with the transition to the automatic control standby mode, but may be generated immediately before the transition in order to give the driver a preparation period. In this case, after the tension is generated in the seat belt, the transition to the actual automatic control standby mode is performed. Therefore, the above-mentioned vehicle speed, which is the criterion for determining the transition, is set to a higher value, the elapsed time is set to a shorter value, and the set temperature of the brake actuator is set to a lower value. Then, the transition to the actual automatic control standby mode is performed.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the traveling control apparatus for vehicles by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process performed in the controller of FIG. It is a state transition diagram of three control modes in one embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating in detail the process of step S206 in one embodiment of this invention. It is a time chart for demonstrating an example of the drive pattern of the alarm buzzer in this invention. It is a time chart for demonstrating an example of the drive pattern of the seatbelt actuator in one embodiment of this invention. It is a time chart for demonstrating an example of the drive pattern of the seatbelt actuator in Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a state transition diagram of four control modes in another embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating in detail the process of step S206 in another embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

101 controller, 102 cruise control switch, 103 brake switch, 104 vehicle speed sensor, 105 yaw rate sensor, 106 inter-vehicle distance sensor, 107 engine control mechanism, 108 brake actuator, 108a temperature sensor, 109 alarm buzzer, 110 seat belt actuator, 111 road curvature Arithmetic processing unit, 112 preceding vehicle determination processing unit, 113 control mode determination processing unit, 115 alarm processing unit, 116 seat belt control processing unit, 117 target acceleration calculation processing unit, 118 engine control processing unit, 119 brake control processing unit.

Claims (6)

According to the vehicle speed, driving operation status and driving environment of the host vehicle, an automatic driving control mode for executing automatic driving control for automatically controlling at least one of the brake and the engine and an automatic control standby mode for not executing the automatic driving control are selected. A vehicular travel control device that performs vehicular travel control,
The automatic control standby mode when a driving operation for stopping the automatic traveling control mode is performed during traveling in the automatic traveling control mode or when the vehicle speed of the host vehicle becomes less than a predetermined value during traveling in the automatic traveling control mode. Control mode determination processing means for performing control mode determination so as to transition to
Seat belt control means for winding the seat belt and generating tension immediately before the transition to the automatic control standby mode due to the vehicle speed of the host vehicle becoming less than a predetermined value; and
A vehicle travel control device comprising: An automatic running control that automatically controls at least one of a brake and an engine including an automatic stop mode that automatically stops the host vehicle when the vehicle speed falls below a predetermined value according to the vehicle speed, driving operation status, and driving environment of the host vehicle. A vehicle travel control device that performs travel control of a vehicle by selecting a travel control mode and an automatic control standby mode that does not execute the automatic travel control,
The vehicle shifts to the automatic control standby mode when there is a driving operation to stop the automatic travel control mode during traveling in the automatic travel control mode, and the vehicle speed of the host vehicle is less than a predetermined value during traveling in the automatic travel control mode. A control mode determination processing means for switching to the automatic stop mode and determining the control mode so as to transition to the automatic control standby mode when the automatic stop mode has elapsed for a predetermined time during the automatic stop mode,
Seat belt control means for winding up the seat belt and generating tension immediately before the transition to the automatic control standby mode because the automatic stop mode has elapsed for a predetermined time; and
A vehicle travel control device comprising: A temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the brake actuator of the host vehicle,
The control mode determination processing means performs a control mode determination to transition to the automatic control standby mode even when the temperature of the brake actuator exceeds a predetermined temperature during the automatic stop mode,
The seat belt control means winds the seat belt at or just before the transition to the automatic control standby mode depending on at least one of whether the automatic stop mode has elapsed for a predetermined time or the temperature of the brake actuator has exceeded a predetermined temperature. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 2, wherein a tension is generated.   The vehicular travel control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the seat belt control means generates a tension in the seat belt sufficient to restrain a person to the seat.   4. The vehicular travel control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the seat belt control means generates a tension on the seat belt for giving a sensible alarm to a person.   6. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 4, wherein the seat belt control means generates a tension in a predetermined pattern in which a direction and the number of times are predetermined.

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