JP2008087618A - Travel control system for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a travel control system for a vehicle observing laws and regulations or moral to attain speed control for securing safety and comfortability in riding. <P>SOLUTION: This travel control system for the vehicle is provided at least with a road information acquisition means for acquiring road information in the periphery of the own vehicle, an own vehicle area determining means for determining an own vehicle positioned area in response to the road information in the periphery of the own vehicle acquired by the road information acquisition means, an intervehicular distance target value setting means for setting an intervehicular distance target value with respect of a preceding vehicle, in response to the own vehicle positioned area determined by the own vehicle area determining means, and a speed control means for controlling a speed of the own vehicle in response to the intervehicular distance target value set by the intervehicular distance target value setting means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle travel control system, and more particularly, to a travel control system configured to control travel of the host vehicle based on a travel environment in front of the host vehicle.

  For example, as driving control of an automobile, the driving state of the host vehicle is controlled based on the detected road information around the host vehicle, thereby supporting the driving operation of the driver and reducing the driving operation amount. Regardless of the driving technology and feeling, driving control is performed for the purpose of improving fuel efficiency and reducing exhaust gas.

  As examples of such control, for example, CC (Cruise Control: speed control) that controls the driving force so as to maintain the set speed set by the driver, and the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle in front and the host vehicle are appropriately set. Maintaining ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) has been developed.

  Furthermore, as disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1 below, an apparatus is known in which travel control for assisting a driver is performed based on a road condition ahead of the host vehicle.

This device collects information on the road environment around the host vehicle using a camera, radar, and inter-vehicle / road-to-vehicle communication, and whether or not a space where the host vehicle can enter is generated at the intersection or the crossing. If it is determined that there is not enough space before entering the intersection or railroad crossing of the own vehicle, the driver will be warned and the vehicle will be supported. When it is determined that the necessary space does not occur after entering the vehicle, an empty space is created by requesting the cooperation of surrounding vehicles.
JP-A-2005-165543

  However, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a process in which the host vehicle travels following the preceding vehicle by performing inter-vehicle distance control (ACC) that maintains the inter-vehicle distance with the preceding vehicle at a predetermined value. Thus, when the preceding vehicle passes through a stop prohibited area such as a railroad crossing and then stops, it is sufficiently determined whether or not the own vehicle can enter between the exit location of the stop prohibited area and the preceding vehicle. Inconvenience that it is not possible may occur.

This is because the host vehicle travels with the inter-vehicle distance controlled to be constant and the inter-vehicle distance is set to be short, so that the timing of the determination may be delayed.

For this reason, there is a case where the host vehicle is forced to suddenly decelerate, or a case where the host vehicle is not in time for the stop occurs. Although reference is made to vehicle intrusion and countermeasures for it, speed control so that the vehicle does not enter the stop prohibited area is in order to ensure safety and comfort of the ride in compliance with laws and morals. Needless to say, it is preferable.

An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle travel control system capable of realizing speed control that ensures safety and comfort of riding while complying with laws and morals.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle travel control system in which attention is given to speed control or passengers so that the host vehicle does not stop in a stop prohibition area such as a railroad crossing. is there.

  Of the inventions disclosed in this application, the outline of typical ones will be briefly described as follows.

(1) A vehicle travel control system according to the present invention includes, for example, at least road information acquisition means for acquiring road information around the host vehicle;
Own vehicle area determination means for determining an area where the own vehicle is located according to road information around the own vehicle acquired by the road information acquisition means;
An inter-vehicle distance target value setting means for setting an inter-vehicle distance target value with a preceding vehicle according to the area where the own vehicle is determined determined by the own vehicle area determination means;
The vehicle is characterized by comprising speed control means for controlling the speed of the host vehicle according to the target distance value set by the target distance value setting means.

(2) A vehicle travel control system according to the present invention includes, for example, at least road information acquisition means for acquiring road information around the host vehicle,
Own vehicle area determination means for determining an area where the own vehicle is located according to road information around the own vehicle acquired by the road information acquisition means;
An inter-vehicle distance target value setting means for setting an inter-vehicle distance target value with a preceding vehicle according to the area where the own vehicle is determined determined by the own vehicle area determination means;
Speed control means for controlling the speed of the vehicle according to the target distance value set by the target distance setting value setting means;
First notifying means for notifying information of an area where the own vehicle is located determined by the own vehicle area determining means through sound or image information;
A second notifying unit for notifying information on the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle detected by the inter-vehicle distance detecting unit and information on the inter-vehicle distance target value set by the inter-vehicle distance target value setting unit through voice or image information; It is characterized by.

(3) The vehicle travel control system according to the present invention is based on, for example, the configuration of (1), and the road information acquired by the road information acquisition means includes a stop prohibition area where the stop of the host vehicle is prohibited. Information about
The area where the own vehicle is determined, which is determined by the own vehicle area determining means, is distinguished by the presence or absence of the stop prohibition area.

(4) The vehicle travel control system according to the present invention includes, for example, speed range determination means for determining the speed range of the host vehicle on the premise of the configuration of (3),
The inter-vehicle distance target value setting means determines the speed range determined by the speed range determination means when the own vehicle area determination means determines that the area where the host vehicle is located is an area including the stop prohibited area. It is comprised so that the inter-vehicle distance target value according to may be set.

(5) The vehicle travel control system according to the present invention is, for example, on the premise of the configuration of (3) or (4), and includes a passage permission / inhibition determining means.
The passability determination unit is configured to obtain a vehicle periphery acquired by the peripheral vehicle information acquisition unit when the vehicle area determination unit determines that the area where the vehicle is located is an area including the stop prohibited area. The vehicle is configured to determine whether or not the vehicle can pass through the stop prohibited area according to the vehicle information and the road information around the vehicle acquired by the road information acquisition means. And

(6) The vehicle travel control system according to the present invention is, for example, on the premise of the configuration of (5), and is provided with notification means.
The informing means stops the own vehicle at information indicating that or when entering the stop prohibited area when the own vehicle is determined to be unable to pass through the stop prohibited area by the passage permission determining means. The information to the effect is notified through voice or image information.

(7) The vehicle travel control system according to the present invention is based on, for example, the configuration of (5) or (6), and the speed control means is configured to prevent the own vehicle from passing through the stop prohibition area by the passability determination means. When it is determined that it is possible, the speed of the host vehicle is controlled so as to stop at the entrance of the stop prohibited area.

(8) The vehicle travel control system according to the present invention is premised on, for example, the configuration of (8), and the road information acquisition means communicates with road information around the host vehicle by communication with a communication device installed on the road side. It is characterized by acquiring.

(9) The vehicle travel control system according to the present invention is based on, for example, the configuration of (7) or (8), and the road information acquisition means is connected to at least one other vehicle around the own vehicle. The road information around the own vehicle is acquired by the communication.

(10) The vehicle travel control system according to the present invention is based on, for example, any one of the configurations (7), (8), and (9), and the road information acquisition means is an imaging device mounted on the host vehicle. The road information around the host vehicle is acquired from the image information obtained from the vehicle.

(11) The vehicle travel control system according to the present invention is based on, for example, any one of the configurations (7), (8), (9), and (10), and the surrounding vehicle information acquisition means is provided on the road side. It is characterized in that information on vehicles around the own vehicle is acquired by communication with an installed communication device.

(12) A vehicle travel control system according to the present invention is based on, for example, any one of (7), (8), (9), (10), and (11), and the surrounding vehicle information acquisition means includes The information on other vehicles around the own vehicle is acquired by communication with at least one other vehicle around the own vehicle.

(13) A vehicle travel control system according to the present invention is based on, for example, any one of (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), and (12), and the surrounding vehicles The information acquisition means is characterized by acquiring information related to other vehicles around the host vehicle based on image information obtained from an imaging device mounted on the host vehicle.

(14) At least an addability determination unit that determines whether or not the own vehicle can be added without stopping the stop prohibition area at a time before passing the stop prohibition area;
An inter-vehicle distance target value setting means for traveling at a controlled inter-vehicle distance with a preceding vehicle;
Comprising speed control means for controlling the traveling speed of the own vehicle;
When it is determined by the passability determination means that the vehicle can pass without stopping the stop prohibited area in relation to the preceding vehicle,
The inter-vehicle distance target value setting means includes a total distance of a distance required for decelerating the length of the own vehicle, the distance of the stop prohibited area, and the current vehicle speed of the own vehicle and stopping at the entrance of the stop prohibited area. Calculate the value,
When the total distance value exceeds the inter-vehicle distance, the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle is switched to the total distance value and operated.
When it is determined by the passability determination means that the own vehicle cannot pass without stopping the stop prohibited area in relation to the preceding vehicle,
The speed control means is configured to decelerate the current vehicle speed of the host vehicle and stop the vehicle at the entrance of the stop prohibited area.

(15) A vehicle travel control system according to the present invention is based on, for example, the configuration of (14), and the passability determination means determines whether the own vehicle is based on information from at least the map information acquisition means and the vehicle position detection means. It is determined whether or not the vehicle can pass through the stop prohibited area without stopping.

(16) A vehicle travel control system according to the present invention is based on, for example, the configuration of (14), and the inter-vehicle distance target value setting means has an inter-vehicle distance target value before being switched by the value of the total value. It is calculated by multiplying the time at which the host vehicle can reach the current position of the preceding vehicle and the relative speed of the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle.

(17) The vehicle travel control system according to the present invention is based on, for example, the configuration of (14), and the addition availability determination means includes an exit location of the stop prohibited area and a preceding vehicle positioned in front of the exit location. When the own vehicle can enter during this period, it is determined that the own vehicle can pass through the stop prohibited area without stopping in relation to the preceding vehicle.

(18) The vehicle travel control system according to the present invention is based on, for example, the configuration of (14), and the passability determination means includes an exit location of the stop prohibited area and a preceding vehicle positioned in front of the exit location. When the host vehicle cannot enter during the period, it is determined that the host vehicle cannot pass through the stop prohibited area without stopping due to the preceding vehicle.

(19) The vehicle travel control system according to the present invention is based on, for example, the configuration of (14), and the stop prohibition area is an intersection, a crossing, or other stop prohibition portion.

(20) The vehicle travel control system according to the present invention includes, for example, an inter-vehicle distance target value setting means for traveling at an inter-vehicle distance controlled with a preceding vehicle,
The inter-vehicle distance target value setting means makes the calculation of the setting of the inter-vehicle distance target value different when the vehicle travels on a general road and when traveling on a highway.
When the vehicle travels on a highway, the target distance between vehicles is set to a value obtained by multiplying the target distance between vehicles when traveling on a general road by a positive coefficient. Features.

(21) The vehicle travel control system according to the present invention is based on, for example, the configuration of (20), and it is determined that the vehicle travels on a highway based on information from road information acquisition means. A determination means,
The inter-vehicle distance target value setting means calculates the inter-vehicle distance target value when traveling on the highway by determining the traveling of the own vehicle on the highway by the highway road determining means. .

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the above structure, A various change is possible in the range which does not deviate from the technical idea of this invention.

  The vehicle travel control system configured as described above can realize speed control that ensures the safety and comfort of boarding in compliance with laws and morals.

  In addition, the vehicle travel control system configured as described above can speed control or alert a passenger so that the vehicle does not stop in a stop prohibition area such as a railroad crossing. .

  Embodiments of a vehicle traveling system according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

<Overall system configuration diagram>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of an embodiment of a vehicle travel control system according to the present invention, for example, an automobile travel control system. The operation of this system is programmed in a computer (not shown) and is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle.

  First, there is an in-vehicle terminal device 10. As the in-vehicle terminal device 10, a car navigation system that notifies a passenger of a route to a destination can be used. The in-vehicle terminal device 10 includes a vehicle position detection unit 12, a map information acquisition unit 13, a road information acquisition unit 11, a vehicle area determination unit 14, and an information notification unit 15.

  The own vehicle position detecting means 12 detects the position of the own vehicle based on latitude and longitude information by using a detection method using an artificial satellite such as GPS (Global Positioning System) or communication with an infrastructure or the like. It is like that.

  The map information acquisition means 13 has, for example, a map DB (Data Base) in itself and can obtain surrounding map information including the position of the host vehicle. The map information acquisition unit 13 may include a storage unit, and the map information may be input to the storage unit from a separate storage medium. Examples of the storage medium include a computer-readable CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, and hard disk. The map information may be obtained from an information center by communication.

  The road information acquisition unit 11 acquires a signal of the vehicle position detected by the vehicle position detection unit 12 and road information around the vehicle by the map information acquisition unit 13. Here, the road information acquired by the road information acquisition means 11 includes, for example, information on curved roads and slope roads (curve curvature radius, curve road crossing slope, slope inclination angle, etc.), regulation speed, speed regulation execution information (construction work) , Information on accidents, etc.), traffic information, presence of toll booths, presence of branches and junctions, presence / absence of prohibited parking areas (intersections, railroad crossings, stop prohibited parts, pedestrian crossings), and their locations (type of information) Depending on the start position and end position or section length). The road information acquiring means 11 is a road-to-vehicle communication that acquires road information around the vehicle by communication with a communication device installed on the road side, or a road around the vehicle by communication with vehicles around the vehicle. You may use the method of acquiring the road information around the own vehicle using imaging devices, such as a vehicle-to-vehicle communication and a camera which acquires information. The road information acquisition unit 11 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. The road information acquired by the road information acquisition unit 11 is output to the travel control device 20.

  The own vehicle area determination means 14 determines the presence or absence of a stop prohibition area such as a railroad crossing from the road information around the own vehicle acquired by the road information acquisition means 11, and the own vehicle and the area where the stop prohibition area exists and the stop It is determined in which area the prohibited area does not exist. The vehicle area determination means 14 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. Information on the determined area is output to the travel control device 20.

  The information notifying means 15 allows the passengers of the vehicle to recognize the road conditions by outputting the information obtained from the road information acquiring means 11 and the travel control device 20 by sound output by a speaker or image output by a display device. Or issue a warning when necessary.

  The own vehicle speed detection means 1 detects the vehicle speed by averaging the values obtained by the wheel speed sensors attached to the front, rear, left and right wheels of the own vehicle. Further, the vehicle speed may be calculated by integrating acceleration values obtained by an acceleration sensor mounted on the host vehicle. Thus, the vehicle speed obtained by the own vehicle speed detection means 1 is output to the travel control device 20 described later.

  The inter-vehicle distance detection means 2 detects the inter-vehicle distance and relative speed with respect to the preceding vehicle using a camera or radar mounted on the host vehicle. Thus, the inter-vehicle distance and relative speed with the preceding vehicle obtained by the inter-vehicle distance detection means 2 are output to the travel control device 20 described later.

  The surrounding vehicle information acquisition means 3 acquires the positional relationship between the own vehicle and the surrounding vehicle by detecting the distance between the surrounding vehicle using a camera or radar mounted on the own vehicle, or performs road-to-vehicle communication or vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The positional relationship between the own vehicle and the surrounding vehicle is obtained using the information about the surrounding vehicle. Thus, the vehicle information around the own vehicle acquired by the surrounding vehicle information acquisition means 30 is output to the travel control device 20 described later.

  The travel control device 20 includes a speed range determination unit 21, an inter-vehicle distance target value setting unit 22, a passability determination unit 23, and a speed control unit 24.

The speed range determination unit 21 determines which speed range the vehicle speed detected by the host vehicle speed detection unit 1 belongs to among a plurality of divided speed ranges stored in advance. . This is because the calculation of the inter-vehicle distance target value differs depending on the speed range. Information on the determination result obtained in this way is output to the inter-vehicle distance target value setting means 22 described below.

  The inter-vehicle distance target value setting means 22 calculates an inter-vehicle distance target value from the preceding vehicle based on the area of the own vehicle determined by the own vehicle area determining means 14 and the speed range of the own vehicle determined by the speed area determining means 22. It is supposed to be set. The inter-vehicle distance target value setting means 22 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. The set inter-vehicle distance target value is output to the speed control means 24.

  The passage permission / inhibition determining means 23 includes the positional relationship of the vehicles around the own vehicle acquired by the surrounding vehicle information acquiring means 3 and the road information acquired by the road information acquiring means 11 (for example, as the range of the stop prohibited area). Information on the size, level of railroad crossings, stop prohibition area, crossing coverage area, etc.) and determine whether there is a space where the vehicle can enter at the exit of the stop prohibited area. If there is a space where the vehicle can enter, it is determined that the vehicle can pass, and conversely, if there is no space where the vehicle can enter, it is determined that the vehicle cannot pass. The above-described determination process by the pass / fail determination unit 23 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. The above determination result is outputted to the speed control means 24.

  The speed control means 24 controls the inter-vehicle distance detected by the inter-vehicle distance detection means 2 to the inter-vehicle distance target value set by the inter-vehicle distance target value setting means 22. The speed control unit 24 calculates a target gear position TGP, a target engine torque TTENG, and a target brake pressure TPBRK so as to control the host vehicle speed detected by the host vehicle speed detection unit 1; The target gear position TGP, so as to control the speed of the host vehicle so that the vehicle stops before the stop prohibited area (entrance location) when it is determined by the passability determination means 23 that the stop prohibited area cannot be passed. A second traveling mode for calculating the target engine torque TTENG and the target brake pressure TPBRK is provided. Information about the target gear position TGP, target engine torque TTENG, and target brake pressure TPBRK calculated in this way is input to the transmission control means 4, the engine control means 5, and the brake control means 6, respectively. A transmission, an engine, and a brake (not shown) are driven. The first travel mode is generally called ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control).

  In the configuration of the entire system described above, the exchange of signals of each means is performed via communication means such as an in-vehicle LAN (Local Area Network).

<Processing contents of the entire system>
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of the processing contents of the vehicle travel control system shown in FIG.

  First, in step 300, the road information acquisition means 11 acquires road information around the own vehicle. The details of acquiring road information around the vehicle by the road information acquisition unit 11 will be further described later with reference to FIG. In accordance with the acquired road information, in step 201, the area where the host vehicle is located is determined by the host vehicle area determination means 14. The details of the determination of the area where the host vehicle is located by the host vehicle area determination means 14 will be further described later with reference to FIG.

  In step 202, information on the vehicles around the host vehicle (for example, the distance between the preceding vehicle and the positional relationship between the host vehicle and the surrounding vehicle, etc.) is acquired by the surrounding vehicle information acquisition means 3, and in step 203 It is determined whether or not there is a preceding vehicle within a predetermined range (for example, within 150 m).

  If a preceding vehicle exists within a predetermined range in front of the host vehicle in step 203, the process proceeds to step 204. In step 204, the inter-vehicle distance target value setting means 22 calculates the inter-vehicle distance target value TDIST. move on.

  In step 203, if there is no preceding vehicle within a predetermined range in front of the host vehicle, the process proceeds to step 209. In step 209, the information notifying means 15 notifies the occupant of the information and the process is terminated.

  In step 205, it is determined whether or not the area in which the own vehicle is determined in step 201 includes an area where parking is prohibited, such as an intersection, a railroad crossing, or a stop prohibited area. If the area is included, the process proceeds to step 206.

  If the area where the host vehicle is located does not include the stop person prohibition area in step 205, the process proceeds to step 210. In step 210, the speed control is performed so that the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle becomes the inter-vehicle distance target value TDIST. A speed command is issued to the means 24. In step 209, information is notified to the occupant by the information notifying means 15 and the process is terminated.

  In step 206, the passage permission / inhibition determining means 23 determines whether or not the host vehicle can pass through the stop prohibited area. If it is determined in step 207 that the host vehicle cannot pass through the stop prohibited area, the process proceeds to step 208. In step 208, a speed command is sent to the speed control means 24 so that the vehicle stops before the stop prohibited area. In step 209, the information notifying means 15 notifies the occupant of the information, and the process is terminated.

  If it is determined in step 207 that the own vehicle can pass through the stop prohibited area, the process proceeds to step 210. In step 210, the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle is determined as the inter-processing distance target value TDIST. In step 209, a speed command is issued to the speed control means 24 so that The information notifying means 15 notifies the occupant of the information and the process is terminated.

  Note that if there is no preceding vehicle within the predetermined range in front of the host vehicle in the process 203, the process is terminated without issuing a speed command. It is desirable to give a speed command so that Further, the inter-vehicle distance control in the process 201 is known as an ACC function, and therefore details are omitted.

  As described above, the speed control of the vehicle according to the area where the host vehicle is located can be performed by the processing shown in FIG.

<Processing content of road information acquisition means 11>
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing contents of the road information acquisition means 11.

  First, in step 301, information on the vehicle position (latitude, longitude, etc.) received from the GPS (Global Position System) by the vehicle position detection means 12 is read. -Reads information in a map DB (data pace) stored in a storage medium such as a ROM, DVD-ROM, or hard disk.

  Next, in step 303, using the information on the vehicle position read in step 301, a process for matching the vehicle position with the map DB read in step 302 is performed. As an example of the matching process, a mesh is created on a map, and the vehicle position (latitude, longitude) is compared with the position of the mesh grid point on the map. It is common to employ so-called map matching that matches the vehicle position.

In step 304, the vehicle position is updated according to the result of the matching process executed in step 303. The vehicle position information may be calculated using, for example, a parameter representing the traveling direction of the own vehicle in addition to the parameters representing latitude and longitude as described above.

  Next, in step 305, the road information around the vehicle position updated in step 304 (existence of intersection / crossing / stop prohibited portion, distance to intersection / crossing / stop prohibited portion, road type, etc.) is again displayed. Read from the map DB. The road information obtained in this way is output to the information notifying means 15, the own vehicle area determining means 14, and the passability determining means 23.

  In this way, the road information acquisition means 11 can be used to detect or estimate the vehicle position according to the map information and to output road information in the vicinity of the vehicle position to other means. Become.

<Processing content of the vehicle area determination means 14>
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of a method for determining the area where the own vehicle is located by the own vehicle area determining means 14.

4 (a), 4 (b), and 4 (c) are plan views schematically showing roads including vehicle prohibited areas such as intersections, railroad crossings, and stop prohibited portions, respectively.

  First, FIG. 4A is a diagram assuming a case where the vehicle C0 that is the host vehicle enters an intersection (vehicle prohibited area) where two roads intersect at right angles. At the intersections, vehicles are prohibited from stopping in the area except for special cases according to the Road Traffic Law. Here, an area surrounding the intersection in a relatively wide range centering on the intersection, that is, an area including a stop prohibition area is indicated as an area 401 and is distinguished from other areas. The area including the stop prohibition area is set in advance as an area where speed control is performed in consideration of the intersection when the vehicle C0 enters the area, and can be arbitrarily set. . Therefore, in addition to the case where the area 401 is a square area centered at the intersection as shown in the figure, the area 401 is a circle area centered on the intersection or a predetermined distance from the center of the intersection to each road. It is good also as an area | region only on the road to the point separated by the distance.

In FIG. 4A, since the traveling location of the host vehicle C0 has not yet reached the area 401, the host vehicle area determination means 14 mounted on the vehicle C0 determines the area where the host vehicle is located. It is determined that the area does not include the stop prohibited area. Although not shown, when the vehicle C0 enters the area 401, the own vehicle area determination unit 14 determines that the area where the own vehicle is located is an area including a stop prohibition area.

FIG. 4B is a diagram assuming a case where there is a railroad crossing at a point where it intersects with a railroad track, and the vehicle C0 enters the railroad crossing. At the railroad crossings, vehicle stoppage within the railroad crossings is prohibited except for special cases according to the Road Traffic Law. An area surrounding the railroad crossing in a relatively wide range centering on the railroad crossing, that is, an area including a stop prohibition area is indicated as an area 402 and is distinguished from other areas.

Similarly to the case shown in FIG. 4A, the size of the area 402 is arbitrarily set, and when the vehicle C0 has not yet reached the area 402, the area where the host vehicle is located is a stop prohibited area. When it is determined that the vehicle C0 is not included, and the vehicle C0 enters the area 402, it is determined that the area where the host vehicle is located is an area including a stop prohibited area.

  FIG. 4C is a diagram assuming a case where the vehicle C0 enters the road on which the stop prohibited portion 404 is drawn as a road sign. The stop-prohibited portion 404 is often installed near the entrance of a vehicle such as a fire department or a police station, and the vehicle is prohibited from stopping in the stop-prohibited portion 404 except for special cases according to the Road Traffic Law. An area surrounding the stop prohibition portion 404 in a relatively wide range with the stop prohibition portion 404 as a center, that is, an area including a stop prohibition region is shown as a region 403 and is distinguished from other regions.

Similarly to the case shown in FIG. 4A, the size or the like of the area 403 is arbitrarily set. When the vehicle C0 has not yet reached the area 403, the area where the host vehicle is located is a stop prohibited area. When it is determined that the vehicle C0 is not included, and the vehicle C0 enters the area 403, it is determined that the area where the host vehicle is located is an area including a stop prohibited area.

The areas 401, 402, and 403 including the stop prohibition areas are set as areas where speed control is performed in consideration of the stop prohibition areas as described above, and the size of the areas is the entrance location of each stop prohibition area. It is sufficient that the inter-vehicle distance control is completed by the time the vehicle arrives at and there is a deceleration distance necessary for stopping before the stop-prohibited area, and the distance is set to that distance. For example, when the host vehicle is stopped at a deceleration of 1 m / s ² from 60 km / h, it takes about 138 m. Therefore, an area including the stop prohibited area is set with a margin to a point 200 m away from the stop prohibited area. .

  Further, the mutual positional relationship among the area including the host vehicle C0, the stop prohibition area, and the stop prohibition area is determined from the information on the host vehicle position on the map acquired by the road information acquisition means 11. Specifically, based on the information on the vehicle position detected by the vehicle position detection unit 12, the map information acquisition unit 13 is within a predetermined range from the vehicle (for example, within a radius of 1 km from the vehicle). Obtain road information (here, stop prohibited areas such as intersections, railroad crossings, and stop prohibited areas), calculate the distance from the vehicle position to the stop prohibited area, and whether or not the vehicle is located in an area including the stop prohibited area It is determined by the own vehicle area determination means 14.

  Thus, by determining the area where the host vehicle is located by the host vehicle area determination means 14, it is possible to determine whether or not the host vehicle is located in the vicinity of the stop prohibited area.

<Processing content of the inter-vehicle distance target value setting means 22>
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of setting the inter-vehicle distance target value TDIST in the inter-vehicle distance target value setting means 22.

As shown in FIG. 5, the setting of the inter-vehicle distance target value TDIST is made according to the area and speed range of the host vehicle.

That is, when the area where the host vehicle is located is an area that does not include the stop prohibition region, the inter-vehicle distance target value TDIST is calculated by the following equation (1) over the entire speed range of the host vehicle.

TDIST = Tm × VSPF (1)
Here, Tm is an inter-vehicle time (a time indicating how many seconds the host vehicle will reach the current position of the preceding vehicle), and is set to 2 seconds, for example. VSPF is the speed of the preceding vehicle (calculated from the relative speed between the host vehicle speed and the preceding vehicle). The inter-vehicle distance target value TDIST obtained by the previous equation (1) is the same as the setting of the inter-vehicle distance target value in the conventional ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control).

  Next, in the case where the area where the host vehicle is located is an area including a stop prohibition area, the speed range of the host vehicle is divided into, for example, a slow speed area, a low speed area, a middle speed area, and a high speed area pattern to set the inter-vehicle distance target value TDIST I do.

  First, when the speed range of the host vehicle is a slow speed range (VSP ≦ V0, VSP is the host vehicle speed, V0 is the maximum speed during slow speed, for example, set to 20 km / h), the inter-vehicle distance target value TDIST Is obtained by the previous equation (1). This is because the host vehicle is in a state where it can be stopped immediately if the speed is slow, and can be stopped immediately when the stop prohibited area is recognized. However, if there is a preceding vehicle and this preceding vehicle stops, the inter-vehicle distance target value TDIST in the previous equation (1) becomes 0. In this case, the vehicle must be stopped with a vehicle-to-vehicle distance of 1 to 2 m. Is desirable.

  When the speed range of the host vehicle is a low speed range (V0 <VSP ≦ V1, V1 is a maximum speed at a constant speed, for example, set to 40 km / h), the inter-vehicle distance target value TDIST is Of the values obtained by the equation (1) or the following equation (2), the larger value is adopted.

TDIST = LX + DD + LC (2)
Here, LX is the distance of the stop prohibited area, DD is the distance required to decelerate the current vehicle speed of the own vehicle and stop at the entrance of the stop prohibited area, and LC is the length of the own vehicle.

The inter-vehicle distance target value TDIST is determined by the above formula (2). If it is determined that the host vehicle cannot pass through the stop prohibited area, a distance is secured so that the vehicle can stop with a margin before the stop prohibited area. This is for the sake of security.

In the setting of the distance DD, the distance DD is a distance required to stop from the current vehicle speed of the own vehicle as described above, but at this deceleration, the vehicle is decelerated at a deceleration that does not give the passenger a sense of incongruity. There is a need to. Here, the deceleration that does not give the passenger a sense of incongruity is a deceleration that feels sudden deceleration. For example, the deceleration AB that does not feel sudden deceleration is set to 1 m / s ² , for example. For this reason, the distance DD required for deceleration is obtained by the following equation (3), for example.

DD = VSP ² ÷ 2 ÷ AB (3)
Further, when the speed range of the host vehicle is a medium / high speed range (V1 <VSP), the inter-vehicle distance target value TDIST is obtained by the above equation (1). This is because the vehicle speed is considered to be a normal traveling speed, and the preceding vehicle is traveling at the same speed in order to maintain the vehicle distance target value TDDIST. This is because it can be determined that it can pass through the prohibited area.

  In addition, the distance LX of the stop prohibition area adopts the information when it is stored in advance in the map information, and if it is not stored in the map information, it is estimated from other map information, and road-to-vehicle communication / vehicle-to-vehicle communication or When information is acquired using a camera or the like, the information can be used. For example, the size of an intersection may be estimated from the number of lanes and width of the road in the map information, the presence or absence of a pedestrian crossing, or the size of the intersection may be detected directly using a camera. it can. At the level crossing, the crossing width can be estimated from the number of lines in the map information, or the crossing width of the crossing can be directly detected using a camera. In the stop prohibition portion, the presence of the stop prohibition portion can be estimated from the positional relationship of the fire department or the police station in the map information, or the road marking of the stop prohibition portion can be directly detected using a camera.

  As described above, the area where the host vehicle is located is determined by the host vehicle area determination means 14, and the target distance between vehicles can be set according to the determined area of the host vehicle and the speed range of the host vehicle. Become.

<Processing content of passability determination means 23>
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the processing contents of the passage permission / inhibition determining means 23. The host vehicle C0 travels following the preceding vehicle C1 on a road where the vehicle inevitably has to pass the stop prohibited portion 404, for example. It is a figure that assumes the case.

  FIG. 6A shows a case where the preceding vehicle C1 has stopped after leaving the stop prohibited portion 404, leaving a space SP1 between the preceding vehicle C1 and the stop prohibited portion 404. In this case, it is assumed that the distance of the space SP1 is larger than the length of the host vehicle C0. When determining whether or not the space SP1 is a space where the host vehicle C0 can enter, the passability determination means 23 mounted on the host vehicle C0 determines that the length LC of the host vehicle C0 is smaller than the distance of the space SP1. It is determined that the vehicle C0 can pass through the stop prohibition portion 404.

  FIG. 6B shows a case where the preceding vehicle C1 stops after leaving the stop prohibited portion 404, leaving a space SP2 between the preceding vehicle C1 and the stop prohibited portion 404. At this time, it is assumed that the distance of the space SP2 is smaller than the length of the host vehicle C0. When determining whether or not the space SP2 is a space in which the host vehicle C0 can enter, the passage propriety determination unit 23 mounted on the host vehicle C0 determines that the length LC of the host vehicle C0 is greater than the distance of the space SP1. C0 determines that the stop prohibition portion 404 cannot be passed.

  In FIG. 6, the description has been made assuming that the preceding vehicle C <b> 1 stops after passing the stop prohibition portion 404. However, in a situation where the speed range of the preceding vehicle C1 is a slow speed range (for example, 20 km / h or less) and the vehicle is decelerating, the own vehicle stops while the preceding vehicle C1 passes the stop prohibiting portion 404. It is desirable to determine that it cannot pass through. That is, in this way, there is a high possibility that the preceding vehicle C1 stops without leaving a space where the host vehicle C0 can enter after passing through the stop prohibition portion 404, and enters the state shown in FIG. 6B. .

  In addition, after it is determined in FIG. 6B that the host vehicle C0 cannot pass through the stop prohibited portion 404, the preceding vehicle C1 advances and the space SP2 expands to form a space SP1 as shown in FIG. 6A. If it is determined, it is determined that the stop prohibition portion 404 can be passed.

  In FIG. 6, the case where the stop prohibition area is, for example, the stop prohibition portion 404 has been described, but it is needless to say that the passage prohibition portion can be replaced with an intersection or a level crossing to determine whether or not the vehicle can pass.

  In this way, whether or not the host vehicle can pass through the stop prohibition region by determining whether or not the space SP where the host vehicle C0 can enter is determined from the positional relationship between the stop prohibition region and the preceding vehicle by the passage permission determination unit 23. It becomes possible to determine whether or not.

<Processing content of speed control means 24>
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the processing contents of the speed control means 24 when the own vehicle is determined to be unable to pass through the stop prohibited area by the passage permission / non-permission determining means 23.

  The upper diagram in FIG. 7 shows that the preceding vehicle C1 is in a stop-prohibited portion while the host vehicle C0 is following the preceding vehicle C1 (traveling in a low speed range) on a road that must pass through the stop-prohibited portion 404. It is the figure which assumed the case where it stopped, without leaving the space which the own vehicle can approach between 404. Further, the lower diagram of FIG. 7 is a graph showing the speed of the host vehicle C0 at each point of G, B, S, E, and C along the road shown in the upper diagram of FIG.

  In FIG. 7, when it is confirmed that the preceding vehicle C <b> 1 has stopped after passing through the stop prohibition portion 404 when the host vehicle C <b> 0 has reached point G, the pass permission determination means 23 causes the host vehicle to set the stop prohibition portion 404. It is determined whether or not it can pass. This determination is made, for example, by comparing the distance LC1 (the distance from point E to point C in the figure) between the preceding vehicle C1 and the stop prohibited portion 404 with the length LC of the host vehicle C0, and LC is greater than LC1. In addition, it is assumed that the host vehicle C0 cannot pass through the stop prohibition portion 404.

  In this case, the inter-vehicle distance target value TDIST at the point G in the figure is set by the previous expression (2), and the relationship between LC0 and LC1 and LC in the figure is shown by the following expression (4).

LC = LC0 + LC1 (4)
When the host vehicle C0 reaches the point B in the figure, the target speed indicated by the solid line 701 is calculated, and the speed of the host vehicle C0 is controlled so as to follow the calculated target speed. The speed control in this case is a deceleration control (deceleration AB) that can be stopped at the point S in the figure from the speed Vs of the host vehicle C0 at the point B in the figure.

  Here, the distance from the current position of the host vehicle C0 (point G in the figure) to the point S and the distance between the EC points can be calculated from the information on the distance between the map information and the preceding vehicle C1. . However, in such calculation, the position of point S or point E is received by road-to-vehicle communication, the distance is calculated from the positional relationship between vehicles by vehicle-to-vehicle communication, or the distance to point S using a camera. Alternatively, the distance between the points EC may be calculated.

  Further, in FIG. 7, as shown by the solid line 701, the calculation is performed with the deceleration of the host vehicle C0 being constant. However, the host vehicle C0 can be stopped at the point S in the drawing and the passenger does not feel uncomfortable. Thus, the speed of the host vehicle may be controlled, and the target speed calculation method is not limited to the above method. In the case where the position of the S point is corrected by, for example, a camera during deceleration between the B point and the S point in the figure, the target speed is set so that the deceleration ends at the corrected S point. May be recalculated.

  In FIG. 7, the case where the stop prohibition area is the stop prohibition portion 404 has been described. However, the stop prohibition portion 404 is replaced with an intersection or a railroad crossing so that the speed of the host vehicle C0 is controlled similarly. Of course it is good.

  As described above, when it is determined that the host vehicle cannot pass through the stop prohibited area by the passage permission determination unit 23, the speed control unit 24 controls the speed of the host vehicle so as to stop before the stop prohibited area. It becomes possible to do.

<Processing content of information notification means 15>
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of the processing contents of the information notification means 15, and shows information to be notified to the occupant according to the area of the own vehicle and the presence / absence of surrounding vehicles and the determination result of the pass / fail determination means 23. It is the table shown.

  First, in the case where the area where the host vehicle is located is an area that does not include the stop prohibited area, and there is no other vehicle around the host vehicle, the car navigation (vehicle terminal device 10) is a general navigation. It functions to notify the occupant of the display of the current position on the map of the host vehicle, information on the set route, etc. using screens and voice.

  When the area where the host vehicle is located is an area that does not include the stop prohibition area and there is another vehicle around the host vehicle, the car navigation (vehicle terminal device 10) is a general navigation function. In addition, it alerts the occupant by notifying the occupant of the presence of surrounding vehicles.

  When the area where the host vehicle is located is an area including a stop prohibition area and there is no other vehicle around the host vehicle, the car navigation (vehicle terminal device 10) functions as general navigation. Then, the display of the current position on the map of the host vehicle, information on the set route, and the like are notified to the occupant using the screen and voice.

  When the area where the host vehicle is located is an area including a stop prohibition area and there are other vehicles in the vicinity of the host vehicle and the host vehicle can further pass through the stop prohibition area In addition to the general navigation function, the car navigation (vehicle terminal device 10) alerts the occupant by notifying the occupant of the presence of the surrounding vehicle. Further, when the difference between the target distance between the vehicles set by the target vehicle distance target value setting means 22 and the current distance between the preceding vehicles is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (for example, 5 meters or more), the host vehicle is in the stop prohibited area. The passenger is notified that the vehicle is approaching the vehicle or that the distance between the vehicles needs to be changed.

  When the area where the host vehicle is located is an area that includes a stop prohibition area, and there are other vehicles in the vicinity of the host vehicle, and the host vehicle cannot further pass through the stop prohibition area In addition, in addition to a general navigation function, the car navigation system (vehicle terminal device 10) urges attention by notifying the occupants of the presence of surrounding vehicles, and further, the own vehicle is in front of the stop-prohibited area (entrance location). Is notified to the occupant using the screen and voice.

  As information displayed on the screen according to each aspect described above, for example, as shown in the upper part of FIG. 7, the road situation in which the host vehicle C0, the stop prohibited portion 404, the preceding vehicle C, and the like are imaged is displayed on the display device. You may make it display. This is because, when displayed in this way, the positional relationships among the host vehicle C0, the stop prohibition portion 404, and the preceding vehicle C1 can be grasped at a glance.

  In this way, the information notification means 15 can switch the content of information notification to the occupant according to the situation.

<First Travel Control Example>
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a first travel control example when the host vehicle equipped with the system travels on a road having the stop prohibition portion 404.

  FIG. 9 shows that time has passed in the order of (a), (b), (c), and (d), and point A in the figure is an area including a stop prohibited area (stop prohibited portion 404). The boundary from an area not included is represented, and the area from point A to point E is an area including a stop prohibited area. Here, the speed range of the host vehicle C0 is a low speed range.

  The traveling of the host vehicle C0 is performed under the control of the inter-vehicle distance target value calculated based on the determination result of the host vehicle area determination unit 14 and the vehicle information around the host vehicle acquired by the surrounding vehicle information acquisition unit 3. ing.

  At the bottom of FIG. 9, the inter-vehicle distance target value corresponding to the position of the host vehicle C0 on the road of FIGS. 9A to 9D is shown in a graph.

  FIG. 9A shows a case where the host vehicle C0 is traveling following the preceding vehicle C1, and the area where the host vehicle C0 is located does not include the stop prohibition area. It is set to TD0 calculated by equation (1).

  FIG. 9B shows a case where the host vehicle C0 has exceeded the point A, and the area where the host vehicle is located has shifted to an area including the stop prohibition region. Therefore, the inter-vehicle distance target value is calculated by the above equation (2). The setting is changed to TD1 (TD0 <TD1).

  FIG. 9C shows a case where the preceding vehicle C1 has exceeded the point E, but the host vehicle C0 is still located in an area including the stop prohibited area, and the inter-vehicle distance target value is continuously set to TD1.

  In FIG. 9C, it is determined whether or not the host vehicle C0 can pass through the stop prohibition portion 404 when the preceding vehicle C1 exceeds the stop prohibition portion 404. The vehicle travels while keeping the target distance between vehicles maintained at TD1. In the case of this embodiment, although not shown in the figure, if it is determined that the vehicle cannot pass through the determination at this time, the speed of the host vehicle is controlled so that the host vehicle C0 stops at the point S. To do.

  FIG. 9D shows a case where the host vehicle C0 exceeds the point E, and the area where the host vehicle is located has shifted to an area that does not include the stop prohibition region. The follow-up running is performed by setting the calculated TD0.

  In the traveling of the host vehicle C0 described above, the inter-vehicle distance target value is indicated by a solid line 901 in the graph shown at the bottom of FIG. The solid line 901 is set to TD0 calculated by the previous equation (1) until the own vehicle C0 reaches the point A, and when the own vehicle C0 passes the A point, the setting is changed to TD1 calculated by the previous equation (2). When the host vehicle C0 passes through the point S, it is set again to TD0 calculated in (1). Here, the reason why the inter-vehicle distance target value is changed at the point S located in the area including the stop prohibition area is that the vehicle C0 is surely stopped when it is located on the stop prohibition area (stop prohibition portion 404). This is because it is determined that the vehicle can pass through the prohibited area.

  In FIG. 9, the case where the stop prohibition area is the stop prohibition portion 404 has been described, but it is possible to replace the stop prohibition portion 404 with an intersection or a level crossing and to set the inter-vehicle distance target value as described above. Needless to say.

  In this way, by setting the inter-vehicle distance target value according to the area where the host vehicle C0 is located, when the area where the host vehicle C0 is located is an area including the stop prohibited area, the inter-vehicle distance target value is increased. Thus, it is possible to prevent the host vehicle from stopping in the stop prohibited area.

<Other travel control examples>
FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of travel control when the host vehicle equipped with the system travels on a road having the stop prohibition portion 404.

  FIG. 10 is drawn corresponding to FIG. 9, and the own vehicle C0 can also acquire information on the vehicles C2 and C3 preceding the preceding vehicle C1 by the surrounding vehicle information acquisition means 3 mounted on the host vehicle C0. Yes.

  FIG. 10A shows a case where the host vehicle C0 is traveling following the preceding vehicle C1, and the area where the host vehicle C0 is located does not include the stop prohibited area. It is set to TD0 calculated by equation (1).

  FIG. 10B shows a case where the host vehicle C0 exceeds the point A, and the area where the host vehicle C0 is located has shifted to an area including the stop prohibited area. For example, the setting is changed to TD1 obtained by multiplying TD0 by 1.2 (TD0 <TD1). In the traveling control example shown in FIG. 9, the inter-vehicle distance target value is changed to the value calculated by the above equation (2). In this case, a plurality of preceding vehicles C1, C2 with respect to the host vehicle C0 are changed. , C3, and there is no significant difference in the inter-vehicle distance of each preceding vehicle C1, C2, C3 over the course from FIG. 10 (a) to FIG. 10 (b). C1 is unlikely to stop immediately after passing through the stop prohibition portion 404, and therefore the inter-vehicle distance target value may be maintained at TD0. However, in this traveling control example, the target distance between vehicles is set, for example, with the value of TD1 (= 1.2 × TD0) in order to be able to sufficiently cope with, for example, a sudden stop of the preceding vehicle C1 with a small probability. It is a thing.

  FIG. 10C shows a case where the host vehicle C0 is still located in an area including the stop prohibited area, and the inter-vehicle distance target value is continuously set to TD1.

  FIG. 10 (d) shows a case where the host vehicle C0 has exceeded the point E, and the area where the host vehicle is located has shifted to an area that does not include the stop prohibition region. The follow-up running is performed by setting the calculated TD0.

In the traveling of the host vehicle C0 described above, the inter-vehicle distance target value is indicated by a solid line 1001 in the graph shown at the bottom of FIG. The solid line 1001 is set to TD0 calculated by the above equation (1) until the host vehicle C0 reaches the point A. When the host vehicle passes the point A, the setting is changed to TD1 that is, for example, 1.2 times TD0. When the host vehicle C0 passes through the point S, it is set again to TD0 calculated by the previous equation (1). Here, the reason why the inter-vehicle distance target value is changed at the point S located in the area including the stop prohibited area is that the vehicle can surely pass through the stop prohibited area when the host vehicle is located on the stop prohibited area. Because it is judged.

  In FIG. 10, the case where the stop prohibition area is the stop prohibition portion 404 has been described. However, the stop prohibition portion 404 can be replaced with an intersection or a railroad crossing, and an inter-vehicle distance target value can be set in the same manner as described above. Needless to say.

  In this way, by setting the target distance between the vehicles according to the area where the host vehicle C0 is located by utilizing the information on the surrounding vehicles other than the preceding vehicle nearby, the area where the host vehicle C0 is located includes the stop prohibition area. In the case of an area, it can be avoided that the target value for the inter-vehicle distance is largely changed, and the discomfort to the passengers due to the spread of the inter-vehicle distance can be reduced.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing still another example of travel control when the host vehicle equipped with the above system travels on a road having the stop prohibition portion 404.

  FIG. 11 is drawn corresponding to FIG. 9, and the own vehicle C0 can also acquire information on the vehicles C2 and C3 preceding the preceding vehicle C1 by the surrounding vehicle information acquisition means 3 mounted on the host vehicle C0. Yes.

  FIG. 11A shows a case where the host vehicle C0 is traveling following the preceding vehicle C1, and the area where the host vehicle C0 is located does not include the stop prohibited area. It is set to TD0 calculated by equation (1).

  FIG. 11B shows a case where the host vehicle C0 has exceeded the point A, and the area where the host vehicle is located has shifted to an area including the stop prohibition region. Therefore, the inter-vehicle distance target value is calculated by the above equation (1). For example, the setting is changed to TD1 obtained by multiplying TD0 by 1.2 (TD0 <TD1). The control has the same purpose as in the case of FIG.

  If the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicles C1, C2, C2, and C3 gradually decreases from the passage of FIG. 11 (b) to FIG. 11 (c), the preceding vehicle C1 may stop immediately after passing the stop prohibition portion 404. Therefore, the setting is changed to the TD2 calculated by the previous equation (2). Subsequently, when the preceding vehicle C1 exceeds the stop prohibition portion 404, it is determined whether or not the own vehicle can pass the stop prohibition portion 404. If it is determined that the vehicle can pass, the inter-vehicle distance target value is set. Follow-up is performed while maintaining TD2. In the case of this embodiment, although not shown in the figure, if it is determined that the vehicle cannot pass through the determination at this time, the speed of the host vehicle is controlled so that the host vehicle C0 stops at the point S. To do.

  FIG. 11D shows a case where the host vehicle C0 exceeds the point E, and the area where the host vehicle is located has shifted to an area that does not include the stop prohibited area. The follow-up running is performed by setting the calculated TD0.

In the traveling of the host vehicle C0 described above, the inter-vehicle distance target value is indicated by a solid line 1101 in the graph shown at the bottom of FIG.

  The solid line 1101 is set to TD0 calculated by the previous equation (1) until the host vehicle C0 reaches the point A, and when the host vehicle passes the point A, the setting is changed to TD1 that is, for example, 1.2 times TD0, When the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicles C1, C2, C2, and C3 is gradually reduced, the setting is changed to TD2 calculated by the above equation (2), and when the host vehicle C0 passes the S point, it is calculated by the above equation (1). TD0 is set again. Here, the reason why the inter-vehicle distance target value is changed at the point S located in the area including the stop prohibited area is that the vehicle can surely pass through the stop prohibited area when the host vehicle is located on the stop prohibited area. Because it is judged.

  In FIG. 11, the case where the stop prohibition area is the stop prohibition portion 404 has been described. However, the stop prohibition portion 404 can be replaced with an intersection or a railroad crossing, and an inter-vehicle distance target value can be set in the same manner as described above. Needless to say.

  In this way, by setting the inter-vehicle distance target value according to the area where the host vehicle is located by utilizing the neighboring vehicle information other than the preceding vehicle in the immediate vicinity, the area where the host vehicle is located is an area including the stop prohibited area. In this case, it is possible to set the inter-vehicle distance target value from the surrounding vehicle information other than the nearby preceding vehicle.

<Example of manual speed adjustment>
FIG. 12 shows an example of processing contents of the vehicle travel control system when the inter-vehicle distance control and the stop control by the travel control device 20 do not intervene, that is, when the driver travels by manually adjusting the speed. It is a flowchart to show.

  In FIG. 12, step 300 and steps 201 to 207 are the same as the corresponding steps in the flowchart shown in FIG.

  In step 203, if there is no preceding vehicle within a predetermined range in front of the host vehicle, the process proceeds to step 1209. Here, the information notified to the occupant includes a display of a current position and a set route on the map of the host vehicle as a normal navigation function in car navigation (the in-vehicle terminal device 10).

  In step 205, if the area where the host vehicle is located is an area that does not include the stop person prohibition area, the process proceeds to step 1209. In step 1209, information is notified to the occupant and the process is terminated. Here, the information notified to the occupant includes information on the presence of the surrounding vehicle in addition to the normal navigation function in the car navigation (the in-vehicle terminal device 10), and urges the occupant to be alerted by this information.

  If it is determined in step 207 that the host vehicle cannot pass through the stop prohibition area, the process proceeds to step 1209. In step 1209, information is notified to the occupant and the process is terminated. Here, the information notified to the occupant includes information on the presence of the surrounding vehicle in addition to the normal navigation function in the car navigation (the in-vehicle terminal device 10), and urges the occupant to be alerted by this information. Furthermore, the passenger is notified of the fact that the host vehicle stops before the stop-prohibited area, using a screen or sound. As information on the screen display in this case, for example, as the road condition shown in the upper part of FIG. 7 described above, information that can grasp the positional relationship between the own vehicle C0, the stop prohibited portion 404, and the preceding vehicle C1 is also possible. Good.

  If it is determined in step 207 that the host vehicle can pass through the stop prohibition area, the process proceeds to step 1209. In step 1209, information is notified to the occupant and the process is terminated. Here, the information notified to the occupant includes information on the presence of the surrounding vehicle in addition to the normal navigation function in the car navigation (the in-vehicle terminal device 10), and urges the occupant to be alerted by this information. Furthermore, when the difference between the target distance between the target distance set by the target target distance setting means 22 and the current target distance is not less than a predetermined value (for example, not less than 5 m), the host vehicle is in the stop prohibited area. The passenger is notified that the vehicle is approaching the vehicle and that the inter-vehicle distance is changed.

  As described above, when the driver is traveling by manually adjusting the speed, the passenger can be informed of information corresponding to the situation, thereby improving the sense of security given to the passenger.

<Other embodiments of the system>
FIG. 13 is a schematic block diagram showing another embodiment of the vehicle travel control system according to the present invention. FIG. 13 is drawn corresponding to FIG. 1, and has a configuration in which the surrounding vehicle information acquisition unit 3, the speed range determination unit 21, and the passability determination unit 23 are not provided as compared with FIG. 1. Yes.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of processing contents in the system shown in FIG.

  First, road information around the own vehicle is acquired at step 300, and an area where the own vehicle is located is determined at step 1401 according to the acquired road information. In this embodiment, it is determined whether the vehicle is located on a highway or a general road using road type information in the obtained road information. The detailed processing procedure in step 300 is as shown in FIG.

  Next, if there is a preceding vehicle within a predetermined range (for example, within 150 m) ahead of the host vehicle in step 1402, the process proceeds to step 1403. If there is no preceding vehicle, the process proceeds to step 1407. The information is notified and the processing is terminated. Here, as an operation of a normal navigation function, the current position on the map, information on the set route, and the like are notified to the occupant through a screen and voice.

  In step 1403, if the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling is an expressway, the process proceeds to step 1404. In step 1404, the inter-vehicle distance target value TDISTH for the expressway is calculated, and the process proceeds to step 1406. A speed command is issued so that the inter-vehicle distance becomes the inter-vehicle distance target value TDISTH for the highway, information is notified to the occupant in step 1407, and the process is terminated.

The inter-vehicle distance target value TDISTH for highways is set by a calculation method different from the inter-vehicle distance target value TDISTN for general roads described later. The inter-vehicle distance target value TDISH for highways is set to increase as the speed of the host vehicle increases (for example, from a speed range of 60 km / h or higher). For example, TDISTH = TDISTN × 1.1 when the host vehicle speed is 80 km / h, and TDISTH = TDISTN × 1.2 when the host vehicle speed is 100 km / h. That is, when the host vehicle travels on a highway, the target distance between vehicles is set to a value obtained by multiplying the target value between distances when traveling on a general road by a positive coefficient. ing. In this case, in addition to the normal navigation information, the occupant is notified through the screen and voice that the inter-vehicle distance control with the preceding vehicle is being performed with the inter-vehicle distance target value TDISTH for highways.

  In step 1403, if the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling is a general road, the process proceeds to step 1405. In step 1405, the inter-vehicle distance target value TDISTN for the general road is calculated, and the process proceeds to step 1406. A speed command is issued so that the inter-vehicle distance becomes the inter-vehicle distance target value TDISTN for general roads, information is notified to the occupant in step 1407, and the process is terminated. The inter-vehicle distance target value TDISTN for general roads is set, for example, by the same calculation as the inter-vehicle distance target value TDIST shown by the above equation (1), and is calculated by inter-vehicle distance control similar to the normal ACC function. In this case, in addition to the normal navigation information, the occupant is notified through the screen and sound that the inter-vehicle distance control with the preceding vehicle is being performed with the inter-vehicle distance target value TDISTN for general roads.

  In this way, by dividing the area where the host vehicle is located into a highway and a general road and calculating the target distance between vehicles, the distance between vehicles in the highway on the highway can be increased and the speed with a high level of security Control becomes possible.

  In addition, when vehicle driving control is performed by the vehicle driving control system of the present invention, a vehicle stabilization control device (not shown) mounted on the vehicle, for example, VDC (Vehicle Dynamics Control) is activated. Therefore, it is desirable to temporarily stop the driving control of the vehicle by the driving control system of the present invention and to set the driving state by the driver's manual operation.

Similarly, ABS (Anti-lock Brake System: a system that prevents tires from locking by electronic control when a strong brake that locks the wheel while driving) or TCS (Traction Control System: Even when a system that prevents the wheels from idling during driving or the like is activated, the driving control of the vehicle by the driving control system of the present invention is stopped, and the driving state is manually operated by the driver. Is desirable.

In addition, when the vehicle traveling control by the vehicle traveling control system of the present invention is stopped in this manner, the vehicle-mounted terminal device 10 generates an alarm sound to the driver, thereby providing an effect of improving the sense of security. . As described above, safety can be improved by avoiding vehicle traveling control by the vehicle traveling control system of the present invention when the traveling state of the automobile in which the system operates as described above is unstable.

  Furthermore, in the in-vehicle terminal device 10 in a state where GPS satellites are not captured or in a state where map matching (a technique for logically aligning the vehicle position detected by GPS on the road of the map) is not established, Since accurate road information cannot be obtained, it is desirable to stop driving control of the vehicle by the driving control system of the vehicle of the present invention and set the driving state by manual operation by the driver.

In addition, even when the GPS satellite is captured and the map matching is established, the vehicle traveling control by the vehicle traveling control system of the present invention is stopped even when it is determined that the position accuracy of the in-vehicle terminal device 10 is poor. However, it is desirable to set the driving state by manual operation of the driver.

It should be noted that when the vehicle traveling control by the vehicle traveling control system of the present invention is stopped, the vehicle-mounted terminal device 10 generates a warning sound to the driver, so that a sense of security can be improved. As described above, when the road information is not accurately grasped, safety can be improved by not performing vehicle travel control by the vehicle travel control system of the present invention.

  1 and 13, the information notification unit 15 is configured to be incorporated in the in-vehicle terminal device 10, but may be configured to be incorporated in the travel control device 20. It is good also as a structure which displays information not from the terminal device 10, but a vehicle meter vicinity, a head-up display, etc., or generate | occur | produces a sound from the steering wheel vicinity.

  As described above, the present invention can be implemented in various modes without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

It is a block diagram which shows the outline of one Example of the traveling control system of the vehicle by this invention. It is a flowchart which shows one Example of the processing content of the traveling control system of the vehicle shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows one Example of the processing content of the road information acquisition means shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows one Example of the method of determining the area where the own vehicle is located by the own vehicle area determination means shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows one Example of the setting of the inter-vehicle distance target value in the inter-vehicle distance target value setting means shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows one Example of the processing content of the passage permission determination means shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows one Example of the processing content of the speed control means shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows one Example of the processing content of the information alerting | reporting means shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the 1st driving | running control example in case the own vehicle carrying the system by this invention drive | works the road with a stop prohibition part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other traveling control example in case the own vehicle carrying the system by this invention drive | works the road with a stop prohibition part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the further another travel control example in case the own vehicle carrying the system by this invention drive | works the road with a stop prohibition part. It is a flowchart which shows one Example of the processing content of the driving | running | working control system of a motor vehicle when the driver | operator performs driving | running | working by adjusting speed manually. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the other Example of the traveling control system of the vehicle by this invention. It is a flowchart which shows one Example of the processing content in the system shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Own vehicle speed detection means, 2 ... Inter-vehicle distance detection means, 3 ... Surrounding vehicle information acquisition means, 4 ... Transmission control means, 5 ... Engine control means, 6 ... Brake control means, 10 ... In-vehicle terminal device (car navigation), 11 ... road information acquisition means, 12 ... own vehicle position detection means, 13 ... map information acquisition means, 14 ... own vehicle area determination means, 15 ... information notification means, 20 …… Run control device, 21 …… Speed range determination means, 22 …… Inter-vehicle distance target value setting means, 23 …… Passability determination means, 24 …… Speed control means, 401, 402, 403 …… Stop prohibition area, 404: Stop prohibited portion, C0: Own vehicle, C1, C2, C3: Preceding vehicle, SP1, SP2: Space.

Claims (21)

At least road information acquisition means for acquiring road information around the vehicle;
Own vehicle area determination means for determining an area where the own vehicle is located according to road information around the own vehicle acquired by the road information acquisition means;
An inter-vehicle distance target value setting means for setting an inter-vehicle distance target value with a preceding vehicle according to the area where the own vehicle is determined determined by the own vehicle area determination means;
A vehicle travel control system comprising speed control means for controlling the speed of the host vehicle according to the target distance value set by the target distance value setting means. At least road information acquisition means for acquiring road information around the vehicle;
Own vehicle area determination means for determining an area where the own vehicle is located according to road information around the own vehicle acquired by the road information acquisition means;
An inter-vehicle distance target value setting means for setting an inter-vehicle distance target value with a preceding vehicle according to the area where the own vehicle is determined determined by the own vehicle area determination means;
Speed control means for controlling the speed of the vehicle according to the target distance value set by the target distance setting value setting means;
First notifying means for notifying information of an area where the own vehicle is located determined by the own vehicle area determining means through sound or image information;
A second notifying unit for notifying information on the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle detected by the inter-vehicle distance detecting unit and information on the inter-vehicle distance target value set by the inter-vehicle distance target value setting unit through voice or image information; A vehicle travel control system characterized by the above. The road information acquired by the road information acquisition means consists of information on the presence or absence of a stop prohibited area where the stop of the host vehicle is prohibited,
2. The vehicle travel control system according to claim 1, wherein an area in which the host vehicle is determined, which is determined by the host vehicle area determination unit, is distinguished based on the presence or absence of the stop prohibition region. It comprises speed range determination means for determining the speed range of the host vehicle,
The inter-vehicle distance target value setting means determines the speed range determined by the speed range determination means when the own vehicle area determination means determines that the area where the host vehicle is located is an area including the stop prohibited area. The vehicle travel control system according to claim 3, wherein the vehicle distance control target value according to the vehicle is set. Comprising a pass / fail judgment means,
The passability determination unit is configured to obtain a vehicle periphery acquired by the peripheral vehicle information acquisition unit when the vehicle area determination unit determines that the area where the vehicle is located is an area including the stop prohibited area. The vehicle is configured to determine whether or not the vehicle can pass through the stop prohibited area according to the vehicle information and the road information around the vehicle acquired by the road information acquisition means. The vehicle travel control system according to claim 3 or 4. Provided with notification means,
The informing means stops the own vehicle at information indicating that or when entering the stop prohibited area when the own vehicle is determined to be unable to pass through the stop prohibited area by the passage permission determining means. The vehicle travel control system according to claim 5, wherein the vehicle information is notified through voice or image information. The speed control means is speed-controlled so that the host vehicle stops at the entrance of the stop prohibited area when the own vehicle is determined to be unable to pass the stop prohibited area by the passage permission determination means. The vehicle travel control system according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the vehicle travel control system is configured as described above.   9. The vehicle travel control according to claim 8, wherein the road information acquisition means is configured to acquire road information around the host vehicle through communication with a communication device installed on the road side. system.   9. The vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the road information acquisition means acquires road information around the host vehicle through communication with at least one other vehicle around the host vehicle. Travel control system.   The vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the road information acquisition unit acquires road information around the host vehicle based on image information obtained from an imaging device mounted on the host vehicle. Traveling control system.   The said surrounding vehicle information acquisition means acquires the information of the vehicle around the own vehicle by communication with the communication apparatus installed in the road side, The any one of Claim 7, 8, 9, 10 characterized by the above-mentioned. Vehicle travel control system.   The said surrounding vehicle information acquisition means acquires the information regarding the other vehicle of the surroundings of the own vehicle by communication with the at least 1 other vehicle of the surroundings of the own vehicle. The vehicle travel control system according to any one of 10, 11.   The said surrounding vehicle information acquisition means acquires the information regarding the other vehicle of the periphery of the own vehicle from the image information obtained from the imaging device mounted in the own vehicle, The 7, 7, 9, 10, 11. A travel control system for a vehicle according to any one of 11 and 12. At least an addability determination unit that determines whether or not the own vehicle can be added without stopping the stop prohibition area at a time before passing through the stop prohibition area;
An inter-vehicle distance target value setting means for traveling at a controlled inter-vehicle distance with a preceding vehicle;
Comprising speed control means for controlling the traveling speed of the own vehicle;
When it is determined by the passability determination means that the vehicle can pass without stopping the stop prohibited area in relation to the preceding vehicle,
The inter-vehicle distance target value setting means includes a total distance of a distance required for decelerating the length of the own vehicle, the distance of the stop prohibited area, and the current vehicle speed of the own vehicle and stopping at the entrance of the stop prohibited area. Calculate the value,
When the total distance value exceeds the inter-vehicle distance, the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle is switched to the total distance value and operated.
When it is determined by the passability determination means that the own vehicle cannot pass without stopping the stop prohibited area in relation to the preceding vehicle,
The vehicle speed control means, wherein the speed control means is configured to decelerate a current vehicle speed of the host vehicle and stop the vehicle at an entrance location of the stop prohibited area.   The passability determination means determines whether or not the own vehicle can pass without stopping in the stop prohibited area based on information from at least the map information acquisition means and the own vehicle position detection means. 14. A traveling control system for a vehicle according to 14.   In the inter-vehicle distance target value setting means, the inter-vehicle distance target value before being switched by the total value is a product of the time that the host vehicle can reach the current position of the preceding vehicle and the relative speed of the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle. The vehicle travel control system according to claim 14, wherein the vehicle travel control system is calculated by:   When the own vehicle can enter between the exit location of the stop prohibition area and a preceding vehicle located in front of the exit location, the addition propriety determining means is prohibited from stopping in relation to the preceding vehicle. The vehicle travel control system according to claim 14, wherein it is determined that the vehicle can pass through without stopping.   When the own vehicle cannot enter between the exit location of the stop prohibition area and the preceding vehicle positioned in front of the exit location, the pass permission / inhibition determining means prohibits the stop of the own vehicle in relation to the preceding vehicle. The vehicle travel control system according to claim 14, wherein it is determined that the vehicle cannot pass through without stopping the region.   The vehicle travel control system according to claim 3 or 14, wherein the stop prohibition region is an intersection, a railroad crossing, or other stop prohibition portion. A vehicle distance target value setting means for traveling at a controlled vehicle distance with a preceding vehicle is provided,
The inter-vehicle distance target value setting means makes the calculation of the setting of the inter-vehicle distance target value different when the vehicle travels on a general road and when traveling on a highway.
When the vehicle travels on a highway, the target distance between vehicles is set to a value obtained by multiplying the target distance between vehicles when traveling on a general road by a positive coefficient. A vehicle running control system. Comprising highway road running determination means for determining that the vehicle travels on a highway road according to information from the road information acquisition means,
The inter-vehicle distance target value setting means calculates the inter-vehicle distance target value when traveling on the highway by determining the traveling of the own vehicle on the highway by the highway road determining means. The vehicle travel control system according to claim 20.

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