JP2009001245A - Vehicle traveling assist control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle traveling assist control device for performing appropriate travel control on the basis of a positional relationship among a traffic signal in front of its own vehicle, a preceding vehicle, and one's own vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: A control switching determination unit 17 of a vehicle speed control ECU 3 determines whether or not the own vehicle is at a position from which the traffic signal in front can be viewed regardless the preceding vehicle from preceding vehicle height information obtained by a preceding vehicle height detecting section 12 and signal height information and signal distance information included in a signal installation position information owned by a stop line distance calculation section 15, when a distance to the nearest traffic signal in front becomes a defined value or shorter in preceding-vehicle following control, and stops following control and switches into constant speed travelling control at a current traveling speed if the positional relationship is one in which the traffic signal cannot be recognized and also a relative speed calculated by a preceding-vehicle relative speed calculation unit 13 does not indicate an approaching state of the preceding vehicle. A constant speed traveling control unit 22 controls the vehicle to travel at constant speed in response to a constant speed traveling control command from the determination unit 17. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle travel support control apparatus that supports vehicle travel, and more particularly to a vehicle travel support control apparatus suitable for travel support control in the vicinity of a traffic light.

  As an apparatus for supporting vehicle travel, an adaptive cruise control apparatus (ACC apparatus) that reduces the burden on the driver during travel and is effective in preventing a rear-end collision is known. The ACC device controls the vehicle so as to reach the set speed when there is no preceding vehicle based on the set speed set by the driver and the set distance between the vehicles. Follow-up control of the vehicle. However, when the vehicle follows the preceding vehicle by the normal ACC function, in the conventional ACC, even if the traffic light is in front of the traveling road, the vehicle may follow the preceding vehicle regardless of the state.

  On the other hand, what performs suitable inter-vehicle distance control so that forward information can be visually recognized according to the height information of the preceding vehicle and the traveling speed of the host vehicle is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this method, the height of the preceding vehicle is detected, and the target inter-vehicle distance for follow-up control is adjusted based on the height of the preceding vehicle, or the control gain for acceleration / deceleration control of the host vehicle is adjusted. Thus, for example, even when there is a traffic light in front of the host vehicle, the driver automatically adjusts the distance from the preceding vehicle to the inter-vehicle distance that allows the traffic signal to be visually recognized according to the height of the preceding vehicle. Make it easier to see.

JP 2004-301833 A

  However, in the thing of patent document 1, in order to adjust the distance between vehicles in order to ensure visual recognition of a traffic light, since deceleration and acceleration will be repeated, there exists a possibility of giving a driver discomfort.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle travel support device that can perform appropriate travel control based on the positional relationship among a front traffic light, a preceding vehicle, and the host vehicle.

(1) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a vehicle travel support control device that supports vehicle travel, and includes an inter-vehicle distance calculation unit that detects an inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and a preceding vehicle, and the host vehicle. The relative speed calculation means for detecting the relative speed between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle, the preceding vehicle height calculation means for detecting the height of the preceding vehicle, and the signal state in which the nearest traffic light in front of the host vehicle is lit is detected. A traffic light state recognition means, a traffic light having a traffic signal installation position information and a traffic light height information, and calculating a distance from the vehicle position information and the traffic signal to the nearest traffic signal ahead of the vehicle The own vehicle obtained from the distance calculation means, the driver input means for receiving an instruction request input regarding the setting for the driving support control of the driver, and the inter-vehicle distance between the traveling speed of the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle obtained from the inter-vehicle distance calculation means Follow-up running control means for obtaining a target acceleration / deceleration for keeping following the vehicle while keeping the following time, and constant-speed running control means for obtaining a target acceleration / deceleration for running at a constant speed while maintaining the set target speed And a vehicle speed control means having a stop control means for obtaining a target acceleration / deceleration for correctly stopping the vehicle at the stop position based on distance information to the stop position, and a selection means for switching the target acceleration / deceleration from each control means, Vehicle driving means and vehicle braking means for receiving the target acceleration / deceleration required by each of the travel control means and generating the target acceleration / deceleration for the host vehicle. When the distance to the nearby traffic signal is less than a specified value, the preceding vehicle height information calculated by the preceding vehicle height calculating means and the signal possessed by the traffic signal distance calculating means From the traffic signal height information and traffic signal distance information of the traffic signal installation position information, it is determined whether or not the vehicle traveling position is at a position where the front traffic signal can be seen on the preceding vehicle, and the relative speed is such that the traffic signal is not visible. When the preceding vehicle is not in the approaching state from the calculating means, the control switching determining means for interrupting the follow-up control and switching to the constant speed traveling control at the current traveling speed is provided.
With this configuration, appropriate traveling control can be performed based on the positional relationship among the front traffic light, the preceding vehicle, and the host vehicle.

  (2) In the above (1), it is preferable that the control switching determination unit is configured to display the vehicle at a predetermined deceleration when the vehicle is in a positional relationship in which the traffic signal is not visible in the positional relationship between the vehicle, the preceding vehicle, and the traffic signal. The stop braking distance required from the running speed to the stop is calculated, the stop braking distance is compared with the stop point distance from the traffic signal distance information to the point necessary for the stop, and the stop braking distance is calculated from the stop point distance. When is large, the target acceleration / deceleration value is transmitted to the vehicle driving means and the vehicle braking means so as to generate a prescribed deceleration.

  (3) In the above (1), preferably, it is provided with a driver notification means for informing the driver of the vehicle control state, and the control switching determination means is released when or after the condition for switching to the constant speed traveling is canceled. Then, a notification request for execution of the control switching process is sent to the driver notification means so that the driver is notified that the vehicle driving support control has been switched or switched to the constant speed driving.

  (4) In the above (1), preferably, the certain specified value is a maximum distance detectable by the traffic light state recognition means.

(5) Further, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a vehicle travel support control device that supports vehicle travel, and includes an inter-vehicle distance calculation unit that detects an inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and a preceding vehicle; The relative speed calculation means for detecting the relative speed between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle, the preceding vehicle height calculation means for detecting the height of the preceding vehicle, and the signal state in which the nearest traffic light in front of the host vehicle is lit. It has traffic signal status recognition means to detect, traffic signal installation position information and traffic signal height information in the traveling area, and calculates the distance from the host vehicle position information and the traffic signal installation position information to the nearest traffic signal in front of the host vehicle A traffic light distance calculating means, a driver input means for receiving an instruction request input relating to the setting for the driving support control of the driver, and a driver notifying means for informing the driver of the vehicle control state. When the distance to the nearest traffic signal falls below a predetermined value, the preceding vehicle height information required by the preceding vehicle height calculation means, and the traffic signal height information and the traffic signal of the traffic signal installation position information possessed by the traffic signal distance calculation means From the distance information, it is determined whether the vehicle traveling position is at a position where the front traffic signal can be seen on the preceding vehicle, and if the traffic signal is not visible, the driver is notified to increase the inter-vehicle distance. Is.
With this configuration, appropriate traveling control can be performed based on the positional relationship among the front traffic light, the preceding vehicle, and the host vehicle.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle travel support device that can perform appropriate travel control based on the positional relationship among a front traffic light, a preceding vehicle, and the host vehicle.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of a vehicle travel support apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
First, the configuration of the vehicle travel support apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 1 is a system block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle travel support apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The vehicle travel support device 10 includes a navigation device (navigation device) 1, a camera recognition device 2, a vehicle speed control ECU 3, an engine ECU 4, a brake ECU 5, a wheel speed sensor 6, a communication bus 7, and a driver input device 8. And a driver notification device 9.

  The navigation device 1 is a device that provides the current position of the host vehicle and the traveling environment of the host vehicle. The camera recognition device 2 is mounted at a position where the front of the host vehicle can be photographed, and recognizes the front traffic signal state of the host vehicle, the height of the preceding vehicle, the relative speed with the preceding vehicle, the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle. The distance between vehicles can be detected. Although the camera recognition device 2 is used in the present embodiment, other sensors may be used as long as the recognition device can detect the same type of information. For example, it may be a laser radar or may be realized by combining a plurality of environment recognition sensors.

  The vehicle speed control ECU 3 performs vehicle travel support control (for example, follow-up travel control such as ACC and constant speed travel control). From the navigation device 1, the camera recognition device 2, the wheel speed sensor 6, and the driver input device 8. Using various vehicle information obtained via the communication bus 7, target command values corresponding to each ECU are calculated and output to other ECUs described later.

  The engine ECU 4 is an ECU that controls the engine torque so that the target engine torque input from the vehicle speed control ECU 3 is obtained. The brake ECU 5 is an ECU that controls the brake torque so that the target brake torque input from the vehicle speed control ECU 3 is obtained.

  The wheel speed sensor 6 is a device that detects the rotational speed of each wheel. The driver input device 8 is a switch for a driver to input a request command for vehicle driving support control to the vehicle speed control ECU 3. The driver notification device 9 is a device that performs various notifications including vehicle driving support control to the driver, but the output form such as a sound output device or a screen display device is not limited.

Next, the detailed configuration of the vehicle travel support apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 2 is a system block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the vehicle travel support apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  The camera recognition device 2 includes a traffic light state recognition unit 11, a preceding vehicle height calculation unit 12, a preceding vehicle relative speed calculation unit 13, and a preceding vehicle inter-vehicle distance calculation unit 14. The camera recognition device 2 outputs to the vehicle speed control ECU 3 information on the traffic light state, the preceding vehicle height, the relative speed, and the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle. The driver input device 8 inputs a speed at which the driver wants to travel, and outputs the driver set target vehicle speed to the vehicle speed control ECU 3.

  The navigation apparatus 1 has the position information of the stop line at each point. The navigation device 1 sequentially calculates the distance (stop line distance) from the own vehicle to the nearest stop line from the current position of the own vehicle and the terrain information in the traveling direction, and periodically outputs the distance to the vehicle speed control ECU 3. In addition, the navigation device 1 has traffic signal position information and height information of each traffic signal. Similarly to the stop line distance calculation, the navigation device 1 sequentially calculates the distance to the traffic signal ahead and outputs it to the vehicle speed control ECU 3 periodically along with the height information of the traffic signal.

  The wheel speed sensor 6 detects the wheel rotation speed of each wheel and periodically outputs the wheel rotation speed to the vehicle speed control ECU 3.

  The vehicle speed control ECU 3 includes a control switching determination unit 17, a target inter-vehicle time calculation unit 18, a target vehicle speed determination unit 19, a vehicle speed calculation unit 20, an engine / brake command value calculation unit 21, and a constant speed travel control unit 22. The following travel control unit 23 and the stop control calculation unit 24 are provided.

  Based on the traffic signal state information output from the camera recognition device 2 and the navigation device 1, the preceding vehicle height information, the relative speed information, and the inter-vehicle distance information between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle, the control switching determination unit 17 A control logic switching request is output to each control logic (constant speed traveling control unit 22, preceding vehicle following traveling control unit 23, stop control unit 24). Further, the control switching determination unit 17 outputs the current host vehicle speed to the target vehicle speed determination unit 19. In addition, the control switching determination unit 17 outputs various notification commands including vehicle travel support control to the driver notification device 9. The driver notification device 9 notifies the driver of this notification command using voice, a screen, or the like.

  The target inter-vehicle time calculation unit 18 is based on the relative speed information output from the preceding vehicle relative speed calculation unit 13 and the inter-vehicle distance information between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle output from the preceding vehicle inter-vehicle distance calculation unit 14. Time is calculated and output to the tracking control unit 23. The target vehicle speed determination unit 19 selects a lower one of the current host vehicle speed output from the control switching determination unit 17 and the driver set target vehicle speed output from the driver input device 8, and uses this as the target vehicle speed to drive at a constant speed. Output to the control unit 22. The vehicle speed calculation unit 20 calculates the vehicle speed based on the wheel rotation speed output by the wheel speed sensor 6 and outputs the vehicle speed to each control calculation unit.

  The constant speed travel control unit 22 performs constant speed travel control based on either the target vehicle speed output from the target vehicle speed determination unit 19 or the current host vehicle speed output from the vehicle speed calculation unit 20. The preceding vehicle follow-up control unit 23 outputs the target inter-vehicle time output from the target inter-vehicle time calculation unit 18, the relative speed output from the preceding vehicle relative speed calculation unit 13, and the own vehicle output from the preceding vehicle inter-vehicle distance calculation unit 14. The preceding vehicle follow-up control is performed based on the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle speed output from the vehicle speed calculation unit 20. The stop control unit 24 performs stop control based on the stop line distance output from the stop line distance calculation unit 15 and the own vehicle speed output from the vehicle speed calculation unit 20.

  Based on the target acceleration / deceleration information obtained by each control logic (constant speed traveling control unit 22, preceding vehicle following traveling control unit 23, stop control unit 24), the engine / brake command value calculating unit 21 The engine ECU 4 that calculates the target brake torque and outputs it to the engine ECU 4 and the brake ECU 5 controls the engine so that the target engine torque is obtained. The brake ECU 5 controls each brake so that the target brake torque is obtained.

Next, the control contents in the vehicle speed control ECU 3 used in the vehicle travel support apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the control contents in the vehicle speed control ECU used in the vehicle travel support apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

First, in step S10, an input signal processing unit (not shown) in the vehicle speed control ECU 3 detects the traffic light state (blue, red, yellow) detected by the camera recognition device 2, the height h _{b of} the preceding vehicle, the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle. The relative speed of the vehicle, the inter-vehicle distance d _THW between the _host vehicle and the preceding vehicle, the driver set target vehicle speed set by the driver input device 8, the stop line distance d _STOP detected by the navigation device 1, and the position of the host vehicle to the traffic light The distance d _SIG , the height h _c of the traffic light, the wheel rotational speed detected from the wheel speed sensor 6, the engine torque controlled by the engine ECU 4, and the brake torque controlled by the brake ECU 5 are read.

Next, in step S20, the vehicle speed calculating section 20 calculates the traveling speed v ₀ of the vehicle from the read wheel rotational speed in step S10.

Next, in step S30, the target inter-vehicle time calculating unit 18 calculates the target inter-vehicle time from the traveling speed _{v 0} of the vehicle distance _{d THW} and vehicle read in step S10.

Next, in step S40, the control switching determination unit 17 determines the distance d _SIG to the traffic signal read in step S10, the inter-vehicle distance d _THW , the height h _{b of the} preceding vehicle, and the ground of the camera attached to the host vehicle. From the height h _a , the height h _cam necessary for recognizing the color of the traffic light with the camera is calculated. Here, the height h _cam necessary for recognizing the color of the traffic light with the camera can be obtained by the following equation (1). Here, tan θ = (h _b −h _a ) / d _THW ).

h _cam = d _SIG · tan θ (1)

Next, in step S50, the control switching determination unit 17 calculates a braking distance d _{need_stop} required for stopping at the stop line from the own vehicle position read in step S10 and the distance between the own vehicle and the stop line. The braking distance d _{need_stop} can be calculated by the following equation (2). Here, a is a predetermined specified deceleration (positive value).

d _{need_stop} = v ₀ ² / 2a (2)

Next, in step S60, the control switching determination unit 17 executes the constant speed traveling control based on the information read in step S10 or the information calculated in steps S20 to S50, or the preceding vehicle following traveling control. Switch between executing and stop control. Details of step S50 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  Next, in step S70, the target vehicle speed determination unit 19 selects the smaller of the current host vehicle speed output from the control switching determination unit 17 and the driver set target vehicle speed output from the driver input device 8, and this Is output to the constant speed traveling control unit 22 as a target vehicle speed.

  Next, in step S80, any of the control logics (constant speed traveling control unit 22, preceding vehicle following traveling control unit 23, stop control unit 24) selected by the control switching determination unit 17 in step S60 is determined in step S70. The target acceleration is calculated so as to achieve the set target vehicle speed.

  Next, in step S90, the engine / brake command value calculation unit 21 calculates a target brake torque in order to achieve the target acceleration calculated in step S80.

  In step S100, the engine / brake command value calculation unit 21 calculates a target engine torque to achieve the target acceleration calculated in step S80.

  The vehicle speed control ECU 3 repeatedly performs this series of processes shown in FIG. 3 at a prescribed control cycle.

Next, detailed contents of the switching control by the control switching determination unit 17 in the vehicle travel support apparatus according to the present embodiment, that is, the switching control in step S40 of FIG. 3 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the detailed control contents of the switching control by the control switching determination unit in the vehicle travel support apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

First, it is determined from the information of the camera recognition device 2 whether there is a preceding vehicle ahead of the host vehicle (step S601). If the preceding vehicle is detected by the camera recognition device 2 (step S601: Yes), it is subsequently determined whether the distance d _SIG to the traffic light is equal to or less than a specified value (step S602). In this example, this specified value is defined as “a distance that the camera recognition device 2 can recognize a traffic light (hereinafter, a traffic light recognition limit distance)”.

If the distance d _SIG to the traffic signal is larger than the traffic signal recognition limit distance (step S602: No), the control switching determination unit 17 performs “preceding vehicle tracking control” that tracks the preceding vehicle at the set inter-vehicle time set by the driver. A control logic switching request is output so as to be performed (step S617).

If the distance d _SIG to the traffic light is equal to or smaller than the traffic light recognition limit distance in step S602 (step S602: Yes), a height h _{cam at} which the color of the traffic light can be recognized by the camera is calculated (step S604). Then compared with the height h _cam can recognize the color of the traffic signal at the camera, the height h _a value obtained by subtracting the vehicle from the height h _c of the traffic (step S605). If, if the camera below the value that the value of the height h _cam of the traffic that can recognize colors by subtracting the height h _a of the vehicle from the height h _c of the traffic signal of the traffic signal (step S605: Yes), followed by leading vehicle Is decelerated (step S606). If the preceding vehicle decelerates (step S606: No), the control switching determination unit 17 issues a control logic switching request so as to perform “preceding vehicle following control” that follows the preceding vehicle for the set inter-vehicle time set by the driver. Output (step S617).

  If the preceding vehicle travels and accelerates at a constant speed in step S606 (step S606: Yes), it is subsequently determined whether the color of the traffic light is other than blue (step S608). If it is detected in step S608 that the color of the traffic light is blue (step S608: No), the control switching determination unit 17 performs “preceding vehicle following control” that follows the preceding vehicle at the set inter-vehicle time set by the driver. A control logic switching request is output so as to be performed (step S617).

On the other hand, if it is detected in step S608 that the color of the traffic light is other than blue (step S608: Yes), the vehicle decelerates at a specified deceleration from the stop line distance d _STOP acquired from the navigation device 1 and the current vehicle speed. The stop braking distance d _{need_stop} required in this case is calculated (step S610). Then, the stop line distance d _STOP and the stop braking distance d _{need_stop} calculated in step S610 are compared, and if the value of the stop line distance d _STOP is equal to or less than the value of the stop braking distance d _{need_stop} (step S613: Yes), control switching is performed. The determination unit 17 outputs a control logic switching request so as to perform “stop control” at the specified deceleration (step S616).

If the value of the stop line distance d _STOP is larger than the value of the stop braking distance d _{need_stop} (step S613: No), the control switching determination unit 17 follows the preceding vehicle at the set inter-vehicle time set by the driver. A control logic switching request is output so as to perform “follow-up control” (step S617).

If the value of the height h _cam at which the camera can recognize the color of the traffic light is larger than the value obtained by subtracting the height h _a of the host vehicle from the height h _{c of the} traffic light in step S605 (step S605: No), Subsequently, it is determined whether the preceding vehicle has decelerated (step S607). If the preceding vehicle decelerates in step S607 (step S607: No), the control switching determination unit 17 performs “preceding vehicle follow-up control” that follows the preceding vehicle for the set inter-vehicle time set by the driver. Then, a control logic switching request is output (step S617).

If the preceding vehicle travels at a constant speed and accelerates at step S607 (step S607: Yes), a stop line distance d _STOP and a stop braking distance d _{need_stop} are calculated (step S611). If the value of the stop line distance d _STOP is equal to or less than the value of the stop braking distance d _{need_stop} in step S611 (step S614: Yes), the control switching determination unit 17 performs “stop control” at the specified deceleration. A control logic switching request is output (step S616).

On the other hand, if the value of the stop line distance d _STOP is larger than the value of the stop braking distance d _{need_stop} in step S611 (step S614: No), the control switching determination unit 17 sets “constant speed running control” at the current _host vehicle speed. The control logic switching request is output so as to perform “.” (Step S618).

If no preceding vehicle is detected in step S601 (step S601: No), it is subsequently determined whether the distance d _SIG from the vehicle running position to the traffic light is equal to or less than a specified value (step S603). If the distance d _SIG to the traffic light is larger than a predetermined value in step S603 (step S603: No), the control switching determination unit 17 switches the control logic so as to perform “constant speed traveling control” at the target vehicle speed. A request is output (step S619).

If it is determined in step S603 that the distance d _SIG to the traffic signal is equal to or less than a predetermined value (step S603: Yes), it is subsequently determined whether the color of the traffic signal is other than blue (step S609). If it is detected in step S609 that the color of the traffic light is blue (step S609: No), the control switching determination unit 17 outputs a control logic switching request so as to perform “constant speed traveling control” at the target vehicle speed. (Step S619).

On the other hand, if it is detected in step S609 that the color of the traffic light is other than blue (step S609: Yes), a stop line distance d _STOP and a stop braking distance d _{need_stop} are calculated (step S612). If the value of the stop line distance d _STOP is equal to or less than the value of the stop braking distance d _{need_stop} (step S615: Yes), the control switching determination unit 17 performs control control so that “stop control” is performed at the specified deceleration. A switching request is output (step S616).

If the value of the stop line distance d _STOP is larger than the value of the stop braking distance d _{need_stop} in step S615 (step S615: No), the control switching determination unit 17 performs “constant speed traveling control” at the target vehicle speed. Then, a control logic switching request is output (step S619).

Next, operation modes of the vehicle travel support apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
5-8 is explanatory drawing of the operation | movement aspect by the vehicle travel assistance apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram of a control logic switching pattern example 1 in this example. In FIG. 5, it is assumed that the preceding vehicle has already been detected in S601 of FIG. It shows a series of operations when increasing. Here, it is assumed that the host vehicle is traveling at a speed and the preceding vehicle is traveling at a speed.

  As shown in FIG. 5 (1), when the traffic light is far away from the host vehicle, it is impossible to recognize the traffic signal with the camera. Therefore, the control switching determination unit 17 of the vehicle speed control ECU 3 does not use the camera. It is determined to perform preceding vehicle following control (S617 in FIG. 4).

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5 (2), it is assumed that the traffic light approaches and enters within a distance that can be recognized by the camera. At this time, depending on the vehicle height of the preceding vehicle, there may occur a situation in which the own vehicle is too close to the preceding vehicle at the following inter-vehicle distance and the preceding vehicle becomes in the way and the traffic light cannot be seen. However, in order to perform automatic traveling at an intersection with a traffic light, the color of the traffic light must be recognized by a camera and control according to the color of the traffic light must be performed. Therefore, the recognition of the traffic light is indispensable. Therefore, in steps S604 to S605 in FIG. 4, it is determined whether or not the host vehicle is too close to the preceding vehicle, obstructs the preceding vehicle, and the traffic light cannot be seen. As shown in FIG. 5 (2), when the preceding vehicle is in a positional relationship where the traffic signal is not visible (S605: No in FIG. 4), and the preceding vehicle travels at a constant speed or accelerates (S607: Yes in FIG. 4). In S611 and S614 of FIG. 4, when it is determined that the stop line distance from the current travel position is greater than the braking distance at the current travel vehicle speed, the control switching determination unit 17 does not follow the preceding vehicle and Is determined to perform constant speed traveling (S618 in FIG. 4).

  In this way, even if the preceding vehicle accelerates, the host vehicle does not follow and runs at a constant speed, so the relative speed with the preceding vehicle increases, and as a result, the distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle increases. This makes it easier to recognize traffic lights.

  FIG. 5 (3) shows that even if the preceding vehicle accelerates, the own vehicle does not follow the preceding vehicle and travels at a constant speed at the current speed, thereby increasing the distance between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle. It shows the situation where the traffic signal was recognized. As described above, when the traffic light can be recognized and the color of the traffic light is determined to be blue (S608: No in FIG. 4), the control switching determination unit 17 performs the preceding vehicle following control for following the preceding vehicle again. It is determined to do (S617 in FIG. 4).

  FIG. 6 is a diagram of a control logic switching pattern example 2 in this example. In FIG. 6, it is assumed that the preceding vehicle has already been detected in step S601 in FIG. 4, and the vehicle travel support device 10 is activated when the preceding vehicle tracking control is approached, and the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle is determined. As a result of enlargement, a series of operations when a red signal is detected is shown.

  FIG. 6 (1) is the same as FIG. 5 (1), and performs normal preceding vehicle follow-up control that does not require a camera because the traffic light is far from the host vehicle and is outside the camera recognition range.

  Similarly to FIG. 5 (2), FIG. 6 (2) cannot recognize the traffic signal by the preceding vehicle. Therefore, when the preceding vehicle travels at a constant speed or accelerates, the current speed is set to the target speed without performing the preceding vehicle following control. The constant speed running control is performed.

  FIG. 6 (3) shows a situation where the distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle has increased due to the constant speed running control, and the traffic light can be recognized. At that time, the traffic light is determined to be red. (S608: Yes in FIG. 4). At this time, the control switching determining unit 17 compares the magnitude relationship between the braking distance obtained from the vehicle speed and the stop line distance from the navigation device 1 (S610, S613 in FIG. 4), and the stop line distance is larger than the braking distance. In this case, it is determined not to immediately perform stop control but to perform preceding vehicle follow-up control (S617 in FIG. 4). Thereafter, when the stop line distance becomes equal to or less than the braking distance by approaching the traffic light, it is determined to perform stop control for starting deceleration at a specified deceleration so as to stop at the stop line (S616 in FIG. 4).

  FIG. 7 is a diagram of a control logic switching pattern example 3 in this example. In FIG. 7, it is assumed that the preceding vehicle has already been detected in S601 of FIG. This shows a series of operations when the traffic light is approached while the traffic light is not visible in spite of trying to enlarge it.

  FIG. 7 (1) is the same as FIG. 5 (1), and is a situation where normal preceding vehicle follow-up control that does not require a camera is performed because the traffic light is far from the host vehicle and is outside the camera recognition range. .

  As in FIG. 5 (2), the traffic light cannot be recognized by the preceding vehicle in FIG. 7 (2). Therefore, when the preceding vehicle travels at a constant speed or accelerates, the current speed is set to the target without performing the preceding vehicle following control. Constant speed running control with speed is performed.

  In FIG. 7 (3), even if the constant speed traveling control is performed in FIG. 7 (2), the signal recognition is still possible even if the relative speed between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle does not increase so much and the stop line distance becomes less than the braking distance. It represents a state that is not possible. At this time, for safety, the control switching determination unit 17 determines to perform stop control for automatically decelerating so as to stop at the stop line regardless of the actual state of the traffic light (S616 in FIG. 4). This is because following the preceding vehicle without being able to recognize the traffic signal due to the preceding vehicle being in the way may give the driver a sense of fear.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram of a control logic switching pattern example 4 in this example. In FIG. 8, it is assumed that the preceding vehicle has already been detected in S601 of FIG. 4, and in the situation under preceding vehicle following control, when the preceding vehicle approaches the traffic signal while decelerating when approaching the traffic signal installation point, Show.

  FIG. 8 (1) is the same as FIG. 5 (1), and shows a situation where the traffic light is far from the host vehicle and normal preceding vehicle follow-up control is performed.

  FIG. 8 (2) shows a case where the preceding vehicle decelerates when the preceding vehicle is in a positional relationship where traffic signal recognition is impossible (No in S607 in FIG. 4). At this time, the positional relationship with the preceding vehicle has the highest priority. Therefore, the control switching determination unit 17 determines to continue the preceding vehicle following control. Therefore, if the preceding vehicle recognizes the traffic light and stops as shown in FIG. 8 (3), the own vehicle also stops following the preceding vehicle.

  In the present embodiment, it is considered that the traffic signal recognition is impossible because the preceding vehicle is in the way. However, even when the traffic signal is hidden by a tree near the traffic signal or the traffic signal recognition is impossible at the blind corner, the control switching determination unit 17 Then, it is good also as what judges switching of a control logic similarly.

  In addition, when the control switching determination unit 17 switches from the normal driver's set speed running or the preceding vehicle following control to the set speed running or stop control running, the driver may be notified using the driver notification device 9.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when it is a situation in which the color of the traffic light ahead of the preceding vehicle cannot be recognized by the traffic light state recognition means when traveling automatically following the preceding vehicle, at the traveling speed at that time Switch to constant speed running control. As a result, the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle increases, and the possibility that the traffic light state recognition means can recognize the color of the traffic light is increased.

  Even if the traffic light state recognition means cannot recognize the color of the traffic light ahead by the preceding vehicle, if the distance to the traffic light is less than the braking distance required to stop, the vehicle will automatically decelerate, Provide driving assistance. After that, if the traffic light state recognition means can recognize the color of the traffic light, stop control is continued according to the recognition result, or re-acceleration and constant speed running control at the driver target speed or follow-up control of the preceding vehicle is continued. To do.

  In this way, by switching the traveling control that is executed in consideration of the positional relationship among the front traffic light, the preceding vehicle, and the host vehicle to the appropriate traveling control, the traveling support control is appropriately performed even if the vehicle enters a certain point. Yes.

  In addition, since the control is based on the distance to the traffic light, even if the traffic light is far away, the distance between the vehicles can be prevented from becoming unnecessarily large, so there is a possibility that another vehicle may be interrupted between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle. To reduce.

Next, the configuration and operation of a vehicle travel support apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The configuration of the vehicle travel support apparatus according to the present embodiment is the same as that shown in FIG. The detailed configuration of the vehicle travel support apparatus according to the present embodiment is the same as that shown in FIG. However, in the present embodiment, the vehicle speed control ECU 3 does not include the control switching determination unit 17, the constant speed travel control unit 22, the follow travel control unit 23, and the stop control calculation unit 24.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the contents of control in a vehicle speed control ECU used in a vehicle travel support apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 9, the contents of steps S10 to S60 are the same as those described in FIG. In step S60, as described in detail in FIG. 4, any one of the constant speed traveling control, the following traveling control, and the stop control is suitable in consideration of the positional relationship among the front traffic light, the preceding vehicle, and the host vehicle. Determine whether.

  When the control switching determination unit 17 determines in step S618 in FIG. 4 that it is preferable to perform “constant speed traveling control” at the current host vehicle speed, the control switching determination unit 17 determines in step S110 that A notification command for increasing the inter-vehicle distance is issued to the driver notification device 9. Accordingly, the driver notification device 9 notifies the driver by voice or screen display so as to increase the inter-vehicle distance.

  When the traffic signal approaches the vehicle, the result of determining whether the vehicle is too close to the preceding vehicle in steps S604 to S605 in FIG. You may make it notify a driver using the driver notification apparatus 9 whether the camera recognition apparatus 2 is in the state which can recognize the signal apparatus.

Even in this embodiment, considering the positional relationship among the traffic signal ahead, the preceding vehicle, and the host vehicle, when the traffic signal is not visible, the driver is notified so that even when entering the point where the traffic signal is present, driving support is appropriately performed. You can control.

It is a system block diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle travel assistance apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a system block diagram which shows the detailed structure of the vehicle travel assistance apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the control content in vehicle speed control ECU used for the vehicle travel assistance apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the detailed control content of the switching control by the control switching judgment part in the vehicle travel assistance apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the operation | movement aspect by the vehicle travel assistance apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the operation | movement aspect by the vehicle travel assistance apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the operation | movement aspect by the vehicle travel assistance apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the operation | movement aspect by the vehicle travel assistance apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the control content in the vehicle speed control ECU used for the vehicle travel assistance apparatus by other embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Navigation apparatus 2 ... Camera recognition apparatus 3 ... Vehicle speed control ECU
4 ... Engine ECU
5 ... Brake ECU
6 ... wheel speed sensor 7 ... communication bus 8 ... driver input device 9 ... driver notification device 10 ... vehicle driving support device 11 ... signal state recognition unit 12 ... preceding vehicle height detection unit 13 ... preceding vehicle relative speed calculation unit 14 ... preceding Inter-vehicle distance calculation unit 15 ... stop line distance calculation unit 16 ... wheel rotation speed calculation unit 17 ... control switching determination unit 18 ... target inter-vehicle time calculation unit 19 ... target vehicle speed determination unit 20 ... vehicle speed calculation unit 21 ... engine / brake command value Calculation unit 22 ... constant speed traveling control unit 23 ... follow-up control unit 24 ... stop control unit

Claims (5)

A vehicle travel support control device for supporting vehicle travel,
An inter-vehicle distance calculating means for detecting an inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle;
A relative speed calculating means for detecting a relative speed between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle;
Preceding vehicle height calculating means for detecting the height of the preceding vehicle;
A traffic light state recognition means for detecting a lighted signal state of the nearest traffic light in front of the host vehicle;
A traffic light distance calculation means for calculating the distance from the traffic signal installation position information and the traffic signal height information to the nearest traffic signal ahead of the host vehicle from the traffic signal position information and the traffic signal installation position information;
A driver input means for receiving an instruction request input related to the setting for the driving support control of the driver;
Follow-up running control means for obtaining a target acceleration / deceleration for keeping up the following time between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle obtained from the running speed of the own vehicle and the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle obtained from the inter-vehicle distance calculating means, and Constant speed travel control means for obtaining a target acceleration / deceleration for traveling at a constant speed while maintaining the set target speed, and target acceleration / deceleration for stopping the vehicle correctly at the stop position based on the distance information to the stop position Vehicle speed control means having stop control means for obtaining the above, and selection means for switching the target acceleration / deceleration from each control means,
Vehicle driving means and vehicle braking means for receiving the target acceleration / deceleration required by each of the travel control means and generating the target acceleration / deceleration in the host vehicle,
In the preceding vehicle follow-up control, the vehicle speed control means calculates the preceding vehicle height information and the traffic light distance calculation obtained by the preceding vehicle height calculation means when the distance to the nearest traffic signal becomes a predetermined value or less. From the traffic signal height information and the traffic signal distance information of the traffic signal installation position information possessed by the means, it is determined whether or not the vehicle traveling position is at a position where the front traffic signal can be seen on the preceding vehicle, in a positional relationship where the traffic signal is not visible, and When the preceding vehicle is not in an approaching state from the relative speed calculation means, the vehicle travel support control apparatus includes a control switching determination means for interrupting the follow-up control and switching to constant speed travel control at the current travel speed. The vehicle travel support control device according to claim 1,
The control switching determination means is a stop braking distance required for the own vehicle to stop from the current traveling speed at a predetermined deceleration when there is a positional relationship in which the traffic signal cannot be seen in the positional relationship between the own vehicle, the preceding vehicle, and the traffic signal. And the stop braking distance is compared with the stop point distance from the traffic signal distance information to the point necessary for the stop. If the stop braking distance is greater than the stop point distance, a specified deceleration is generated. A vehicle travel support control apparatus for transmitting a target acceleration / deceleration value to the vehicle driving means and the vehicle braking means. The vehicle travel support control device according to claim 1,
Provided with a driver notification means for informing the driver of the vehicle control state;
The control switching determination means is configured to notify the driver that the vehicle travel support control has been switched to or switched to constant speed traveling when or after the condition for canceling the follow-up control and switching to constant speed traveling is reached. A vehicle travel support control device, characterized in that a notification request for execution of control switching processing is sent to a notification means. The vehicle travel support control device according to claim 1,
The certain predetermined value is a maximum distance detectable by the traffic light state recognition means. A vehicle travel support control device for supporting vehicle travel,
An inter-vehicle distance calculating means for detecting an inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle;
A relative speed calculating means for detecting a relative speed between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle;
Preceding vehicle height calculating means for detecting the height of the preceding vehicle;
A traffic light state recognition means for detecting a lighted signal state of the nearest traffic light in front of the host vehicle;
A traffic light distance calculation means for calculating the distance from the traffic signal installation position information and the traffic signal height information to the nearest traffic signal ahead of the host vehicle from the traffic signal position information and the traffic signal installation position information;
A driver input means for receiving an instruction request input related to the setting for the driving support control of the driver;
Provided with a driver notification means for informing the driver of the vehicle control state;
When the distance to the nearest traffic signal in front of the driver is less than a predetermined value, the driver notifying device calculates the preceding vehicle height information required by the preceding vehicle height calculating unit and the traffic signal installation position information included in the traffic signal distance calculating unit. From the traffic signal height information and traffic signal distance information, it is determined whether or not the vehicle traveling position is in a position where the front traffic signal can be seen on the preceding vehicle. If the traffic signal is not visible, increase the inter-vehicle distance to the driver. A vehicle travel support control device characterized in that notification is made.

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