JP2009269516A - Vehicle travel controller and vehicle travel control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle travel controller and a vehicle travel control method, allowing reflection of an intention of a driver in setting of target speed even when automatically setting the target speed of speed increasing reaction force of an accelerator pedal, cruise speed or the like. <P>SOLUTION: When a value of recommendation speed Vrec set according to a traveling state or traveling environment of a vehicle is changed, an ECU (electric control unit) 22 inquires about rejection of a change of reaction force increase reference speed Vrr (speed set based on the recommendation speed Vrec, which is a reference for setting the reaction force Fr to the accelerator pedal 12 from a reaction force imparting mechanism 24) from the driver through a speaker 26. When the driver pushes a permission button 28, the change is permitted, and the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr is set to the recommendation speed Vrec after the change. When the driver does not push the permission button 28, the change is not permitted, and the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr is maintained to the recommendation speed Vrec before the change. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle travel control device that controls the travel of a vehicle using a vehicle target speed such as a reaction force increasing speed for increasing a reaction force against an accelerator pedal, a cruise speed during constant speed cruise travel, and the vehicle travel control apparatus. The present invention relates to a vehicle traveling control method using

  In addition to the original position return force (force to return to the original position) applied to the accelerator pedal in a normal use state, there is a technique for adding an additional reaction force to the accelerator pedal (Patent Documents 1 and 2). In Patent Document 1, a threshold speed is calculated using detection values of a vehicle speed sensor, a steering angle sensor, a gradient sensor, and a vibration sensor, and an additional reaction force is applied to an accelerator pedal when the vehicle speed reaches the threshold speed. Is granted. This is intended to make the driver surely recognize that the speed is excessive (see the summary of Patent Document 1).

  Further, in Patent Document 2, it is possible to perform constant speed cruise traveling in which the throttle opening is automatically controlled separately from the operation of the accelerator pedal by the driver and the vehicle speed is constant. When performing constant speed cruise traveling, the set speed for constant speed cruise traveling (hereinafter also referred to as “cruise speed”) can be adjusted by operating the accelerator pedal while applying reaction force to the accelerator pedal. . That is, when driving at a constant speed, the reaction force against the accelerator pedal is suddenly increased to detect the area where the driver can naturally place his right foot on the accelerator pedal ("footrest area") and the driver's intention to accelerate ("Acceleration detection area") is provided, and the vehicle speed is increased when the accelerator pedal is stepped over the footrest area to the acceleration detection area. When the accelerator pedal exits the acceleration detection area, the vehicle speed at that time is set as a new cruise speed. After the new cruise speed is set, the accelerator pedal is returned to the footrest area (see paragraphs [0026] to [0033] of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3).

  The constant speed cruise traveling in Patent Document 2 is performed while the driver keeps his right foot on the accelerator pedal, but there is also a technology that allows constant speed cruise traveling without placing his foot on the accelerator pedal. (Patent Document 3). In Patent Document 3, constant speed cruise traveling is realized by controlling the depression position of the accelerator pedal by pedal reaction force applying means (see paragraph [0037] of Patent Document 3).

JP 2003-260951 A JP 2006-143120 A JP 2003-291682 A

  As described above, in Patent Document 1, the threshold speed is automatically set using the detection value of each sensor, but the driver's intention is not omitted. Further, Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3 do not disclose changing the cruise speed automatically. Therefore, the driver's intention cannot be reflected in the automatically set cruise speed based on any patent document.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and even when a target speed such as a speed for increasing the reaction force to the accelerator pedal or a cruise speed during cruise traveling is automatically set, An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle travel control device and a vehicle travel control method capable of reflecting the driver's intention in the setting.

  A vehicle travel control device according to the present invention includes a vehicle speed detection unit that detects a vehicle speed, a recommended speed determination unit that determines a recommended speed according to a travel environment or a travel state of the vehicle, and a target speed of the vehicle that is the recommended speed. A vehicle speed controller that controls the vehicle speed so as to match the target speed, and a target speed change enable / disable input unit that inputs permission or non-permission of the change of the target speed by a driver's operation, The vehicle speed control unit, when the driving environment or driving state has changed, if the driver's permission input to the target speed change enable / disable input unit, or if there is no non-permission input, The target speed is changed, and the target speed is not changed if the driver's permission input is not input or not input to the target speed change enable / disable input unit.

  According to the present invention, when the driving environment or driving state of the vehicle changes, the driver changes the target speed if the driver permits the target speed to be changed or does not indicate the disapproval intention. If the change of the speed is not permitted or the intention of non-permission is shown, the target speed is not changed. As a result, the target speed is changed only when the driver's explicit or implicit permission is obtained, so the driver's intention can be reflected in the change of the target speed.

  The vehicle speed control unit can control the vehicle speed so as to coincide with the target speed by adjusting the opening of the throttle valve independently of the operation amount of the accelerator pedal. Alternatively, when the operation amount of the accelerator pedal is equal to or greater than a target pedal operation amount corresponding to the target speed, the vehicle speed control unit increases the additional reaction force against the accelerator pedal, thereby increasing the target speed. You may control the said vehicle speed so that it may correspond.

  The target speed change availability input unit can be, for example, a button or a voice recognition device that can be operated by the driver. Thereby, since it is possible to select whether or not the target speed can be changed by a button operation or voice input, which is a simple operation, operability can be improved. Further, the present invention can be easily applied to a case where a constant speed cruise is performed with the foot released from the accelerator pedal.

  Alternatively, the target speed change availability input unit may be an accelerator pedal. Thereby, since it is possible to select whether or not the target speed can be changed by operating the accelerator pedal, which is a simple operation, operability can be improved. Moreover, when performing constant speed driving | running | working with the foot | leg left on the accelerator pedal, since the accelerator pedal which is the site | part which has already been operated is used, a process becomes easy.

  When the recommended speed is different from the vehicle speed when the target speed is set for the first time, the vehicle speed control unit may accept or reject the driver's permission to the target speed change enable / disable input unit. If there is no input, the recommended speed is set as an initial value of the target speed, and if the driver's permission input is not input or not input to the target speed change enable / disable input unit, the vehicle speed May be set as the initial value of the target speed. Thus, the recommended speed is set as the initial value of the target speed only when the driver's explicit or implicit permission is obtained, and when the driver's explicit or implicit permission is not obtained, the vehicle speed is set to the target speed. Set as the initial value. For this reason, the driver's intention can be reflected in the initial value of the target speed.

  In the vehicle travel control method according to the present invention, a recommended speed according to a travel environment or a travel state of a vehicle is determined by a control device, a target speed of the vehicle is set based on the recommended speed by the control device, and the target The vehicle speed is controlled so as to coincide with the speed, and the control device determines whether or not the change of the target speed to the input unit of the control device by the driver is permitted or not. When the state changes, if there is an input of permission of the driver to the input unit or if there is no input of non-permission, the target speed is changed, and the permission of the driver is input to the input unit. If there is no input or an unauthorized input, the target speed is not changed.

  According to the present invention, when the driving environment or driving state of the vehicle changes, the driver changes the target speed if the driver permits the target speed to be changed or does not indicate the disapproval intention. If the change of the speed is not permitted or the intention of non-permission is shown, the target speed is not changed. As a result, the target speed is changed only when the driver's explicit or implicit permission is obtained, so the driver's intention can be reflected in the change of the target speed.

  According to the present invention, when the driving environment or driving state of the vehicle changes, the driver changes the target speed if the driver permits the target speed to be changed or does not indicate the disapproval intention. If the change of the speed is not permitted or the intention of non-permission is shown, the target speed is not changed. As a result, the target speed is changed only when the driver's explicit or implicit permission is obtained, so the driver's intention can be reflected in the change of the target speed.

A. Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle travel control device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1. Configuration of Vehicle Travel Control Device 10 FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle travel control device 10 according to this embodiment. The vehicle travel control device 10 can be mounted on a vehicle such as a four-wheeled vehicle, and basically includes an accelerator pedal 12, an operation amount sensor 14, a vehicle speed sensor 16, a cruise travel start switch 18, and a navigation system 20. (Recommended speed determination unit), ECU (electric control unit) 22 (target speed setting unit), reaction force applying mechanism 24, speaker 26, and permission button 28 (target speed change enable / disable input unit).

  The operation amount sensor 14 detects an operation amount (pedal operation amount θ) [degree] from the original position of the accelerator pedal 12 and outputs it to the ECU 22. The vehicle speed sensor 16 measures a vehicle speed V [km / hour] of a vehicle (not shown) and outputs it to the ECU 22. The cruise travel start switch 18 (hereinafter also referred to as “switch 18”) instructs the start of constant speed cruise travel by the driver's operation. That is, when the driver turns on the switch 18, a cruise travel start signal Sc instructing the start of constant speed cruise travel is transmitted from the switch 18 to the ECU 22. Note that the cruise speed of the constant speed cruise described here follows the recommended speed Vrec below when the driver has permission.

  The navigation system 20 can detect the position of the vehicle using GPS (Global Positioning System), and includes a memory 30 that stores information on the recommended speed Vrec [km / hour] of each road. The recommended speed Vrec indicates, for example, a speed at which the fuel consumption can be optimized according to the situation of each road or a speed limit for each road. The speed at which the fuel consumption can be optimized can be set in advance depending on the fuel consumption performance characteristics of the vehicle, the road gradient, the road type (asphalt, gravel road, etc.), the presence or absence of a curve, and the like. Then, the navigation system 20 notifies the ECU 22 of the recommended speed Vrec corresponding to the detected vehicle position.

  The ECU 22 calculates the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr [km / hour] using the recommended speed Vrec and the vehicle speed V, and based on the relationship between the calculated reaction force increase reference speed Vrr and the vehicle speed V, the reaction force application mechanism 24. To calculate the reaction force Fr [N] to be applied to the accelerator pedal 12. The reaction force increase reference speed Vrr is a reference speed for calculating the reaction force Fr, and can also be used as a cruise speed indicating a target speed during constant speed cruise travel. Then, the ECU 22 generates a control signal Sr corresponding to the calculated reaction force Fr and transmits it to the reaction force applying mechanism 24. Details of the method for determining the reaction force Fr will be described later. The ECU 22 includes a memory 32.

  The reaction force applying mechanism 24 includes a motor (not shown) connected to the accelerator pedal 12 and applies a reaction force Fr corresponding to the control signal Sr received from the ECU 22 to the accelerator pedal 12. As a result, a reaction force Fr from the reaction force applying mechanism 24 is added to the accelerator pedal 12 in addition to the original position return force (force to return to the original position) of the accelerator pedal 12 itself by a spring or the like.

  When the speaker 26 receives the inquiry request signal Sb from the ECU 22, the speaker 26 outputs an inquiry as to whether or not the change of the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr is permitted.

  The permission button 28 is arranged at a predetermined position of a steering wheel (not shown) and is pressed when the driver permits the change of the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr in response to the inquiry from the speaker 26. That is, when the driver presses the permission button 28, a change permission signal Sa for permitting the change of the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr is output from the permission button 28 to the ECU 22.

2. Setting Method of Determination Method of Reaction Force Increase Reference Speed Vrr and Reaction Force Fr FIG. 2 shows a flowchart for determining the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr and the reaction force Fr.

  In step S <b> 1, the ECU 22 acquires the current recommended speed Vrec {recommended speed Vrec (current)} from the navigation system 20. The acquisition timing may be a predetermined timing such as when the vehicle goes on the road, or may be a time when the driver receives a cruise travel start signal Sc output by pressing the cruise travel start switch 18.

  In the subsequent step S2, the ECU 22 determines whether or not the vehicle speed V has become equal to the recommended speed Vrec so far. This determination can be performed using, for example, the first determination flag FLG1. That is, the initial value of the first determination flag FLG1 (value when the cruise travel is started) is “0”. “0” indicates that the vehicle speed V has never been equal to the recommended speed Vrec, and “1” indicates that the vehicle speed V has been equal to the recommended speed Vrec so far. It shows that. The first determination flag FLG1 is set to “1” in step S4 described later. Once the first determination flag FLG1 becomes “1”, the first determination flag FLG1 continues to be “1” as long as the flowchart of FIG. 2 is repeated.

  When the first determination flag FLG1 is “0” in step S2 (S2: No), in step S3, the ECU 22 determines whether or not the current vehicle speed V is equal to the recommended speed Vrec (current time). . When the current vehicle speed V is not equal to the recommended speed Vrec (current) (S3: No), the process proceeds to step S5. When the current vehicle speed V is equal to the recommended speed Vrec (this time) (S3: Yes), in step S4, the ECU 22 changes the first determination flag FLG1 from “0” to “1”, and then proceeds to step S5. move on.

  In step S5, the ECU 22 sets the recommended speed Vrec (current) as the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr. The set reaction force increase reference speed Vrr is stored in the memory 32. Note that the recommended speed Vrec (current) stored in the memory 32 is used as the previous recommended speed Vrec {recommended speed Vrec (previous)} in the next process (the flowchart in FIG. 2). In subsequent step S6, the ECU 22 determines the reaction force Fr based on the vehicle speed V and the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr.

  FIG. 3A shows a reaction force application characteristic C1 (relationship between the vehicle speed V and the reaction force Fr) when the process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 2 is performed for the first time. In the reaction force application characteristic C1, the reaction force Fr changes between the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr and the reaction force application lower limit speed Vr_min. That is, the reaction force Fr increases rapidly from the reaction force application lower limit speed Vr_min toward the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr. Further, the reaction force Fr is kept constant at the maximum value Fr_max at the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr or higher. When the vehicle speed V falls below the reaction force application lower limit speed Vr_min, the reaction force Fr is set to zero. In other words, the reaction force application characteristic C1 in the present embodiment starts with the reaction force application lower limit speed Vr_min as a starting point, increases the reaction force Fr as the vehicle speed V increases, and the vehicle speed V reaches the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr. The reaction force Fr is maintained at the maximum value Fr_max. As described above, the original position returning force is applied to the accelerator pedal 12 itself. For this reason, even if the reaction force Fr from the reaction force application mechanism 24 becomes zero, the accelerator pedal 12 is applied with a force to return to the original position. In the above description, the relationship between the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr and the reaction force Fr has been described. However, the control can be performed based on the relationship between the pedal operation amount θ corresponding to the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr and the reaction force Fr.

  Further, the reaction force imparting characteristic C1 of the present embodiment changes according to the recommended speed Vrec acquired from the navigation system 20. That is, when the traveling environment or traveling state of a vehicle (not shown) equipped with the vehicle traveling control device 10 changes, the recommended speed Vrec also changes. For example, when the recommended speed Vrec increases, as shown in FIG. 3B, the reaction force application characteristic C1 changes to the reaction force application characteristic C2, and the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr becomes larger. As a result, the reaction force Fr increases with the pedal operation amount θ that realizes a faster vehicle speed V. On the other hand, when the recommended speed Vrec decreases, as shown in FIG. 3C, the reaction force application characteristic C1 changes to the reaction force application characteristic C3, and the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr becomes smaller. As a result, the reaction force Fr increases with the pedal operation amount θ that realizes a slower vehicle speed V. As a result, the pedal operation amount θ of the accelerator pedal 12 is induced to a value corresponding to the new reaction force increase reference speed Vrr (FIG. 3C). When the recommended speed Vrec becomes small, the reaction force Fr may be made larger than the maximum value Fr_max in order to ensure the induction of the accelerator pedal 12.

  FIG. 4 shows a flowchart for determining the reaction force Fr (details of step S6 in FIG. 2). In step S61, the ECU 22 calculates a reaction force application lower limit speed Vr_min according to the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr obtained in step S5 or step S14 (described later) in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3A, the reaction force application lower limit speed Vr_min is set to a speed slower than the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr by a predetermined speed.

  In step S62, the ECU 22 determines whether or not the current vehicle speed V is equal to or lower than the reaction force application lower limit speed Vr_min. When the current vehicle speed V is equal to or lower than the reaction force application lower limit speed Vr_min (S62: Yes), in step S63, the ECU 22 sets the reaction force Fr from the reaction force application mechanism 24 to the accelerator pedal 12 to zero. If the current vehicle speed V is greater than the reaction force application lower limit speed Vr_min (S62: No), the process proceeds to step S64.

  In step S64, the ECU 22 determines whether or not the current vehicle speed V is less than the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr. When the current vehicle speed V is less than the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr (S64: Yes), in step S65, the ECU 22 determines the reaction force Fr using the function formula f (V). The function formula f (V) is a function formula that defines a reaction force Fr that increases with an increase in the vehicle speed V, like the reaction force application characteristic C1 in FIG. 3A. When the current vehicle speed V is equal to or higher than the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr (S64: No), in step S66, the ECU 22 sets the reaction force Fr to the maximum value Fr_max.

  Returning to step S2 in FIG. 2, if the vehicle speed V has ever become equal to or higher than the recommended speed Vrec (S2: Yes), the ECU 22 stores the recommended speed Vrec (current time) in the memory 32 in step S7. It is determined whether or not it is the same as the recommended speed Vrec (previous). When the recommended speed Vrec (current) and the recommended speed Vrec (previous) are the same (S7: Yes), the process proceeds to step S9. When the recommended speed Vrec (current) and the recommended speed Vrec (previous) are different (S7: No), the ECU 22 sets the second determination flag FLG2 to “0” in step S8. The second flag FLG2 indicates whether or not an inquiry (step S11 to be described later) has already been made while the value is maintained after the recommended speed Vrec is set to a certain value. It is. When the second determination flag FLG2 is “0”, it indicates that the inquiry has never been made since the recommended speed Vrec has reached the current value. When the second determination flag FLG2 is “1”, the recommended speed Vrec has the current value. Indicates that the inquiry has already been made. After step S8, the process proceeds to step S9.

  In step S9, the ECU 22 determines that the absolute value (| V−Vrec (current) |) of the difference between the current vehicle speed V and the recommended speed Vrec (current) is also referred to as a recommended speed change determination threshold TH (hereinafter referred to as “threshold TH”). .) Determine if it is above. The threshold value TH is a value for determining whether or not the recommended speed Vrec has been changed from the previous value, and is set in consideration of variations in the vehicle speed V when traveling at a constant speed. When the absolute value is less than the threshold value TH (S9: No), the process proceeds to step S14. If the absolute value is greater than or equal to the threshold value TH (S9: Yes), the process proceeds to step S10.

  In step S10, the ECU 22 determines whether or not the second determination flag FLG2 is “0”. When the second determination flag FLG2 is “0” (S10: Yes), in step S11, the ECU 22 inquires of the driver whether or not the change of the recommended speed Vrec is permitted via the speaker 26. . That is, the ECU 22 outputs an inquiry request signal Sb to the speaker 26, and the speaker 26 that has received the inquiry request signal Sb outputs an inquiry as to whether or not the change of the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr is permitted. .

  In subsequent step S12, the ECU 22 changes the second determination flag FLG2 to “1”, and proceeds to step S13. In step S10, when the second determination flag FLG2 is “1” (S10: No), the process also proceeds to step S13.

  In step S13, the ECU 22 determines whether or not the driver has given permission to change the recommended speed Vrec, that is, whether or not the change permission signal Sa has been received from the permission button 28. When the change permission signal Sa is received (S13: Yes), in step S5, the ECU 22 sets the recommended speed Vrec (current) as the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr, and proceeds to step S6. When the change permission signal Sa has not been received (S13: No), in step S14, the ECU 22 sets the recommended speed Vrec (previous) stored in the memory 32 as the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr, and the process proceeds to step S6. move on.

  FIG. 5A shows an example of the vehicle speed V corresponding to the processing of the flowchart of FIG. 2, and FIG. 5B shows an example of the recommended speed Vrec corresponding to the processing of the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 5C shows an example of the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr corresponding to the process of the flowchart of FIG. At the time point t1 (the vehicle speed V is slightly smaller than the recommended speed Vrec), the ECU 22 reacts with the reaction force application characteristic C1 (see FIG. 5 for convenience, referred to as “recommended speed Vrec1”). In 3A), a reaction force Fr is applied to the accelerator pedal 12. At the time point t1, the vehicle speed V in FIG. 5A is smaller than the reaction force application lower limit speed Vr_min. Therefore, the reaction force Fr applied from the reaction force application mechanism 24 is zero, and the driver has room to depress the accelerator pedal 12. Knowing this, the driver further depresses the accelerator pedal 12. As a result, when the vehicle speed V becomes equal to the reaction force application lower limit speed Vr_min at time t2, the ECU 22 starts to apply the reaction force Fr to the accelerator pedal 12 by the reaction force application mechanism 24.

  The reaction force Fr increases according to the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal 12 until the time t3 when the vehicle speed V becomes equal to the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr after the time t2. At time t3, the reaction force Fr reaches the maximum value Fr_max, and the vehicle speed V is kept equal to the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr. Note that steps S1 to S6 in FIG. 2 are repeated from time t1 to immediately before time t3, and steps S1, S2, S7, S9, S14, and S6 in FIG. 2 are repeated at time t3.

  When the traveling environment or traveling state of the vehicle changes at time t4 and the recommended speed Vrec from the navigation system 20 decreases, the absolute value of the difference between the vehicle speed V and the recommended speed Vrec (current) is greater than or equal to the recommended speed change determination threshold TH. (S9: Yes), an inquiry is made to the driver as to whether or not the change of the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr is permitted (S11). This new recommended speed Vrec is referred to as “recommended speed Vrec2” for convenience. At time t4, the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr, the vehicle speed V, and the reaction force Fr are not changed.

  At time t5, when the driver presses the permission button 28 to permit the change of the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr (S13: Yes), the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr is changed from the recommended speed Vrec1 to the recommended speed Vrec2 (S5). 3), the reaction force imparting characteristic C3 of FIG. 3C is used to realize a new reaction force increase reference speed Vrr. As a result, the pedal operation amount θ and the vehicle speed V of the accelerator pedal 12 gradually decrease, and the vehicle speed V becomes equal to the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr (= Vrec2) at time t6.

  On the other hand, if the driver does not press the permission button 28 and the change of the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr is not permitted (S13: No), the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr and the vehicle speed V are maintained as they are (Vrec1). (S14).

  In the above description, the control is performed based on the vehicle speed V. However, the control may be performed based on the pedal operation amount θ of the accelerator pedal 12 instead of the vehicle speed V.

3. As described above, in this embodiment, when the value of the recommended speed Vrec changes, if the driver permits the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr to be changed by pressing the permission button 28, the reaction force If the increase reference speed Vrr is changed, the driver does not press the permission button 28, and the change of the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr is not permitted, the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr is not changed. Thus, the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr is changed only when the driver's permission is obtained, so that the driver's intention can be reflected in the change of the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr.

  In this embodiment, since it is possible to select whether or not the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr can be changed by operating the permission button 28, which is a simple operation, the operability can be improved. Further, the present invention can be easily applied when a constant speed cruise is performed with the foot released from the accelerator pedal 12.

B. Modifications It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is needless to say that various configurations can be adopted based on the contents described in this specification. For example, the following configuration can be adopted.

  In the said embodiment, although the structure which a driver | operator drive | operates in the state which put the right foot on the accelerator pedal 12 was shown, it is not restricted to this, For example, the state which left | separated the right foot from the accelerator pedal 12 like patent document 3 It can also be set as the structure which operates by.

  In the said embodiment, although the recommended speed Vrec was acquired from the navigation system 20, it is not restricted to this. For example, it can also be obtained from outside the vehicle using wireless communication. A configuration in which the recommended speed Vrec is calculated by the ECU 22 is also possible. Alternatively, it can be applied to the configuration of Patent Document 1.

  In the above embodiment, the recommended speed Vrec is exemplified by the speed and the speed limit that can optimize the fuel consumption according to the situation of each road. However, the recommended speed Vrec can be determined from other matters. For example, the cruise speed (the set speed when performing cruise travel) can be used instead of the recommended speed Vrec. Or distance information with the preceding vehicle, weather information (including wiper operation status, raindrop sensor information, etc.), traffic jam information, past accident history, actual road speed based on advanced vehicle information system, road The recommended speed Vrec can also be determined using the environment (suburbs, urban areas, residential areas, school zones, etc.), road width, number of lanes, road signs detected by image processing, road friction coefficient, etc. .

  In the embodiment described above, whether or not the reaction force increase reference speed Vrec can be changed is inquired by the sound output from the speaker 26, but can be inquired by other methods. For example, a predetermined display is performed on the indicator of the meter unit, a reaction force of the accelerator pedal 12 is increased, a predetermined vibration is applied to the accelerator pedal 12, the steering column, the seat, or the seat belt is applied with a predetermined amount of force. It is possible to inquire whether or not the change can be made by pulling in.

  In the above embodiment, the driver is inquired about whether or not the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr can be changed after the recommended speed Vrec is changed. However, it is also possible to inquire in advance before the recommended speed Vrec is changed. For example, the navigation system 20 predicts a position after a predetermined time (for example, several seconds later) from the current position information and the vehicle speed V, and calculates a recommended speed Vrec based on the prediction. It is feasible.

  In the above embodiment, the rejection of the change in the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr is determined based on whether or not the permission button 28 is pressed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is possible to determine whether the accelerator pedal 12 is permitted or not by performing a predetermined operation (for example, a stepping-up operation or a returning operation). Alternatively, it is also possible to determine permission or rejection by voice input using a predetermined voice recognition device.

  In the above-described embodiment, the permission button 28 is pressed when the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr is allowed to be changed. Conversely, a configuration in which the driver presses a predetermined button when the change is not allowed is also adopted. Is possible.

  Although FIG. 5 shows the case where the recommended speed Vrec is reduced, the flowchart of FIG. 2 can also be used when the recommended speed Vrec is increased.

  In the above embodiment, the reaction force Fr is increased from the reaction force application lower limit speed Vr_min to the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr, but the reaction force Fr is increased from the reaction force application lower limit speed Vr_min to the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr. The maximum value Fr_max may be set discontinuously (pulse-like) at the reaction force increase reference velocity Vrr.

  In the above embodiment, steps S2 to S5 in FIG. 2 are used as the process for obtaining the initial value of the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr. However, the process shown in FIG. 6 can also be used. In FIG. 6, steps S101, S105, S109, S110 to S117 are the same as steps S1, S5, S6, and S7 to S14 of FIG.

  In step S102 following step S101, the ECU 22 determines whether or not this time is the first process. This determination can be performed using, for example, the third determination flag FLG3. That is, the initial value of the third determination flag FLG3 (the value when the cruise travel is started) is “0”. “0” indicates that the flowchart of FIG. 6 has never been executed, and “1” indicates that the flowchart of FIG. 6 has been executed once or more. The third determination flag FLG3 is set to “1” in step S103 described later. Once the third determination flag FLG3 becomes “1”, the third determination flag FLG3 continues to be “1” as long as the flowchart of FIG. 6 is repeated.

  When the third determination flag FLG3 is “0” in step S102 (S102: Yes), the ECU 22 sets the third determination flag FLG3 to “1” in step S103.

  In subsequent step S104, the ECU 22 determines whether or not the recommended speed Vrec (current) and the current vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle speed sensor 16 are equal. When the recommended speed Vrec (current) is equal to the current vehicle speed V (S104: Yes), the process proceeds to step S105, and then proceeds to step S109. As described above, steps S105 and S109 are the same as steps S5 and S6 in FIG. If the estimated speed Vrec (current) is different from the current vehicle speed V (S104: No), the process proceeds to step S106.

  In step S106, the ECU 22 makes an inquiry to the driver via the speaker 26. The inquiry here asks whether the recommended speed Vrec (current) may be set as the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr. The inquiry can be made by other devices (for example, a display device not shown) in addition to the speaker 26 or instead of the speaker 26.

  In subsequent step S107, the ECU 22 determines whether or not the driver has given permission within a predetermined time, that is, whether or not the change permission signal Sa has been received from the permission button 28. When the change permission signal Sa is received (S107: Yes), the process proceeds to step S105. When the change permission signal Sa has not been received (S107: No), in step S108, the ECU 22 sets the vehicle speed V at that time as the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr. After step S108, the process proceeds to step S109.

  Returning to step S102, when the third determination flag FLG3 is “1” (S102: No), the process proceeds to step S110. As described above, step S110 and subsequent steps S111 to S117 are the same as steps S7 to S14 in FIG.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 6, when the recommended speed Vrec is different from the vehicle speed V at the initial setting of the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr, the ECU 22 recommends the recommended speed if the driver's permission is input to the permission button 28. Vrec is set as the initial value of the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr, and if the driver's permission is not input to the permission button 28, the vehicle speed V is set as the initial value of the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr. Thus, only when the driver's permission is obtained, the recommended speed Vrec is set as the initial value of the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr. When the driver's permission cannot be obtained, the current vehicle speed V is set to the reaction force increase reference. It is set as the initial value of the speed Vrr. For this reason, the driver's intention can be reflected in the initial value of the reaction force increase reference speed Vrr.

1 is a block diagram of a vehicle travel control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a flowchart for determining a reaction force increase reference speed and a reaction force in the vehicle travel control apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating an example of a reaction force imparting characteristic used when the vehicle travel control device is activated, and FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating an example of a reaction force imparting characteristic when the reaction force increase reference speed is increased. FIG. 3C is a diagram illustrating an example of a reaction force imparting characteristic when the reaction force increase reference speed is decreased. It is a flowchart which sets reaction force based on the present vehicle speed and reaction force increase reference speed. FIG. 5A is a time chart showing an example of the vehicle speed in the present embodiment. FIG. 5B is a time chart illustrating an example of a recommended speed in the present embodiment. FIG. 5C is a time chart illustrating an example of a reaction force increase reference speed in the present embodiment. It is a modification of the flowchart of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Vehicle travel control apparatus 12 ... Accelerator pedal 14 ... Operation amount sensor 16 ... Vehicle speed sensor 18 ... Cruise travel start switch 20 ... Navigation system (recommended speed judgment part)
22 ... ECU (vehicle speed control unit) 24 ... Reaction force applying mechanism 26 ... Speaker 28 ... Permit button (target speed change enable / disable input unit)
C1, C2, C3 ... Reaction force imparting characteristics Fr ... Reaction force Fr_max ... Maximum value of reaction force Sa ... Change permission signal Sb ... Inquiry request signal Sc ... Cruise travel start signal Sr ... Control signal V ... Vehicle speed Vrec ... Recommended speed Vrr ... Reaction force increase reference speed Vr_min: Reaction force application lower limit speed θ: Pedal operation amount

Claims (7)

A vehicle speed detector for detecting the vehicle speed;
A recommended speed determination unit that determines a recommended speed according to the driving environment or driving state of the vehicle;
A vehicle speed controller configured to set a target speed of the vehicle based on the recommended speed and to control the vehicle speed so as to coincide with the target speed;
A target speed change enable / disable input unit for inputting permission or non-permission of change of the target speed by an operation of the driver;
With
When the driving environment or driving state changes, the vehicle speed control unit determines the target speed if there is an input for permission of the driver or an input for disapproval to the target speed change enable / disable input unit. The vehicle travel control device is characterized in that the target speed is not changed if there is no permission input or no permission input from the driver to the target speed change permission / inhibition input section. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 1,
The vehicle speed control unit controls the vehicle speed so as to coincide with the target speed by adjusting an opening degree of a throttle valve independently of an operation amount of an accelerator pedal. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 1,
When the operation amount of the accelerator pedal is equal to or greater than the target pedal operation amount corresponding to the target speed, the vehicle speed control unit matches the target speed by increasing an additional reaction force on the accelerator pedal. The vehicle speed control apparatus controls the vehicle speed as described above. In the vehicle travel control device according to claim 2 or 3,
The target speed change enable / disable input unit is a button or a voice recognition device that can be operated by the driver. In the vehicle travel control device according to claim 1 or 3,
The target speed change enable / disable input unit is an accelerator pedal. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 1,
The vehicle speed control unit
When the recommended speed is different from the vehicle speed at the initial setting of the target speed, if the driver's permission is input to the target speed change permission / inhibition input section or the non-permission is not input, The recommended speed is set as the initial value of the target speed, and if the driver's permission input is not input or not input to the target speed change enable / disable input unit, the vehicle speed is set to the initial target speed. A vehicle travel control device, characterized by being set as a value. The recommended speed according to the driving environment or driving state of the vehicle is determined by the control device,
Setting a target speed of the vehicle based on the recommended speed by the control device;
A vehicle travel control method for controlling a vehicle speed so as to coincide with the target speed, and
The control device determines whether or not the change of the target speed to the input unit of the control device by the driver is permitted or not,
When the driving environment or driving state is changed, if there is an input of permission of the driver or no input of non-permission to the input unit, the target speed is changed, and the input unit is The vehicle travel control method, characterized in that the target speed is not changed if there is no driver permission input or non-permission input.

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