JP2010143358A - Collision reduction control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To absorb an energy caused by a damage for suppressing a damage, reduce the damage to an occupant, and prevent the behavior of a vehicle from being unstable. <P>SOLUTION: In a collision reduction control device, a collision reduction control means determines a collision generation side on which a forecasted collision occurs when a forecasting device forecasts a side collision, an automatic brake control device is subjected to pressurization drive control to remove play to such a degree that a brake device is not operated, winding drive control is performed such that a restraint control device winds up a seat belt to a predetermined state by driving a motor mounted on a seat belt device, a suspension control device selects a suspension device on the opposite side of the collision generation side on the vehicle and performs a damping force reduction control to make the damping force smaller than that on the collision generation side, and first-step integration control is performed such that a warning device is subjected to warning operation control in a predetermined state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a collision mitigation control device, and more particularly to a preventive safety technique for predicting a vehicle collision and reducing damage, and a plurality of in-vehicle control devices in a situation in which an impact from the side of the vehicle is applied while the vehicle is running. The present invention relates to a collision mitigation control apparatus that performs integrated control.

  Some vehicles are equipped with a collision mitigation control device for predicting a collision during traveling, mitigating the impact, and protecting an occupant.

Conventional collision mitigation control devices include:
(1). A vehicle behavior instability is effectively suppressed by estimating a collision avoidance operation to an obstacle by a driver and changing characteristics of a suspension device of each wheel (Patent Document 1).
(2). When an obstacle comes to the side, an actuator controls a brake device, a steering device, and a suspension device to set a vehicle path in order to avoid a side collision (Patent Document 2).
(3). Based on the magnitude and direction of acceleration caused by a vehicle collision, the operation of the airbag, automatic fire extinguishing device, power shut-off device, accident notification device, preload seat belt, automatic brake, and door lock release device is controlled, and secondary disasters occur. (Patent Document 3).
(4). When the collision and the collision mode are predicted, the airbag is inflated, and then the inflated airbag is moved in a preset direction according to the collision mode, thereby correcting the seating posture of the occupant to an appropriate state. (Patent Document 4).
(5). When a vehicle collision is predicted and detected, a brake device is operated to brake the vehicle (Patent Document 5).
(6). When a vehicle collision is predicted, the operation of the suspension device is controlled so as to suppress a change in vehicle posture after the vehicle height is lowered to the lowest limit (Patent Document 6).
There is.

JP 2007-118742 A Special table 2008-519725 JP-A-6-234642 JP 2007-314015 A JP 2003-95084 A JP 2004-345247 A

  By the way, in recent years, the number of traffic accident deaths has decreased, but the number of accidents has been increasing. Among them, the most common accidents are rear-end collisions and accidents. For rear-end collisions, the damage can be reduced by a cruise control system (ACC) with inter-vehicle distance control, a collision damage reduction brake system (pre-crash), or the like. However, the technology that can reduce the current damage has not been sufficiently developed for the side collision caused by the encounter accident.

An object of the present invention is to suppress damage by absorbing energy suffered at the time of damage, to reduce damage to passengers, and to prevent vehicle behavior from becoming unstable.
In particular, the present invention absolutely eliminates the occurrence of unforeseen circumstances such as secondary collisions by maintaining a traveling state in which almost the same traveling speed is maintained when a collision occurs. The purpose is to eliminate.

  The present invention relates to a prediction device that detects an obstacle approaching from the side of a vehicle, a collision detection device that can detect occurrence of a collision from the side of the vehicle, and a seat belt of a seat belt device. The restraint control device that can restrain the occupant, the automatic brake control device that can switch the state between the non-operating state and the operating state of the brake device when a predetermined condition is met, and the damping force of the suspension device are changed A possible suspension control device and an alarm device, and when the prediction device predicts a side collision, a plurality of control devices including the constraint control device are integrated and controlled by a collision reduction control means. In the control device, the collision mitigation control means determines a collision occurrence side where a predicted collision occurs when a side collision is predicted by the prediction device, and The rake control device controls the pressurization drive so as to eliminate play to the extent that the brake device does not operate, and the restraint control device drives the motor provided in the seat belt device to wind up the seat belt to a predetermined state. Driving control, the suspension control device selects the suspension device on the opposite side of the vehicle from the collision occurrence side, and performs damping force reduction control so as to reduce their damping force compared to the collision occurrence side, The integrated control of the first stage is performed, in which the alarm operation of the alarm device is controlled in a predetermined state.

The collision mitigation control device of the present invention can restrain the upper body of the occupant to the seat in advance regardless of the occupant's perception of the possibility of collision, and if a collision occurs, The vehicle absorbs a lot to reduce the burden on the occupant, and the vehicle is prepared in advance so that it can easily change its posture, so if a collision occurs, the vehicle absorbs energy due to the posture change. This can reduce damage to the vehicle body.
From the above, the collision mitigation control device of the present invention can reduce the degree of danger and increase the safety.
In addition, the collision mitigation control device of the present invention increases the possibility of collision avoidance or increases the collision energy because braking is performed without delay if an artificial braking operation is performed at the stage of completing this preparation operation. Can be lowered.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 3 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a system block diagram of the collision mitigation control apparatus, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a system configuration of the collision mitigation control apparatus and a side collision state of the vehicle, and FIG. 3 is a control flowchart of the collision mitigation control apparatus.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a collision mitigation control device. As shown in FIG. 2, the collision mitigation control device 1 is mounted on a vehicle (own vehicle) 2 that is operated by the driver himself, and is another vehicle (another vehicle) that is an obstacle that approaches the vehicle 2 from the side. ) Mitigates the impact when 3 collides.
As shown in FIG. 1, the collision mitigation control device 1 includes a prediction device 4, a collision detection device 5, a restraint control device 6, an automatic brake control device 7, a suspension control device 8, an alarm device 9, a vehicle speed. A detection device 10 and a collision mitigation control means 11 are provided.

The prediction device 4 performs image processing on the left and right side cameras 12 and 13 that detect other vehicles 3 that are obstacles approaching from the side of the vehicle 2, and the images of the side cameras 12 and 13. The image processing unit 14 predicts which side of the vehicle will collide (side collision) and outputs a side collision prediction signal. The side cameras 12 and 13 are built in the left and right side mirrors 15 and 16 of the vehicle 2, respectively, as shown in FIG. The image processing unit 14 increases the detection speed by software for detecting the front view (front image) of the other vehicle 3 from the video captured by the side cameras 12 and 13. The image processing unit 14 determines the detection speed of the front view of the vehicle 3 based on the change (presence / absence of close-up) by accelerating extraction based on the layout of the windshield, lights, and the like whose positions are determined by laws and regulations.
The side cameras 12 and 13 may be a prism type provided on the front bumper 17 or the grill 18 of the vehicle 2. Further, the prediction device 4 can be replaced by a side radar. In the case of a side radar, a side collision (side collision) is predicted from relative rejection and relative speed.

The collision detection device 5 includes an airbag control device 19 that can detect the occurrence of a collision of another vehicle 3 from the side with respect to the vehicle 2. The airbag control device 19 includes left and right acceleration sensors (G sensors) 20 and 21 that detect the occurrence of a collision of another vehicle 3 from the side with respect to the vehicle 2. When the occurrence of a collision is detected, an airbag deployment signal (side collision signal) is output, and the deployment signal is used to deploy the left and right side airbags 22 and 23 on the collision occurrence side.
Here, the airbag control device will be described. When the impact from the front exceeds a specified value at the time of a vehicle collision, the airbag control device deploys an SRS (Supplemental Restoration System) airbag, and the side faces the right or left SRS side airbag and the SRS that receive the impact. The curtain airbag is deployed at the same time. The airbag device has functions of storing system operation energy, detecting a collision, deploying an airbag, and self-diagnosis. The airbag control device controls the driver seat / passenger seat inflator, and controls the driver seat / passenger seat side inflator and the left and right curtain inflators in addition to the driver seat / passenger seat inflator. is there.
The SRS airbag alleviates the collision between the front seat passenger's head, chest, steering wheel, and instrument panel. The SRS side airbag is installed in the driver seat and the passenger seat, and protects the chest and abdomen of the front seat occupant. The inflator module is mounted on the seat back frame (door side). The inflator module of the SRS curtain airbag has an inflator attached to the roof side inner panel, and airbags attached to the left and right roof side parts (a quarter panel from the front pillar to the rear of the vehicle body). Protect the passenger's head. Further, one side airbag sensor (acceleration sensor) for detecting a side impact is attached to the lower part of the center pillar.
The SRS side airbag and the SRS curtain airbag deploy only the inflator module on the side that receives the impact of the vehicle. Even when the seat belt is not worn, the SRS side airbag and the SRS curtain airbag are deployed. Even when there is no passenger in the passenger seat, the passenger seat SRS side airbag and the SRS curtain airbag are deployed.
The operation / non-operation conditions of the SRS side airbag and the SRS curtain airbag are as follows. When it operates, it is when another vehicle equivalent to the host vehicle collides with the passenger compartment from the side at a speed of about 25 km / h or more, or when an impact equivalent to or higher than that occurs. When it does not operate, it is a frontal collision or a rearward collision. If the vehicle does not work, it may collide from the side when it is not in the cabin (engine room, cargo compartment), from an oblique side, from a side to a vehicle with a high vehicle height, It is when it is collided with, or when it collides with a utility pole, standing tree, curb, etc., when it rolls over or overturns.

As shown in FIG. 2, the restraint control device 6 can wind up the seat belts 26 and 27 of the left and right seat belt devices 24 and 25 by motors 28 and 29 to restrain the occupant.
Here, the seat belt device will be described. The seat belt device is provided with a retractor pretensioner that operates together with the SRS airbag and instantaneously winds mainly the shoulder belt slack of the seat belts in the front seats. Further, the retractor pretensioner has a variable force limiter mechanism, and when a load greater than a set value is applied, the shoulder belt is extended in two stages to relieve the impact on the chest of the occupant. The driver's seat belt is equipped with a lap outer pretensioner on the side sill that works with the SRS airbag and draws (winds) the slack of the waist belt. However, the lap outer pretensioner is not provided with a force limiter mechanism and pulls the waist belt in operation, but the waist belt is locked in the retracted state. These seat belt pretensioners are controlled by an airbag deployment signal output from the airbag control device and operate together with the SRS airbag.
The wrap outer pretensioner includes a gas generator, a piston, a cylinder, a wire, and a stopper ball. The wrap outer pretensioner generates gas from the gas generator when a deployment signal is input from the airbag control device. When the generated gas pressure is applied to the piston, the webbing is drawn through the wire, and the waist belt is wound up. After being pulled in, the webbing receives a load in the direction of pulling back from the waist belt, but the piston does not return because the stopper ball bites into the slope of the piston, and the webbing is locked in the retracted state, locking the unwinding of the waist belt To do.
As an operation source for winding the seat belt, gas pressure is used. However, there are some which can be used together with a motor or replaced with a motor. The restraint control device 6 of the present invention uses motors 28 and 29 as the winding operation source of the seat belts 26 and 27 of the seat belt devices 24 and 25, and winds the seat belts 26 and 27 by the motors 28 and 29 to It is a restraint.

  The automatic brake control device 7 can switch the state between the non-operating state and the operating state of the brake devices 30 to 33 when a predetermined condition is satisfied. The brake devices 30 to 33 are provided on each of the front, rear, left and right wheels. The brake devices 30 to 33 obtain a braking operation as an operating state by applying pressure to a brake fluid that drives a piston or a plunger, and perform a braking releasing operation as a non-operating state by depressurizing. obtain. Unlike the hill hold control or the like, the automatic brake control device 7 cannot obtain the initial hydraulic pressure as a trigger. The automatic brake control device 7 moves the brake device 30 to 33 from the non-operating state to the operating state by moving or stopping an actuator that is a pressure supply source capable of supplying the operating pressure to the brake devices 30 to 33. Switch state.

  The suspension control device 8 can change the damping force of the suspension devices 34 to 37. The suspension devices 34 to 37 are provided on the front, rear, left, and right wheels, and include a left front suspension device 34, a right front suspension device 35, a left rear suspension device 36, and a right rear suspension device 37, each of which generates a spring force, An absorber (damper) that generates a damping force is provided. Absorbers that generate a damping force include types that vary air pressure, hydraulic pressure, orifice diameter, and the like, and types that can vary the damping force. It can be gas or liquid to change the viscosity of the fluid.

  The alarm device 9 includes an alarm buzzer that sounds an alarm. The alarm device 9 may use not only an alarm buzzer but also a warning light.

  The vehicle speed detection device 10 includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the vehicle 2 and outputs a vehicle speed signal. Alternatively, the vehicle speed detection device 10 may be a wheel speed sensor that detects the wheel speed. The vehicle speed signal can also be obtained from an engine control device, a shift control device, a meter control device, or the like.

  The collision mitigation control means 11 is connected to the prediction device 4, and the collision detection device 5, the restraint control device 6, the automatic brake control device 7, the suspension control device 8, the alarm device 9, and the vehicle speed detection device 10 Are connected via a CAN (Control Area Network). The collision mitigation control device 1 integrates and controls a plurality of control devices 7 to 9 including the constraint control device 6 when the prediction device 4 predicts a side collision by the collision mitigation control means 11.

The collision mitigation control apparatus 1 inputs a side collision prediction signal, a side collision signal, and a vehicle speed signal to the collision mitigation control means 11, and the collision mitigation control means 11 uses the collision detection device 5, the restraint control device 6, and the automatic brake control device 7. In addition, the suspension control device 8 and the alarm device 9 are controlled by outputting an operation signal according to three stages to reduce the side collision damage of the vehicle 2.
The collision mitigation control means 11 determines a collision occurrence side where a predicted collision occurs when a side collision is predicted by the prediction device 4, and the automatic brake control device 7 does not operate the brake devices 30 to 33. Winding drive control is performed so that the restraint control device 6 drives the motors 28 and 29 provided in the seat belt devices 2 and 25 to wind up the seat belts 26 and 27 to a predetermined state. The suspension control device 8 selects the suspension devices 34 to 37 on the opposite side of the vehicle from the collision occurrence side, and performs damping force reduction control so as to reduce the damping force as compared with the collision occurrence side, and alarms. The integrated control of the first stage is performed to control the alarm operation of the device 9 in a predetermined state.
When the collision detection device 5 detects that a side collision has actually occurred, the collision mitigation control means 11 automatically activates the brake devices 30 to 33 by further increasing the pressure applied to the automatic brake control device 7. Then, after the vehicle 2 is stopped, the second stage of integrated control is performed in which the automatically operated brake devices 30 to 33 are depressurized and released automatically until the brakes 30 to 33 are inactivated. .
The collision mitigation control means 11 controls the automatic brake control device 7 when the occurrence of a collision is not detected by the collision detection device 5 and the set time t has elapsed since the side collision is predicted by the prediction device 4. The restraint control device 6 drives the motors 38 and 39 provided in the seat belt devices 24 and 25 by releasing the pressure-driven state to the extent that the devices 30 to 33 are not operated and returning to the initial state. Then, the seat belts 26 and 27 are unwound to a predetermined state, and the belt returning drive control for returning to the initial state is performed, and the suspension control device 8 performs the damping by reducing the damping force of the selected suspension devices 34 to 37. A third-stage integrated control is performed in which the damping force return control is performed so as to return from the force reduction control to the initial damping force.
The collision mitigation control means 11 carries out the integrated control in any of the first to third stages only when the vehicle 2 is at or below the set vehicle speed x at which the vehicle 2 is traveling at a low speed.

Next, the operation will be described.
This collision mitigation control apparatus 1 inputs a side collision prediction signal, a side collision signal, and a vehicle speed signal, controls the in-vehicle control apparatuses 6 to 9 according to the steps, and reduces the side collision damage of the vehicle 2. . In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, it is assumed that another vehicle 3 approaches from the left side of the vehicle 2.
As shown in FIG. 3, when the control program starts (101), the collision mitigation control apparatus 1 determines whether the speed of the vehicle 2 is equal to or lower than the set vehicle speed x (102).
If this determination (102) is NO, the program is ended (109). When the vehicle 2 is traveling at a low speed and this determination (102) is YES, it is determined whether a side collision prediction signal is input from the prediction device 4 (whether there is a risk of side collision) (103). In this determination (103), the prediction device 4 also determines the collision occurrence side where the predicted collision occurs. The prediction device 4 inputs video to the image processing unit 14 from the left and right side cameras 12, 13 and performs image processing on the video by the image processing unit 14 to which side of the vehicle 2 the other vehicle 3 collides. And a side collision prediction signal is output. The collision mitigation control unit 11 determines the collision occurrence side based on the side collision prediction signal output from the image processing unit 14 of the prediction device 4. Alternatively, the collision mitigation control unit 11 can also acquire and acquire a signal capable of determining the collision occurrence side by CAN.
If the determination (103) is NO, the program is ended (109). If the determination (103) is YES, the automatic brake control device 7 is pressurized and controlled so that play is eliminated to the extent that the brake devices 30 to 33 do not operate (no utility), and the restraint control device 6 is wound up. The seat belts 26 and 27 are wound up to a predetermined state (no play (surplus) is applied and zero or tension is applied) by the motors 28 and 29 of the seat belt devices 24 and 25 by driving control, and the suspension control device 8 is damped. By selecting the suspension devices 34 to 37 (in FIG. 2, the right front suspension device 35 and the right rear suspension device 37) on the opposite side of the vehicle from the collision generating side by the force reduction control, the damping force is generated by the collision. The first stage of integrated control is reduced (softened) compared to the side, and the alarm device 9 is activated to sound an alarm buzzer (temporarily) (104). Hodokosuru.
Thereafter, it is determined whether an airbag deployment signal is input from the airbag control device 19 constituting the collision detection device 5 (whether a side collision has occurred) (105). If this determination (105) is YES, the automatic brake control device 7 is automatically braked to further increase the pressure, and the brake devices 30 to 33 are automatically operated (automatic braking is performed) (106). It is determined whether the vehicle 2 has stopped (107). If this determination (107) is NO, the process returns to the automatic operation (106) of the brake devices 30-33. If this determination (107) is YES, the automatic brake control device 7 is controlled to release the automatic brake, and the brake devices 30 to 33 that are automatically operated are decompressed (automatic braking is released) until the brake devices 30 to 33 are inactivated (108). Then, the integrated control of the second stage is executed and the program is ended (109).
In the determination (107), it is determined that the vehicle 2 is stopped only by the vehicle speed signal. However, whether the transmission is in the parking range P or that the parking brake is in an operation state is determined as the stop of the vehicle 2. By adding to the judgment conditions, the possibility of a more unexpected situation can be reduced.
If the determination whether the development signal is input (105) is NO, it is determined whether the set time t has passed without a side collision after the side collision prediction signal is input from the prediction device 4 (110). ). If this determination (110) is NO, the process returns to determination (105). If this determination (110) is YES, the automatic brake control device 7 is controlled to perform brake return driving, the state where the pressurization is driven to the extent that the brake devices 30 to 33 are not operated is released, and the initial state is restored. The control device 6 is controlled to drive the belt back, and the seats 26 and 27 are released to the predetermined state by the motors 28 and 29 of the seat belt devices 24 and 25 to return to the initial state. From the damping force reduction control in which the damping force of the suspension devices 34 to 37 selected in the damping force return control (the right front suspension device 35 and the right rear suspension device 37 in FIG. 2) is reduced, the initial damping force is restored ( 111), the integrated control of the third stage is executed, and the program is ended (109).

Thus, when the side collision to the vehicle 2 is predicted, the collision mitigation control device 1 pressurizes the brake devices 30 to 33, winds up the seat belts 26 and 27, and the damping force of the suspension devices 34 to 37. Is integrated, and the first stage of integrated control is performed.
Further, the collision mitigation control device 1 automatically activates the brake devices 30 to 33 by increasing the pressurization of the brake devices 30 to 33 when a side collision to the vehicle 2 actually occurs, and then after the vehicle 2 stops The second stage of integrated control is performed to automatically release the automatically operated brake devices 30 to 33.
Further, the collision mitigation control device 1 waits for a set time t after the side collision is predicted, and then cancels the pressurization of the brake devices 30 to 33 (returns to the zero point) and cancels the winding of the seat belts 26 and 27. Then, the third stage of integrated control for restoring the damping force of the suspension devices 34 to 37 is performed.
The collision mitigation control apparatus 1 performs the integrated control in any stage of the integrated control only when the vehicle 2 is traveling at a low speed equal to or lower than the set vehicle speed x.
In the accident of the vehicle 2, the vehicle speed of the normal encounter accident is not so high, and when the vehicle is bumped at a high speed, the roll becomes large, and the vehicle behavior may be disturbed by performing the control. For this reason, the collision mitigation control device 1 performs control at a set vehicle speed x (for example, 40 km / h) or less.

The automatic brake control device 7 obtains a braking operation as an operation state by applying pressure to the brake fluid that drives the pistons or plungers of the brake devices 30 to 33 provided on the respective wheels, and makes the operation state non-operational by depressurizing. Get a braking release action. This automatic deprivation function is provided in parallel with an artificial deprivation function that deprives in response to a passenger's pedal operation. The mechanical configuration of these pressurizing functions may be provided in parallel, or may be provided by interposing an automatic deprivation function in the configuration of the artificial deprivation function.
Due to the pressurization of the automatic brake control device 7 in the first stage, the brake devices 30 to 33 are under a braking state that does not exhibit a substantial braking force. In this state, an artificial braking operation is performed. Therefore, it is possible to immediately exert a braking force, and it is possible to obtain a strong braking sensuously due to the difference in timing, and it is possible to immediately brake even an automatic braking operation.
The occupant's robust sudden braking operation is instantly suppressed if a function such as ABS (Antilock Bracket System) acts. In addition, in the stability control control such as ESP (Electronic Stability Program), it is preferable to set a coordinated mode. However, if it is difficult to set such a mode, the control should be prohibited.

The restraint control device 6 winds up the seat belts 26 and 27 of the seat belt devices 24 and 25 by motors 28 and 29 to restrain the occupant. As a result, the occupant is tightened so as to be firmly restrained by the seat belts 26 and 27 of the seat belt devices 24 and 25, so that a large swinging motion of the upper body is suppressed to a minimum, and a side collision occurs. Will be prepared. The seat belts 26 and 27 can restrain the occupant's posture from changing greatly by firmly restraining not only the waist but also the upper body.
For this reason, even if the passenger | crew is forced to move depending on the magnitude | size of collision energy, the seatbelt apparatus 24 * 25 can suppress them to the minimum, and can suppress damage. When there is an interior with an impact mitigation function, an SRS side airbag, or an SRS curtain airbag provided in the vehicle 2, the possibility of further damage can be reduced by these operations.

The suspension devices 34 to 37 are provided with a spring that generates an elastic force and an absorber (damper) that generates a damping force. When the damping force is reduced, the suspension devices 34 to 37 reduce the amount of damping of the first stroke with respect to the same initial input as compared to the state where the damping force is not reduced. Amount) tends to be slightly larger. Thereafter, the suspension devices 34 to 37 have a small damping force in any direction of an oscillating spring stroke that repeatedly contracts and expands to return to the origin, so the vibration period is slightly shortened and the time until convergence is reached. Becomes longer.
Basically, when the vehicle is rolled, the center of gravity moves to the rolled side and the shared load on the rolled wheel increases, so that the driving force of the rolled wheel tends to increase. Therefore, in the previous state, due to external force applied from the side, the balance between the left and right is different from that of a normal vehicle, so other external environmental conditions may overlap, causing unexpected behavior Sex is also speculated.
However, this is likely to be noticeable when there is input only to the vehicle body that is to be sprung, but considering the distance between the front and rear wheels and the fact that the vehicle is moving even during a collision, There are far more cases where loads are applied to the wheels and axles at the same time. When a large lateral load is applied to the wheel, the tire easily slides and the slip angle between the wheel and the road surface easily increases. That is, a change is added to the track on which the vehicle travels. Therefore, it can be said that a slight difference in the stroke of the suspension has relatively little influence.
Then, the collision mitigation control device 1 can fall into an unforeseen situation as it is less susceptible to the external environment by selectively performing control only when the vehicle speed of the vehicle 2 is low (set vehicle speed x). Is reduced.

The set vehicle speed x that is controlled by the collision mitigation control device 1 limits the upper limit speed of the vehicle 2 to which the control by the collision mitigation control device 1 is applied, thereby setting the speed range (low speed range) of the vehicle 2. To do. Here, 40 km / h is set as an example of the set vehicle speed x, which means that the transmission gear ratio is a low speed that is a speed at which it is difficult to maintain traveling with the top gear (overdrive). The gear stage often depends on the driving conditions up to that point and does not correspond one-to-one with the speed, and the same is true for a continuously variable transmission that can change the gear ratio steplessly. I can say.
The set time t until the control by the collision mitigation control device 1 is released is the vehicle speed range (low speed range) set by the set vehicle speed x and the detectable range of the prediction device 4 that predicts side impact. Decide it in consideration. That is, when the upper limit speed at which the control by the collision mitigation control apparatus 1 can be applied is low, the time for passing through the caution area becomes long, so the set time t is lengthened. If the detection range of the prediction device 4 becomes wide, the time that continues from the start to the end of detection of a specific object becomes longer, so the set time t is lengthened.

In this way, the collision mitigation control device 1 discriminates the collision occurrence side where the predicted collision occurs when the collision mitigation control means 11 predicts a side collision by the prediction device 4, and the automatic brake control device 7. Is controlled so as not to operate the brake devices 30 to 33, and the restraint control device 6 drives the motors 28 and 29 provided in the seat belt devices 24 and 25 to drive the seat belt 26 to a predetermined state. Winding drive control is performed so that 27 is wound, and the suspension control device 8 selects suspension devices 34 to 37 on the opposite side of the vehicle from the collision generation side, and compares their damping forces with those of the collision generation side. The first-stage integrated control is performed in which the damping force reduction control is performed so as to decrease, and the alarm device 9 is controlled to perform alarm operation in a predetermined state.
As a result, the collision mitigation control device 1 can restrain the occupant's upper body to the seat in advance regardless of the occupant's perception of the possibility of collision, and if a collision occurs, The vehicle 2 absorbs the vehicle so that the burden on the occupant can be reduced. Further, since the vehicle 2 is prepared in advance so that the posture can be easily changed, the vehicle 2 changes the posture if a collision occurs. Can absorb energy and reduce damage to the vehicle body.
From the above, the collision mitigation control device 1 can reduce the risk level and increase the safety. In addition, the collision mitigation control device 1 performs braking without delay when an artificial braking operation is performed at the stage where the preparation operation is completed. Is possible.

When the collision detection control unit 11 detects that a side collision has actually occurred, the collision reduction control device 1 sets the automatic brake control device 7 so that the pressure is further increased. A second stage in which automatic braking control is performed so that 30 to 33 are automatically operated, and after that, after the vehicle 2 is stopped, the automatically operated brake devices 30 to 33 are depressurized until being inactivated, and automatic braking is released. Implement integrated control.
Thereby, the collision mitigation control device 1 can prevent the vehicle from running at a swift speed and can prevent the occurrence of a secondary collision. Further, the collision mitigation control device 1 can reduce the energy that leads to instability by changing the traveling energy to the thermal energy in braking.

The collision mitigation control device 1 performs automatic braking when a collision occurrence is not detected by the collision detection device 5 and a set time t has elapsed after the side collision is predicted by the prediction device 4 by the collision mitigation control means 11. The restraint control device 6 is provided in the seat belt devices 24 and 25. The control device 7 is provided with a restraint control device 6 provided in the seat belt devices 24 and 25. The suspension control device 8 drives the motors 28 and 29 to release the seat belts 26 and 2 to a predetermined state and returns to the initial state, and the suspension control device 8 attenuates the selected suspension devices 34 to 37. A third-stage integrated control is performed in which the damping force return control is performed so that the damping force reduction control with reduced force returns to the initial damping force.
As a result, the collision mitigation control apparatus 1 is ready for prediction, so if the collision can be avoided and the possibility of occurrence of the collision is reduced, the preparation for the collision is quickly canceled and the normal operation is resumed. That is, the collision reduction control device 1 can return to a more comfortable seating state and a more comfortable riding comfort. Further, the collision mitigation control device 1 can be kept in a state where the restraining force is large and the response is fast until the set predetermined time x elapses.

The collision mitigation control device 1 uses the collision mitigation control means 11 to perform integrated control in any of the first to third stages only when the vehicle 2 is at or below the set vehicle speed x at which the vehicle 2 is traveling at low speed. carry out.
Thereby, the collision mitigation control apparatus 1 can avoid an unexpected situation in a large traveling energy state due to traveling at a high speed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the prediction device 4 is composed of the left and right side cameras 12 and 13 and the image processing unit 14, but the radar sensors used in the pre-crash are used on the left and right sides of the vehicle 2 instead of the side cameras. The same effect can be expected by attaching. In the above-described embodiment, when a side collision to the vehicle 2 is predicted, the suspension devices 34 to 37 on the side opposite to the collision occurrence side (in FIG. 2, the right front suspension device 35, the right rear suspension device). 37) Decreasing the damping force, but when the vehicle 2 is bumped sideways to the front side or rear side, the damping force of the suspension device that supports the remaining three wheels is softened to mitigate the impact. Is also possible.

  The collision mitigation control device of the present invention is a preventive safety technology that reduces damage by performing integrated control of a plurality of in-vehicle control devices under a situation in which an impact from the side of the vehicle is applied during traveling of the vehicle. The present invention can be applied to a vehicle equipped with a control device, an automatic brake control device, a suspension control device, and the like.

1 is a system block diagram of a collision mitigation control apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the system configuration | structure of the collision mitigation control apparatus in a vehicle, and the side collision state of a vehicle. It is a control flowchart of a collision mitigation control device.

Explanation of symbols

1 Collision mitigation control device 2 Vehicle (own vehicle)
3 vehicles (other vehicles)
4 Prediction device 5 Collision detection device 6 Restraint control device 7 Automatic brake control device 8 Suspension control device 9 Alarm device 10 Vehicle speed detection device 11 Collision reduction control means 12/13 Side camera 14 Image processing unit 15/16 Side mirror 17 Front bumper 18 Grill 19 Airbag control device 20/21 Acceleration sensor 22/23 Side airbag 24/25 Seat belt device 26/27 Seat belt 28/29 Motor 30 to 33 Brake device 34 to 37 Suspension device

Claims (4)

Prediction device that detects obstacles approaching from the side of the vehicle, collision detection device that can detect the occurrence of a collision from the side of the vehicle, and the seat belt of the seat belt device can be wound to restrain the occupant A restraint control device, an automatic brake control device capable of switching the state between a non-operating state of the brake device and an operating state when a predetermined condition is satisfied, and a suspension control capable of changing the damping force of the suspension device A device and an alarm device,
In the collision mitigation control device that controls by integrating the plurality of control devices including the constraint control device by the collision mitigation control means when the prediction device predicts a collision from the side,
The collision mitigation control means determines a collision occurrence side where a predicted collision occurs when a side collision is predicted by the prediction device;
The automatic brake control device controls the pressure drive to eliminate play to the extent that the brake device does not operate,
Winding drive control is performed so that the restraint control device drives a motor provided in the seat belt device to wind the seat belt to a predetermined state,
The suspension control device selects the suspension device on the opposite side of the vehicle from the collision occurrence side, and performs damping force reduction control so as to reduce the damping force compared to the collision generation side,
A collision mitigation control apparatus that performs first-stage integrated control for controlling alarm operation of the alarm apparatus in a predetermined state. When the collision detection device detects that a side collision has actually occurred, the collision mitigation control unit automatically sets the automatic brake control device to automatically operate the brake device with a higher pressure. Braking control,
2. The integrated control of the second stage is performed, wherein after the vehicle is stopped, the automatically operated brake device is depressurized until the brake is inactivated and the automatic braking is released. 2. Collision mitigation control device. The collision mitigation control means, when a side collision is predicted by the prediction device and the occurrence of a collision is not detected by the collision detection device and a set time has elapsed,
The automatic brake control device, the brake return drive control for releasing the state of the pressure drive to such an extent that the brake device does not operate and returning to the initial state,
The restraint control device drives a motor provided in the seat belt device to release a seat belt winding state to a predetermined state and performs belt return driving control to return to an initial state,
The suspension control device performs a third-stage integrated control for performing damping force return control so that the damping force reduction control in which the damping force of the selected suspension device is reduced is returned to the initial damping force. The collision mitigation control device according to any one of claims 1 and 2.   The collision reduction control means performs the integrated control in any of the first to third stages only when the vehicle is below a set vehicle speed at which the vehicle is traveling at a low speed. The collision mitigation control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

Images