JP2010215160A - Device for generation of travel control target - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a travel control target generation device reducing a travel time while securing safety, and improving comfort of a vehicle occupant. <P>SOLUTION: ThE travel control target generation device 1 generates a travel control target by use of a travel state change speed of a vehicle. The travel control target generation device 1 includes: a movable obstacle detection means detecting a movable obstacle present inside a prescribed area along a travel direction of the vehicle; and a contact propriety decision means deciding whether contact with the movable obstacle detected by the movable obstacle detection means can occur. When it is decided by the contact propriety decision means that the contact with the movable obstacle cannot occur, the travel control target generation device 1 performs control by the travel control target wherein the travel state change speed becomes larger than time when it is decided that the contact can occur. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a travel control target generation device that generates a travel control target for a vehicle.

  Conventionally, a technique for preventing a traveling vehicle from colliding with an obstacle is known. For example, in Patent Document 1, when a pedestrian is identified from an obstacle in the traveling direction detected by the obstacle detection means, the driving characteristic of the driver with respect to the pedestrian is detected, and automatic operation is performed based on the driving characteristic. A vehicular collision prevention device is disclosed in which the braking characteristics of the braking means are changed.

JP 2002-59820 A

  In the above-described vehicle collision preventing apparatus, when a pedestrian is identified from the detected obstacle, automatic braking reflecting the driving characteristics of the driver who drives the vehicle can be performed.

  However, although the vehicle collision prevention apparatus described above identifies a pedestrian from an obstacle, the pedestrian is not detected in the direction or speed at which the pedestrian is moving. There was a problem of braking and slowing down. Therefore, in a vehicle equipped with a conventional vehicle anti-collision device, automatic braking is frequently performed when driving on a road with many pedestrians such as a residential area and a busy street, and the traveling time is shortened by repeated deceleration. There is a problem that it becomes difficult to perform and smooth running is difficult.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a travel control target generation device that can reduce travel time while ensuring safety and can improve the ride comfort of a vehicle occupant. Objective.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a travel control target generation device that generates a travel control target using a travel state change speed of a vehicle, and a movable obstacle that exists in a predetermined region along the traveling direction of the vehicle. A movable obstacle detecting means for detecting an object, a contact availability determining means for determining whether or not contact with the movable obstacle detected by the movable obstacle detecting means can occur, and a movable obstacle by the contact availability determining means When it is determined that contact with an object cannot occur, a travel control target generation device that performs control with a travel control target having a greater traveling state change speed than when it is determined that contact can occur is characterized.

  In this travel control target generation device, a travel control target is generated in two ways depending on whether contact with a movable obstacle can occur.

  The travel control target generation device further includes an intersection angle determination unit that determines whether or not the intersection angle between the line to the movable obstacle detected by the movable obstacle detection unit and the traveling direction of the vehicle is within a predetermined value. And when the intersection angle determining means determines that the intersection angle is within a predetermined value, it is preferable to perform control with a traveling control target having a higher traveling state change speed than when it is determined that contact can occur.

  In addition, there is further provided mode setting means for performing low mode setting for controlling with a traveling control target having a low traveling state change speed and high mode setting for controlling with a traveling control target having a traveling state changing speed larger than that when the low mode is set. It can be controlled that the low-mode setting is performed by the mode setting unit when the movable obstacle is not detected by the obstacle detection unit.

  In any of the above-described travel control target generation devices, the movable obstacle detection means can detect a pedestrian or a bicycle as a movable obstacle.

  As described above in detail, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a travel control target generation device that can reduce the travel time while ensuring safety and can improve the ride comfort of the vehicle occupant.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the traveling control target production | generation apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams illustrating a vehicle, a road, and the like equipped with a travel control target generation device. FIG. 8A is a diagram illustrating an example of a case where contact can occur, and FIG. It is the figure which showed an example of the relationship between a vehicle speed and a relative distance. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of driving | running | working control operation | movement. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of another traveling control operation | movement.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. In addition, the same code | symbol is used for the same element and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a travel control target generation device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The travel control target generator 1 is mounted on a vehicle 50 shown in FIG.

  The travel control target generation device 1 includes an automatic control unit 2, a navigation device 3, a movable obstacle detection unit 4, a vehicle acceleration / deceleration control unit 6, a steering control unit 7, a throttle actuator 8, a transmission 9, and a brake. An actuator 10 and a handle actuator 11 are provided, and each component is electrically connected.

  The automatic control unit 2 is configured by an ECU. The ECU includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, input / output ports, etc., and the CPU operates while reading and writing data to and from the RAM according to a control program stored in the ROM, and executes the control necessary for automatic driving in the vehicle 50. Thus, the function as an automatic control unit is realized.

  The automatic control unit 2 generates a travel control target for controlling the vehicle 50 to a target travel state using the travel state change speed of the vehicle 50 such as acceleration / deceleration and steering angular velocity. The target travel state is, for example, a state in which the vehicle is traveling at a predetermined speed and at a predetermined distance or more in the vicinity of an obstacle, and the travel control target is generated as, for example, a target speed or a target angular velocity.

  The navigation device 3 outputs route data to the destination to the automatic control unit 2 based on the position information of the vehicle 50 acquired by a GPS receiver (not shown) and map information recorded in a recording device such as a hard disk device.

  The movable obstacle detection unit 4 includes a camera 4a, a detection unit 4b, and a radar 4c. The camera 4a is a device that captures the periphery of the vehicle 50 (particularly in front of the traveling direction). The camera 4a generates image data indicating the periphery of the vehicle 50 using an imaging signal generated by an imaging element such as a charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS). The detection unit 4b performs image processing such as binarization processing and edge detection processing using the image data output from the camera 4a, and outputs the image data d4 to the automatic control unit 2.

  The radar 4c is a sensor for measuring the distance between the own vehicle and an object around the own vehicle. For example, the radar 4c is a laser radar, an ultrasonic radar, or a millimeter wave radar, and automatically controls the measured distance data d5. Output to unit 2. Based on the information of the image data d4 and the distance data d5, pattern matching processing or the like is performed by the automatic control unit 2, and the presence / absence, position, and orientation of the movable obstacle are calculated. Examples of movable obstacles include pedestrians, traveling bicycles, motorized bicycles, and strollers.

  The vehicle acceleration / deceleration control unit 6 sets any acceleration / deceleration means such as the throttle actuator 8, the transmission 9, the brake actuator 10, and the braking / driving motor 12 as a control target related to acceleration / deceleration when the vehicle 50 needs to be accelerated / decelerated. Car acceleration / deceleration control is performed. The vehicle acceleration / deceleration control unit 6 includes a throttle control unit, a shift down control unit, and a brake control unit that control the throttle actuator 8, the transmission 9, the brake actuator 10, and the braking / driving motor 12, respectively.

  Then, the throttle control unit outputs a control signal to the throttle actuator 8 so as to change the opening of the throttle. The shift control unit outputs a control signal to the transmission 9 so as to change the shift. Further, the brake control unit outputs a control signal to the brake actuator 10 so as to change the amount of regenerative braking of the hydraulic brake or the braking / driving motor.

  The steering control unit 7 generates a control signal used for steering control of the vehicle 50 according to a control target related to steering and outputs the control signal to the handle actuator 11.

  The throttle actuator 8 adjusts the throttle opening of a gasoline engine (not shown), and accelerates / decelerates the vehicle 50 by narrowing the throttle opening.

The transmission 9 changes the engine brake by changing the reduction ratio to accelerate and decelerate the vehicle. The brake actuator 10 changes the braking force in accordance with a control signal from the brake control unit to accelerate / decelerate the vehicle.
The handle actuator 11 performs steering according to a control signal from the steering control unit 7.

  The operation content of the travel control target generation device 1 having the above-described configuration is specifically described as follows. In the following description, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, it is assumed that the vehicle 50 on which the travel control target generation device 1 is mounted travels along a road 51 along a road 51. .

  As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, when a pedestrian 53 is present in the traveling direction of the vehicle 50 on the road 51, the vehicle 50 detects the pedestrian 53 as a movable obstacle. However, as shown in FIG. 2 (a), when the pedestrian 53 is moving in a direction intersecting the travel line 52, and as shown in FIG. 2 (b), the pedestrian 53 intersects the travel line 52. In some cases, the vehicle 50 and the pedestrian 53 are different in contact with each other. Therefore, a feature of the traveling control target generation device 1 is that the traveling control target is generated by distinguishing both cases.

  Here, FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the travel control operation by the travel control target generation device 1. When the travel control target generation device 1 starts the travel control operation, the travel control operation proceeds to S1, and the automatic control unit 2 instructs the movable obstacle detection unit 4 to detect the movable obstacle in the traveling direction along the travel line 52. To do. The movable obstacle detection unit 4 outputs detection data d4 to the automatic control unit 2.

  Next, when the operation proceeds to S2, the automatic control unit 2 determines whether the pedestrian 53 exists in a predetermined area along the traveling direction from the detected movable obstacle based on the detection data d4 (the pedestrian 53). If it is determined that a pedestrian 53 is present, the operation proceeds to S3. Otherwise, the operation proceeds to S6.

  Subsequently, when the operation proceeds to S3, the automatic control unit 2 performs a preparatory operation for predicting the contact with the pedestrian 53, that is, the direction in which the pedestrian 53 moves is determined based on the detection data d4. In subsequent S4, contact with the detected pedestrian 53 based on whether or not the moving direction determined in S3 intersects with the traveling direction of the vehicle 50 and the distance from the vehicle 50 to the pedestrian 53 based on the distance data d5. Is determined (whether contact is predicted), and the process branches to S5 and S6 based on the determination result. If it is not determined that contact with the pedestrian 53 can occur, the operation proceeds to S5, and if it is determined, the operation proceeds to S6.

  When the process proceeds to S5, the automatic control unit 2 sets the high acceleration / deceleration / high steering angular speed mode. When the process proceeds to S6, the automatic control unit 2 sets the low acceleration / deceleration / low steering angular speed mode. Is output to the vehicle deceleration control unit 6 and the steering control unit 7. The acceleration / deceleration and steering angular speed (vehicle running state change speed) set in each mode are a predetermined value or range (having an upper limit value and a lower limit value), and in the high acceleration / deceleration / high steering angular speed mode. The set acceleration / deceleration and steering angular velocity are set to values larger than the acceleration / deceleration and steering angular velocity set in the low acceleration / deceleration / low steering angular velocity mode. In both S5 and S6, the operation proceeds to S7 after execution.

  In S7, the vehicle deceleration control unit 6 and the steering control unit 7 calculate the respective control target values in either high or low pattern according to the mode signal d2, thereby generating a travel control target. Here, the control target value is calculated for the position / orientation of the vehicle 50 with respect to a certain time.

  In subsequent S8, at least one of the throttle actuator 8, the transmission 9, the brake actuator 10, and the braking / driving motor 12 or the steering wheel according to the travel control target generated by the vehicle deceleration control unit 6 and the steering control unit 7 in S7. The actuator 11 is operated to control the vehicle. When S8 ends, the travel control operation is started again, and is repeatedly executed until the destination is reached.

  As described above, in the travel control target generation device 1, when a pedestrian is detected in the traveling direction, it is determined whether or not contact can occur based on the direction in which the pedestrian moves and the distance to the pedestrian, When it is determined that contact can occur, a travel control target is generated in the low acceleration / deceleration / low steering angular velocity mode, and a control target value for changing the vehicle travel state with a relatively small acceleration / deceleration or steering speed is set. On the other hand, when it is determined that contact cannot occur, a travel control target is generated in the high acceleration / deceleration / high steering angular velocity mode, and a control target value for changing the vehicle travel state with a relatively large acceleration / deceleration or steering angular velocity is set. . In the high acceleration / deceleration / high steering angular velocity mode, a control target value is set such that the traveling state change speed is larger than that in the low acceleration / deceleration / low steering angular velocity mode.

  Therefore, the traveling control target is generated in the low acceleration / deceleration / low steering angular velocity mode only when it is determined that contact can occur. When it is determined that contact can occur, contact due to pedestrian jumping is expected to occur frequently, and contact due to a pedestrian's subsequent behavior change is likely to occur. Therefore, in such a case, it is important to ensure safety by ensuring that contact with a pedestrian can be avoided. In view of this, the control target value is set to a low value, and thereby, traveling control is performed so that the vehicle is gradually decelerated from an early stage sufficiently far away so that collision is safely avoided.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the contact cannot occur, the traveling control target is generated in the high acceleration / deceleration / high steering angular velocity mode. In this case, since contact with the pedestrian hardly occurs, it is considered that safety can be ensured without performing deceleration or the like until the pedestrian is approached. For this reason, the control target value is set to a high value, and thereby, traveling control is performed such as decelerating when approaching a pedestrian and the necessity of contact avoidance is certain to some extent.

  When the travel control target is generated as described above, repeated deceleration is not performed when contact cannot occur, so it becomes possible to shorten the travel time and facilitate smooth travel. The ride comfort of the occupant of the vehicle 50 can be improved. In addition, even if a pedestrian suddenly jumps out, the travel control target is generated in the high acceleration / deceleration / high steering angular velocity mode, so contact with the pedestrian can be avoided and safety can be improved. it can.

  As described above, the traveling control target generation device 1 can reduce the traveling time while ensuring safety, and can improve the riding comfort of the occupant of the vehicle 50.

  Subsequently, a processing procedure of another traveling control operation shown in FIG. 5 by the traveling control target generation device 1 will be described. The flowchart shown in FIG. 5 differs from the flowchart shown in FIG. 4 in that S11 is executed instead of S2, S13 and S14 are executed instead of S4, and S12 is executed.

  S11, like S2, determines whether there is a pedestrian 53 in the traveling direction from the detected movable obstacles (whether the pedestrian 53 is detected), and when it is determined that the pedestrian 53 exists Proceeds to S3, otherwise proceeds to S12.

  In S12, it is determined whether or not there is a sensor hidden area that cannot be detected by the movable obstacle detection unit 4 in the traveling direction. If there is a sensor hidden area, the operation proceeds to S5. Otherwise, the operation proceeds to S6. move on.

  In S13, as in S4, it is determined whether or not contact with the pedestrian 53 can occur. If it is not determined that contact with the pedestrian 53 can occur, the operation proceeds to S5. The operation proceeds to S14. In S14, if the relative distance according to the vehicle speed is within the specified range (see FIG. 3 for the relationship between the vehicle speed and the relative distance), the intersection angle between the line connecting the vehicle 50 and the pedestrian 53 and the traveling direction of the vehicle 50 If the crossing angle is within 5 degrees, the operation proceeds to S5, and if not, the operation proceeds to S6. S5 and subsequent steps are executed as described above along the flowchart shown in FIG.

  Even when a travel control target is generated as described above, repeated deceleration is not performed when contact cannot occur, so it is possible to shorten the travel time and facilitate smooth travel, Therefore, the ride comfort of the occupant of the vehicle 50 can be improved. Therefore, also in this case, the traveling control target generation device 1 can realize a reduction in traveling time while ensuring safety, and can improve the riding comfort of the occupant of the vehicle 50.

  In the case of FIG. 4, when there is no pedestrian 53 in the traveling direction, the low acceleration / low steering angular velocity mode is uniformly set regardless of whether or not there is a sensor hidden region. Therefore, when there is no pedestrian 53 and there is no possibility of contact, smooth running can be achieved and fuel consumption can be improved, but sensor hidden areas often occur on arterial roads where the opposite lane is congested. Inconveniently, the vehicle is decelerated to a very low speed in spite of the main line.

  Therefore, in FIG. 5, even if the pedestrian 53 does not exist, there is a sensor hidden area, and when the presence or absence of the pedestrian cannot be determined, the high acceleration / deceleration / high steering angular velocity mode is set. The travel time can be shortened while ensuring.

  In FIG. 5, when the crossing angle is within 5 degrees, the high acceleration / deceleration / high steering angular velocity mode is set. The behavior of the vehicle 50 can be stabilized when the pedestrian is still far away and the accuracy of the sensor is not good and the pedestrian's direction and position fluctuate.

  4 and 5, an emergency acceleration / deceleration used after a pedestrian or the like actually jumps out (may be common in the high acceleration / deceleration mode and the low acceleration / deceleration mode) may be provided separately. Thereby, the safety | security when a pedestrian etc. jump out can be ensured.

  The above description is the description of the embodiment of the present invention, and does not limit the apparatus and method of the present invention, and various modifications can be easily implemented. In addition, an apparatus or method configured by appropriately combining components, functions, features, or method steps in each embodiment is also included in the present invention.

  The present invention is applicable to the automobile manufacturing industry and the automobile parts manufacturing industry.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Traveling control target production | generation apparatus, 2 ... Automatic control unit, 3 ... Navigation apparatus, 4 ... Movable obstacle detection part, 4c ... Radar, 6 ... Vehicle acceleration / deceleration control part, 7 ... Steering control part, 50 ... Vehicle.

Claims (4)

A travel control target generation device that generates a travel control target using a travel state change speed of a vehicle,
A movable obstacle detecting means for detecting a movable obstacle present in a predetermined area along the traveling direction of the vehicle;
Contact availability determination means for determining whether or not contact with the movable obstacle detected by the movable obstacle detection means can occur;
When it is determined by the contact availability determination means that contact with the movable obstacle cannot occur, control is performed with a travel control target having a higher traveling state change speed than when it is determined that the contact can occur;
A travel control target generator characterized by the above. An intersection angle determining means for determining whether or not an intersection angle between a line up to the movable obstacle detected by the movable obstacle detecting means and a traveling direction of the vehicle is within a predetermined value;
When the intersection angle determination means determines that the intersection angle is within the predetermined value, control is performed with a traveling control target having a greater traveling state change speed than when it is determined that the contact can occur.
The travel control target generator according to claim 1. A mode setting means for performing a low mode setting for controlling with a traveling control target having a small traveling state change speed and a high mode setting for controlling with a traveling control target having a larger traveling state changing speed than that during the low mode setting;
The travel control target generation device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the mode setting unit controls the low mode setting when the movable obstacle detection unit does not detect the movable obstacle.   The travel control target generation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the movable obstacle detection means detects a pedestrian or a bicycle as the movable obstacle.

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