JP2010235083A - Vehicle control apparatus, vehicle, and vehicle control program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a vehicle smoothly follow up while securing the safety of a preceding vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: A follow-up vehicle 1 successively stores the spot of a preceding vehicle 2 on a traveling locus and the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle 2 at the spot in association with each other. The follow-up vehicle 1 selects the spot ahead of an own vehicle by the minimum control vertical distance Dmin among the stored spots as a control nearest point, and outputs a revolution command in order to make the own vehicle go toward the control nearest point. According as the vehicle speed is large, the minimum control vertical distance Dmin is increased. When an azimuth θr1 from the own vehicle to the control nearest point is less than a threshold α, the follow-up vehicle 1 outputs a vehicle speed command so that a target point distance Dd from a target point Pbc to the own vehicle is set to 0, and when the azimuth angle θr1 is more than the threshold α, the follow-up vehicle 1 outputs the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle 2 at the control nearest point as a vehicle speed command. Also, the follow-up vehicle 1 successively stores the spot, yaw rate and vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle 2 in association with each other, and may output a vehicle speed command so that the lateral acceleration of the follow-up vehicle 1 is made equal to the lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle control device, a vehicle, and a vehicle control program, for example, to a vehicle that travels following a preceding vehicle.

Development of a vehicle that travels in a coordinated manner (hereinafter referred to as a following vehicle) while following a vehicle that travels in advance (hereinafter referred to as a preceding vehicle) has been underway.
In tracking control, for example, a target point is simply provided a certain distance behind the preceding vehicle, and control is performed so that the following vehicle reaches the position of the target point. In this control, when the preceding vehicle turns. Since the following vehicle travels on a different route from the preceding vehicle, the following vehicle may come in contact with an obstacle such as a wall or ride on a curb.

As a tracking control method capable of avoiding such a problem, there is a “tracking method, tracking device, tracking system, and tracking program” of Patent Document 1.
In this technique, points on the movement trajectory of the tracked target are discretely stored in a memory, and the tracked target is tracked by following the point while maintaining a certain distance from the tracked target.
Using this technology, the following vehicle can travel along the trajectory of the preceding vehicle, so-called cohabitation, and the following vehicle can also be obstructed as if the preceding vehicle traveled avoiding obstacles. You can run away from objects.

However, if the following distance along the traveling track of the preceding vehicle is kept constant, the vehicle speeds of the preceding vehicle and the following vehicle are substantially equal.
Therefore, when the preceding vehicle finishes turning and accelerates while the following vehicle is turning, there is a problem that the following vehicle accelerates while turning and the following vehicle goes out of the course or becomes unstable.
For example, as shown in FIG. 15 (a), the following vehicle 1 is cohabiting while maintaining a constant following distance 103 from the preceding vehicle 2, and the preceding vehicle 2 turns right beyond the obstacle 100. To do.

FIG. 15 (b) shows the place where the preceding vehicle 2 is turning right, and FIG. 15 (c) shows the place where the preceding vehicle 2 has finished turning right. The preceding vehicle 2 reduces the normal vehicle speed so that it can turn safely when making a right turn, and the following vehicle 1 also decelerates because the following distance 103 is constant.
FIG. 15 (d) shows that the preceding vehicle 2 finishes turning right and accelerates. At this time, the following vehicle 1 is still turning right, but when the preceding vehicle 2 is accelerated, the following distance 103 is constant, so the following vehicle 1 is accelerated during the right turn and centrifugal force is applied. Doing so may make the running unstable.

JP 2006-155349 A

  An object of the present invention is to smoothly follow a preceding vehicle while ensuring the safety of the following vehicle.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to claim 1, traveling that acquires traveling data including a point where a preceding vehicle has traveled and vehicle speed correspondence information corresponding to the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle at the point. Data acquisition means; target point setting means for setting a target point for following the preceding vehicle; travel control means for controlling the travel of the following vehicle so as to reach the set target point; Turning amount acquisition means for acquiring a turning amount of the preceding vehicle using traveling data, and the traveling control means, when the acquired turning amount is a predetermined amount or more, There is provided a vehicle control device characterized in that the vehicle speed of the following vehicle is set using the vehicle speed correspondence information of the preceding vehicle at a corresponding point based on the position.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, when the vehicle speed correspondence information is a vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle, and the travel control means determines that the current position of the following vehicle when the acquired turning amount is a predetermined amount or more. 2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle speed of the following vehicle is set so as to be equal to or lower than the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle at a corresponding point with reference to.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the vehicle speed correspondence information is information for specifying a lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle, and the travel control means, when the acquired turning amount is a predetermined amount or more, The vehicle speed of the following vehicle is set so that the lateral acceleration of the following vehicle is equal to or less than the lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle at a corresponding point with respect to the current position of the following vehicle. A vehicle control device is provided.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the vehicle control apparatus includes vehicle speed command value acquisition means for acquiring a vehicle speed command value for reaching the set target point, and the travel control means when the acquired turning amount is less than a predetermined amount. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle speed of the following vehicle is set to the acquired vehicle speed command value.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the travel control means is configured to detect the current position of the following vehicle when the acquired turning amount is a predetermined amount or more and the value of the acquired vehicle speed command value is greater than zero. 5. The vehicle speed of the following vehicle is set using vehicle speed correspondence information of the preceding vehicle at a corresponding point with reference to the vehicle speed as a reference, according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A vehicle control device is provided.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle that is mounted with the vehicle control device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects and travels following the preceding vehicle.
In the invention according to claim 7, a travel data acquisition function for acquiring travel data including point information for identifying a point where the preceding vehicle has traveled and vehicle speed correspondence information corresponding to the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle at the point, A target point setting function for setting a target point for following the vehicle, a traveling control function for controlling the traveling of the following vehicle so as to reach the set target point, and the preceding data using the acquired traveling data A turning amount acquisition function for acquiring a turning amount of a vehicle is realized by a computer, and the travel control function responds based on the current position of the following vehicle when the acquired turning amount is a predetermined amount or more. There is provided a vehicle control program characterized in that the vehicle speed of the following vehicle is set using the vehicle speed correspondence information of the preceding vehicle at a point to be operated.

  According to the present invention, the following vehicle can smoothly follow the preceding vehicle while ensuring the safety of the following vehicle by using the vehicle speed when the preceding vehicle is turning when the following vehicle is turning.

It is the block diagram which showed the functional structure of the following vehicle and the preceding vehicle. It is a figure for demonstrating the method of recognizing a preceding vehicle using a laser radar. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the driving | running | working locus | trajectory of the preceding vehicle memorize | stored in the following vehicle. It is the figure which showed an example of the logical structure of preceding vehicle locus information. It is a figure for demonstrating the selection method of a control nearest point. It is a figure for demonstrating a turning command. It is a figure for demonstrating a target point distance. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the procedure of follow-up control. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the procedure of a preceding vehicle locus | trajectory information preservation | save process. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the procedure of a follow-up control command value calculation process. FIG. 11 is a flowchart continued from FIG. 10. It is a figure for demonstrating the case where a vehicle speed command is produced | generated using a lateral acceleration. It is the figure which showed an example of the logical structure of the preceding vehicle locus | trajectory information in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the procedure of the follow-up control command value calculation process in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating a prior art example.

(1) Outline of Embodiment The following vehicle 1 (FIG. 3) stores a point on the travel locus of the preceding vehicle 2 and the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle 2 at that point in association with each other.
The following vehicle 1 selects a point that is in front of the minimum control vertical distance Dmin (FIG. 5) as the closest control point from the stored points, and turns so that the own vehicle is directed to the closest control point. Output a command. By outputting the turn command in this way, the follower vehicle 1 travels along the spot of the preceding vehicle 2 along a point on the travel locus of the preceding vehicle 2.

The follower vehicle 1 is set so that the minimum control vertical distance Dmin increases as the vehicle speed of the follower vehicle 1 increases. When the vehicle speed of the follower vehicle 1 is large, a point existing earlier is selected as the closest control point. .
As described above, by making the determination distance for determining the control closest point, which is the coordinate point to be controlled, variable according to the vehicle speed, it is possible to reduce unstable turning motion that occurs during high-speed traveling.

Further, the following vehicle 1 (FIG. 3) measures the distance from the preceding vehicle 2 along the line segment connecting each point, and sets the target point Pbc at the position of the following distance Dbc from the preceding vehicle 2.
The following vehicle 1 calculates a turn command and a vehicle speed command and follows this, and with respect to the turn command, the azimuth angle θrl from the own vehicle to the nearest control point (that is, the azimuth angle θrl corresponds to the turn amount). Is output to 0.
On the other hand, regarding the vehicle speed command, the follower vehicle 1 is such that the target point distance Dd from the target point Pbc to the host vehicle becomes 0 when the azimuth angle θrl from the host vehicle to the closest control point is less than the threshold value α. When the azimuth angle θrl is greater than or equal to the threshold value α, the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle 2 at the closest control point is output as the vehicle speed command (second vehicle speed control). .

Alternatively, the vehicle speed command can be made such that the position of the preceding vehicle 2, the yaw rate, and the vehicle speed are sequentially associated and stored, and the lateral acceleration (yaw rate × vehicle speed) of the following vehicle 1 becomes equal to the lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle 2 ( Third vehicle speed control).
In this case, the following vehicle 1 outputs a vehicle speed command by the first vehicle speed control when the azimuth angle θrl from the own vehicle to the nearest control point is less than the threshold value α, and the azimuth angle θrl is equal to or larger than the threshold value α. In this case, a vehicle speed command is output by the third vehicle speed control.

  In this way, the following vehicle 1 turns the following vehicle 1 by switching between the first vehicle speed control and the second vehicle speed control or the first vehicle speed control and the third vehicle speed control according to the turning amount. If it is not (or if the turning amount is small), it follows the same distance as the preceding vehicle 2 while maintaining the following distance Dbc, and if the following vehicle 1 is turning (or if the turning amount is large) The following distance from the preceding vehicle 2 is not kept constant, the increase in the following distance is allowed, and the vehicle 1 is decelerated based on the vehicle speed or lateral acceleration when the following vehicle 1 passes through the point.

Note that the amount of delay of the follower vehicle 1 from the preceding vehicle 2 due to deceleration is accelerated and eliminated quickly when the follower vehicle 1 finishes passing the turning portion and returns to the first vehicle speed control. In this manner, the following vehicle 1 can quickly follow the trajectory of the preceding vehicle 2 and complete the deviation in the inter-vehicle distance after finishing the turn.

  As described above, the following vehicle 1 performs vehicle speed control according to the distance from the preceding vehicle 2 when the turning amount is small, and when the turning amount is large, the vehicle speed at the closest point of control of the preceding vehicle 2 or the like. By performing vehicle speed control based on the above, it is possible to perform safe and smooth cohabitation following traveling with respect to the preceding vehicle 2.

(2) Details of Embodiment (First Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing functional configurations of a follower vehicle 1 and a preceding vehicle 2 according to the present embodiment.
The preceding vehicle 2 includes an inter-vehicle communication unit 41, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 42, a vehicle speed sensor 43, an attitude sensor 44, and the like.
Yes.
The inter-vehicle communication unit 41 can perform inter-vehicle communication with the inter-vehicle communication unit 14 of the following vehicle 1 wirelessly, and the preceding vehicle 2 transmits travel data (preceding vehicle information) to the following vehicle 1 via the inter-vehicle communication unit 41. Send.
The travel data includes the vehicle speed, yaw rate, and time stamp of the preceding vehicle 2 (for example, the date and time when the following vehicle 1 receives the vehicle speed and yaw rate).

  The time stamp may be configured such that when the preceding vehicle 2 transmits the vehicle speed and yaw rate to the follower vehicle 1 and the follower vehicle 1 receives them, the current date and time is given as a time stamp. Alternatively, the preceding vehicle 2 may be configured to give the vehicle speed and yaw rate the date and time when these are measured as a time stamp, and transmit these to the following vehicle 1.

As will be described in detail later, the following vehicle 1 tracks and records the traveled position of the preceding vehicle 2 by calculating the amount of movement of the preceding vehicle 2 from the measurement time interval ΔT obtained from the vehicle speed, the yaw rate, and the time stamp. I will do it.
For this reason, the vehicle speed, the yaw rate, and the time stamp function as point information for specifying the point where the preceding vehicle 2 has traveled.
It is also possible to have the current position of the preceding vehicle 2 transmitted from the preceding vehicle 2 using travel data, thereby recording the location where the preceding vehicle 2 has traveled.

The ECU 42 is configured using a computer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a large-capacity storage device, and the like, and the CPU is stored in the storage device. Various electronic controls are performed on the preceding vehicle 2 according to the program.
The vehicle speed sensor 43 is a sensor that measures the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle 2, and the attitude sensor 44 is a sensor that measures the yaw rate of the vehicle speed sensor 43 and the like.
Values measured by these sensors are transmitted to the follower vehicle 1 as travel data.

The following vehicle 1 includes an inter-vehicle communication unit 14, a laser radar 15, an ECU 17, a vehicle driving unit 11, a vehicle speed sensor 12, an attitude sensor 13, and the like.
The inter-vehicle communication unit 14 wirelessly communicates with the inter-vehicle communication unit 41 and receives travel data from the preceding vehicle 2.
The laser radar 15 is a radar device that two-dimensionally scans the laser beam in front of or on the side of the following vehicle 1 and detects the reflection.
The following vehicle 1 calculates the amount of movement of the preceding vehicle 2 and records the location where the preceding vehicle 2 has traveled. In this case, the initial position of the preceding vehicle 2 is measured first, and the amount of movement is then calculated. It is necessary to add. The laser radar 15 is used to measure the initial position.

The vehicle drive unit 11 controls the vehicle speed and turning of the following vehicle 1 based on the speed command and the turning command issued from the vehicle control command calculating unit 20.
The vehicle speed sensor 12 is a sensor that detects the vehicle speed of the following vehicle 1, and the attitude sensor 13 is a sensor that measures a yaw rate and the like.
The ECU 17 is a computer that includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, a large-capacity storage device, and the like, and when the CPU executes a program stored in the storage device, the preceding vehicle travel locus recognition unit 18 and the preceding vehicle locus information storage. A unit 19, a vehicle control command calculation unit 20, a following vehicle traveling locus recognition unit 21, and the like are configured.

  The preceding vehicle travel locus recognition unit 18 recognizes the preceding vehicle 2 by measuring the position of the preceding vehicle 2 using the laser radar 15 at the start of tracking of the preceding vehicle 2, and thereafter, the preceding vehicle traveling locus recognition unit 18 uses the traveling data received by the inter-vehicle communication unit 14. The movement amount of the vehicle 2 is calculated, and this is added to the position of the preceding vehicle 2 measured by the laser radar 15 to recognize the current position of the preceding vehicle 2.

The preceding vehicle locus information storage unit 19 associates the point recognized by the follower vehicle traveling locus recognition unit 21 with the vehicle speed (obtained from the traveling data) when the preceding vehicle 2 passes the point, and a point index is associated therewith. The point data is configured by assigning the point data, and the point data is sequentially stored in a storage medium such as a RAM as the preceding vehicle trajectory information.
Since the point index is given in accordance with the time series of travel of the preceding vehicle 2, a travel locus of the preceding vehicle 2 is obtained by connecting the point data with line segments in the order of the point index.

  The following vehicle traveling locus recognition unit 21 calculates the amount of movement of the following vehicle 1 using the vehicle speed from the vehicle speed sensor 12 and the yaw rate from the attitude sensor 13, and adds this to the position of the following vehicle 1 at the start of the following vehicle. As a result, the travel locus, current position, and posture of the following vehicle 1 (such as the azimuth angle of the following vehicle 1 in the absolute coordinate system) are recognized.

  The vehicle control command calculation unit 20 sets a target point at a position of a tracking distance (inter-vehicle distance) of a predetermined distance along the line segment of the point data from the preceding vehicle 2, and the tracking vehicle 1 from the tracking vehicle travel locus recognition unit 21. Current position, vehicle speed, yaw rate, etc. are acquired, a vehicle speed command value and a turn command value are generated so that the following vehicle 1 reaches the target point, and is output to the vehicle drive unit 11.

For the turning command, the vehicle control command calculation unit 20 determines whether the time series of the forward direction of the following vehicle 1 (forward in the traveling direction) and the control nearest point described later (point data existing at a predetermined amount ahead of the following vehicle 1). The azimuth angle θrl formed by the oldest one is set to zero. That is, the azimuth angle θrl represents the turning amount of the following vehicle 1.
On the other hand, when the azimuth angle θrl is less than the predetermined threshold α, the vehicle speed command is set to a value corresponding to the distance from the target point along the line connecting the point data to the following vehicle 1 (first vehicle speed). Control), when the azimuth angle θrl is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value α, the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle 2 when the preceding vehicle 2 passes the control nearest point is set as a vehicle speed command value (second vehicle speed control).

  Thus, the following vehicle 1 determines the magnitude of the turning amount of the following vehicle 1 based on the threshold value α. When the turning amount is small, the distance between the following vehicle 1 and the preceding vehicle 2 is determined by the first vehicle speed control. When the vehicle travels in a constant manner and the turning amount is large, the inter-vehicle distance between the following vehicle 1 and the preceding vehicle 2 is allowed to be larger than a certain value, and the preceding vehicle 2 sets the vehicle speed of the following vehicle 1 to By making the vehicle speed when passing the point, it is possible to turn safely.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a method in which the preceding vehicle travel locus recognition unit 18 recognizes the preceding vehicle 2 using the laser radar 15.
The laser radar 15 is, for example, a rotary scanning laser radar, and scans the periphery of the following vehicle 1 two-dimensionally (or three-dimensionally).
The laser radar 15 scans a scannable angle (270 ° in the above figure), and outputs the distance to the object for each unit angle. In the figure, laser radar scanning points are indicated by white circles. These outputs are analyzed by the preceding vehicle travel locus recognition unit 18 as follows.

The preceding vehicle travel locus recognizing unit 18 generates a laser radar line segment by connecting the dot sequence (outlined circle) of the scanning result including the set of the angle and the distance with a line, and stores it in the RAM based on the following vehicle 1. This is expanded on the formed plane coordinates.
At this time, if the line segment between the points exceeds the threshold value, the pattern matching process can be reduced by not defining the line segment as a line segment.

The preceding vehicle travel locus recognizing unit 18 develops the laser radar line segment on the plane coordinates in this way, and then moves and matches the model pattern 2a of the preceding vehicle 2 on the plane, thereby matching the line segment. Exceeds the predetermined reference value, the model pattern 2a at that time is recognized as the preceding vehicle 2.
The vehicle center point 6 serving as a reference for the follow-up control is set in advance in the preceding vehicle 2, and the preceding vehicle travel locus recognition unit 18 specifies the vehicle center point 6 by the matched model pattern 2a.

  In this way, the preceding vehicle travel locus recognition unit 18 determines the direction 35 of the preceding vehicle 2, the relative angle 31, and the vehicle center point 3 (the center point of the own vehicle as a reference for the follow-up control) and the vehicle center based on the matching result. The relative distance 34 between the following vehicle 1 and the preceding vehicle 2 can be obtained by connecting the points 6, and the longitudinal distance 32 and the lateral distance 33 can be obtained by decomposing the relative distance 34 in the longitudinal and lateral directions.

  Note that once the model pattern 2a is matched in this way, it is not necessary to search for all laser radar line segments, and the vehicle center point 6 of the preceding vehicle 2 detected last time is not necessary. Thus, the matching process can be reduced by performing a search using the defined threshold range as a search range.

Note that the recognition process of the preceding vehicle 2 is not limited to the pattern matching of the laser radar 15 described above, and if the position and relative angle of the preceding vehicle 2 can be detected, for example, a configuration such as Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-82750 is used. Also good.
In this technology, a predetermined light projection pattern is projected onto a target vehicle, and the distance and inclination of the target vehicle are detected using the shape of the reflected light.
As described above, the preceding vehicle travel locus recognition unit 18 can detect the relative position of the preceding vehicle 2, that is, the position of the vehicle center point 6 of the preceding vehicle 2 with respect to the vehicle center point 3 of the following vehicle 1.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of the traveling locus of the preceding vehicle 2 recognized by the preceding vehicle traveling locus recognition unit 18 and stored in the preceding vehicle locus information storage unit 19.
In this example, the preceding vehicle 2 is traveling so as to meander between the obstacles 100, 100.
For the subscripts used below, a (absolute) is an absolute coordinate system, r (relation) is a relative coordinate system, l (leader) is a preceding vehicle 2, f (follower) is a follower vehicle 1, and d (destination) is a target. It is assumed that each point is represented.
For example, when the point P is expressed as Pal (2), this means the third recorded point of the preceding vehicle 2 in the absolute coordinate system (since the point index in parentheses starts from 0), xal means an x coordinate value in the absolute coordinate system of the preceding vehicle 2.
The position of the following vehicle 1 is represented by the position of the vehicle center point 3 of the following vehicle 1, and the position of the preceding vehicle 2 is represented by the vehicle center point 6 of the preceding vehicle 2.

The preceding vehicle 2 measures the vehicle speed Vl, the yaw rate ωl, and the time stamp Tl (current date and time) with a predetermined sampling period (control period) by the vehicle speed sensor 43 and the attitude sensor 44, and transmits them to the following vehicle 1 as travel data. To do. The time stamp may be given by the following vehicle 1.
The following vehicle 1 measures the point Pal (0) at the initial position of the preceding vehicle 2 with the laser radar 15, and then calculates and adds the movement amount of the preceding vehicle 2 using the travel data. The points Pal (1), Pal (2),..., Pal (n),.
If these line segments are connected in order, it becomes the traveling locus of the preceding vehicle 2, and Pal (n) (n = 9 in the figure) where n is the maximum is the current position of the preceding vehicle 2. This point is also the vehicle center point 6 of the preceding vehicle 2.

Specific calculation formulas of Pal (n) (xal, yal) are as shown in the following formulas (1) to (4).
However, xal and yal are x and y coordinate values in the absolute coordinate system of Pal (n), and Tl (n), ωl (n), and Vl (n) calculate Pal (n), respectively. Are the time stamp, the yaw rate, and the vehicle speed included in the travel data, and yaw of the preceding vehicle 2 represents the yaw angle.

ΔT = Tl (n) −Tl (n−1) (1)
yaw (n) = ∫ (ωl (n−1) × ΔT) dt = ωl (n−1) × ΔT + yaw (n−1) (2)
xal (n) = Vl (n) × ΔT × sin (−yaw) + xal (n−1) (3)
yal (n) = Vl (n) × ΔT × cos (−yaw) + yal (n−1) (4)

Now, let us assume that Pal (1) is selected as a control nearest point described later. The following vehicle 1 issues a turn command so that the azimuth angle θrl of Pal (1) in relative coordinates with respect to the own vehicle becomes zero.
Further, the follower vehicle 1 sets a target point Pbc at the position of the follower distance Dbc along the line segment connecting each point from the current position Pal (9) of the preceding vehicle 2.
Furthermore, the follower vehicle 1 calculates the target point distance Dd from the target point Pbc to the vehicle center point 3 of the own vehicle along the line segment connecting the respective points. When the vehicle speed is set so that the target point distance Dd becomes 0 in the vehicle speed control 1 and the turning amount of the follower vehicle 1 is large, the second vehicle speed control controls the preceding vehicle 2 in Pal (1). Set the vehicle speed.
As described above, the following vehicle 1 can travel with the preceding vehicle 2 along the point on the travel locus of the preceding vehicle 2 so that the shortest distance between the vehicles is Dbc.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a logical configuration of the preceding vehicle locus information stored in the preceding vehicle locus information storage unit 19. These are recorded at intervals of 0.5 seconds, and ΔT is 0.5 for all data.
The preceding vehicle trajectory information is composed of point data obtained by assigning a point index to the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle 2 at each point on the traveling locus on which the preceding vehicle 2 has traveled and the position in the absolute coordinate system.

The item “n” is a point index, which is a number assigned in ascending order corresponding to the travel data transmitted from the preceding vehicle 2 by inter-vehicle communication, and represents the time series of the point data. That is, a larger point index is given to new point data.
The item “vehicle speed Vl” is the vehicle speed Vl at each point on the travel locus of the preceding vehicle 2 and is included in the travel data.
The item “coordinate Pal” is a coordinate value in the absolute coordinate system of the preceding vehicle 2, and the items “xal” and “yal” are x and y coordinate values, respectively.
These coordinate values are calculated by equations (3) and (4) using travel data.

As described above, in the preceding vehicle locus information, the vehicle speed Vl and the coordinate value Pal (xal, yal) at each point on the traveling locus of the preceding vehicle 2 are stored in association with each other. Each time the traveling data is received from 2, the point data is added.
Note that values measured by the laser radar 15 are used for V (0) and Pal (0) at the start of the first time. Alternatively, the vehicle speed of the following vehicle 1 and the position of the vehicle center point 3 can be set.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a method for selecting a control nearest point.
The follower vehicle 1 sets relative coordinates with the vehicle center point 3 of the host vehicle as the origin, and among the positions ahead of the minimum control vertical distance Dmin, the one having the oldest time series by the time stamp, that is, the point index is The smallest one is selected as the closest control point.

In other words, Pal (n) is traced in ascending order according to the time series from the point used for the previous control, and the vertical distance y (n) of Pal (n) is the minimum control vertical in the relative coordinate system centered on the following vehicle 1. Select a distance greater than or equal to Dmin.
Thus, by selecting a point that exists ahead of the follower vehicle 1 in the traveling direction, it is possible to suppress the sudden turn of the follower vehicle 1.

  In the example of FIG. 5, the points of the preceding vehicle 2 are stored as Pal (n + 1),..., Pal (n + 4) in chronological order. Since the vertical distance y (n + 3) is ahead of the minimum control vertical distance Dmin in the traveling direction, Pal (n + 3) is selected as the closest control point.

Further, the minimum control vertical distance Dmin can be a fixed value or a function of the vehicle speed of the follower vehicle 1.
When the vehicle speed of the following vehicle 1 is a function of the vehicle speed, for example, if the minimum control longitudinal distance Dmin is proportional to the vehicle speed Vf of the vehicle 1 and the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 is 0, Dmin is the following primary Calculated by equation (5). Here, both a and b are positive numbers.

  Dmin = a × Vf + b (5),

In this example, as the vehicle speed of the follower vehicle 1 increases, the minimum control vertical distance Dmin increases, and the follower vehicle 1 selects a point that exists earlier as the closest control point. Can be reduced.
In this way, by using an appropriate control nearest point according to the vehicle speed of the following vehicle 1, the control command value according to the travel locus of the following vehicle 1 is corrected.
In FIG. 5, the forward direction of the follower vehicle 1 is defined using a relative coordinate system fixed to the vehicle body of the follower vehicle 1. For example, the forward direction of the follower vehicle 1 (tangential direction of turning) is used as an axis. The forward direction of travel may be defined using a relative coordinate system.

Each figure of FIG. 6 is a figure for demonstrating the turning command which the following vehicle 1 performs.
In this example, the following vehicle 1 obtains the azimuth angle of the nearest control point in the absolute coordinate system and its own azimuth angle, and obtains the relative azimuth angle of the nearest control point with respect to the following vehicle 1 from these.

In FIG. 6A, let Pal (n) be the closest point of control.
The follower vehicle 1 has a relative coordinate system in which the vehicle center point 3 of the follower vehicle 1 (the coordinate values in the absolute coordinate system are (xf, yf)) is the origin, the direction of the follower vehicle 1 is the vertical axis, and the azimuth is 0. Set.
The following vehicle 1 calculates the azimuth angle θrl to the control nearest point Pal (n) in the relative coordinate system by the following equation (6).

θrl = θan−θaf (6)

  Here, θan is the azimuth angle of the control nearest point Pal (n) in the absolute coordinate system, and is calculated by the following equation (7).

θan = arctan2 (xal (n) −xf, yal (n) −yf) (7)

Θaf is the azimuth angle of the vehicle in the absolute coordinate system and can be obtained by the attitude sensor 13 or the like.
Since the positive and negative angles in the absolute coordinate system are negative in the first and fourth quadrants and positive in the second and third quadrants, θaf is subtracted.

The azimuth angle θrl calculated in this way is used for determination when the following vehicle 1 selects the first vehicle speed control and the second vehicle speed control.
That is, the following vehicle 1 performs the first vehicle speed control when the azimuth angle θrl is less than the predetermined threshold value α, and performs the second vehicle speed control when the azimuth angle θrl is less than the predetermined threshold value α.

By the way, in the present embodiment, switching between the first vehicle speed control and the second vehicle speed control is determined based on the azimuth angle θrl of the closest point to the follower vehicle 1, that is, based on the turning amount of the follower vehicle 1.
On the other hand, the modified example comprised so that vehicle speed control might be switched according to the turning amount of the preceding vehicle 2 is also possible.
For example, as shown in FIG. 6 (b), the follower vehicle 1 has the control nearest point Pal (n) and the line connecting the control nearest point Pal (n) and the point Pal (n-1) in front of this. Then, an angle θrl ′ formed by a line connecting the point Pal (n + 1) one point ahead is calculated. This angle θrl ′ corresponds to the turning angle of the preceding vehicle 2.

Then, the following vehicle 1 determines whether or not the azimuth angle θrl ′ is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value α. When the azimuth angle θrl ′ is less than α, the first vehicle speed control is performed. Take control.
The turn command value is issued so that the azimuth angle of the control nearest point Pal (n) in the relative coordinate system converges to 0, as in FIG.
Thus, switching between the first vehicle speed control and the second vehicle speed control can be performed using the turning amount of the following vehicle 1 or can be performed using the turning amount of the preceding vehicle 2.

FIG. 7A is a diagram for explaining the target point distance.
In the following vehicle 1, each point is connected to the rear of the preceding vehicle 2 from Pal (n) (n is the largest n, and corresponds to the vehicle center point 6 of the preceding vehicle 2 in the example in the figure). A target point Pbc is set at the position of the following distance (inter-vehicle distance) Dbc along the line segment.
The target point distance Dd is a distance along a line connecting each point from the target point Pbc to the vehicle center point 3.

A distance Dal (n) between the points Pal (n) and Pal (n−1) is expressed by Expression (8) in FIG.
On the other hand, the distance from the vehicle center point 3 of the following vehicle 1 to the nearest point Pal (n) (Pal (0) in the figure) is represented by the first term of the equation (9) in FIG.
Therefore, if the maximum value of n (9 in the figure) is added to the equation (8) while going back to the first term (the second term of the equation (9)), the following vehicle 1 is changed from the preceding vehicle 2 to the first term. The distance along the line connecting the points up to is calculated.
From this, when the follow-up distance Dbc is subtracted (the third term of the formula (9)), the target point distance Dd from the follow-up vehicle 1 to the target point Pbc along the line segment is calculated (formula (9)).

  The first vehicle speed control is performed when the following vehicle 1 is on a substantially linear traveling locus such as the position 3a. When performing simple proportional control, the target point distance Dd is multiplied by a proportional gain Kp, Further, the current vehicle speed Vl (n) (n is the maximum value) of the preceding vehicle 2 is added to calculate the vehicle speed command value Vts of the following vehicle 1.

In the second vehicle speed control, if the command speed Vts of the first vehicle speed control is used as it is, a speed is generated even if the follower vehicle 1 is in a turning state, and therefore the control nearest point Pal (n) is set to the preceding vehicle. The vehicle speed that 2 has passed is read from the preceding vehicle trajectory information, and this is set as the speed command value Vts.
As a result, the follower vehicle 1 can turn at the same speed as the preceding vehicle 2 and can prevent the speed from increasing during the turn.

Since the preceding vehicle 2 turns the point at the vehicle speed, it can be considered that the point can be safely turned if the vehicle speed is lower than the vehicle speed.
Therefore, by using the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle 2, the follower vehicle 1 can turn the point at a vehicle speed that is safe and does not become unnecessarily slow.

By the way, when the preceding vehicle 2 stops while turning, a plurality of pieces of point data having the same vehicle speed Vl (n) and the same coordinate value are recorded in the preceding vehicle locus information.
In this case, if the following vehicle 1 uses the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle 2 when turning, the vehicle speed Vl (n) is 0, so that the following vehicle 1 stops even if it is not necessary to stop.

Therefore, when it is determined that the vehicle speed Vl (n) at the point Pal (n) is in a stopped state, the follower vehicle 1 does not adopt the point data as the closest control point, and sets the preceding vehicle 2 at the current position. The vehicle speed V (n) is compared with the threshold value in ascending order in time series until the vehicle speed V (n) exceeds a predetermined threshold value, and the vehicle speed V (n) exceeding the threshold value is adopted as the closest control point.
Further, when there is no point Pal (n) exceeding the threshold, the follower vehicle 1 employs the vehicle center point 6 (the latest one of the trajectory information) of the preceding vehicle 2 as the closest control point.

  In the present embodiment, the point data where the vehicle speed Vl (n) is 0 is skipped (not adopted), but for example, the point data where the vehicle speed Vl (n) is 1 [Km / h] or less. It may be configured to skip point data below a predetermined value, such as skipping.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure of the follow-up control performed by the follow-up vehicle 1.
The processing performed by the follower vehicle 1 in the following flowcharts is performed by the ECU 17 of the follower vehicle 1 according to a predetermined program.
First, the follower vehicle 1 acquires the initial position of the preceding vehicle 2 when starting the follower traveling (step 5).
The start of the follow-up running is started by some trigger, for example, when the passenger of the follow-up vehicle 1 presses the follow-up start button.
In this step, the following vehicle 1 measures the current position of the preceding vehicle 2 by the laser radar 15 in the relative coordinate system, and converts this into the absolute coordinate system using the absolute coordinate value of the own vehicle, thereby obtaining the following vehicle. Get the absolute coordinate value of 1.

Next, the following vehicle 1 initializes various values (step 10).
As a result of this initialization, the point index n for assigning the time-series order to the point data is set to 0, the vehicle speed Vl (n) of the preceding vehicle 2 is set to 0, and the coordinate values (xal (n), yal of the own vehicle). (N)) is a parameter for storing the previous time stamp (ie, the point index is one previous) in the coordinate value (x, y) in the absolute coordinates of the current position. It is set to the date and time when the initial position of the car 2 is acquired.
Next, the follower vehicle 1 increments the point index n by 1 (step 15).

Next, the following vehicle 1 performs a preceding vehicle locus information storage process (step 20), performs a follow-up control command value calculation process (step 25), and follows using the turn command and the vehicle speed command calculated thereby. A vehicle control process is performed so as to travel (step 30).
Next, the following vehicle 1 determines whether or not to continue the follow-up travel (step 35). If it continues (step 35; Y), it returns to step 20, and if it does not continue (step 35; N), the follow-up control is terminated.
The end of the follow-up running is ended by some trigger, for example, when the passenger of the follow-up vehicle 1 presses the follow-up run end button.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure of the preceding vehicle trajectory information storage process in step 20 (FIG. 8).
The following vehicle 1 receives the traveling data of the preceding vehicle (including the yaw rate ω, the vehicle speed V, and the time stamp T) through inter-vehicle communication (step 55). The time stamp may be configured to give the current date and time when the following vehicle 1 receives the yaw rate ω and the vehicle speed V.
Next, the following vehicle 1 sets the previous yaw rate ω (n−1) to ωold, which is a parameter for storing the previous yaw rate ω, and sets ΔT = T−Told according to the equation (1) to ΔT. (Step 60).

Next, the following vehicle 1 calculates the coordinate value of the preceding vehicle in the absolute coordinate system as follows (step 65).
First, the following vehicle 1 sets ωold × ΔT + yaw to the yaw that is a parameter for storing the yaw angle of the preceding vehicle 2 according to the equation (2).
Next, the following vehicle 1 calculates the x-coordinate value xal (n) and the y-coordinate value yal (n) in the absolute coordinate system of the preceding vehicle 2 according to the equations (3) and (4).

When the follower vehicle 1 calculates the coordinate value of the preceding vehicle 2 in this way, the vehicle speed V received by the travel data is associated with V (n) and xal (n) and yal (n) calculated in step 65. Then, a point index is assigned to obtain point data, which is stored in the preceding vehicle trajectory information (step 70).
Further, the follow-up vehicle 1 stores the time stamp T included in the travel data as a Told in a memory such as a RAM (step 75).
Then, the following vehicle 1 increments the point index by 1 with n ← n + 1 (step 80).

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure of the follow-up control command value calculation process in step 25 (FIG. 8).
First, the following vehicle 1 acquires the current position and yaw angle in the absolute coordinate system of the own vehicle (step 105).
Then, the following vehicle 1 sets the x coordinate value of the current position in xf, sets the y coordinate of the current position in yf, and further sets the yaw angle in θaf.

Next, the following vehicle 1 calculates the minimum control vertical distance Dmin by applying the vehicle speed of the host vehicle to the equation (5), and uses this to search the control closest point by using the preceding vehicle trajectory information. The point index of the point is acquired (step 110). Let n be the index of the closest control point. Note that n is a parameter independent of n used in the preceding preceding vehicle locus information saving process.
Next, the following vehicle 1 calculates the azimuth angle θan of the nearest control point in the absolute coordinate system (step 115). This calculation can be performed using Equation (7).

Next, the follower vehicle 1 calculates the azimuth angle θrl of the nearest control point with respect to the follower vehicle 1 in the relative coordinate system by applying θaf and θan to the equation (6) (step 120). Convert the azimuth angle of the nearest point from the relative coordinate system to the absolute coordinate system.
Next, the following vehicle 1 calculates a turn command value ωf by multiplying the azimuth angle θrl by the proportional gain Kp (Kp × θrl) (step 125).

Next, the following vehicle 1 sets the initial values of the parameter i and the target point distance Dd to 0 (step 130).
When the target point distance Dd is initialized to 0, the following vehicle 1 first calculates the distance from the following vehicle 1 to the closest control point (the first term in the equation (9)) (step 135).
Next, the following vehicle 1 calculates Dal (n + i + 1) using Expression (8), and Dd ← Dd + Dal (n + i + 1) and increments Dd by a distance of two points Pal (n + i) and Pal (n + i + 1) ( Step 140).

Next, the following vehicle 1 increments by 1 by setting i to i + 1 (step 145), and determines whether n + i + 1 is equal to or less than the maximum value of the point index n (step 150).
If n + i + 1 is less than or equal to the maximum value (step 150), the distance between the point data is not totaled for all the point data up to the position of the preceding vehicle 2, so the follower vehicle 1 returns to step 140, and The same calculation is performed by tracing back the point data, and the target point distance Dd is updated. Steps 140 to 145 are processes corresponding to the second term of Equation (9).

On the other hand, if n + i + 1 is not less than or equal to the maximum value (in this case, n + i + 1 is equal to the maximum value) (step 150), the distance between the points is summed back to the current position of the preceding vehicle 2, and therefore the following vehicle 1 11, the tracking distance Dbc is subtracted from the value of the target point distance Dd to obtain the final value of the target point distance Dd (step 155).
As described above, the target point distance Dd is calculated according to the equation (9).

  Next, the following vehicle 1 calculates the target speed Vts by the following equation (10) obtained by multiplying the target point distance Dd by the proportional gain Kp (step 160).

  Vts = Kp × Dd + Vl (maximum value of n) (10)

Next, the following vehicle 1 determines whether or not the azimuth angle θrl is greater than or equal to the threshold value α and Vts is greater than 0 (step 165).
When one or both of the conditions are not satisfied (step 165; N), the following vehicle 1 sets the target speed Vts as the vehicle speed command value Vt (step 175).

On the other hand, if both conditions are satisfied (step 165; Y), the following vehicle 1 sets the vehicle speed Vl (n) of the preceding vehicle 2 when passing the closest control point to the vehicle speed command value Vt (step 170). .
In the present embodiment, on the other hand, when both conditions are satisfied (step 165; Y), Vt ← Vl (n) is set. However, if the vehicle speed is Vl (n) or less, the vehicle can safely turn. Therefore, the vehicle speed command value may be set to a value equal to or less than Vl (n).

In step 165, it is determined whether or not Vts is greater than 0 because the preceding vehicle 2 stops and the following vehicle 1 reaches the target point Pbc. This is to prevent the following vehicle 1 from approaching the preceding vehicle 2 beyond the following distance Dbc by performing vehicle speed control and traveling at the vehicle speed at the point Pal (n).

  In the present embodiment described above, the following vehicle 1 uses the vehicle speed and yaw rate of the preceding vehicle 2 received from the preceding vehicle 2 after measuring the initial position of the preceding vehicle 2 with the laser radar 15. However, this is merely an example, and the laser radar 15 can be used to continuously measure the point and the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle 2.

Although the first embodiment has been described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) For a point on the travel locus of the preceding vehicle 2, the position and the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle 2 when passing the point can be stored in association with each other.
(2) By selecting a control nearest point from the travel locus of the preceding vehicle 2 and issuing a turning command so that the azimuth angle θrl to the control nearest point becomes 0, the following vehicle 1 It is possible to travel together along a traveling locus.
(3) When the azimuth angle θrl of the closest point of control is less than the threshold value α, the follower vehicle 1 follows the distance from the preceding vehicle 2 by performing the first vehicle speed control so that the target point distance Dd becomes zero. It is possible to perform cohabitation following while keeping the constant.
(4) By performing the second vehicle speed control so that the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle 2 at the nearest control point becomes the vehicle speed of the following vehicle 1 when the azimuth angle θrl at the nearest control point is equal to or greater than the threshold value α, 1 can turn safely.
(5) By switching between the first vehicle speed control and the second vehicle speed control according to the azimuth θrl of the nearest control point, the following vehicle 1 can safely and smoothly follow the same vehicle.
(6) The control nearest point can always be set in front of the follower vehicle 1 by making the safest turn by selecting the oldest point as the control nearest point that is ahead of the follower vehicle 1 by a predetermined distance in the traveling direction. be able to.
(7) By setting the minimum control vertical distance Dmin according to the vehicle speed of the following vehicle 1, a more appropriate point can be selected as the closest control point, and the unstable turning motion that occurs during high-speed traveling can be reduced. At the same time, an appropriate vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle 2 associated with the point data is selected, so that control without delay can be performed.

(Second Embodiment)
In the above-described embodiment, in the second vehicle speed control, the following vehicle 1 uses the vehicle speed at the closest control point of the preceding vehicle 2 as the vehicle speed command. However, in the second embodiment, the following vehicle 2 The vehicle speed command is calculated using the lateral acceleration at the nearest control point.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a case where a vehicle speed command for the following vehicle 1 is generated using the lateral acceleration.
The following vehicle 1 does not necessarily pass through each point in the same posture as when the preceding vehicle 2 passes through each point for various reasons such as different control performance.
For this reason, the direction of the following vehicle 1 toward the control nearest point Pal (n) may differ from the preceding vehicle 2 depending on the control.
In this case, the following vehicle 1 may turn at a yaw rate larger than the yaw rate when the preceding vehicle 2 passes Pal (n) due to a control deviation.

For example, it is assumed that the posture of the follower vehicle 1 is directed to the outside of the turn with respect to the posture when the preceding vehicle 2 passes the traveling locus of the right turn shown by the line segment in the drawing.
In this case, since the azimuth angle of the follower vehicle 1 with respect to the control nearest point Pal (n) is larger than the preceding vehicle 2, the follower vehicle 1 has a lateral acceleration when turning toward the control nearest point at the same vehicle speed as the preceding vehicle 2. The car body may become unstable and the passenger may feel uncomfortable.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the lateral acceleration when the preceding vehicle 2 passes the point is acquired, and when the follower vehicle 1 passes the point, the same lateral acceleration as that of the preceding vehicle 2 at the point is obtained. The vehicle speed of the following vehicle 1 is set so as to be acceleration (or less than the lateral acceleration).
Thus, the follower vehicle 1 turns with the same lateral acceleration as the lateral acceleration when passing through the preceding vehicle, thereby making it possible to perform a turn with better followability.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a logical configuration of the preceding vehicle trajectory information recorded by the following vehicle 1 according to the second embodiment. However, ΔT is 0.5 in any data.
The preceding vehicle trajectory information of the second embodiment is obtained by adding the item “yaw rate” acquired from the traveling data of the preceding vehicle 2 to the point data of the first embodiment.
As described above, the point data of the present embodiment is configured by assigning a point index to the vehicle speed, yaw rate, and coordinate value of the preceding vehicle 2 at the point where the preceding vehicle 2 has passed.

Generally, the lateral acceleration is a value obtained by multiplying the vehicle speed by the yaw rate, and the lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle 2 is calculated by Vl (n) × ωl (n).
The follower vehicle 1 uses this to perform follow-up control as follows.
First, the turn command is the same as in the first embodiment, and the following vehicle 1 outputs the turn command so that the azimuth angle at the closest point of control becomes zero.

Regarding the vehicle speed command, the following vehicle 1 outputs the vehicle speed command so that the target point distance Dd is set to 0 when the azimuth angle θrl of the nearest control point is less than the threshold value α. This is the same as the first vehicle speed control.
On the other hand, when the azimuth angle θrl is greater than or equal to the threshold value α, the following vehicle 1 reads the vehicle speed and yaw rate of the preceding vehicle 2 at the closest point of control from the preceding vehicle trajectory information, and the lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle 2 at the closest point of control. (At this time, the yaw rate of the following vehicle 1 uses the turn command ωf), and this is divided by the turn command value of the own vehicle, thereby calculating the vehicle speed of the own vehicle having the same lateral acceleration as the preceding vehicle 2. Output (third vehicle speed control).

  For example, if the nearest point of control is the point Pal (n), when the azimuth angle θrl is greater than or equal to the threshold value α, the follower vehicle 1 uses the vehicle speed V (n) and the yaw rate ωl (n) at the point Pal (n). Is calculated from the preceding vehicle trajectory information, the lateral acceleration Al of the preceding vehicle 2 at Pal (n) represented by the following equation (11) is calculated, and further divided by ωf, the following equation (12) Vt is used as a vehicle speed command value of the own vehicle. Alternatively, a value less than this may be set with the Vt as the upper limit.

Lateral acceleration Al (n) = Pal (n) × vehicle speed V (n) (11)
Absolute value of Vt = Al (n) / ωf (12)

  As described above, when the amount of turn of the following vehicle 1 is large, the lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle 2 at the closest point of control is equal to or equal to the lateral acceleration of the following vehicle 1, so that it is the same as the preceding vehicle 2. It is possible to prevent the vehicle speed from excessively increasing during turning by performing a turn with lateral acceleration.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure of the follow-up control command value calculation process, and corresponds to FIG. 11 of the first embodiment.
Note that the processing corresponding to FIG. 10 is the same as that of the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.
In the flowchart of FIG. 14, steps 155 to 175 are the same as those in FIG. 11, and the following vehicle 1 subtracts the following distance Dbc (step 155) and calculates the target speed Vts (step 160).
Next, the following vehicle 1 determines whether or not the azimuth angle θrl is greater than or equal to the threshold value α and Vts is greater than 0 (step 165).
When one or both of the conditions are not satisfied (step 165; N), the following vehicle 1 sets the target speed Vts as the vehicle speed command value Vt (step 175).

On the other hand, when both conditions are satisfied (step 165; Y), the following vehicle 1 calculates the lateral acceleration Al (n) of the preceding vehicle 2 when passing the closest control point by the equation (11) (step 205). ), The absolute value of Al (n) / ωf according to the equation (12) is set to the vehicle speed command value Vt (step 210).
As described above, in the present embodiment, when the turning amount of the follower vehicle 1 is large, the lateral acceleration of the follower vehicle 1 can be regulated by the lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle 2 when passing the point.

(Modification 1)
In the second embodiment, the first vehicle speed control and the third vehicle speed control are switched according to the azimuth angle θrl of the most recent control point. However, the third vehicle speed control is not performed regardless of the azimuth angle θrl. It is also possible to configure the following vehicle 1 so as to execute the following. That is, the following vehicle 1 follows the vehicle from the start to the end of the following traveling by the vehicle speed control based on the turning command and the third vehicle speed control.
In this case, the following vehicle 1 outputs a command so that the azimuth angle θrl of the control nearest point becomes 0 with respect to the turning command, and the vehicle acceleration command has a lateral acceleration at the control nearest point with respect to the turning command. A command is output so as to be the same as the lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle 2 when passing through the control nearest point.

(Modification 2)
In the second embodiment, the first vehicle speed control and the third vehicle speed control are switched according to the azimuth angle θrl of the closest control point. In addition, the following vehicle 1 monitors the yaw rate ωf of the turn command, and ωf The first vehicle speed control can be performed when the absolute value of is less than the predetermined threshold β, and the third vehicle speed control can be performed when the absolute value of ωf is greater than or equal to the threshold β. is there.
For example, assuming that the nearest point of control is the point Pal (n), the following vehicle 1 has the vehicle speed V (n) at the point Pal (n) when the absolute value of the yaw rate ωf of the turn command is greater than or equal to the threshold value β. The yaw rate ωl (n) is read from the preceding vehicle trajectory information, and the lateral acceleration Aal (n) = Pal (n) × vehicle speed V (n) of the preceding vehicle 2 at Pal (n) is calculated. Vt = Aal (n) / ωf divided by is used as the vehicle speed command value of the host vehicle. Alternatively, a value less than this may be set with the Vt as the upper limit.

According to the second embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) When the following vehicle 1 travels along a point on the travel locus of the preceding vehicle 2, the vehicle speed is adjusted so that the lateral acceleration is equal to or less than the lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle 2 at the point. Can be set.
(2) When the azimuth angle θrl at the closest point of control is greater than or equal to the threshold value α, the vehicle speed is adjusted so that the lateral acceleration of the following vehicle 1 is less than or equal to the lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle 2 at the point by the third vehicle speed control. If it is less than α, the following vehicle 1 follows the preceding vehicle 2 safely and smoothly by controlling the following distance from the preceding vehicle 2 to be constant by the first vehicle speed control. be able to.

In the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above, the vehicle control device that controls the follower vehicle 1 uses the vehicle-to-vehicle communication to identify information (vehicle speed, yaw rate, In order to receive travel data including time stamp) and vehicle speed information corresponding to the vehicle speed (in this case, vehicle speed and lateral acceleration), the vehicle speed corresponding to the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle at the location and the location information specifying the location where the preceding vehicle has traveled Travel data acquisition means for acquiring travel data including correspondence information is provided.
In addition, the vehicle control device sets a target point Pbc and controls the follower vehicle 1 so as to reach the target point Pbc. Therefore, a target point setting unit that sets a target point for traveling following the preceding vehicle is provided. The vehicle is provided with travel control means for controlling the travel of the following vehicle so as to reach the set target point.
In addition, the vehicle control device acquires a point on the travel locus of the preceding vehicle 2 using the travel data, selects a control closest point from the point, and an azimuth angle from the positional relationship between the following vehicle 1 and the control closest point. In order to set θrl as the turning amount, a turning amount acquisition means for acquiring the turning amount using the acquired travel data is provided.
When the azimuth angle θrl is greater than or equal to the threshold value α, the vehicle control device follows using the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle 2 at a point corresponding to the current position of the following vehicle 1 as a reference, here, the closest control point. In order to set the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1, the travel control means uses the vehicle speed correspondence information of the preceding vehicle at a point corresponding to the current position of the following vehicle when the acquired turning amount is a predetermined amount or more. The vehicle speed of the following vehicle is set.

  In the first embodiment, when the turning amount, that is, the azimuth angle θrl is greater than or equal to the threshold value α, the vehicle control device reduces the vehicle speed of the following vehicle 1 so that it is less than or equal to the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle 2 at the closest control point. In order to control, the vehicle speed correspondence information is the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle, and when the acquired turning amount is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount, the traveling control means determines the preceding vehicle at the corresponding point based on the current position of the following vehicle. The vehicle speed of the following vehicle is set to be below the vehicle speed.

  In the second embodiment, when the azimuth angle θrl is greater than or equal to the threshold value α, the vehicle control apparatus 1 follows the vehicle 1 so that the lateral acceleration of the vehicle 1 is less than or equal to the lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle 2 at the closest control point. In order to control the vehicle speed of the vehicle, the vehicle speed correspondence information is information (vehicle speed, yaw rate, etc.) for specifying the lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle, and the traveling control means follows if the acquired turning amount is a predetermined amount or more. The vehicle speed of the following vehicle is set so that the lateral acceleration of the vehicle is equal to or less than the lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle at a corresponding point with respect to the current position of the following vehicle.

In the first vehicle speed control, the vehicle control device sets a vehicle speed command so that the target point distance Dd becomes 0. Therefore, the vehicle control device sets the vehicle speed command value for reaching the set target point. Vehicle speed command value acquisition means for acquiring
Further, since the vehicle control apparatus performs the first vehicle speed control when the azimuth angle θrl is less than the threshold value α, the travel control means determines the vehicle speed of the following vehicle when the acquired turning amount is less than the predetermined amount. The acquired vehicle speed command value is set.

  Then, the vehicle control device performs the second vehicle speed control or the third vehicle speed control when the azimuth angle θrl is greater than or equal to the threshold value α and the vehicle speed command determined by the distance to the target point distance Dd is greater than zero. Therefore, when the acquired turning amount is a predetermined amount or more and the value of the acquired vehicle speed command value is larger than 0, the traveling control means performs the preceding vehicle at the corresponding point with reference to the current position of the following vehicle. The vehicle speed of the following vehicle is set using the vehicle speed correspondence information.

  Furthermore, as described above, the vehicle control device that controls the following vehicle 1 includes travel data acquisition means, target point setting means, travel control means, and turning amount acquisition means. When the turning amount, that is, the azimuth angle θrl is greater than or equal to the threshold value α, the control device selects the point data that is ahead of the minimum control vertical distance Dmin and has the oldest order in which the preceding vehicle 2 has passed as the closest control point. Then, in order to set the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle 2 at the point data to the vehicle speed of the follower vehicle 1, the travel control means, when the obtained turning amount is greater than or equal to the predetermined amount, A point with the oldest order in which the preceding vehicle has passed is selected at the distance (from), and the vehicle speed of the following vehicle is set using the vehicle speed correspondence information of the preceding vehicle at the selected point.

  Further, since the vehicle control device measures the vehicle speed of the following vehicle 1 by the vehicle speed sensor 12 and sets the minimum control longitudinal distance Dmin by the equation (5), the vehicle control device acquires the vehicle speed of the following vehicle. An acquisition means is provided, and the travel control means sets the predetermined distance ahead in the traveling direction of the following vehicle as the acquired vehicle speed increases.

  Further, when the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle 2 in the point data is 0, the vehicle control device skips the point data and selects the oldest point data that has a vehicle speed equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold. When the vehicle speed based on the vehicle speed information is 0, the travel control means selects the oldest point where the vehicle speed based on the vehicle speed information is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold among the points that are newer than the relevant point.

  Further, the vehicle control device sets a vehicle speed command value based on the target point distance Dd from the preceding vehicle 2, and when the vehicle speed command value is larger than 0, the vehicle data follow-up based on the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle 2 in the point data. Vehicle speed command value acquisition means for acquiring a vehicle speed command value for reaching the set target point in order to set the vehicle speed command of the vehicle 1, and the travel control means has a set vehicle speed command value greater than 0, and When the acquired turning amount is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount, the point where the preceding vehicle has passed the oldest is selected at a predetermined distance ahead from the following direction of the following vehicle, and the preceding vehicle at the selected point is selected. The vehicle speed of the following vehicle is set using the vehicle speed correspondence information.

In the second embodiment, the vehicle control device that controls the following vehicle 1 uses the vehicle-to-vehicle communication to identify the location (vehicle speed, yaw rate, time stamp) and lateral acceleration from the preceding vehicle 2 to identify the lateral acceleration. In order to receive travel data including acceleration information (vehicle speed and yaw rate), travel data acquisition means for acquiring travel data including lateral acceleration information that identifies the location where the preceding vehicle has traveled and the lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle at that location is provided. ing. The time stamp may be given by the following vehicle 1 when the vehicle speed and the yaw rate are received.
In addition, the vehicle control device sets a target point Pbc and controls the follower vehicle 1 so as to reach the target point Pbc. Therefore, a target point setting unit that sets a target point for traveling following the preceding vehicle is provided. The vehicle is provided with travel control means for controlling the travel of the following vehicle so as to reach the set target point.
When the azimuth angle θrl is greater than or equal to the threshold value α, the vehicle control apparatus is configured to detect the preceding acceleration at the point where the lateral acceleration of the following vehicle 1 corresponds with the current position of the following vehicle 1 as a reference, in this case, the nearest control point. In order to set the lateral acceleration of the vehicle 2 to be equal to or less than the lateral acceleration, the traveling control means follows so that the lateral acceleration of the following vehicle is equal to or less than the lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle at a point corresponding to the current position of the following vehicle. The vehicle speed is set.

In addition, the vehicle control device includes a turning amount acquisition unit that acquires the turning amount using the acquired traveling data in order to set the azimuth angle θrl from the positional relationship between the following vehicle 1 and the control nearest point as the turning amount. .
The control means performs the third vehicle speed control at a point where the azimuth angle θrl is equal to or greater than the threshold value α, and performs the first vehicle speed control at a point less than the threshold value α. At a point where the amount is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount, the vehicle speed is set using the lateral acceleration information of the point corresponding to the current position of the following vehicle, and at the point where the acquired turning amount is less than the predetermined amount, The vehicle speed is set based on the target point.

Further, in Modification 2 of the second embodiment, the vehicle control device includes a yaw rate acquisition unit that acquires the yaw rate using the acquired travel data in order to acquire the yaw rate using the travel data.
And since the said vehicle control apparatus performs 3rd vehicle speed control, when the yaw rate of the following vehicle 1 is more than threshold value (beta) and is less than threshold value (beta), in order to perform 1st vehicle speed control, a traveling control means is At points where the acquired yaw rate is greater than or equal to a predetermined amount, the vehicle speed is set using the lateral acceleration information of the corresponding point based on the current position of the following vehicle, and at points where the acquired yaw rate is less than the predetermined amount The vehicle speed is set based on the target point.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Following vehicle 2 Prior vehicle 11 Vehicle drive part 12 Vehicle speed sensor 13 Attitude sensor 14 Inter-vehicle communication part 15 Laser radar 17 ECU
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 18 Leading vehicle travel locus recognition part 19 Leading vehicle locus information storage part 20 Vehicle control command calculation part 21 Following vehicle traveling locus recognition part 41 Inter-vehicle communication part 42 ECU
43 Vehicle speed sensor 44 Attitude sensor

Claims (7)

Traveling data acquisition means for acquiring traveling data including point information for identifying a point where the preceding vehicle has traveled and vehicle speed correspondence information corresponding to the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle at the point;
Target point setting means for setting a target point for traveling following the preceding vehicle;
Travel control means for controlling the travel of the following vehicle so as to reach the set target point;
A turning amount acquisition means for acquiring a turning amount using the acquired travel data;
Comprising
When the acquired turning amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, the travel control means determines the vehicle speed of the following vehicle using the vehicle speed correspondence information of the preceding vehicle at a point corresponding to the current position of the following vehicle as a reference. A vehicle control device characterized by setting. The vehicle speed correspondence information is a vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle,
When the acquired turning amount is greater than or equal to a predetermined amount, the travel control means sets the vehicle speed of the following vehicle so that the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle at a corresponding point with reference to the current position of the following vehicle. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle control device is set. The vehicle speed correspondence information is information for specifying a lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle,
When the acquired turning amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, the travel control means has a lateral acceleration of the following vehicle equal to or less than a lateral acceleration of the preceding vehicle at a point corresponding to the current position of the following vehicle. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein a vehicle speed of the following vehicle is set so as to be. Vehicle speed command value acquisition means for acquiring a vehicle speed command value for reaching the set target point,
The travel control means sets the vehicle speed of the following vehicle to the acquired vehicle speed command value when the acquired turning amount is less than a predetermined amount. The vehicle control device described in 1.   When the acquired turning amount is a predetermined amount or more and the value of the acquired vehicle speed command value is greater than 0, the traveling control means is configured to perform the preceding control at a point corresponding to the current position of the following vehicle as a reference. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the vehicle speed of the following vehicle is set using vehicle speed correspondence information of the vehicle.   A vehicle mounted with the vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 and traveling following a preceding vehicle. A travel data acquisition function for acquiring travel data including point information for identifying a point where the preceding vehicle has traveled and vehicle speed correspondence information corresponding to the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle at the point;
A target point setting function for setting a target point for traveling following the preceding vehicle;
A travel control function for controlling the travel of the following vehicle so as to reach the set target point;
A turning amount acquisition function for acquiring a turning amount using the acquired traveling data;
With a computer
When the acquired turning amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, the travel control function determines the vehicle speed of the following vehicle using the vehicle speed correspondence information of the preceding vehicle at a point corresponding to the current position of the following vehicle. A vehicle control program characterized by setting.

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