JP2010282350A - Collision safety system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a collision safety system for properly supporting vehicle operation and controlling a vehicle according to the state of a driver. <P>SOLUTION: The collision safety system is provided with: an obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle around a vehicle; a collision risk determination means for determining whether the risk of collision between a vehicle and the obstacle is high or not; an alarm means for, when it is determined that the risk of collision is high by the collision risk determination means, notifying the driver of the vehicle about the risk of collision by issuing an alarm sound in the cabin of the vehicle; and a confusion determination means for determining whether or not the driver of the vehicle is confused. When the confusion determination means determines that the driver is confused, the alarm means includes a volume control means for reducing the volume of the alarm sound when it is determined that the driver is not confused. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a collision safety system, and more particularly to a collision safety system mounted on a vehicle.

  Conventionally, a collision safety system that includes a device that supports a driver's avoidance operation in order to avoid a collision between a vehicle and an obstacle and a device that protects an occupant from an impact at the time of the collision has been developed and installed in the vehicle. .

  An example of the collision safety system as described above is disclosed in Patent Document 1. The travel control device disclosed in Patent Literature 1 determines whether or not a vehicle and a surrounding object may collide. Further, the traveling control device determines whether or not the driver is in a state where a safe driving operation cannot be performed. The travel control device does not accept the driver's operation when it is determined that there is a possibility that the vehicle and a surrounding object collide and the driver cannot perform a safe driving operation. Control the vehicle.

JP 2007-269310 A

  According to the travel control device disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above, there is a possibility that the vehicle and a surrounding object may collide, and when it is determined that the driver cannot perform a safe driving operation. The driver's operation is not accepted at all, and a completely automatic vehicle operation is executed. However, if the danger of the collision is informed in advance by an alarm or the like and an avoidance operation by the driver is promoted, the automatic vehicle operation is executed. In some cases, the driver can perform an appropriate avoidance operation on his / her own. However, when prompting the driver to perform an avoidance operation by such an alarm or the like, if the driver is in a confused state, the driver may feel annoyed, or conversely, the confusion may be promoted and appropriate avoidance operation may become difficult is there.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a collision safety system that enables appropriate vehicle operation support and vehicle control depending on the driver's condition.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present application adopts the following configuration. That is, the first invention includes obstacle detection means for detecting obstacles around the vehicle, collision risk determination means for determining whether or not there is a high risk of collision between the vehicle and the obstacle, and collision risk. Whether the vehicle driver is confused with the alarm means for sounding an alarm sound in the passenger compartment of the vehicle and notifying the vehicle driver when the determination means determines that the risk of the collision is high A collision safety system comprising: a confusion determination means for determining whether or not the alarm means is not confused by the driver when the confusion determination means determines that the driver is confused This is a collision safety system including a volume control means for reducing the volume as compared with the case where it is determined.

  According to a second aspect, in the first aspect, the collision safety system includes an accelerator pedal that receives a stepping input by a driver, a driving force control unit that controls a driving force of the vehicle according to a stepping amount of the accelerator pedal, and an obstacle. Obstacle direction determining means for determining whether the vehicle has been detected in front of or behind the vehicle, and depending on the determination results of the obstacle direction determining means, the collision risk determining means, and the confusion determining means, the driving force control means And a driving force increase amount correcting means for controlling an increase amount of the driving force with respect to the accelerator pedal depression amount.

  In a third aspect based on the second aspect, the driving force increase amount correction means determines that the obstacle has been detected in front of the vehicle by the obstacle direction determination means, and the collision risk determination means has a high risk of collision. And when it is determined by the confusion determining means that the driver is confused, it is determined that the driver is not confused by the amount of increase in the driving force relative to the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal in the driving force control means. It is characterized by being made smaller than the case.

  In a fourth aspect based on the second aspect, the driving force increase amount correction means determines that the obstacle is detected only behind the vehicle by the obstacle direction determination means, and the risk of collision by the collision risk determination means. If it is determined that the driver is confused by the confusion determination means, it is determined that the driver is not confused with the amount of increase in the driving force relative to the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal in the driving force control means. It is characterized in that it is larger than the case where it is done.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first and second aspects, the collision safety system includes a brake pedal that receives a depression input by a driver, and a control that controls the braking force of the vehicle according to the depression amount of the brake pedal. The determination result of each of the power control means, the obstacle direction determination means for determining whether the obstacle is detected in front of or behind the vehicle, the obstacle direction determination means, the collision risk determination means, and the confusion determination means. Correspondingly, the braking force control means further comprises a braking force increase correction means for controlling an increase amount of the braking force with respect to the depression amount of the brake pedal.

  In a sixth aspect based on the fifth aspect, the braking force increase amount correcting means determines that the obstacle is detected in front of the vehicle by the obstacle direction determining means, and the risk of collision is determined by the collision risk determining means. If it is determined that the driver is confused by the confusion determining means, it is determined that the driver is not confused by the amount of increase in braking force relative to the amount of depression of the brake pedal in the braking force control means. It is characterized in that it is larger than the case.

  In a seventh aspect based on the fifth aspect, the braking force increase amount correcting means determines that the obstacle exists only behind the vehicle by the obstacle direction determining means, and the risk of collision is determined by the collision risk determining means. If it is determined that the driver is confused by the confusion determining means, it is determined that the driver is not confused by the amount of increase in braking force relative to the amount of depression of the brake pedal in the braking force control means. It is characterized in that it is made smaller than in the case of.

  According to an eighth invention, in any one of the first, second, and fifth inventions, the collision safety system is configured such that a steering wheel that receives a steering input from a driver, and a wheel steering angle of the vehicle according to a rotation amount of the steering wheel. A rudder angle control means for controlling the steering wheel, a rudder angle change correction means for increasing a change amount of the wheel rudder angle according to the amount of rotation of the steering wheel, and a confusion judgment means when it is determined that the risk of collision is high. When it is determined that the driver is confused, the steering angle correction is made so that the timing for increasing the change amount of the wheel steering angle by the steering angle change amount correction means is faster than when it is determined that the driver is not confused. And a timing change means.

  According to a ninth aspect, in any one of the first, second, and fifth aspects, the collision safety system determines that the braking force generating means for generating the braking force of the vehicle and the risk of collision are high. The automatic braking control means that automatically operates the braking force generation means to generate the braking force of the vehicle, and the automatic braking control means generates the braking force when the confusion determination means determines that the driver is confused. It further comprises automatic braking timing changing means for making the timing for operating the means faster than when it is determined that the driver is not confused.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first, second, and fifth aspects, the collision safety system includes a protection device that protects an occupant from the impact of a collision between the vehicle and an obstacle, the vehicle, and the obstacle. A collision avoidance determination unit that determines whether or not a collision of the vehicle cannot be avoided, a protection device operation unit that operates the protection device when it is determined that a collision between an obstacle and a vehicle is unavoidable, and a mess And a protection device operation timing changing unit that, when the determination unit determines that the driver is confused, makes the timing for operating the protection device faster than when the driver determines that the driver is not confused. To do.

  In an eleventh aspect, in the tenth aspect, the protection device is a seat belt that can be wound by electronic control, and the protection device operating means determines that the collision between the obstacle and the vehicle is unavoidable. The seat belt is wound up to increase the restraining force of the vehicle occupant.

  In a twelfth aspect based on the tenth aspect, the protection device is a seat including a backrest portion capable of changing a reclining angle by electronic control, and an airbag that is deployed behind the occupant and supports the occupant. The protection device operating means controls the reclining angle so that the backrest part is tilted backward when the collision between the obstacle and the vehicle is unavoidable, and simultaneously deploys the airbag.

  A thirteenth invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, the confusion determining means captures a driver image in which the driver's face is captured, and processes the driver image to determine whether or not the driver is confused. To do.

  In a fourteenth aspect based on the first aspect, the alarm means is compared with a case in which the warning means determines that the driver is not confused when the confusion determination means determines that the driver is confused. Further, it is further characterized by further including a pitch lowering means for lowering the output.

  In a fifteenth aspect based on the first aspect, the alarm means periodically sounds an alarm sound while the risk of collision is determined to be high by the collision risk determination means. When it is determined by the means that the driver is confused, the alarm sound is output with a longer ringing period than when the driver is determined not to be confused.

  According to a sixteenth aspect, in the first aspect, when it is determined that the risk of collision is high by the collision risk determination means, a warning lamp is lit in the vehicle interior of the vehicle so that the risk of the collision is indicated. A visual alarm means for informing the user, the visual alarm means turning off the warning light when the confusion determining means determines that the driver is confused, or determining that the driver is not confused It includes a lighting mode control means for lighting a warning lamp in a different mode.

  In a seventeenth aspect based on the sixteenth aspect, when the lighting state control means determines that the driver is confused by the confusion determining means, the lighting mode control means has a colder color tone than when the driver is determined not to be confused. A warning light is turned on.

  In an eighteenth aspect based on the first aspect, the volume control means mutes the volume of the alarm sound when the confusion determination means determines that the driver is confused.

  According to the first aspect of the invention, it is possible to provide appropriate vehicle operation support according to the driver's condition. Specifically, the volume of an alarm sound that informs the danger of a vehicle collision can be reduced to notify the danger of the collision without excessively stimulating the driver in a confused state.

  According to the second invention, when the driver is confused, it is possible to appropriately control the driving force of the vehicle and reduce the risk of collision between the vehicle and the obstacle.

  According to the third invention, when a driver in a confused state tries to step on the brake pedal in order to avoid a collision with an obstacle existing in front of the vehicle, the driver has stepped on the accelerator pedal by mistake. However, since the vehicle does not advance rapidly, the risk of collision between the obstacle ahead of the vehicle and the vehicle can be reduced.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the driver is confused, when the accelerator pedal is stepped on to avoid a collision with an obstacle approaching from the rear of the vehicle, a strong acceleration force can be obtained even if the pedal is shallow. Therefore, it is possible to easily avoid a collision between an obstacle approaching from the rear of the vehicle and the vehicle.

  According to the fifth aspect, when the driver is confused, it is possible to appropriately control the braking force of the vehicle and reduce the risk of collision between the vehicle and the obstacle.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, when the driver is confused, when the brake pedal is depressed to avoid a collision with an obstacle existing in front of the vehicle, a strong braking force is obtained even if the pedal is depressed in a shallow manner. Therefore, it is possible to easily avoid a collision between an obstacle in front of the vehicle and the vehicle.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, even if a driver in a confused state tries to step on the accelerator pedal to avoid a collision with an object approaching from behind, even if the driver depresses the brake pedal by mistake, Therefore, the risk of a collision between an obstacle approaching from the rear of the vehicle and the vehicle can be reduced.

  According to the eighth aspect of the invention, when the risk of a collision between the vehicle and an obstacle is high, the steering effect is improved, and the collision avoidance operation by the driver is facilitated. In addition, when the driver is confused, it is determined that the risk of collision between the vehicle and the obstacle is higher than when the driver is not confused, that is, the steering is performed at an earlier timing than when the driver is not confused. The effect of is improved. In addition, when the effectiveness of the steering is improved, the driver can greatly change the traveling direction of the vehicle with a slight amount of rotation of the steering wheel, so that it is easy to avoid the collision between the vehicle and the obstacle.

  According to the ninth aspect, when the risk of collision between the vehicle and the obstacle is high, the braking force is automatically applied to the vehicle, so the risk of collision between the vehicle and the obstacle in front of the vehicle is reduced. Can be reduced. Also, if it is determined that the driver is confused, the braking force is applied to the vehicle earlier and the vehicle speed is reduced compared to when the driver is not confused, so the driver calms down and performs an operation to avoid collision It becomes possible.

  According to the tenth aspect, the protection device that protects the occupant operates when the collision between the vehicle and the obstacle cannot be avoided. In addition, when the driver is confused, it is determined that the collision between the vehicle and the obstacle cannot be avoided at an earlier timing than when the driver is not confused, that is, at an earlier timing than when the driver is not confused. The protection device can be operated.

  According to the eleventh aspect, when the driver is confused, the driver can be strongly restrained to the seat at an earlier timing than when the driver is not confused, and the occupant can be protected more reliably.

  According to the twelfth aspect, when the driver is confused, the driver can be supported by the airbag and the seat at an earlier timing than when the driver is not confused, and the occupant can be protected more reliably.

  According to the thirteenth aspect, for example, it is possible to determine the driver's confusion state more accurately than when determining the driver's confusion state only by voice.

  According to the fourteenth aspect, when the driver is confused, the alarm sound can be notified of the danger of collision without strongly stimulating the driver by lowering the pitch of the warning sound than when the driver is not confused.

  According to the fifteenth aspect, when the driver is confused, the warning sound is informed by voice without strongly stimulating the driver by making the sounding period of the alarm sound longer than when the driver is not confused. Can do.

  According to the sixteenth aspect, it is possible to notify the driver of the danger of collision not only by voice but also visually. In addition, when the driver is confused, the lighting of the warning light can be controlled by, for example, prohibiting the lighting of the warning light, thereby suppressing the driver's stimulation.

  According to the seventeenth aspect, when the driver is confused, the color of the warning light is changed to the cold color, so that the danger of collision can be notified by the warning light without strongly stimulating the driver.

  According to the eighteenth aspect, it is possible to suppress driver discomfort due to alarming. If the driver is confused, the driver may already be aware of the danger of a vehicle collision and may feel annoying an unnecessary alarm sound. In such a case, it is not necessary for the driver to feel bothered by muting the volume of the alarm sound that informs the danger of a vehicle collision.

Block diagram showing the configuration of the collision safety system The figure which shows the flowchart which shows the process which ECU21 performs The figure which shows the continuation of the flowchart shown in FIG. Flow chart showing details of normal setting processing Flow chart showing details of confusion setting process

  Hereinafter, a collision safety system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. First, with reference to FIG. 1, the structure of the collision safety system which concerns on embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the collision safety system. As shown in FIG. 1, the collision safety system includes a front radar device 10, a rear radar device 11, a driver monitoring camera 12, a microphone 13, an ECU 21, an alarm device 31, an accelerator device 32, a brake device 33, a steering device 34, and A seat belt device 35 is provided. Hereinafter, an example in which the collision safety system is mounted on the vehicle 100 will be described.

  The forward radar device 10 is a radar device that detects an obstacle ahead of the vehicle 100. The front radar apparatus 10 is mounted at a position where an obstacle in front of the vehicle 100 can be detected, for example, in a front grill or a front bumper of the vehicle 100. The forward radar apparatus 10 is typically a millimeter wave radar apparatus that employs the FM-CW method. When detecting the obstacle, the forward radar apparatus 10 calculates a distance D from the vehicle 100 to the obstacle and a relative speed V of the obstacle with respect to the vehicle 100. Then, the front radar apparatus 10 outputs a front detection flag to the ECU 21 as data indicating that the obstacle is detected in front of the distance D, the relative speed V, and the vehicle 100.

  The rear radar device 11 is a radar device that detects an obstacle behind the vehicle 100. The rear radar device 11 is mounted at a position where an obstacle behind the vehicle 100 can be detected, for example, in a back door or a rear bumper of the vehicle 100. The rear radar apparatus 11 is typically a millimeter wave radar apparatus that employs the FM-CW method. When the rear radar device 11 detects an obstacle, the rear radar device 11 calculates a distance D from the vehicle 100 to the obstacle and a relative speed V of the obstacle with respect to the vehicle 100. Then, the rear radar device 11 outputs a rear detection flag to the ECU 21 as data indicating that the obstacle is detected behind the distance D, the relative speed V, and the vehicle 100.

  The driver monitoring camera 12 is an imaging device that images a driver of the vehicle 100. The driver monitoring camera 12 is provided, for example, on an upper part of the steering column of the vehicle 100 and captures an image including the driver's face. Hereinafter, an image captured by the driver monitoring camera 12 is referred to as a driver image. The driver monitoring camera 12 outputs data indicating the captured driver image to the ECU 21.

  The microphone 13 is a sound collecting device that collects sound in the passenger compartment of the vehicle 100. Hereinafter, the sound collected by the microphone 13 is referred to as vehicle interior sound. The microphone 13 outputs data indicating the collected vehicle interior sound to the ECU 21.

  The ECU 21 is typically a control device including an information processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a storage device such as a memory, an interface circuit, and the like. Although detailed description will be given later, the ECU 21 is based on various data acquired from the front radar device 10, the rear radar device 11, the driver monitoring camera 12, and the microphone 13, an alarm device 31, an accelerator device 32, a brake device 33, The operation of the steering device 34 and the seat belt device 35 is controlled.

  The alarm device 31 is typically an audio output device that sounds an alarm sound in the passenger compartment of the vehicle 100. The alarm device 31 sounds an alarm sound at a volume and timing according to an instruction from the ECU 21.

  The accelerator device 32 is a control device that controls the driving force of the vehicle 100 in accordance with the operation of the driver. The accelerator device 32 includes an accelerator pedal that receives a driver's operation. The driver performs an input operation to the accelerator device 32 by depressing the accelerator pedal. And the accelerator apparatus 32 increases / decreases the driving force of the motor | power_engine provided in the vehicle 100 according to the depression amount of a driver | operator's accelerator pedal. Specifically, the accelerator device 32 increases the driving force by an amount obtained by multiplying an accelerator pedal depression amount Pa by an accelerator coefficient A. The ECU 21 controls the so-called accelerator effectiveness by changing the magnitude of the accelerator coefficient A.

  The brake device 33 is a control device that controls the braking force of the vehicle 100 according to the operation of the driver. The brake device 33 includes a brake pedal that receives a driver's operation. The driver performs an input operation to the brake device 33 by depressing the brake pedal. And the brake device 33 increases / decreases the braking force of the vehicle 100 according to the depression amount of a driver's brake pedal. Specifically, the brake device 33 increases the braking force by an amount obtained by multiplying the depression amount Pb to the brake pedal by the brake coefficient B. The ECU 21 controls the so-called brake effectiveness by changing the magnitude of the brake coefficient B.

  The steering device 34 is a control device that controls the steering angle of the vehicle 100 in accordance with the operation of the driver. The steering device 34 includes a steering wheel that receives a driver's operation. The driver performs an input operation to the steering device 34 by steering the steering wheel. Then, the steering device 34 changes the steering angle of the vehicle 100 according to the steering amount received by the steering wheel and the value of the steering gear ratio G. The ECU 21 controls the so-called steering effectiveness by changing the value of the gear ratio G.

  The seat belt device 35 is a restraining device that restrains an occupant of the vehicle 100 to the seat. The seat belt device 35 includes a motor that is driven by electronic control, and is configured so that the webbing can be automatically wound by the motor. Although details will be described later, the ECU 21 drives the motor at a predetermined timing to strengthen the occupant's restraining force.

  Next, processing executed by the ECU 21 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a process executed by the ECU 21. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a continuation of the flowchart shown in FIG. For example, when the ignition switch of the vehicle 100 is turned on, the ECU 21 starts the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG. When the process of the flowchart shown in FIG. 2 is started, the ECU 21 first executes the process of step S1.

  In step S1, the ECU 21 determines whether an obstacle has been detected. Specifically, the ECU 21 determines whether data regarding an obstacle is input from either the front radar device 10 or the rear radar device 11. The ECU 21 determines that an obstacle has been detected when data regarding the obstacle is input from either the front radar device 10 or the rear radar device 11, and advances the process to step S4. On the other hand, the ECU 21 determines that no obstacle is detected when no data regarding the obstacle is input from either the front radar device 10 or the rear radar device 11, and advances the processing to step S2.

  In step S2, the ECU 21 stops the alarm sound. Specifically, when an alarm sound is output from the alarm device 31, the ECU 21 outputs an instruction signal for stopping the alarm sound to the alarm device 31. Moreover, when the alarm sound is not output from the alarm device 31, the state is maintained. When the ECU 21 completes the process of step S2, the process proceeds to step S3.

  In step S3, the ECU 21 executes a subroutine for normal setting processing. The normal setting process is a process of setting parameters used for control of each in-vehicle device provided in the vehicle 100 to values suitable for a state in which the driver is not confused. Hereinafter, the normal setting process will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing details of the normal setting process. When the ECU 21 starts the normal setting process, the ECU 21 first executes a process of step S31.

  In step S31, the ECU 21 sets the volume of the alarm sound to a normal value. Specifically, the ECU 21 sets the value of the volume L of the alarm sound to the normal value Ld. The normal value Ld is an arbitrary constant value stored in advance in the storage device of the ECU 21. When the process of step S31 is completed, the ECU 21 advances the process to step S32.

  In step S32, the ECU 21 sets the accelerator effect to a normal setting. Specifically, the ECU 21 sets the accelerator coefficient A to the normal value Ad. The normal value Ad is an arbitrary constant value stored in advance in the storage device of the ECU 21. When the process of step S32 is completed, the ECU 21 advances the process to step S33.

  In step S33, the ECU 21 sets the braking effectiveness to a normal setting. Specifically, the ECU 21 sets the value of the brake coefficient B to the normal value Bd. The normal value Bd is an arbitrary constant value stored in advance in the storage device of the ECU 21. When the process of step S33 is completed, the ECU 21 advances the process to step S34.

  In step S34, the ECU 21 sets the steering effectiveness to a normal setting. Specifically, the ECU 21 sets the value of the steering gear ratio G to the normal value Gd. The normal value Gd is a constant value stored in advance in the storage device of the ECU 21. When the process of step S34 is completed, the ECU 21 advances the process to step S35.

  In step S35, the ECU 21 sets the threshold value Th2, the threshold value Th3, and the threshold value Th4 to normal settings. The threshold value Th2 is a threshold value for determining the timing at which the steering effect is changed more sharply than usual in accordance with the risk of collision between the obstacle and the vehicle 100. The threshold value Th3 is a threshold value for determining the timing for starting the automatic operation of the brake device 33 according to the risk that the obstacle and the vehicle 100 collide. The threshold value Th4 is a threshold value for determining the timing at which the seat belt is automatically wound according to the risk of collision between the obstacle and the vehicle 100. The ECU 21 sets the threshold value Th2, the threshold value Th3, and the threshold value Th4 to the normal value Th2d, the normal value Th3d, and the normal value Th4d, respectively. The normal value Th2d, the normal value Th3d, and the normal value Th4d are arbitrary constant values stored in advance in the storage device of the ECU 21. When the process of step S35 is completed, the ECU 21 advances the process to step S16 of FIG.

  According to the processing from step S1 to step S3, when no obstacle is detected, the alarm is stopped and the parameters used for the operation of various in-vehicle devices are initialized.

On the other hand, in step S4, the ECU 21 calculates a predicted collision time TTC. The predicted collision time TTC is a time expected to be required until the obstacle detected in step S1 and the vehicle 100 collide. Specifically, the ECU 21 acquires the distance D and the relative speed V from the front radar device 10 and the rear radar device 11 to the obstacle, and calculates the collision time TTC based on the following equation (1).
TTC = D / V (1)
When the ECU 21 completes the process of step S4, the process proceeds to step S5.

  In step S5, the ECU 21 determines whether or not the collision time TTC is equal to or less than the threshold value Th1. The threshold value Th1 is a threshold value for determining whether or not there is a high risk of collision between the vehicle 100 and an obstacle. Note that the value of the threshold Th1 is an arbitrary constant stored in advance in the storage device of the ECU 21. If the collision time TTC is equal to or less than the threshold value Th1, the ECU 21 determines that there is a high risk of collision between the vehicle 100 and the obstacle, and advances the process to step S6. On the other hand, if the collision time TTC is greater than the threshold Th1, the ECU 21 determines that the risk of collision between the vehicle 100 and the obstacle is low, and advances the process to step S2.

  In step S6, the ECU 21 acquires driver information. Specifically, the ECU 21 acquires a driver image output from the driver monitoring camera 12. In addition, the ECU 21 acquires the sound in the passenger compartment from the microphone 13. When the ECU 21 completes the process of step S6, the process proceeds to step S7.

  In step S7, the ECU 21 determines whether or not the driver is confused. Specifically, the ECU 21 processes the driver image acquired in step S6, for example, and determines whether or not the driver's line of sight is moving significantly. Further, the ECU 21 processes the vehicle interior sound acquired in step S6, and determines whether or not the occupant is producing a louder voice than a predetermined threshold. When it is determined that the driver's line of sight is moving sharply and the occupant is producing a voice larger than a predetermined threshold, the ECU 21 determines that the driver is confused. If it is possible to determine whether or not the driver is confused, the ECU 21 is not limited to the above processing, and may determine whether or not the driver is confused by a conventionally known method. If the ECU 21 determines that the driver is confused, the process proceeds to step S8. On the other hand, if the ECU 21 determines that the driver is not confused, the process of step S8 is omitted, and the process proceeds to step S9.

  In step S8, the ECU 21 executes a subroutine for confusion setting processing. The normal setting process is a process of setting parameters used for control of each in-vehicle device provided in the vehicle 100 to values suitable for a state in which the driver is confused (hereinafter referred to as a confused state). The confusion setting process will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing details of the confusion setting process. When starting the confusion setting process, the ECU 21 first executes the process of step S81.

  In step S81, the ECU 21 reduces the volume of the alarm sound from the normal setting. Specifically, the ECU 21 sets the value of the volume L of the alarm sound to a correction value Lf that is smaller than the normal value Ld. The correction value Lf is an arbitrary constant value stored in advance in the storage device of the ECU 21. When the process of step S81 is completed, the ECU 21 advances the process to step S82.

  According to the process of step S81, when the risk of collision between the vehicle 100 and the obstacle is high, and the driver is confused, the warning sound is emitted as compared with the normal time (when the driver is not confused). The volume is set low. Therefore, the danger of the collision can be notified without excessively stimulating the driver in a confused state.

  The correction value Lf may be set to a value for muting the alarm sound. By muting the volume of the warning sound, it is possible to prevent the driver who has already recognized the danger of a collision and became in a confused state from bothering. In the above description, the example in which the correction value Lf is determined in advance has been described. However, as long as the value of the volume L can be set smaller than the normal value Ld, the value is set to the value of the volume L by an arbitrary method. I do not care.

  Further, in the process of step S81, the control in which the ECU 21 reduces the volume L of the alarm sound from the normal setting has been described. However, the ECU 21 may further lower the pitch of the alarm sound from the normal setting. Further, when the alarm sound is a sound that is ringed periodically, the ECU 21 may set the ringing period longer than the normal setting in step S81. In this way, by changing the pitch of the warning sound and the ringing cycle, it is possible to notify the danger of a collision by voice without strongly stimulating a confused driver.

  In step S82, the ECU 21 determines whether an obstacle exists only behind the vehicle. Specifically, the ECU 21 determines whether or not data indicating a front detection flag is input from the front radar device 10 and data indicating a rear detection flag is input from the rear radar device 11. When the data indicating the front detection flag is not input from the front radar device 10 and the data indicating the rear detection flag is input from the rear radar device 11, the ECU 21 has an obstacle only in the rear of the vehicle. Determination is made, and the process proceeds to step S83. On the other hand, when data indicating the front detection flag is input from the front radar device 10 or when data indicating the rear detection flag is not input from the rear radar device 11, that is, the obstacle is both front and rear of the vehicle. If the obstacle exists in the vehicle or if there is no obstacle behind the vehicle, the ECU 21 advances the process to step S85.

  In step S83, the ECU 21 makes the accelerator effect better than the normal setting. Specifically, the ECU 21 sets the value of the accelerator coefficient A to the correction value Af. The correction value Af is a constant stored in the ECU 21 in advance, and is a value larger than the normal value Ad. When the process of step S83 is completed, the ECU 21 advances the process to step S84.

  In step S84, the ECU 21 makes the braking effect slower than the normal setting. Specifically, the ECU 21 sets the value of the brake coefficient B to the correction value Bf. The correction value Bf is a constant stored in advance in the ECU 21 and is a value smaller than the normal value Bd. When the process of step S84 is completed, the ECU 21 advances the process to step S87.

  According to the processing from step S82 to step S84, when there is an obstacle only behind the vehicle 100, there is a high risk of collision between the obstacle and the vehicle, and the driver is confused, the accelerator Is set to be better than the normal setting, and the brake is set to be slower than the normal setting. For example, assuming a situation in which the following vehicle collides from the rear of the vehicle 100, if there is no obstacle in front of the vehicle 100, the driver of the vehicle 100 avoids the collision by accelerating the vehicle 100. It becomes easy to do. However, when the driver is in a confused state, the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal may be depressed by mistake. In that regard, according to the above processing, unnecessary deceleration of the vehicle 100 can be suppressed even when the driver depresses the brake pedal by mistake. Further, since the acceleration of the vehicle 100 when the driver depresses the accelerator pedal is improved, it is easy to avoid collision with the obstacle by escaping from the obstacle behind the vehicle.

  Note that the ECU 21 may perform a process of completely invalidating the input to the brake pedal by the driver in step S83.

  In step S85, the ECU 21 makes the accelerator effect slower than the normal setting. Specifically, the ECU 21 sets the value of the accelerator coefficient A to the correction value Ar. The correction value Ar is a constant stored in the ECU 21 in advance and is smaller than the normal value Ad. When the process of step S85 is completed, the ECU 21 advances the process to step S86.

  In step S86, the ECU 21 makes the braking effectiveness better than the normal setting. Specifically, the ECU 21 sets the value of the brake coefficient B to the correction value Br. The correction value Br is a constant stored in the ECU 21 in advance, and is a value larger than the normal value Bd. When the process of step S84 is completed, the ECU 21 advances the process to step S87.

  According to the processing of step S82, step S85, and step S86, when there is an obstacle ahead of the vehicle, there is a high risk that the obstacle and the vehicle will collide, and the driver is confused, The accelerator effect is set to be slower than the normal setting, and the brake effect is set to be better than the normal setting. When the driver is in a confused state, the brake pedal and the accelerator pedal may be depressed by mistake, but according to the above processing, unnecessary acceleration of the vehicle 100 when the accelerator pedal is depressed by mistake is suppressed. Can do. In addition, since the braking force when the brake pedal is depressed is improved, the risk of collision between the vehicle 100 and the obstacle in front can be reduced.

  Note that the ECU 21 may perform a process of completely invalidating the input to the accelerator pedal by the driver in step S85.

  In step S87, the ECU 21 sets the threshold value Th2 as the correction value Th2f, the threshold value Th3 as the correction value Th3f, and the threshold value Th4 as the correction value Th4f. The correction value Th2f is a constant value larger than the normal value Th2d stored in advance in the storage device of the ECU 21. The correction value Th3f is a constant value larger than the normal value Th3d stored in the storage device of the ECU 21 in advance. The correction value Th3f is a constant value larger than the normal value Th3d stored in the storage device of the ECU 21 in advance. When the process of step S87 is completed, the ECU 21 completes the confusion setting process and advances the process to step S9 of FIG.

  In step S9, the ECU 21 outputs an alarm sound. Specifically, the ECU 21 outputs an instruction signal for sounding an alarm sound to the alarm device 31. When the process of step S9 is completed, the ECU 21 advances the process to step S10 of FIG.

  In step S10, the ECU 21 determines whether or not the predicted collision time TTC is equal to or less than a threshold value Th2. ECU21 advances a process to step S11, when collision prediction time TTC is below threshold value Th2. On the other hand, if the predicted collision time TTC is greater than the threshold value Th2, the ECU 21 skips step S11 and advances the process to step S12.

  In step S11, the ECU 21 improves the effectiveness of the steering from the normal setting. Specifically, the ECU 21 sets the value of the steering gear ratio G to the correction value Gf. The correction value Gf is a constant stored in the ECU 21 in advance, and is a value smaller than the normal value Gd. Note that the smaller the gear ratio G, the greater the change in the steering angle with respect to the driver's steering amount. That is, the effectiveness of steering is improved. When the process of step S11 is completed, the ECU 21 advances the process to step S12.

  According to the process of step S10, it is determined whether or not there is a high risk of collision between the vehicle 100 and the obstacle. Then, according to the processing of step S10 and step S11 described above, when it is determined that there is a high risk of collision between the vehicle 100 and the obstacle, the effectiveness of the steering is improved. Therefore, the driver can greatly change the traveling direction of the vehicle by slightly rotating the steering wheel, and the operation for avoiding the collision becomes easy. Further, as described in step S87, when the driver is in a confused state, the value of the threshold Th2 becomes larger than the normal setting, so that the steering effect is improved at an earlier timing than the normal setting. Therefore, when the driver is confused, the steering operation for avoiding the collision by the driver becomes easy at an early timing.

  In step S12, the ECU 21 determines whether or not the predicted collision time TTC is equal to or less than a threshold value Th3. When the collision prediction time TTC is equal to or less than the threshold Th3, the ECU 21 advances the process to step S13. On the other hand, when the predicted collision time TTC is greater than the threshold Th3, the ECU 21 skips the process of step S13 and advances the process to step S14.

  In step S13, the ECU 21 automatically operates the brake device 33. Specifically, the ECU 21 outputs an instruction signal for generating a braking force regardless of the operation of the driver to the brake device 33. When the process of step S13 is completed, the ECU 21 advances the process to step S14.

  According to the process of step S12, it is determined whether or not there is a high risk of collision between the vehicle 100 and the obstacle. Then, according to the processing in step S12 and step S13, when it is determined that there is a high risk of collision between the vehicle 100 and the obstacle, the brake device 33 automatically operates and braking force acts on the vehicle 100. To do. Therefore, the danger of a collision between the vehicle 100 and an obstacle ahead can be reduced. Further, as described in step S87 above, when the driver is in a confused state, the value of the threshold value Th3 becomes larger than the normal setting, so that the brake device 33 automatically operates at an earlier timing than the normal setting. Therefore, a confused driver can calmly perform an operation for avoiding a collision.

  In step S14, the ECU 21 determines whether or not the predicted collision time TTC is equal to or less than a threshold value Th4. If the predicted collision time TTC is equal to or less than the threshold value Th4, the ECU 21 advances the process to step S15. On the other hand, if the predicted collision time TTC is greater than the threshold Th4, the ECU 21 skips the process of step S15 and advances the process to step S16.

  In step S15, the ECU 21 automatically winds up the seat belt. Specifically, the ECU 21 outputs an instruction signal for winding the webbing by driving the motor to the seat belt device 35. When the process of step S15 is completed, the ECU 21 advances the process to step S16.

  According to the process of step S14, it is determined whether or not there is a high risk of collision between the vehicle 100 and the obstacle. Note that the value of the threshold Th4 is preferably set to a value smaller than the threshold Th1, the threshold Th2, and the threshold Th3 so that it can be determined whether or not a collision is inevitable. According to the process of step S14 and step S15, when it is determined that the collision between the vehicle 100 and the obstacle is high and the collision is unavoidable, the motor of the seat belt device 35 automatically operates. The passenger is strongly restrained by the seat of the vehicle 100. Therefore, it is possible to reduce damage to the occupant when the vehicle 100 collides with an obstacle in front.

  Further, as described in step S87, when the driver is in a confused state, the value of the threshold value Th4 becomes larger than the normal setting, so that the seat belt device 35 automatically operates at an earlier timing than the normal setting. When the driver is in a confused state, it is considered that there is a high possibility that the obstacle and the vehicle 100 will collide with each other as compared with the normal setting. By operating at an early stage, the passenger can be reliably protected from the impact of the collision.

  The seat belt device 35 is an example of a protection device for protecting an occupant from a collision, and the ECU 21 may operate a protection device other than the seat belt device 35 in step S15. For example, a case is assumed in which an airbag is mounted on the vehicle 100, and a seat provided in the vehicle 100 is configured so that the reclining angle of the seat can be automatically changed by electronic control. In such a case, the ECU 21 may control the direction in which the seat reclining angle is generated in step S15 and protect the occupant by deploying the airbag. Moreover, when the headrest of the seat is configured to be movable in the front-rear direction by electronic control, the ECU 21 may protect the passenger's head by moving the position of the headrest forward.

  In step S16, the ECU 21 determines whether an end process has been executed. Specifically, the ECU 21 determines whether or not the ignition switch of the vehicle 100 is turned off. When the ignition switch of vehicle 100 is turned off, ECU 21 determines that the end process has been executed, and ends the processes of the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. On the other hand, when the ignition switch of the vehicle 100 is not turned off, the ECU 21 determines that the end process is not executed, returns the process to step S1, and repeatedly executes the processes from step S1 to step S15.

  As described above, according to the collision safety system according to the present embodiment, it is possible to execute appropriate vehicle operation support and vehicle control in accordance with the state of the driver.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the ECU 21 outputs a sound from the alarm device 31 to notify the driver of the risk of a collision has been described. However, the ECU 21 may notify the driver of the risk of a collision by means other than sound. I do not care.

  For example, the ECU 21 may notify the danger of the collision by turning on a lamp such as an illumination lamp in a passenger compartment or a warning lamp provided in a meter panel or the like instead of outputting sound. Specifically, the ECU 21 turns off the lamp in step S2. In step S31, the ECU 21 sets the color tone of the lamp to a warm color tone, and in step S81, the ECU 21 sets the color tone of the lamp to a cold color tone. Then, the ECU 21 turns on the lamp in step S9. According to such processing, when the driver is confused, the color of the warning light is changed to a cold color, so that the danger of collision can be notified by the warning light without strongly stimulating the driver.

  Instead of changing the color tone according to the driver's confused state as described above, the lamp may be turned off when the driver is confused. Such a process can also suppress the stimulation caused by the lighting of the warning light to the driver who is confused.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which obstacles around the vehicle 100 are detected based on the front radar device 10 and the rear radar device 11 has been described. However, obstacles around the vehicle 100 may be detected using other methods. You can detect it. For example, instead of the front radar device 10 and the rear radar device 11, an obstacle may be detected using an imaging device that captures an image around the vehicle 100.

  In the above embodiment, the ECU 21 has described an example in which the risk of collision between the obstacle and the vehicle 100 is determined based on information acquired from the front radar device 10 and the rear radar device 11. You may determine the danger of the said collision further using other information. For example, the ECU 21 acquires inertial force and yaw rate information acting on the vehicle 100 from an inertial force sensor provided in the vehicle 100 or a yaw rate sensor, and based on the information, the risk of collision between the obstacle and the vehicle 100 is obtained. The determination may be made by a conventionally known method.

  The collision safety system according to the present invention is useful as a collision safety system that enables appropriate vehicle operation support and vehicle control depending on the driver's condition.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Front radar apparatus 11 Back radar apparatus 12 Driver monitoring camera 13 Microphone 21 ECU
31 Alarm Device 32 Accelerator Device 33 Brake Device 34 Steering Device 35 Seat Belt Device 100 Vehicle

Claims (18)

Obstacle detection means for detecting obstacles around the vehicle;
A collision risk determination means for determining whether or not the risk of collision between the vehicle and the obstacle is high;
An alarm means for sounding an alarm sound in a vehicle cabin of the vehicle and notifying the driver of the vehicle of the risk of collision when the collision risk determination means determines that the risk of the collision is high;
A collision safety system comprising a confusion determination means for determining whether or not the driver of the vehicle is confused,
The alarm means includes a volume control means for reducing the volume of the warning sound when compared with a case where the driver determines that the driver is not confused when it is determined that the driver is confused by the confusion determining means. Including collision safety system. The collision safety system includes:
An accelerator pedal that accepts a depression input by the driver;
Driving force control means for controlling the driving force of the vehicle according to the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal;
Obstacle direction determination means for determining whether the obstacle is detected in front of or behind the vehicle;
Drive that controls the amount of increase in the driving force with respect to the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal in the driving force control means according to the determination results of the obstacle direction determination means, the collision risk determination means, and the confusion determination means The collision safety system according to claim 1, further comprising force increase amount correction means.   The driving force increase amount correcting means determines that the obstacle is detected in front of the vehicle by the obstacle direction determining means, determines that the risk of collision is high by the collision risk determining means, and When it is determined by the confusion determination means that the driver is confused, when it is determined that the driver is not confused with the amount of increase in the driving force relative to the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal in the driving force control means The collision safety system according to claim 2, wherein the collision safety system is made smaller than.   The driving force increase amount correcting means determines that the obstacle is detected only behind the vehicle by the obstacle direction determining means, and determines that the risk of the collision is high by the collision risk determining means. And when it is determined that the driver is confused by the confusion determining means, it is determined that the driver is not confused with the amount of increase in the driving force with respect to the depression amount of the accelerator pedal in the driving force control means. The collision safety system according to claim 2, wherein the collision safety system is made larger than a case where the collision is made. The collision safety system includes:
A brake pedal for receiving a stepping input by the driver;
Braking force control means for controlling the braking force of the vehicle according to the depression amount of the brake pedal;
Obstacle direction determination means for determining whether the obstacle is detected in front of or behind the vehicle;
In accordance with the determination results of the obstacle direction determination means, the collision risk determination means, and the confusion determination means, a control for controlling the amount of increase in the braking force with respect to the depression amount of the brake pedal in the braking force control means. The collision safety system according to claim 1, further comprising a power increase amount correction unit.   The braking force increase amount correcting means determines that the obstacle is detected in front of the vehicle by the obstacle direction determining means, determines that the risk of the collision is high by the collision risk determining means, and When it is determined that the driver is confused by the confusion determining means, it is determined that the driver is not confused with respect to the amount of increase in the braking force with respect to the depression amount of the brake pedal in the braking force control means. The collision safety system according to claim 5, wherein the collision safety system is larger than that of the case.   The braking force increase correction means determines that the obstacle exists only behind the vehicle by the obstacle direction determination means, determines that the risk of collision is high by the collision risk determination means, and When it is determined that the driver is confused by the confusion determining means, it is determined that the driver is not confused with respect to the amount of increase in the braking force with respect to the depression amount of the brake pedal in the braking force control means. 6. The collision safety system according to claim 5, wherein the collision safety system is made smaller than that of the case. The collision safety system includes:
A steering wheel for receiving steering input by the driver;
Steering angle control means for controlling the wheel steering angle of the vehicle according to the amount of rotation of the steering wheel;
When it is determined that the risk of collision is high, a steering angle change amount correction unit that increases a change amount of the wheel steering angle according to the rotation amount of the steering wheel;
When it is determined that the driver is confused by the confusion determining means, it is determined that the driver is not confused when the change amount of the wheel steering angle is increased by the rudder angle change amount correcting means. The collision safety system according to any one of claims 1, 2, and 5, further comprising a rudder angle correction timing changing means for making the speed faster than the case. The collision safety system includes:
Braking force generating means for generating braking force of the vehicle;
Automatic braking control means for automatically operating the braking force generating means to generate the braking force of the vehicle when it is determined that the risk of the collision is high;
When it is determined that the driver is confused by the confusion determining means, the timing for operating the braking force generating means by the automatic braking control means is set earlier than when it is determined that the driver is not confused. 6. The collision safety system according to claim 1, further comprising automatic braking timing changing means. The collision safety system includes:
A protection device for protecting an occupant from the impact of a collision between the vehicle and an obstacle;
A collision avoidance determination unit that determines whether it is impossible to avoid a collision between the vehicle and the obstacle;
When it is determined that a collision between the obstacle and the vehicle is unavoidable, the protection device operating means for operating the protection device;
And a protection device operation timing changing means for causing the timing for operating the protection device to be earlier than when the driver is determined not to be confused when it is determined that the driver is confused by the confusion determination means. 6. A collision safety system according to any one of claims 1, 2 or 5, comprising: The protective device is a seat belt that can be wound up electronically,
The said protection device operation | movement means winds up the said seatbelt when it determines with the collision with the said obstruction and the said vehicle being unavoidable, The strengthening force of the passenger | crew of the said vehicle is strengthened. Collision safety system. The protective device is
Seat with a backrest that can change the reclining angle by electronic control,
And an airbag that is deployed behind the occupant to support the occupant,
The protection device operating means controls a reclining angle so as to tilt the backrest backward when the collision between the obstacle and the vehicle is unavoidable, and simultaneously deploys the airbag. Item 11. The collision safety system according to Item 10.   2. The collision safety system according to claim 1, wherein the confusion determination unit captures a driver image in which the driver's face is captured, processes the driver image, and determines whether or not the driver is confused.   If the alarm means determines that the driver is confused by the confusion determination means, the alarm sound is output with a lower pitch than the case where the driver determines that the driver is not confused. The collision safety system of claim 1 further comprising a degrading means. The warning means periodically rings the warning sound while it is determined that the risk of collision is high by the collision risk determination means.
When the driver determines that the driver is confused by the confusion determination unit, the alarm means outputs a longer ringing period of the alarm sound than when it is determined that the driver is not confused The collision safety system according to claim 1. Visual warning means for turning on a warning light in the vehicle interior of the vehicle and notifying the driver of the vehicle of the danger of collision when the collision risk level determination means determines that the risk of the collision is high. Prepared,
The visual warning means turns off the warning light when the driver determines that the driver is confused by the confusion determining means, or the warning is different from a case where it is determined that the driver is not confused. The collision safety system according to claim 1, further comprising lighting mode control means for lighting the lamp.   When the lighting mode control means determines that the driver is confused by the confusion determination means, the lighting mode control means turns on the warning light in a cooler tone than when it is determined that the driver is not confused. The collision safety system according to claim 16.   2. The collision safety system according to claim 1, wherein the volume control unit mutes the volume of the warning sound when the driver determines that the driver is confused by the confusion determination unit.

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