JP2011240816A - Autonomous running control system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an autonomous running control system that can perform quicker and exact running control when emergency according to the condition of a vehicle.SOLUTION: An autonomous running ECU 1 sets up a travel plan according to situations around the vehicle (relative position information), and when determining that it is necessary to carry out emergency shutdown of the vehicle based on failure information from other ECUs, performs resetting of the travel plan to stop the vehicle, following a control guideline uniquely decided from a usable part which is a specific part other than a failed part of the control system and an emergency stop mode set up beforehand. Moreover, the control system can perform control exactly with a high regard for safety of either the vehicle or the surrounding of the vehicle according to the situation in the vehicle in an emergency by selecting an emergency stop mode based on at least either information on existence of an occupant or a dangerous object in the vehicle and reflecting either a priority mode in the vehicle or a priority mode outside the vehicle to resetting of the travel plan.

Description

  The present invention relates to an autonomous traveling control device that controls a vehicle to automatically travel according to a traveling plan regardless of the presence or absence of a passenger.

  Conventionally, the travel route of a vehicle from the current location to the destination is calculated using a well-known navigation technology, and road markings and obstacles are detected using a sensing technology such as a radar sensor or an image sensor, and the detection is performed. 2. Description of the Related Art An automatic travel control device that sets a travel plan representing vehicle behavior (vehicle speed, acceleration, steering angle, etc.) on a travel route based on information and performs vehicle travel control according to the travel plan is known (for example, Patent Documents) 1).

  In addition, in this type of automatic travel control device, in addition to a normal travel plan, an emergency travel plan is set according to the surrounding conditions of the vehicle, for example, an unexpected vehicle caused by a driver's operation. When the safety level based on the relative relationship between the vehicle and the surrounding situation of the vehicle falls below a predetermined threshold level due to the behavior, it is proposed to perform processing for controlling the vehicle to stop according to the emergency travel plan. (For example, refer to Patent Document 2).

JP 2009-61878 A JP 2009-51356 A

  By the way, nowadays, a driver is required in accordance with navigation technology, sensing technology, various functions installed in a vehicle (for example, ABS function, skid prevention function, auto-cruise function, lane keeping function) and processing speed. The vehicle can be made to travel autonomously to the destination without being tested, and has already been tested.

  In such an automatic travel control device (hereinafter referred to as an autonomous travel control device), since the driver is unnecessary, it is necessary to further enhance the safety aspect compared to the conventional automatic travel control device, specifically, Earlier information on abnormalities in the vehicle's control system is acquired at an earlier stage than detecting an unexpected behavior of the vehicle, and early determination is made as to whether or not the vehicle needs to be urgently stopped based on the abnormal information. There is a need to.

  However, simply by setting an emergency travel plan according to the situation around the vehicle as in the case of a conventional automatic travel control device, it can be determined at an early stage that the vehicle needs to be urgently stopped as described above. Even in such a case, there is a concern that in the event of an emergency, a flexible response is not always possible because the control is uniformly performed regardless of the state of the vehicle.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an autonomous traveling control device capable of performing more rapid and accurate traveling control according to the state of a vehicle in an emergency.

  The autonomous travel control device according to claim 1, which is an invention made to achieve the above object, is an electronic control device that performs travel control of a vehicle in accordance with a preset travel plan, wherein the vehicle position acquisition means includes: The vehicle position information is acquired, and the route calculation means calculates the travel route of the vehicle from the current position to a preset destination based on the position information acquired by the vehicle position acquisition means and map data prepared in advance. To do. Then, the relative position acquisition means detects road lane lines and obstacles in the traveling direction of the vehicle, acquires road lane lines and obstacle relative position information for these vehicles, and the behavior setting means is route calculation means. Based on the travel route calculated in step 1 and the relative position information acquired by the relative position acquisition means, a travel plan representing the behavior of the vehicle on the travel route is set. In addition, since the travel plan is set according to the relative position information, for example, there is a possibility that the relative relationship between the vehicle and the obstacle changes depending on the behavior of the vehicle and the two may collide. If it increases, it will be reset as behavior (a detour, a stop, etc.) for avoiding a collision.

  Furthermore, in the autonomous traveling control device of the present invention, the control abnormality acquisition means acquires abnormality information of the control system in the vehicle. Moreover, when the mode selection means is one of the preset specific parts based on the abnormality information acquired by the control abnormality acquisition means, it is determined that the vehicle needs to be urgently stopped. The vehicle priority mode prioritizes the safety inside the vehicle or the vehicle priority mode prioritizes the safety outside the vehicle based on the information on at least one of the presence / absence of the passenger in the vehicle and the type of the mounted object. Select the emergency stop mode that represents.

  And, the emergency stop setting means, according to the control guidelines set in advance according to the emergency stop mode selected by the usable part and the mode selection means, as a usable part a specific part other than the abnormal part in the control system, The travel plan is set in the behavior setting means so as to stop the vehicle.

  In other words, in the autonomous traveling control device of the present invention, when it is determined that the vehicle needs to be urgently stopped based on the abnormality information of the control system, on the premise that the traveling plan is set according to the situation around the vehicle. In order to stop the vehicle, the travel plan is reset according to a control guideline uniquely determined from a normal specific part (usable part) in the vehicle and an emergency stop mode selected in advance.

  Moreover, in the autonomous traveling control device of the present invention, the emergency stop mode is selected based on at least one of the information on the presence / absence of an occupant in the vehicle and the type of the mounted object, and either the in-vehicle priority mode or the out-of-vehicle priority mode travels. Since it is reflected in the resetting of the plan, it is possible to perform control that accurately emphasizes the safety of either the inside or the outside of the vehicle according to the situation inside the vehicle in an emergency.

  Therefore, according to the autonomous travel control device of the present invention, the necessity of emergency stop in the vehicle and the resetting of the travel plan can be quickly performed, and not only the situation around the vehicle but also a specific part in the vehicle. Since the state of the vehicle and the situation inside the vehicle are reflected in the travel plan, it is possible to perform more rapid and accurate travel control according to the state of the vehicle in an emergency.

  By the way, the emergency stop setting means can execute various kinds of processing in accordance with the above control guidelines. However, as described in claim 2, when the steering control device for controlling the steering of the vehicle is included in the usable part The stop position setting process for causing the route calculation means to calculate the travel route with the stop position for stopping the vehicle as the destination may be executed.

  According to the autonomous travel control device configured as described above, since the steering can be automatically operated using the steering control device, the vehicle is relatively safely guided by guiding the vehicle to the stop position as the destination on the travel route. Can be stopped.

  More specifically, as described in claim 3, as the specific portion, in addition to the steering control device, an engine control device that controls the engine of the vehicle and a brake control device that controls the brake of the vehicle. In the configuration that is set in advance and the candidate location as the stop position is stored in the map data in association with the preset safety level, the following processing may be performed.

  That is, in the stop position setting process, when any one of the engine control device and the brake control device is included in the usable portion together with the steering control device, in the in-vehicle priority mode, the fuel installed in the vehicle is A travelable distance of the vehicle may be calculated based on the remaining amount, and a place with the highest safety level within the travelable distance from the candidate places in the map data may be set as the stop position.

  According to the autonomous traveling control device configured as described above, the steering can be automatically operated using the steering control device, and the vehicle can be automatically braked using the engine control device or the brake control device. In the mode, by guiding the vehicle to the safest stop position within the range in which the vehicle can travel, the vehicle can be stopped with the highest importance on the vehicle itself and the safety in the vehicle.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration in which at least a candidate location as a stop location is stored in the map data, the stop location setting process performs the candidate location in the map data in the out-of-vehicle priority mode. A location closest to the current location may be set as the stop position.

  According to the autonomous traveling control device configured as described above, in the vehicle outside priority mode, the traveling distance of the vehicle having an abnormality in one of the control systems is reduced by guiding the vehicle to the nearest stop position from the current location. This can reduce the time during which the vehicle is likely to be exposed to danger by the vehicle, so that the vehicle can be stopped while relatively focusing on the safety of the surroundings.

  On the other hand, as described in claim 5, when the steering control device is an abnormal part, the emergency stop setting means determines that the steering angle of the vehicle is based on at least one information of the map data and the road lane marking. When the transition is continued, the movable distance that the vehicle can move may be calculated, and an emergency stop process for stopping the vehicle within the movable distance may be executed.

  According to the autonomous traveling control device configured as described above, since the steering is in an inoperable state (or there is a risk of becoming inoperable), the vehicle can move regardless of whether the steering operation is possible. By controlling the braking within the range, the vehicle can be stopped reliably.

  By the way, the emergency stop setting means can execute various processes in accordance with the above control guideline. As described in claim 6, the control guideline is more emergency in the in-vehicle priority mode than in the out-of-vehicle priority mode. The upper limit value of the acceleration of the vehicle in the stop process may be set small. For supplementary explanation, the upper limit value of acceleration is used as a concept that means the upper limit value of deceleration when the vehicle decelerates.

  According to the autonomous traveling control device configured as described above, in the vehicle priority mode, by suppressing the acceleration (deceleration) applied to the vehicle, the vehicle can be stopped with more importance on the safety in the vehicle. Note that when a relatively large acceleration (deceleration) is required to stop the vehicle within the movable distance, various safety devices such as an airbag may be activated.

It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the vehicle-mounted network system containing the autonomous running control apparatus with which this invention was applied. It is a functional block diagram showing the structure of the autonomous running control apparatus with which this invention was applied. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the emergency traveling control process which an autonomous traveling control apparatus performs in detail. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the mode selection process in an emergency travel control process in detail. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the stop position setting process in an emergency travel control process in detail. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the emergency stop process in an emergency travel control process in detail. It is a matrix figure which shows the outline of a control guideline.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[overall structure]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of an in-vehicle network system 10 including an autonomous traveling control device (hereinafter referred to as autonomous traveling ECU 1) to which the present invention is applied.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an in-vehicle network system 10 is a system mounted on a vehicle. In order to autonomously travel the vehicle to a destination, the autonomous traveling ECU 1 includes an engine throttle opening, fuel injection, and the like. For electronic control devices such as an engine ECU 2 that controls the amount, ignition timing, etc., a transmission ECU 3 that controls an automatic transmission, a brake ECU 4 that controls brakes for front, rear, left and right wheels in the vehicle, and a steering ECU 5 that controls the steering of the vehicle Thus, various control commands can be transmitted.

  At least these ECUs 2 to 5 are communicably connected to each other via the communication bus 20 together with the autonomous traveling ECU 1, and a traveling plan (to be described later) as a control command from the autonomous traveling ECU 1 via the communication bus 20. ), The engine, the automatic transmission, the brake, and the steering are controlled so that the driving state specified from the received data is obtained. The brake ECU 4 is also configured to execute a control process for realizing a well-known ABS function and a skid prevention function.

  In addition, each of the ECUs 2 to 5 realizes a well-known self-diagnosis function for diagnosing whether or not these control target devices can be normally controlled based on the operating states of the engine, automatic transmission, brake, and steering, respectively. When the control system abnormality is detected by this process, information representing the detection result (abnormal information) is sent to the autonomous traveling ECU 1 via the communication bus 20. Send.

  In addition to these ECUs 2 to 5, the autonomous traveling ECU 1 includes a position detection unit 11 for acquiring vehicle position information, a map data input unit 12 for inputting map data, road lane markings for vehicles, and obstacles A monitoring sensor unit 13 for acquiring relative position information, a behavior sensor unit 14 for acquiring behavior information indicating the current behavior of the vehicle, and an in-vehicle sensor unit for acquiring in-vehicle information indicating the in-vehicle state 15, a user input unit 16 that accepts an input operation by the user, an emergency lock device 17 that is provided independently of the above-described brake and urgently locks the driving wheels of the vehicle, and fuel ( For example, a fuel sensor unit 18 that detects the remaining amount of gasoline and outputs information indicating the detection result (fuel remaining amount information) is connected.

  The position detector 11 is a GPS receiver that receives radio waves (GPS signals) from GPS artificial satellites, a gyroscope that detects the magnitude of rotational motion applied to the vehicle, acceleration in three axes, and the like. Equipped with an acceleration sensor that detects the travel distance of the vehicle from the ground, a geomagnetic sensor that detects the travel direction of the vehicle from the geomagnetism, etc., and is configured to calculate the current location of the vehicle by so-called autonomous navigation even in situations where GPS signals cannot be received. ing.

  The map data input unit 12 is a device for inputting map data stored in a writable storage medium such as a hard disk, and various updates such as latest road information and traffic information acquired by a wireless communication device (not shown). Information is stored in association with map data, and the map data is upgraded and maintained in the latest state. In addition, the road shape is memorized in the map data in detail, and the candidate location as the stop position when the vehicle needs to be stopped urgently is the road shape, traffic volume, access to the transportation system. It is stored in association with a preset safety level based on ease and the like.

  The monitoring sensor unit 13 includes radar sensors and image sensors installed at front, rear, left and right parts of the vehicle in order to detect at least road marking lines and obstacles in the traveling direction of the vehicle. Among these, the radar sensor detects an obstacle located within a predetermined detection range by transmitting and receiving using at least one of a millimeter wave, a laser beam, and an ultrasonic wave, and relative to the obstacle with respect to the vehicle. Create target information that represents the location. On the other hand, the image sensor captures a surrounding image including a traveling road located in the traveling direction of the vehicle, detects a road marking line on the traveling road, and detects obstacles included in the target information based on the surrounding image. A type (another vehicle, a building, a passerby, etc.) is specified, and information (relative position information) indicating the relative position of the road marking line and the specified obstacle is output.

  The behavior sensor unit 14 uses various sensors used in the position detection unit 11 and also includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects a traveling speed (vehicle speed) of the vehicle, a steering angle sensor that detects a steering angle with respect to the straight traveling direction of the vehicle, and the like. Outputs information (behavior information) based on the detected value.

  The in-vehicle sensor unit 15 includes a pressure sensor that detects the pressure applied to the seat, an in-vehicle camera that captures an image in the vehicle, and the like, for example, when the detection value of the pressure sensor exceeds a predetermined value, it is determined that an occupant is present, Based on the in-vehicle image, the number and configuration of occupants are recognized, the presence / absence of an object in the vehicle is detected, and information (in-vehicle information) indicating these results is output.

  The user input unit 16 is a device for inputting various types of information by the user before the vehicle travels. For example, a screen for receiving information for setting the destination, the type of the mounted object, and the like is displayed on a display or the like. While being displayed, it is comprised so that the information (setting information) input by the user may be output.

[Configuration of autonomous running ECU]
Next, FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of the autonomous traveling ECU 1 as an autonomous traveling control device to which the present invention is applied.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the autonomous traveling ECU 1 calculates a traveling route of the vehicle from the current location to a preset destination, and the behavior of the vehicle on the traveling route calculated by the route calculating portion 21. The behavior setting part 22 which sets the travel plan showing, and the emergency travel control part 23 which performs control for resetting a travel plan at the time of emergency are provided.

  The route calculation unit 21, the behavior setting unit 22, and the emergency travel control unit 23 are periodically executed on a known microcomputer having a CPU, ROM, RAM, EEPROM, DSP (digital signal processor), and the like. As a process to be realized.

  The route calculation unit 21 uses the well-known navigation technique based on the position information acquired by the position detection unit 11 and the map data input from the map data input unit 12 to optimally travel the route from the current location to the destination. Is calculated automatically, and the calculation result is output to the behavior setting unit 22. And when the information which designates the stop position mentioned later from the emergency travel control part 23 is input, it is comprised so that a travel route may be recalculated by using the stop position as the destination.

  The behavior setting unit 22 performs control processing for realizing a well-known auto-cruise function and lane keeping function based on the travel route calculated by the route calculation unit 21 and the relative position information acquired by the monitoring sensor unit 13. At the same time, based on the behavior information acquired by the behavior sensor unit 14, an optimal travel plan representing the behavior of the vehicle (vehicle speed, acceleration, steering angle, etc.) on the travel route is set. For example, when the vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined value, the auto-cruise function follows the preceding vehicle, and when the vehicle speed falls below a predetermined value, the lane is changed to an adjacent lane (such as an overtaking lane) based on relative position information. The vehicle speed is estimated and the vehicle speed before and after the change is compared to execute the process of selecting the optimum travel lane, and the process result is reflected in the travel plan.

  Further, the behavior setting unit 22 calculates the relative speed of the obstacle (for example, another vehicle) and the moving direction from the relative position from the continuous change of the behavior information, and based on the behavior information, the vehicle speed and Predicted travel trajectory of the vehicle that is predicted when the steering angle remains unchanged is obtained, and whether or not there is a possibility of collision between the obstacle and the vehicle on the trajectory (in this embodiment, the possibility of collision based on TTC) The travel plan is reset in order to avoid a collision according to the determination result. When the TTC falls below a predetermined threshold due to the behavior of the obstacle, the travel plan is reset to stop the vehicle urgently. As a supplementary explanation, TTC is a value obtained by dividing the relative distance of the obstacle to the vehicle by the relative speed, and is a margin time from the present time to the provisional collision time (so-called collision margin time). ).

  Further, the behavior setting unit 22 is configured to reset a travel plan for stopping the vehicle according to the control guideline when information specifying a control guideline to be described later is input from the emergency travel control unit 23. ing. Note that the travel plan set by the behavior setting unit 22 is transmitted to the other ECUs 2 to 5 as needed via the communication bus 20 as a control command by the autonomous travel ECU 1, and the ECU 2 to 5 control each device to be controlled. By controlling (engine, automatic transmission, brake, steering), vehicle travel control according to the travel plan is realized.

[Emergency driving control processing]
Next, the control process (emergency travel control process) of the emergency travel control unit 23 will be described in detail along the flowchart of FIG. This process starts when the ignition key (IG key) of the vehicle is turned on and ends when the IG key is turned off.

  First, when this process is started, in S110, it is determined whether or not abnormality information has been received from any of the ECUs 2 to 5 via the communication bus 20. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to S120. If a negative determination is made, the process waits until abnormal information is received.

  In S120, based on the abnormality information received in S110, an abnormality determination process for determining whether or not the abnormal part of the control system is one of the predetermined specific parts is performed, and the process proceeds to S130. In the present embodiment, the engine ECU 2, the brake ECU 4, and the steering ECU 5 are set as the specific parts. Further, in the abnormality determination process, the part of the corresponding control system is handled as an abnormal part when the abnormality level of the control system exceeds a preset threshold level.

  In S130, based on the result of the abnormality determination process in S120, it is determined whether or not the vehicle needs to be urgently stopped. Here, the process result indicates that the abnormal part of the control system is one of the specific parts. If it is shown (that is, if an affirmative determination is made), the process proceeds to S140, whereas if a negative determination is made, the process proceeds to S110.

  In S140, on the basis of the in-vehicle information input from the in-vehicle sensor unit 15 and the setting information set in the user input unit 16, the emergency stop mode representing either the following in-vehicle priority mode or the out-of-vehicle priority mode is selected. The mode selection process to be executed is executed. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing details of the mode selection process.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the mode selection process, when it is determined that there is an occupant in the vehicle based on the in-vehicle information input from the in-vehicle sensor unit 15 (S210; YES), priority is given to the safety inside the vehicle. The in-vehicle priority mode to be set is set (S230), and this process is terminated. Further, even when it is determined that no occupant is present (non-existent) in the vehicle (S210; NO), the type of the placement object is a dangerous article based on the setting information set in the user input unit 16. If it is determined that the vehicle is in the in-vehicle priority mode (S220; YES), the present process is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined that neither the occupant nor the dangerous substance exists in the vehicle (is nonexistent) (S220; NO), an out-of-vehicle priority mode that prioritizes safety outside the vehicle is set (S240), and this processing is performed. Exit.

  Returning to FIG. 3, in S150, a control guideline that is uniquely determined based on the results of the abnormality determination process in S120 and the mode selection process in S140 is extracted from a plurality of control guides prepared in advance. The control guideline is a minimum guideline for causing the behavior setting unit 22 to reset the travel plan when it is necessary to stop the vehicle urgently, and a specific part (hereinafter referred to as an abnormal part) in the control system. A plurality of parts are prepared in advance in association with the usable parts) and the emergency stop mode set by the mode selection process.

  Next, in S160 and subsequent steps, the travel plan is reset in the behavior setting unit 22 to stop the vehicle according to the control guide extracted in S150 (in some cases, the route calculation unit 21 is recalculated. ) Process.

  Specifically, based on the processing result of the abnormality determination process in S120, whether or not the steering ECU 5 is included in the abnormal part of the control system (in other words, the steering ECU 5 is not included in the usable part). Is determined (S160). Here, when it is determined that it is included in the usable part (that is, when a negative determination is made) (S160; NO), the travel route is set to the route calculation unit 21 with the stop position for stopping the vehicle as the destination. A stop position setting process for recalculation is executed (S170), and this process ends. On the other hand, when the steering ECU 5 determines that the abnormal part is included (that is, when an affirmative determination is made) (S160; YES), the vehicle is stopped relatively early without recalculating the travel route. Thus, an emergency stop process for resetting the travel plan in the behavior setting unit 22 is executed (S180), and this process is terminated.

[Stop position setting process]
Next, the stop position setting process in S170 of the emergency travel control process will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, when this process is started, in S310, it is determined whether or not the emergency stop mode set in the mode selection process in S140 of the emergency travel control process is the in-vehicle priority mode. Shifts to S320, and if a negative determination is made, shifts to S350.

  In S320, both the engine ECU 2 and the brake ECU 4 are included in the abnormal part of the control system based on the processing result of the abnormality determination process in S120 of the emergency travel control process (in other words, only the steering ECU 5 can be used) Whether or not). If an affirmative determination is made here, the process proceeds to S350. On the other hand, if any one of the electronic control devices of the engine ECU 2 or the brake ECU 4 is included in the usable part (that is, if a negative determination is made), , The process proceeds to S330.

  In S330, based on the fuel remaining amount information input from the fuel sensor unit 18, the remaining amount of fuel mounted on the vehicle is consumed to calculate the distance that the vehicle can travel (travelable distance). Transition.

  In S340, the map data input from the map data input unit 12 is referenced based on the travelable distance calculated in S330, and the safest level within the travelable distance among the candidate locations as stop positions in the map data. A place with a higher height (the nearest place when there are a plurality of places) is designated as a stop position, information for designating the stop position is output to the emergency travel control unit 23, and this process ends.

  In other words, since the steering can be automatically steered using the steering ECU 5 and the vehicle can be automatically braked using the engine ECU 2 or the brake ECU 4, it is safest within the range in which the vehicle can travel in the in-vehicle priority mode. By guiding the vehicle to a proper stop position, the vehicle is stopped with the highest priority on the vehicle itself and the safety in the vehicle.

  On the other hand, in S350, the map data input from the map data input unit 12 is referred to based on the position information acquired by the position detection unit 11, and the current location of the vehicle is selected from the candidate locations as stop positions in the map data. The location closest to is designated as a stop position, information for designating the stop position is output to the emergency travel control unit 23, and this process is terminated.

  In other words, in the case of the out-of-vehicle priority mode, by reducing the travel distance of the vehicle having an abnormality in at least one of the engine ECU 2 and the brake ECU 4, the time during which the surroundings may be exposed to danger by the vehicle is reduced. By guiding the vehicle to the nearest stop position from the current location, the vehicle is stopped with a relatively high priority on surrounding safety.

[Emergency stop processing]
Next, the emergency stop process in S180 of the emergency travel control process will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, when this process is started, in S410, the map data input unit 12 inputs the behavior information acquired by the behavior sensor unit 14 and the predicted travel locus calculated by the behavior setting unit 22. The maximum distance (movable distance) that the vehicle can move is calculated by referring to the map data and controlling only the vehicle speed (and acceleration) without operating the steering.

  In subsequent S420, it is determined whether or not the emergency stop mode set in the mode selection process in S140 of the emergency travel control process is the in-vehicle priority mode. If an affirmative determination is made here, the process proceeds to S430 and a negative determination is made. In this case, the process proceeds to S460.

  In S430, the protective devices such as well-known airbags as interior parts and well-known pop-up hoods, active grills, hood airbags, etc. as exterior parts are driven into a deployable state so that these protective devices can be quickly activated in the event of a collision. Prepare for operation. As a supplementary explanation, for example, the pop-up hood is a device that operates to lift the rear side of the bonnet hood and forms a space between the engine and the like, and the active grill is between the left and right headlights. Is a device that operates so as to project the radiator grille installed on the front side and forms a space between the radiator and the like. That is, the pop-up hood and the active grill are provided in order to mitigate the impact between a hard engine, a radiator, and the like and an obstacle (passers, other vehicles, etc.).

  In subsequent S440, it is determined whether or not the TTC calculated by the behavior setting unit 22 is less than a predetermined threshold time (in other words, whether or not there is an obstacle within a predetermined distance on the predicted travel locus). If an affirmative determination is made here, the process proceeds to S450, and if a negative determination is made, the process proceeds to S460.

  In S450, the vehicle is urgently stopped within the above-mentioned movable distance by adding a restriction that sets the upper limit value of acceleration in the vehicle (acceleration upper limit value) to be smaller than a predetermined value specified in advance by the control guideline. Then, a control guideline for causing the travel plan to be reset is output to the behavior setting unit 22 and the present process is terminated.

  On the other hand, in S460, which is shifted when a negative determination is made in S440, the vehicle is urgently stopped within the above-mentioned movable distance by adding a constraint that sets the acceleration upper limit value to be larger than a predetermined value defined in advance by the control pointer. A control guideline for resetting the travel plan so as to be output is output to the behavior setting unit 22 and the present process is terminated. By the way, in S460, which shifts to a case where a negative determination is made in S420 (in the case of the out-of-vehicle priority mode), the specified value of the acceleration upper limit defined in advance by the control pointer is used without adding the above-described constraints.

  In the control guideline, in order to stop the vehicle with more emphasis on the safety in the vehicle by suppressing the acceleration (deceleration) applied to the vehicle when there is an occupant or dangerous object in the vehicle, the vehicle priority mode Compared with the out-of-vehicle priority mode, the acceleration upper limit value is defined to be smaller.

[Operation example]
Next, FIG. 7 is a matrix diagram showing an outline of the control pointer, and an operation example will be described with reference to this diagram.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the control pointer is roughly classified according to whether or not the control system related to the automatic steering of the steering is normal (whether or not the steering ECU 5 is included in the usable portion). A setting process is executed, and an emergency stop process is executed when the steering is abnormal.

  In addition, the control guideline is based on whether or not the control system relating to the automatic operation of the engine and the control system relating to the automatic braking of the brake are normal (whether or not the engine ECU 2 and the brake ECU 4 are included in the usable part). It defines the details of vehicle braking control and speed control methods.

Specifically, the autonomous travel ECU 1 stops the vehicle according to the following (1) to (3) when the steering is normal according to the control guideline.
(1) When engine control is normal and brake control is abnormal, braking control is performed using engine braking (and downshifting by an automatic transmission) to guide the vehicle to a stop position (finally) Is stopped using both the engine brake and the emergency lock device 17). In the in-vehicle priority mode, a candidate location having a higher safety level than in the out-of-vehicle priority mode is set as the stop position.

  (2) When the engine control is abnormal and the brake control is normal, the vehicle is stopped by performing speed control (deceleration control) using the brake on the assumption that the engine is in a certain operating state. Guide to position (finally stopped by brake). In the in-vehicle priority mode, a candidate location having a higher safety level than in the out-of-vehicle priority mode is set as the stop position.

  (3) When both the engine control and brake control are abnormal, the emergency lock device 17 is used to guide the vehicle to the stop position by performing braking control to lock / unlock the drive wheels (eventually emergency It is stopped by the locking device 17). Regardless of the setting contents of the emergency stop mode, a candidate location within a predetermined distance (for example, several tens of meters) from the current location of the vehicle is set as the stop position.

  Further, the autonomous traveling ECU 1 stops the vehicle by the following (4) to (7) when the steering is abnormal according to the control guideline. As described above, in the in-vehicle priority mode, the acceleration (deceleration) of the vehicle is suppressed compared to that in the out-of-vehicle priority mode, and if a predetermined collision acceleration is reached due to a collision or the like, The corresponding safety device is activated according to the information (and the setting information).

  (4) When both engine control and brake control are normal, the vehicle is urgently stopped by performing braking control using both engine braking (and downshifting by an automatic transmission) and braking.

  (5) When the engine control is normal and the brake control is abnormal, the vehicle is urgently stopped (eventually emergency) by performing braking control using engine braking (and downshifting by an automatic transmission) It is stopped by the locking device 17).

(6) When the engine control is abnormal and the brake control is normal, the vehicle is urgently stopped by performing the braking control using the brake.
(7) When both the engine control and the brake control are abnormal, the emergency stop device 17 is used to perform braking control for locking / unlocking the drive wheels, thereby urgently stopping the vehicle.

[Correspondence between this embodiment and claims]
In the present embodiment, the position detection unit 11 (specifically, processing for acquiring position information) is a vehicle position acquisition unit, the route calculation unit 21 is a route calculation unit, and the monitoring sensor unit 13 (specifically acquires relative position information). Is a relative position acquisition unit, a behavior setting unit 22 is a behavior setting unit, ECUs 2 to 5 and S110 are control abnormality acquisition units, S120 to S140 are mode selection units, and S150 to S180 are emergency stop setting units.

[Effect of this embodiment]
As described above, in the autonomous travel ECU 1 of the present embodiment, it is necessary to set a travel plan according to the situation around the vehicle and to stop the vehicle urgently based on abnormality information from the other ECUs 2 to 5. Is determined, the travel plan is reset to stop the vehicle according to the control guideline uniquely determined from the usable part and the emergency stop mode.

  In addition, the autonomous travel ECU 1 selects the emergency stop mode based on at least one of the information on the presence or absence of an occupant and a dangerous object in the vehicle, and reflects either the in-vehicle priority mode or the out-of-vehicle priority mode in the resetting of the travel plan. Accordingly, it is possible to perform control that accurately emphasizes the safety of either the vehicle or the surroundings of the vehicle according to the situation in the vehicle in an emergency.

  Therefore, according to the autonomous travel ECU 1 of the present embodiment, the necessity of an emergency stop in the vehicle and the resetting of the travel plan can be quickly performed, and not only the surroundings of the vehicle but also the state of a specific part in the vehicle In addition, since the situation in the vehicle is reflected in the travel plan, more rapid and accurate travel control can be performed according to the state of the vehicle in an emergency.

  Further, in the stop position setting process (process started on the assumption that the steering control is normal) executed by the autonomous travel ECU 1, if both the engine control and the brake control are abnormal even in the in-vehicle priority mode, the map The candidate location closest to the current location in the data is set as the stop position. For this reason, compared with the case where the setting method of a stop position is changed only according to the setting content of emergency stop mode, the travel control (stop control) according to the state of the vehicle can be performed more.

  Further, in the emergency stop process executed by the autonomous travel ECU 1 (process started on the assumption that there is an abnormality in the steering control), even in the in-vehicle priority mode, if the TTC falls below the threshold time, the acceleration is accelerated compared to the specified value. Increase the upper limit value. For this reason, compared with the case where the prescribed value of the acceleration upper limit value is simply used according to the setting content of the emergency stop mode, it is possible to perform the travel control (emergency stop) according to the situation around the vehicle.

[Other Embodiments]
As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, In the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention, it is possible to implement in various aspects.

  For example, in the emergency stop process of the above embodiment, the prescribed value of the acceleration upper limit value is variably set by the threshold determination using the TTC in the in-vehicle priority mode, but this is not restrictive, and the control guideline is used regardless of the TTC. A predetermined value set in advance may be used. Further, even when the specified acceleration upper limit value is variably set, for example, it may be set according to the occupant configuration (number of children or adults) (set as small as possible when a child is riding). .

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the number and structure of a passenger | crew are recognized based on a vehicle interior image (this kind of information is contained in vehicle interior information), it is not limited to this, For example, the user input part 16 This type of information may be input in advance as setting information by the user via the. Conversely, the presence / absence of a dangerous object may be recognized from, for example, a design or character of a sticker affixed to the placed object based on the in-vehicle image.

  Further, in the control guideline of the above embodiment, it is stipulated to execute either the stop position setting process or the emergency stop process depending on whether or not the steering control is normal. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, even when the steering is normal, if both the engine control and the brake control are abnormal, an exception rule may be provided so that an emergency stop process is executed. That is, the control guideline of the said embodiment is an example to the last, and should just be preset according to at least the useable part and emergency stop mode. The transmission ECU 3 may also be set at a specific part.

  The autonomous travel ECU 1 of the above embodiment is intended to automatically drive the vehicle according to the travel plan regardless of the presence or absence of a passenger, but is applied to a conventional automatic travel control device that assists the driver's operation. May be.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Autonomous driving ECU, 2 ... Engine ECU, 3 ... Transmission ECU, 4 ... Brake ECU, 5 ... Steering ECU, 10 ... In-vehicle network system, 11 ... Position detection part, 12 ... Map data input part, 13 ... Monitoring sensor part DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 ... Behavior sensor part, 15 ... In-vehicle sensor part, 16 ... User input part, 17 ... Emergency lock device, 18 ... Fuel sensor part, 20 ... Communication bus, 21 ... Path | route calculation part, 22 ... Behavior setting part, 23 ... Emergency travel control unit.

Claims (6)

Vehicle position acquisition means for acquiring vehicle position information;
Route calculation means for calculating a travel route of the vehicle from the current location to a preset destination based on the position information acquired by the vehicle position acquisition means and map data prepared in advance;
A relative position acquisition means for detecting road lane lines and obstacles in the traveling direction of the vehicle, and acquiring relative position information of the road lane lines and obstacles with respect to the vehicle;
Behavior setting means for setting a travel plan representing the behavior of the vehicle on the travel route based on the travel route calculated by the route calculation means and the relative position information acquired by the relative position acquisition means;
With
In an autonomous travel control device that performs travel control of the vehicle according to the travel plan,
Control abnormality acquisition means for acquiring abnormality information of a control system in the vehicle;
Based on the abnormality information acquired by the control abnormality acquisition means, when the abnormal part of the control system is one of the predetermined specific parts, it is determined that the vehicle needs to be urgently stopped, and the vehicle Represents either the in-vehicle priority mode that prioritizes the safety inside the vehicle or the out-of-vehicle priority mode that prioritizes the safety outside the vehicle, based on the information on at least one of the presence / absence of the passenger and the type of the mounted object Mode selection means for selecting an emergency stop mode;
The specific part other than the abnormal part in the control system is used as a usable part, and the vehicle is stopped according to a control guideline set in advance according to the usable part and the emergency stop mode selected by the mode selection means. Emergency stop setting means for causing the behavior setting means to set the travel plan to
An autonomous travel control device comprising:   The emergency stop setting means calculates the travel route using the stop position for stopping the vehicle as the destination when the steering control device for controlling the steering of the vehicle is included in the usable part. The autonomous travel control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein stop position setting processing to be calculated by the means is executed. In addition to the steering control device, an engine control device that controls the engine of the vehicle and a brake control device that controls the brake of the vehicle are set in the specific part,
In the map data, candidate locations as the stop positions are stored in association with preset safety levels,
In the stop position setting process, in the vehicle priority mode, when the control unit includes any one of the engine control device and the brake control device together with the steering control device, The travelable distance of the vehicle is calculated based on the remaining amount of fuel mounted, and a place with the highest safety level within the travelable distance is set as the stop position from the candidate places in the map data. The autonomous traveling control device according to claim 2, wherein: In the map data, candidate locations as the stop positions are stored,
The said stop position setting process sets the place nearest to the said present location among the said candidate places in the said map data as the said stop position at the time of the said vehicle priority mode. The autonomous traveling control apparatus described.   The emergency stop setting means, when the steering control device is the abnormal part, when the steering angle of the vehicle changes as it is based on at least one information of the map data and the road marking line. 5. The emergency stop process for calculating a movable distance that the vehicle can move and stopping the vehicle within the movable distance is performed. 6. Autonomous travel control device.   6. The autonomous system according to claim 5, wherein the upper limit value of the acceleration of the vehicle in the emergency stop process is set smaller in the in-vehicle priority mode than in the out-of-vehicle priority mode. Travel control device.

Images