JP2012206688A - Congested state determination device and vehicle control apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a congested state determination device that enables detecting a state running in a congestion center section with high accuracy and a vehicle control apparatus that enables improving the fuel consumption by controlling useless acceleration based on the congestion state determination result.SOLUTION: The congested state determination device 20 includes: a speed information obtaining part 21 to obtain the speed of the vehicle; and a travel section determination part 22 to determine the vehicle is traveling the congestion center section when the amplitude of the fluctuation of the speed of the vehicle obtained by the speed information obtaining part 21 is in the predetermined range and the state that acceleration/deceleration driving is carried out within the prescribed range of the speed fluctuation period is detected. Moreover, the vehicle control apparatus 1 includes: the congested state determination device 20; and a vehicle control part 23 that switches the followability based on the determination result of the congested state determination device 20.

Description

  The present invention relates to a congestion state determination device and a vehicle control device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a technique for detecting the degree of congestion on a traveling road based on the acceleration / deceleration frequency within a predetermined time of the vehicle is known. For example, in the vehicular travel control apparatus described in Patent Document 1 below, the degree of congestion on the road is evaluated by measuring the frequency of acceleration / deceleration within a predetermined time.

JP-A-6-191319

  However, the vehicle control apparatus described in Patent Document 1 evaluates the degree of congestion on the road, but does not evaluate whether the vehicle is traveling in the center of the traffic jam on the road. It was not possible to detect with high accuracy that the vehicle was traveling in a traffic jam central zone.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and is a congestion state determination device capable of detecting a state of traveling in a congestion central section with high accuracy, and the congestion. An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device that can suppress useless acceleration based on a state determination result and improve fuel efficiency.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a traffic congestion state determination apparatus according to the present invention includes a speed information acquisition unit that acquires the speed of a vehicle, and the amplitude of a change in the speed of the vehicle acquired by the speed information acquisition unit is within a predetermined range. And travel section determination means for determining that the vehicle is traveling in a traffic jam central section when detecting a state in which acceleration / deceleration operation is performed within a predetermined range of speed fluctuations. And

  According to this, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is traveling in the traffic congestion central section by detecting the characteristics of the traffic congestion central section that the amplitude of the vehicle speed fluctuation is in the predetermined range and the speed fluctuation cycle is in the predetermined range. By doing so, it is possible to determine with high accuracy the state of traveling in the traffic jam central section.

  Moreover, in the congestion state determination apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the speed information acquisition unit acquires the speed of the preceding vehicle. According to this, by using the speed information of the preceding vehicle that enters the congestion center section earlier than the own vehicle, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is traveling in the congestion center section, so that it is at the center of the congestion at an early timing. Can be detected.

  The vehicle control device according to the present invention is characterized by comprising the above-mentioned traffic jam state determination device and vehicle control means for switching the follow-up performance based on the determination result of the traffic jam state determination device. As a result, it is possible to suppress useless acceleration and improve fuel efficiency.

  According to the present invention, it can be detected with high accuracy that the vehicle is traveling in a traffic jam central section.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a congestion state determination device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure showing the relationship between the elapsed time and the vehicle speed in a traffic congestion area. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the congestion center area determination process of the congestion state determination apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows switching of the vehicle control mode according to the traffic congestion center section in the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the vehicle control by the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle control device 1 including a congestion state determination device 20 according to the present embodiment. The vehicle control device 1 is a device that is mounted on a host vehicle and that controls the vehicle travel according to the travel section of the host vehicle. Moreover, the congestion state determination apparatus 20 is an apparatus which determines the traveling area of the own vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle control device 1 includes an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 2, an inter-vehicle distance measurement device 3, a vehicle speed sensor 4, a display device 5, an engine 6 and a brake 7.

  The ECU 2 is mainly configured by a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), an input / output interface, and the like. The ECU 2 is connected to the inter-vehicle distance measuring device 3, the vehicle speed sensor 4, the display device 5, the engine 6, and the brake 7. The ECU 2 includes a speed information acquisition unit 21, a travel section determination unit 22, and a vehicle control unit 23. Among these, the speed information acquisition unit 21 and the travel section determination unit 22 constitute a traffic congestion state determination device 20.

  The speed information acquisition unit 21 functions as a speed information acquisition unit that acquires the speed of the vehicle. The speed information acquisition unit 21 acquires the speed signal of the own vehicle from the vehicle speed sensor 4 when acquiring the speed information of the own vehicle. Further, when the speed information acquisition unit 21 acquires the speed information of the preceding vehicle, the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle acquired from the inter-vehicle distance measuring device 3 and the speed of the own vehicle acquired from the vehicle speed sensor 4. The speed information of the preceding vehicle is acquired based on the signal.

  The travel section determination unit 22 functions as a travel section determination unit that determines whether the host vehicle is traveling in the traffic jam central section based on the vehicle speed information acquired by the speed information acquisition unit 21. Specifically, from the vehicle speed information acquired by the speed information acquisition unit 21, the amplitude and period of fluctuations in the speed of the vehicle are calculated, and it is determined whether the amplitude and period are within a predetermined range. If they are within a predetermined range, it is determined that the vehicle is traveling in the traffic jam central section.

  Here, the traffic jam central section will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the time from when a vehicle enters a traffic jam section until it exits and the vehicle speed. Section A0 is a free travel section in which the vehicle can travel freely. The section A1 is a section in which the vehicle shows a deceleration tendency, and is the last section immediately after the vehicle enters the traffic jam section. Section A2 is a section where the vehicle fluctuates stably and is the central section of the traffic jam section. This section A2 is called a traffic jam central section. The section A3 is a section in which the vehicle shows an acceleration tendency, and is a recovery section before the vehicle exits from the traffic jam section. As described above, the congestion state determination device 20 according to the present embodiment classifies a congestion section into a congestion center section and other sections according to changes in vehicle speed.

  In addition, the vehicle traveling in the traffic jam central section has a characteristic of having a predetermined acceleration / deceleration cycle, speed, and acceleration. That is, the acceleration / deceleration is repeated at a cycle of 20 to 40 seconds, and the acceleration / deceleration operation is performed at a speed of 0 km / h to 40 km / h and an acceleration of 1.0 meter / sec or less. If the speed information of the preceding vehicle has such characteristics, the congestion state determination device 20 of the present embodiment determines that the vehicle is traveling in the congestion central section.

  The vehicle control unit 23 functions as a vehicle control unit that controls the vehicle. A specific example of vehicle control will be described later.

  The inter-vehicle distance measuring device 3 functions as inter-vehicle distance measuring means for measuring the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle, and for example, a laser or a radar is used. The inter-vehicle distance measuring device 3 transmits information on the measured inter-vehicle distance to the ECU 2.

  The vehicle speed sensor 4 is provided, for example, in a wheel portion of the own vehicle, detects the rotation speed of the wheel, and calculates the vehicle speed in the traveling state from the detected rotation speed of the wheel. The vehicle speed sensor 4 transmits vehicle speed information based on the calculated vehicle speed to the ECU 2.

  The display device 5 is a device that provides information to the user visually. For example, the display device 5 displays that the inter-vehicle distance automatic control is performed in a traffic congestion ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) mode, which will be described later. In the present embodiment, the display device 7 is a liquid crystal display, but may be another display device. In addition, it is good also as a structure provided with audio | voice output parts, such as a speaker, with the display apparatus 7. FIG.

  The engine 6 accelerates and decelerates the host vehicle based on control information including acceleration / deceleration information transmitted from the ECU 2. The brake 7 decelerates the host vehicle based on control information including acceleration / deceleration information transmitted from the ECU 2.

  Next, operations of the vehicle control device 1 and the congestion state determination device 20 according to the present embodiment will be described using the flowchart of FIG. The flowchart of FIG. 3 is repeatedly executed by the ECU 2 at a predetermined cycle, for example.

  First, it is confirmed at regular intervals whether or not it is set to perform automatic follow-up while maintaining a constant inter-vehicle distance according to the preceding vehicle (S1). If the automatic follow-up running is not set, the process is finished and a standby state is entered until the next determination timing.

  On the other hand, if the setting for performing the automatic follow-up is performed, the speed information acquisition unit 21 acquires the speed information of the vehicle (S2).

  If the vehicle speed information is acquired, the traveling section determination unit 22 calculates the period and amplitude of the speed fluctuation of the vehicle according to the acquired speed information, and whether or not the vehicle is traveling in the traffic jam central section according to them. It is determined (S3). Specifically, if the cycle of the speed fluctuation of the vehicle is within a certain range, for example, 20 seconds to 40 seconds, and the amplitude of the speed fluctuation is within a certain range, for example, 0 km / h to 40 km / h, the vehicle is congested. It is determined that the vehicle is traveling in the central section.

  An example of processing performed when actually traveling in a traffic jam section will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the switching of the vehicle control mode according to the traffic jam central section in the vehicle control device according to the present embodiment. Curves drawn with a broken line and a thick line in the figure represent the relationship between the speed of the vehicle and the elapsed time, the broken line represents the speed of the preceding vehicle, and the thick line represents the speed of the host vehicle.

  When the vehicle is traveling freely and from the end of the traffic jam until it enters the traffic jam central zone, the speed fluctuation period or amplitude of the preceding vehicle is not within the specified range, so the vehicle is running in the traffic jam central zone Not judged.

  Thereafter, when the host vehicle enters the traffic jam central section, both the speed fluctuation period and amplitude of the preceding vehicle fall within a predetermined range, so that it is determined that the host vehicle is traveling in the traffic jam central section.

  After that, when the vehicle approaches the beginning of the traffic jam and the speed of the preceding vehicle recovers, the speed fluctuation period or amplitude of the preceding vehicle deviates from the specified range. Is done.

  Returning to the flowchart of FIG. If it is determined in S3 that the vehicle is traveling in the traffic jam central section, the vehicle control unit 23 performs vehicle control in the traffic jam ACC mode (S4). On the other hand, when it is determined that the vehicle is not traveling in the traffic jam central section, the vehicle control unit 23 performs vehicle control in the normal ACC mode (S5).

  As an example of control in the traffic congestion ACC mode, vehicle travel control that follows the preceding vehicle, and when traveling in a traffic congestion central section, compared to the normal ACC mode that is a control mode when traveling in other sections There is a control that weakens the ability to follow the preceding vehicle. A specific example of such control will be described separately according to whether the preceding vehicle is accelerating, running steady, or decelerating according to FIG.

  FIG. 5A shows a state where the preceding vehicle is accelerating. In this case, according to the acceleration level of the preceding vehicle, the host vehicle is accelerated within a range that does not cause unnecessary acceleration. FIG. 5B shows that the preceding vehicle has stopped accelerating and is in a steady running state. In this case, it is conceivable that the preceding vehicle decelerates thereafter and the inter-vehicle distance is reduced, so the acceleration of the own vehicle is lowered. FIG. 5C shows a state in which the preceding vehicle starts to decelerate. In this case, the host vehicle also decelerates immediately in order to prevent the inter-vehicle distance from becoming clogged.

  As described above, according to the traffic jam determination device of the present embodiment, by detecting the behavior of the vehicle speed characteristic of the traffic jam central section and determining whether or not the vehicle is traveling in the traffic jam central section, it is highly accurate. It can be determined that the vehicle is traveling in the traffic jam central section. Further, according to the vehicle control device of the present embodiment, it is possible to weaken the followability with respect to the preceding vehicle and improve the fuel efficiency of the own vehicle while traveling in the traffic jam central section.

  In addition, the congestion state determination apparatus and vehicle control apparatus which concern on this invention are not limited to what was described in the said embodiment.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the speed information of the preceding vehicle is acquired from the inter-vehicle distance measuring device 3 and the vehicle speed sensor 4, and the determination of the traffic congestion central section is performed based on the acquired speed information. It may be acquired and the determination of the traffic jam central section may be performed based on the acquired information. In this case, the traffic jam determination device 1 does not need to include the inter-vehicle distance measurement device 3.

  Further, the travel section determination unit 22 calculates the acceleration of the preceding vehicle in addition to the amplitude and period of the fluctuation in the speed of the preceding vehicle from the speed information of the preceding vehicle acquired by the speed information acquisition unit 21, and the speed of the preceding vehicle is calculated. It is preferable to determine that the vehicle has entered the traffic jam central section when the acceleration is within a predetermined range in addition to the fluctuation amplitude and period. By doing in this way, the determination precision of a traffic congestion center area can be raised more.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle control apparatus, 2 ... ECU, 3 ... Inter-vehicle distance measuring device, 4 ... Vehicle speed sensor, 5 ... Display apparatus, 6 ... Engine, 7 ... Brake, 20 ... Congestion state determination apparatus, 21 ... Speed information acquisition part (speed Information acquisition means), 22... Travel section determination section (travel section determination means), 23... Vehicle control section (vehicle control means)

Claims (3)

Speed information acquisition means for acquiring the speed of the vehicle;
When the vehicle detects the state in which the amplitude of the speed fluctuation of the vehicle acquired by the speed information acquisition means is within a predetermined range and the acceleration / deceleration operation is performed within the speed fluctuation period within the predetermined range, Traveling section determination means for determining that the vehicle is traveling in the traffic jam central section;
Congestion state determination device. The speed information acquisition means acquires the speed of the preceding vehicle,
The traveling section determination means is in an acceleration / deceleration operation in which the amplitude of the speed fluctuation of the preceding vehicle acquired by the speed information acquisition means is within a predetermined range and the speed fluctuation cycle is within the predetermined range. When the vehicle is detected, it is determined that the vehicle is traveling in the traffic jam central section.
The traffic condition determination device according to claim 1. The traffic condition determination device according to claim 1 or 2,
When vehicle control is performed to follow the preceding vehicle, and the vehicle congestion state determination device determines that the vehicle is traveling in a traffic congestion central section, the vehicle is not traveling in the traffic congestion central section. Vehicle control means for weakening the follow-up performance with respect to the preceding vehicle as compared with the case where the congestion state determination device determines,
A vehicle control device comprising:

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