JP2012206689A - Vehicle control apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle control apparatus that can suppress deterioration traffic flow caused by following vehicles as much as possible.SOLUTION: The vehicle control apparatus 10 for controlling the behavior of an own vehicle C includes: an ITS ECU 3 that determines the behavior of the own vehicle C based on state information on a traffic condition around the own vehicle C; and an information providing device 4 that adjusts light quantity of a brake lamp according to a determined behavior of the own vehicle. Accordingly, a driver of the vehicle following the own vehicle C can be notified of the behavior of the own vehicle C in advance by recognizing the light quantity of the adjusted brake lamp. As a result, as it is sure that the driver in the following vehicle feels less discomfort with the behavior of the own vehicle C while driving, the traffic flow of the following vehicles can be suppressed as much as possible.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle control device that controls the behavior of a host vehicle.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known an apparatus that predicts the behavior of surrounding vehicles and presents a recommended driving operation of the host vehicle based on the predicted behavior. For example, the following Patent Document 1 discloses a recommended operation amount generation device for a vehicle that predicts the future behavior of surrounding vehicles, generates a future operation plan of the host vehicle, and generates a recommended operation amount based thereon. ing.

JP 2003-228800 A

  Since the driver of the vehicle following the host vehicle equipped with the recommended operation amount generation device for a vehicle described in Patent Document 1 cannot know the recommended action including the recommended operation amount, As a result of driving with a sense of incongruity, there is a possibility that the traffic flow will decrease.

  Then, this invention makes it a subject to provide the vehicle control apparatus which can suppress the fall of the traffic flow by a following vehicle as much as possible.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a vehicle control device according to the present invention is a vehicle control device that controls the behavior of the host vehicle, and determines the behavior of the host vehicle based on situation information related to traffic conditions around the host vehicle. It is characterized by comprising a determining means and an adjusting means for adjusting the light quantity of the brake lamp in accordance with the behavior of the host vehicle determined by the determining means.

  Here, the vehicle control device according to the present invention determines the behavior of the host vehicle based on the situation information regarding the traffic situation around the host vehicle, and adjusts the amount of light of the brake lamp according to the determined behavior of the host vehicle. . For this reason, the driver of the following vehicle of the own vehicle can recognize the behavior of the own vehicle in advance by recognizing the adjusted light quantity of the brake lamp. As a result, the driver of the following vehicle can more reliably eliminate driving with a sense of incongruity with respect to the behavior of the own vehicle, so that it is possible to suppress a decrease in traffic flow caused by the following vehicle as much as possible.

  The situation information is lighting information related to lighting of a traffic light in front of the host vehicle, or behavior information related to the behavior of the preceding vehicle of the host vehicle, and the determining means determines the following vehicle of the preceding vehicle from the behavior of the preceding vehicle of the host vehicle. It is also preferable to predict speed propagation to the behavior and determine the behavior of the host vehicle based on the prediction result.

  Thereby, the vehicle control apparatus predicts speed propagation to the behavior of the subsequent vehicle of the preceding vehicle based on the lighting information or the behavior information, and determines the behavior of the host vehicle based on the prediction result. Thus, by predicting the speed propagation of the preceding vehicle to the behavior of the subsequent vehicle, it is possible to determine a more appropriate behavior of the host vehicle. As a result, the driver of the following vehicle can more reliably eliminate driving with a sense of incongruity with respect to the behavior of the own vehicle, so that it is possible to suppress a decrease in traffic flow caused by the following vehicle as much as possible.

  In addition, the vehicle control device preferably further includes notification means for notifying the driver of operation information for realizing the behavior of the host vehicle determined by the determination unit as recommended information when operating the host vehicle. .

  As a result, the vehicle control device notifies the driver of operation information for realizing the determined behavior of the host vehicle as information recommended when operating the host vehicle. In this way, by notifying the driver of the operation information as recommended information, the determined behavior of the host vehicle is easily realized. As a result, the driver of the following vehicle can more reliably eliminate driving with a sense of incongruity with respect to the behavior of the own vehicle, so that it is possible to suppress a decrease in traffic flow caused by the following vehicle as much as possible.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the vehicle control apparatus which can suppress the fall of the traffic flow by a following vehicle as much as possible can be provided.

It is a block block diagram of a vehicle control apparatus. It is explanatory drawing of the mode of the process by ITS ECU3 and the information provision apparatus 4 in the case where communication between vehicles is performed in the condition which the own vehicle is going to start from the stop state. It is explanatory drawing of the mode of the process by ITS ECU3 and the information provision apparatus 4 in case the communication between roadways is performed in the condition which the own vehicle is going to start from the stop state. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the behavior notification process performed by the vehicle control apparatus.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In order to facilitate the understanding of the description, the same reference numerals are given to the same components in the drawings as much as possible, and duplicate descriptions are omitted.

(1) Configuration of Vehicle Control Device FIG. 1 shows a block configuration diagram of a vehicle control device according to the present invention. The vehicle control device 10 is attached to a vehicle such as an automobile (hereinafter referred to as the host vehicle C), and controls the behavior of the host vehicle C (for example, adjusting the amount of light of a brake lamp), thereby causing the future behavior of the host vehicle C. It is a device that constitutes a traffic flow improvement system that improves the subsequent traffic flow by notifying the surroundings of changes (for example, starting from a stopped state). By notifying the surroundings of the future behavior of the host vehicle C, it is more sure that the driver of the following vehicle does not drive with a sense of discomfort with the behavior of the host vehicle C. The vehicle control apparatus 10 includes an ITS information receiver 1 (forward information acquisition means), a rear radar 2 (rear information acquisition means), an ITS ECU 3 (determination means), and an information providing apparatus 4 (adjustment means and notification means). Yes.

  The ITS information receiver 1 is a vehicle-to-vehicle communication between the host vehicle C and other nearby vehicles, and a vehicle-to-vehicle communication between the host vehicle C and a communication device (for example, an optical beacon) installed on a surrounding road. It is a communication device that performs communication. The ITS information receiver 1 includes a communication vehicle information acquisition unit 11 and a signal information acquisition unit 12 that acquire situation information related to traffic conditions around the host vehicle C (particularly in front).

  Here, the communication vehicle information acquisition unit 11 is an inter-vehicle communication device that acquires information on the behavior of the preceding vehicle in the forward traffic flow of the host vehicle C by performing inter-vehicle communication. Information on the behavior of the preceding vehicle of the host vehicle C includes, for example, the vehicle speed and acceleration of the preceding vehicle, the relative speed and relative acceleration with the preceding vehicle, the time change in the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle, This is information on the relative relationship between the nearest intersection and the current location of the vehicle C.

  The signal information acquisition unit 12 is an inter-road communication device that acquires lighting information related to lighting of a traffic light ahead of the host vehicle C by performing inter-road communication. The lighting information relating to the lighting of the traffic light ahead of the host vehicle C is, for example, information related to the lighting color of the nearest traffic signal ahead of the host vehicle C, the lighting time of the lighting color, the lighting cycle of the traffic light, and the like.

  The rear radar 2 is a laser radar device that acquires information on the behavior of the vehicle following the host vehicle C by irradiating the rear of the host vehicle C with laser light and detecting the reflected light. The rear radar 2 includes a relative relationship acquisition unit 21 that acquires situation information regarding the traffic situation around the host vehicle C (particularly rearward). The relative relationship acquisition unit 21 is an analysis device that acquires information related to the relative relationship with the following vehicle by analyzing the detected reflected light. The information related to the relative relationship with the following vehicle is, for example, information related to the vehicle speed and acceleration of the subsequent vehicle, the relative speed and relative acceleration with the subsequent vehicle, the time change of the inter-vehicle distance with the subsequent vehicle, and the like.

  The ITS ECU 3 is an ECU (electronic device) that performs an operation of predicting and determining the future behavior of the host vehicle C based on the situation information acquired by the ITS information receiver 1 and the situation information acquired by the rear radar 2. Control device). The ECU is a unit whose main component is a microcomputer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like. The ITS ECU 3 includes a system control unit 31 that performs a speed propagation prediction calculation process and a notice notification determination calculation process based on the above situation information.

ここで、ｘ_０（ｔ）は時刻ｔにおける先行車両の位置、ｘ_１（ｔ）は時刻ｔにおける後続車両の位置、Ｔは遅れ時間、αは感度を表し、ドットが１つ付いたｘ_０は先行車両の速度、ドットが１つ付いたｘ_１は後続車両の速度、ドットが２つ付いたｘ_１は後続車両の加速度を示す。なお、車両Ｆ１前方の最寄りの信号機が、自車両Ｃ前方の最寄りの信号機と同一の場合、信号情報取得部１２により取得された点灯情報に基づいて、自車両Ｃ前方の最寄りの信号機の点灯色や、この点灯色の点灯時間や、この信号機の点灯サイクル等が車両Ｆ１の挙動に対して与える影響も考慮される。 This speed propagation prediction calculation process predicts speed propagation from the behavior of the preceding vehicle (for example, vehicle F1) of the host vehicle C to the behavior of the subsequent vehicle (for example, vehicle F2) immediately after the vehicle F1, Based on the prediction result for the vehicle F2 positioned immediately before the host vehicle C, for example, the behavior of the host vehicle C positioned immediately after the vehicle F2 (for example, start, stop, , Reverse, acceleration, deceleration, right turn, left turn, etc.). More specifically, the speed propagation is a phenomenon in which behavior propagates to the driver of the vehicle F2 that recognizes the behavior change of the vehicle F1 with a slight delay in time, and the propagation speed. This phenomenon of velocity propagation is conventionally expressed by the following mathematical formula.

Here, x ₀ (t) is the position of the preceding vehicle at time t, x ₁ (t) is the position of the following vehicle at time t, T is the delay time, α is sensitivity, and x ₀ with one dot. the x ₁ the speed of the preceding vehicle, dots with one speed of the following vehicle, x ₁ dots with two shows the acceleration of the following vehicle. If the nearest traffic light in front of the vehicle F1 is the same as the nearest traffic light in front of the host vehicle C, the lighting color of the nearest traffic signal in front of the host vehicle C is based on the lighting information acquired by the signal information acquisition unit 12. In addition, the influence of the lighting time of the lighting color, the lighting cycle of the traffic light, and the like on the behavior of the vehicle F1 is also taken into consideration.

  The notice notification determination calculation process performs an operation for determining and determining a notice notification method for the surrounding behavior (in particular, behind the own vehicle C) of the future behavior of the host vehicle C determined by the speed propagation prediction calculation process. It is processing. The notification method for the surroundings of the future behavior of the host vehicle C includes, for example, a notification method for decreasing the light amount of the brake lamp of the host vehicle C and for notifying the surrounding vehicles of the acceleration of the host vehicle C. For example, the lamp for lighting is turned on.

  The information providing device 4 notifies the surroundings of the future behavior of the host vehicle C determined by the speed propagation prediction calculation process of the ITS ECU 3 to the surroundings by the notice notification method determined by the notice notification determination calculation process of the ITS ECU 3. It is an interface device for device group and device operation. The information providing apparatus 4 includes a brake lamp 41, a notice notification lamp 42, and a direction indicator 43 as a device group.

  Here, the brake light 41 is a brake lamp that adjusts the amount of light according to the future behavior of the host vehicle C determined by the speed propagation prediction calculation processing of the ITS ECU 3. More specifically, the brake lamp 41 performs adjustment to reduce the amount of light when the determined future behavior of the host vehicle C is acceleration.

  When the determined future behavior of the host vehicle C is acceleration, the interface device of the information providing device 4 (for example, a navigation display as a notification unit) realizes the determined behavior of the host vehicle C. The operation information (that is, depression of the accelerator pedal) may be guided by notifying the driver as information recommended when operating the host vehicle C.

  The notice notification lamp 42 is a lamp that adjusts lighting and blinking according to the future behavior of the host vehicle C determined by the speed propagation prediction calculation processing of the ITS ECU 3. More specifically, the notice notification lamp 42 lights up when the determined future behavior of the host vehicle C is acceleration, and blinks when the determined future behavior of the host vehicle C is deceleration.

  The direction indicator 43 is a lamp that flashes according to the future behavior of the host vehicle C determined by the speed propagation prediction calculation process of the ITS ECU 3. More specifically, when the determined future behavior of the host vehicle C is a right turn or a left turn, the lamp corresponding to the turning direction of the host vehicle C starts blinking.

  When the determined future behavior of the host vehicle C is a right turn or a left turn, the interface device of the information providing device 4 (for example, a navigation display as a notification unit) realizes the determined behavior of the host vehicle C. The operation information (ie, the rotation operation of the steering wheel) may be guided by notifying the driver as information recommended when operating the host vehicle C.

(2) State of processing by ITS ECU 3 and information providing device 4 FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are explanatory views of the state of processing by the ITS ECU 3 and the information providing device 4. FIG. 2 shows a case where vehicle-to-vehicle communication is performed in a situation where the host vehicle C is about to start from a stopped state, and FIG. 3 is a vehicle-to-vehicle communication in a situation where the host vehicle C is about to start from a stopped state. This is a case where the traffic light S and the optical beacon B exist in front of the host vehicle C. 2 and 3, vehicles F1 to F5 as preceding vehicles exist in front of the host vehicle C, and a vehicle F6 as a following vehicle exists behind the host vehicle C.

  First, the case where inter-vehicle communication is performed in a situation where the host vehicle C is about to start from a stopped state will be described with reference to FIG. The speed propagation prediction calculation process of the ITS ECU 3 predicts the speed propagation from the behavior of the vehicle F1 which is the preceding vehicle of the host vehicle C to the behavior of the vehicle F2 which is the subsequent vehicle immediately after the vehicle F1. Based on the prediction result, the behavior of the vehicle F3 located immediately after the vehicle F2 is determined.

  Thereafter, similarly, speed propagation from the determined behavior of the vehicle F3 to the behavior of the vehicle F4, which is a subsequent vehicle immediately after the vehicle F3, is predicted, and immediately after the vehicle F5 based on the prediction result for the vehicle F4. The behavior of the vehicle F3 located at is determined. Furthermore, from the determined behavior of the vehicle F5 and the acceleration execution information transmitted from the vehicle F1 by inter-vehicle communication between the own vehicle C and the vehicle F1, the behavior of the own vehicle C located immediately after the vehicle F5 (ie, Start and acceleration) is determined.

  Next, the notice notification method for the vehicle F6 of the future behavior of the host vehicle C determined by the speed propagation prediction calculation process is determined and determined by the notice notification determination calculation process of the ITS ECU3. Here, it is assumed that it is determined as the notice method that the light quantity of the brake lamp of the host vehicle C is decreased.

  And according to the future behavior (namely, start and acceleration) of the own vehicle C determined by the speed propagation prediction calculation processing of the ITS ECU 3, the brake lamp 41 of the information providing device 4 performs adjustment to reduce the light amount.

  Next, a case where inter-road communication is performed in a situation where the host vehicle C is about to start from a stopped state will be described with reference to FIG. The speed propagation prediction calculation process of the ITS ECU 3 predicts the speed propagation from the behavior of the vehicle F1 which is the preceding vehicle of the host vehicle C to the behavior of the vehicle F2 which is the subsequent vehicle immediately after the vehicle F1. Based on the prediction result, the behavior of the vehicle F3 located immediately after the vehicle F2 is determined.

  Thereafter, similarly, speed propagation from the determined behavior of the vehicle F3 to the behavior of the vehicle F4, which is a subsequent vehicle immediately after the vehicle F3, is predicted, and immediately after the vehicle F5 based on the prediction result for the vehicle F4. The behavior of the vehicle F3 located at is determined. Further, from the determined behavior of the vehicle F5 and the lighting information transmitted from the light beacon B to the host vehicle C and indicating that the lighting color of the traffic light S has changed from red to blue, the position is immediately after the vehicle F5. The behavior of the host vehicle C (that is, start, acceleration, and start timing) is determined.

  Next, the notice notification method for the vehicle F6 of the future behavior of the host vehicle C determined by the speed propagation prediction calculation process is determined and determined by the notice notification determination calculation process of the ITS ECU3. Here, it is assumed that it is determined as the notice method that the light quantity of the brake lamp of the host vehicle C is decreased.

  And according to the future behavior (namely, start and acceleration) of the own vehicle C determined by the speed propagation prediction calculation processing of the ITS ECU 3, the brake lamp 41 of the information providing device 4 performs adjustment to reduce the light amount.

(3) Flow of Behavior Notice Processing by Vehicle Control Device 10 FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of behavior notice processing executed by the vehicle control device 10. This process is repeatedly executed at a predetermined timing during the operation of the vehicle control device 10.

  First, the ITS information receiver 1 performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication between the own vehicle C and other vehicles in the vicinity, and vehicle-to-vehicle communication between the own vehicle C and a communication device installed on the surrounding road. Then, the situation information relating to the traffic situation around the front of the host vehicle C is acquired (step S01). Further, the rear radar 2 irradiates the rear of the host vehicle C with laser light and detects the reflected light, thereby acquiring status information regarding the traffic situation around the rear of the host vehicle C (step S01).

  Next, the ITS ECU 3 determines the behavior of the host vehicle C (here, acceleration) based on the situation information acquired by the ITS information receiver 1 and the situation information acquired by the rear radar 2. An operation is performed (step S02).

  Next, the information providing device 4 uses the notice notification method (in this case, the adjustment of the light amount of the brake lamp) determined by the notice notification determination calculation process to determine the future behavior of the host vehicle C. Is notified in advance (step S03). Further, the interface device (for example, a display for navigation) of the information providing device 4 provides operation information (that is, depression of the accelerator pedal) for realizing the determined behavior of the host vehicle C when the host vehicle C is operated. The driver is notified and instructed as recommended information (step S04). Then, the series of processes is temporarily ended, and the process returns to step S01 again.

(4) Action and Effect by Vehicle Control Device 10 The vehicle control device 10 determines the behavior of the own vehicle C based on the situation information regarding the traffic situation around the own vehicle C, and responds to the determined behavior of the own vehicle C. Adjust the light intensity of the brake lamp. For this reason, the driver of the vehicle following the own vehicle C can recognize the behavior of the own vehicle C in advance by recognizing the state in which the light amount of the brake lamp is adjusted. As a result, the driver of the succeeding vehicle is supported so that the driver can perform the driving operation in response to the behavior change of the own vehicle C at an early stage. And since it is more reliably lost that the driver of this succeeding vehicle feels uncomfortable (mismatch) with respect to the behavior of the own vehicle C, it is possible to suppress a decrease in traffic flow by the succeeding vehicle as much as possible. .

  Moreover, the vehicle control apparatus 10 predicts the speed propagation to the behavior of the following vehicle of the preceding vehicle based on the lighting information or the behavior information, and determines the behavior of the host vehicle C based on the prediction result. Thus, it becomes possible to determine a more appropriate behavior of the host vehicle C by predicting the speed propagation of the preceding vehicle to the behavior of the subsequent vehicle. As a result, the driver of the following vehicle can more surely eliminate driving with an uncomfortable feeling with respect to the behavior of the host vehicle C, so that a decrease in traffic flow due to the following vehicle can be suppressed as much as possible. Smooth traffic flow such as relaxation of traffic and increase of traffic capacity.

  Further, the vehicle control device 10 notifies the driver of operation information for realizing the determined behavior of the host vehicle C as information recommended when operating the host vehicle C. Thus, by notifying the driver of the operation information as recommended information, the determined behavior of the host vehicle C is easily realized. As a result, the driver of the following vehicle can more reliably eliminate driving with a feeling of strangeness with respect to the behavior of the host vehicle C, and therefore, a decrease in traffic flow due to the following vehicle can be suppressed as much as possible.

(5) Modified Example In the above embodiment, the ITS ECU 3 determines the acceleration behavior of the host vehicle C based on the situation information, and the future acceleration behavior of the host vehicle C is adjusted with respect to the surroundings by reducing the light quantity of the brake lamp. However, the determined behavior and the notice notification method are not particularly limited. For example, a notice notification may be given to the surroundings by increasing the amount of light of the brake lamp.

  Further, for example, when the host vehicle C tries to decelerate for a left turn (or a driving operation that requires steering wheel operation such as a right turn or a lane change), the ITS ECU 3 determines that the host vehicle C is based on the situation information. The deceleration behavior (including the deceleration start timing) of the vehicle is predicted and determined, and the future deceleration behavior of the host vehicle C is optimal so as not to force the subsequent vehicle of the host vehicle C to go straight ahead. The configuration may be such that a notice is given to the surroundings by blinking the direction indicator 43 at the timing (or adjusting the change in the amount of light of only the left lamp or the right lamp among the left and right lamps mounted on the host vehicle C). Thereby, the succeeding vehicle of the host vehicle C which is going to go straight can travel without decelerating.

  In this case, whether or not a left turn of the host vehicle C (or a driving operation that requires a steering wheel operation such as a right turn or a lane change) is performed is output from the navigation device connected to the ITS ECU 3 to the ITS ECU 3. Judgment processing is performed based on information on the guidance route.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the vehicle control apparatus which can suppress the fall of the traffic flow by a following vehicle as much as possible can be provided.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Information receiver, 2 ... Back radar, 3 ... ITS ECU, 4 ... Information provision apparatus, 10 ... Vehicle control apparatus, 11 ... Communication vehicle information acquisition part, 12 ... Signal information acquisition part, 21 ... Relative relation acquisition part, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 31 ... System control part, 41 ... Braking light, 42 ... Notice notification lamp, 43 ... Direction indicator, B ... Light beacon, C ... Own vehicle, F1-F6 ... Vehicle, S ... Traffic light.

Claims (3)

A vehicle control device for controlling the behavior of the host vehicle,
A determination means for determining the behavior of the host vehicle based on the situation information on the traffic situation around the host vehicle;
Adjusting means for adjusting the amount of light of the brake lamp according to the behavior of the host vehicle determined by the determining means;
A vehicle control device comprising: The situation information is lighting information relating to lighting of a traffic light ahead of the host vehicle, or behavior information relating to the behavior of a preceding vehicle of the host vehicle,
The determining means predicts speed propagation from the behavior of the preceding vehicle of the host vehicle to the behavior of the succeeding vehicle of the preceding vehicle, and determines the behavior of the host vehicle based on the prediction result.
The vehicle control device according to claim 1. Further comprising notification means for notifying the driver of operation information for realizing the behavior of the host vehicle determined by the determining means as recommended information when operating the host vehicle.
The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2.

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