JP2015223926A - Vehicle control system, method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique enabling stability of a vehicle to be improved.SOLUTION: There is provided a vehicle control system that comprises: planimetric feature information acquisition means for acquiring planimetric feature information related to at least one of a tunnel exit and a bridge existing in front of a vehicle; road environment information acquisition means for acquiring road environment information related to a road environment in front of the vehicle; environment determination means for determining whether or not at least one of the tunnel exit and the bridge is in a predetermined environment, based on the planimetric feature information and road environment information; and control means for controlling a power transmission mechanism so as to inhibit arrival of the vehicle at the predetermined environment point while the power is not transmitted to wheels when it is determined that at least one of the tunnel exit and bridge is in the predetermined environment.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle control system, method, and program for performing vehicle control.

  Conventionally, vehicle control systems that perform vehicle control have been developed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for suppressing the traveling of a vehicle so that the vehicle can travel safely even when receiving wind near the tunnel exit, and controls an alarm based on the vehicle speed or the vehicle speed. The structure which suppresses driving | running | working of a vehicle is disclosed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-247299

In the above-described conventional technology, it may not be possible to prevent the vehicle from becoming unstable. That is, in a state where power from the drive source is not transmitted to the wheels (including a state where the power is not substantially transmitted), for example, in a state where the transmission is set to neutral, the stability of the vehicle decreases. Therefore, if the environment changes suddenly, such as when a crosswind is received at the exit of the tunnel, the vehicle will become unstable if power is not transmitted to the wheels.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a technology capable of improving the stability of a vehicle.

  In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle control system includes a feature information acquisition unit that acquires feature information regarding at least one of a tunnel exit and a bridge existing in front of a vehicle, and a road related to a road environment in front of the vehicle. Road environment information acquisition means for acquiring environment information, and environment determination means for determining whether at least one of the tunnel exit and the bridge is a predetermined environment based on the feature information and the road environment information; When it is determined that at least one of the tunnel exit and the bridge is in a predetermined environment, a power transmission mechanism is provided so as to prohibit the vehicle from reaching a predetermined environmental point in a state where the power is not transmitted to the wheels. Control means for controlling.

  In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle control method includes a feature information acquisition step of acquiring feature information regarding at least one of a tunnel exit and a bridge existing in front of the vehicle, and a road environment in front of the vehicle. Road environment information acquisition step for acquiring road environment information on the environment, and an environment determination step for determining whether at least one of the tunnel exit and the bridge is a predetermined environment based on the feature information and the road environment information If it is determined that at least one of the tunnel exit and the bridge is in a predetermined environment, power transmission is performed so as to prohibit the vehicle from reaching the point of the predetermined environment without power being transmitted to the wheels. And a control step for controlling the mechanism.

  Furthermore, in order to achieve the above object, the vehicle control program includes a feature information acquisition function for acquiring feature information related to at least one of a tunnel exit and a bridge existing in front of the vehicle, and a road environment in front of the vehicle. Road environment information acquisition function for acquiring road environment information on the environment, and an environment determination function for determining whether at least one of the tunnel exit and the bridge is in a predetermined environment based on the feature information and the road environment information If it is determined that at least one of the tunnel exit and the bridge is in a predetermined environment, power transmission is performed so as to prohibit the vehicle from reaching the point of the predetermined environment without power being transmitted to the wheels. The computer realizes a control function for controlling the mechanism.

  As described above, in the vehicle control system, the method, and the program, when it is determined that at least one of the tunnel exit and the bridge is in the predetermined environment, the vehicle is in the predetermined environment without power being transmitted to the wheels. Prohibit reaching the point. As a result, it is possible to prevent the power from being transmitted to the wheels at a predetermined environmental point, and to improve the stability of the vehicle.

It is a block diagram which shows the navigation system containing a vehicle control system. It is a flowchart which shows a vehicle control process. It is a flowchart which shows a vehicle control process. It is a flowchart which shows a vehicle control process.

Here, embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order.
(1) Configuration of navigation system:
(2) Vehicle control processing:
(3) Other embodiments:

(1) Configuration of navigation system:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle control system mounted on a vehicle. In the present embodiment, the vehicle control system is realized by the navigation system 10. The navigation system 10 includes a control unit 20 including a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, and the like, and a program stored in the ROM can be executed by the control unit 20. In this embodiment, a navigation program can be executed as one of the programs. The navigation program is a program that causes the control unit 20 to realize a function of displaying a map including the current position of the vehicle on the display unit of the navigation system and guiding the vehicle along the planned travel route to the driver. . The navigation program includes various programs used in the traveling process, and in the present embodiment, a vehicle control program 21 that executes cruise control for maintaining the vehicle speed of the vehicle at a vehicle speed within a predetermined range is included. ing.

  The vehicle according to the present embodiment includes a GPS receiver 41, a vehicle speed sensor 42, a gyro sensor 43, a communication unit 44, a transmission 45, and a throttle 46. In the present embodiment, torque is generated by an internal combustion engine or the like, and the torque is transmitted to the transmission 45 via the torque converter, whereby power is transmitted to the wheels via the transmission 45, and the vehicle is driven by the power. Is done. In the present embodiment, the torque transmission rate from the torque converter to the transmission 45 can be adjusted by the clutch. That is, when the control unit 20 outputs a control signal to the clutch, the clutch is driven, and the degree of coupling between the output shaft of the torque converter and the input shaft of the transmission 45 can be adjusted. In the present embodiment, the control unit 20 outputs a control signal to the clutch, whereby torque is not transmitted from the torque converter to the transmission 45 (power is not transmitted between the engine and the wheels: fully released state). ), A state where a maximum torque is transmitted (completely coupled state), and a state where a predetermined torque is transmitted (predetermined torque transmission state).

  Note that the predetermined torque transmission state is, for example, in a clutch that controls the interlocking of rotation of each axis by friction between the disk interlocked with the output shaft of the torque converter and the disk interlocked with the input shaft of the transmission 45. In this state, torque is transmitted while sliding. In the present embodiment, the fully coupled state and the specified torque transmission state are states in which power is transmitted between the engine and the wheels. Further, the transmission 45 is provided with a shift lever (not shown), and the driver operates the shift lever to change the gear ratio at the time of forward movement (in this embodiment, the gear ratio is automatically changed at the time of forward movement). Drive range (may be a range set to a specific gear ratio, etc.), a shift range that makes the clutch completely released (neutral range), a shift range that makes the gear ratio during reverse (reverse range), etc. A range can be selected. Further, the control unit 20 can change the shift range by outputting a control signal to the transmission 45, and can acquire the current gear ratio based on the output signal from the transmission 45. .

  Furthermore, the vehicle according to the present embodiment can perform acceleration such as increasing the amount of fuel supplied by the throttle 46 by operating an accelerator pedal (not shown). In the present embodiment, the control unit 20 can accelerate or decelerate the vehicle by outputting a control signal to the throttle 46 and adjusting the fuel supply amount by the throttle. In addition, the control unit 20 can acquire the current fuel supply amount based on the output signal from the throttle 46.

  The communication unit 44 is a device that acquires weather information from a weather information management device (not shown) by wireless communication. In the present embodiment, the weather information includes information indicating the air volume and the wind direction for each section. The control unit 20 can acquire weather information by communicating with a weather information management device via the communication unit 44.

  The GPS receiver 41 receives radio waves from GPS satellites and outputs a signal for calculating the current position of the vehicle via an interface (not shown). The vehicle speed sensor 42 outputs a signal corresponding to the rotational speed of the wheels provided in the vehicle. The control unit 20 acquires this signal via an interface (not shown) and acquires the vehicle speed. The gyro sensor 43 detects angular acceleration about turning in the horizontal plane of the vehicle, and outputs a signal corresponding to the direction of the vehicle. The control unit 20 acquires this signal and acquires the traveling direction of the vehicle. The control unit 20 acquires the current position of the vehicle by specifying the travel locus of the vehicle based on output signals from the vehicle speed sensor 42 and the gyro sensor 43 and the like. The output signal of the GPS receiver 41 is used for correcting the current position of the vehicle specified by the vehicle speed sensor 42, the gyro sensor 43, and the like.

  Map information 30 a is recorded on the recording medium 30. The map information 30a includes node data indicating the position of a node corresponding to the end point (intersection) of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, and shape interpolation point data indicating the position of a shape interpolation point for specifying the shape of the road between the nodes. In addition, link data indicating connection between nodes is included. In the present embodiment, the exit of the tunnel is a point where the vehicle should be prevented from destabilizing, and the map information 30a includes feature information regarding the tunnel. That is, feature information indicating the position of the exit of the tunnel existing on the road is associated with the link data.

  The control unit 20 controls the vehicle speed of the vehicle by executing a vehicle control program 21 included in the navigation program. In order to execute this process, the vehicle control program 21 includes a feature information acquisition unit 21a, a road environment information acquisition unit 21b, an environment determination unit 21c, and a control unit 21d.

  The feature information acquisition unit 21a is a program module that causes the control unit 20 to realize a function of acquiring feature information related to an exit of a tunnel existing in front of the vehicle. That is, the control unit 20 refers to the map information 30a by the processing of the feature information acquisition unit 21a, and acquires the feature information associated with a position within a predetermined distance ahead of the vehicle.

  The road environment information acquisition unit 21b is a program module that causes the control unit 20 to realize a function of acquiring road environment information related to the road environment ahead of the vehicle. In the present embodiment, weather information is acquired as road environment information. That is, the control unit 20 communicates with the weather information management device via the communication unit 44 by the processing of the road environment information acquisition unit 21b, and uses the weather information of the section including the road ahead of the vehicle as the road environment information. get.

  The environment determination unit 21c is a program module that causes the control unit 20 to realize a function of determining whether the exit of the tunnel is a predetermined environment based on the feature information and the road environment information. In the present embodiment, an environment in which the amount of cross wind at the exit of the tunnel is a predetermined amount or more is regarded as a predetermined environment. Therefore, the control unit 20 determines whether there is a tunnel exit ahead of the vehicle based on the feature information. When there is a tunnel exit, the control unit 20 refers to the environment information in the section to which the road section where the tunnel exit exists, and the wind direction with respect to the road section is within the vertical ± threshold angle range and the air volume is predetermined. It is determined whether or not it exceeds the standard. Then, when the wind direction is in the vertical ± threshold angle range and the air volume is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference, the control unit 20 determines that the tunnel exit is in a predetermined environment.

  The control unit 21d realizes a function of executing cruise control for controlling the vehicle speed so that the vehicle speed is within a predetermined range (a range from a predetermined minimum value to a predetermined maximum value) centered on the reference value. This is a program module to be executed. The cruise control is started when the driver operates an operation unit (not shown). Under the execution of the cruise control, the control unit 20 controls the transmission 45 and the throttle 46 so that the vehicle speed is within the range from the minimum value to the maximum value while suppressing fuel consumption.

  Specifically, the control unit 20 acquires the current vehicle speed of the vehicle based on the output signal of the vehicle speed sensor 42, acquires the current gear ratio based on the output signal of the transmission 45, and outputs it to the output signal of the throttle 46. Based on the current fuel supply amount. Then, based on the current vehicle speed, gear ratio, and fuel supply amount (for example, by a map), the gear ratio and fuel supply that minimize the fuel consumption while maintaining the vehicle speed within the range from the minimum value to the maximum value Specify the amount. Then, the control unit 20 outputs a control signal to the transmission 45 and the throttle 46, and adjusts the transmission 45 and the throttle 46 so that the specified gear ratio and fuel supply amount are obtained.

  Of course, it is only necessary to be able to adjust the vehicle speed. As a control target for adjusting the vehicle speed, a brake or the like (not shown) can be assumed in addition to the transmission 45 and the throttle 46. Further, the transmission ratio in the transmission 45 and the fuel supply amount by the throttle 46 may be determined in consideration of factors other than the vehicle speed and the fuel consumption amount. The gear ratio and the fuel supply amount may be determined so that energy is suppressed.

  In the present embodiment, the control unit 21d further determines that the exit of the tunnel is in a predetermined environment under execution of cruise control, and the vehicle reaches a point in the predetermined environment without power being transmitted to the wheels. Therefore, the control unit 20 can realize a function of controlling the power transmission mechanism so as to prohibit the operation. That is, in the cruise control that controls the vehicle speed to be within the range from the minimum value to the maximum value, the gear ratio of the transmission 45 may be automatically set to neutral. When the vehicle reaches a predetermined environment point in a state where the transmission gear ratio of the transmission 45 is set to neutral, the vehicle may become unstable. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when it is determined that the tunnel exit is in a predetermined environment, the control unit 20 is in a state where the vehicle transmission 45 is set to neutral by the processing of the control unit 21d. The transmission 45 is controlled so as to prohibit the vehicle from reaching the point of the predetermined environment. Details of the control will be described later. According to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent the vehicle transmission 45 from being set to the neutral state at a predetermined environmental point, and to improve the stability of the vehicle.

(2) Vehicle control processing:
Next, the vehicle control process will be described in detail. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the vehicle control process. In the vehicle control shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 20 considers that the tunnel exit is in a predetermined environment when the air volume of the cross wind at the tunnel exit is equal to or greater than a predetermined air volume, and is set to neutral by the transmission 45. Is prohibited. Specifically, the control unit 20 executes the vehicle control process shown in FIG. 2 every predetermined period (for example, every 100 ms) under the execution of cruise control. In the vehicle control process, the control unit 20 acquires the current position of the vehicle (step S100). That is, the control unit 20 acquires the current position of the vehicle based on the output of the GPS receiving unit 41, the vehicle speed sensor 42, the gyro sensor 43, and the map information 30a.

  Next, the control unit 20 acquires the feature information ahead of the predetermined distance by the processing of the feature information acquisition unit 21a (step S105). That is, the control unit 20 refers to the recording medium 30 and acquires feature information in which a position within a predetermined distance ahead of the current position of the vehicle is associated with the map information 30a. In this embodiment, since the feature information indicates the exit of the tunnel, when the feature information is acquired in step S105, it indicates the exit of the tunnel existing within a predetermined distance ahead of the current position of the vehicle. Feature information is acquired.

  Next, the control unit 20 acquires road environment information ahead of a predetermined distance by the processing of the road environment information acquisition unit 21b (step S110). In other words, the control unit 20 controls the communication unit 44 to communicate with the weather information management device, and acquires weather information about a section including a road within a predetermined distance ahead of the current position of the vehicle as road environment information.

  Next, the control part 20 determines whether a cross wind is received in front of the exit of a tunnel by the process of the environment determination part 21c (step S115). In the present embodiment, the control unit 20 blows in a road section where a tunnel exit exists, in front of the exit, with a wind that has a wind direction that is perpendicular to the road section within an angle range of ±± threshold and has an air volume that exceeds a predetermined reference. If it is estimated, it is determined that a crosswind is received in front of the tunnel exit.

  For this reason, the control unit 20 refers to the road environment information acquired in step S110 by the process of the environment determination unit 21c, and the wind direction in front of the position of the tunnel exit indicated by the feature information acquired in step S105 and Get the air volume. Further, the control unit 20 refers to the map information 30a, acquires the direction of the road section where the position of the tunnel exit exists, and regards it as the direction of the road section in front of the tunnel exit. And the control part 20 determines with receiving a cross wind in front of the exit of a tunnel, when a wind direction is the angle range of +/- threshold value perpendicular | vertical to a road area, and an air volume is more than a predetermined reference | standard. Note that the threshold value and the predetermined reference are predetermined values for determining the wind direction and the air volume, and in this embodiment, an angle range that can be regarded as wind from a specific direction is defined in advance as a threshold value, An air volume that can be regarded as an air volume that destabilizes the vehicle is defined in advance according to a predetermined standard.

  In step S115, when it is not determined that the crosswind is received in front of the tunnel exit, the control unit 20 permits the transmission 45 to be set to neutral by the process of the control unit 21d (step S120). In this case, if the gear ratio at which the fuel consumption is the smallest for performing cruise control to maintain the vehicle speed within the range from the minimum value to the maximum value is the gear ratio when the neutral shift is set, the neutral shift Will be set to.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S115 that the crosswind is received in front of the tunnel exit, the control unit 20 acquires the amount of crosswind by the processing of the environment determination unit 21c (step S125). That is, the control unit 20 refers to the road environment information acquired in step S110 and acquires the amount of cross wind. Next, the control unit 20 determines whether the air volume is normal, strong wind, or storm by the processing of the environment determination unit 21c (step S130). That is, the control unit 20 compares the air volume acquired in step S125 with a preset air volume classification threshold value, and determines whether the air volume is in a normal range, a strong wind range, or a storm range. . Here, normal air volume <strong air volume <storm wind volume.

  When it is determined in step S130 that the air volume is within the normal range, the control unit 20 prohibits the transmission 45 from being set to neutral by the processing of the control unit 21d, and cruises the vehicle speed at the tunnel exit. Is set to the reference value (step S135). In this case, even if the gear ratio at which the fuel consumption is the smallest for performing cruise control that maintains the vehicle speed within the range from the minimum value to the maximum value is the gear ratio when the neutral shift is set, It is never set to shift. Then, the control unit 20 controls the throttle 46 so that the vehicle speed is maintained within the range from the minimum value to the maximum value by controlling the vehicle speed to be the reference value. For this reason, first, the control unit 20 fixes the shift range other than the neutral shift (for example, the current shift range). Further, when it is determined that the vehicle speed has approached the minimum value for cruise control based on the output signal of the vehicle speed sensor 42, the control unit 20 outputs a control signal to the throttle 46, and the vehicle is operated until the vehicle speed reaches the reference value. Accelerate. When it is determined that the vehicle speed has approached the above-mentioned maximum value, a control signal is output to the throttle 46, and the vehicle is decelerated until the vehicle speed reaches the reference value.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent the transmission 45 from reaching the tunnel exit in a state of being set to neutral when receiving a cross wind of a predetermined amount or more at the exit of the tunnel. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from becoming unstable at the exit of the tunnel under the cruise control.

  If it is determined in step S130 that the air volume is in the strong wind range, the control unit 20 prohibits the transmission 45 from being set to neutral by the processing of the control unit 21d, and cruises the vehicle speed at the tunnel exit. Is set to the minimum value (step S140). In this case, even if the gear ratio at which the fuel consumption is the smallest for performing cruise control that maintains the vehicle speed within the range from the minimum value to the maximum value is the gear ratio when the neutral shift is set, It is never set to shift. Then, the control unit 20 controls the throttle 46 so that the vehicle speed is maintained at the minimum value. For this reason, first, the control unit 20 fixes a shift range other than the neutral shift. Further, when it is determined that the vehicle speed has become smaller than the minimum value of cruise control based on the output signal of the vehicle speed sensor 42, the control unit 20 outputs a control signal to the throttle 46, and the vehicle speed becomes the minimum value. Accelerate the vehicle until. If it is determined that the vehicle speed is greater than the minimum value for cruise control, a control signal is output to the throttle 46 to decelerate the vehicle until the vehicle speed reaches the minimum value.

  As a result, when the air volume is strong, the vehicle reaches the tunnel exit while maintaining the vehicle speed at the minimum value (or a value close to the minimum value) for cruise control. As a result, the vehicle speed can be suppressed as much as possible in the state in which the cruise control is executed (the state in which the vehicle speed is maintained in the range from the minimum value to the maximum value), and the stability of the vehicle can be further improved.

  When it is determined in step S130 that the air volume is in the range of storm, the control unit 20 prohibits the transmission 45 from being set to neutral by the process of the control unit 21d, and cruises the vehicle speed at the tunnel exit. Is set to a predetermined vehicle speed smaller than the minimum value (step S145). In this case, even if the gear ratio at which the fuel consumption is the smallest for performing cruise control that maintains the vehicle speed within the range from the minimum value to the maximum value is the gear ratio when the neutral shift is set, It is never set to shift. Then, the control unit 20 controls the throttle 46 so that the vehicle speed is maintained at a predetermined vehicle speed smaller than the minimum value. For this reason, first, the control unit 20 fixes a shift range other than the neutral shift. Further, when it is determined that the vehicle speed is lower than the predetermined vehicle speed based on the output signal of the vehicle speed sensor 42, the control unit 20 outputs a control signal to the throttle 46, and the vehicle is driven until the vehicle speed reaches the predetermined vehicle speed. Accelerate. If it is determined that the vehicle speed is greater than the predetermined vehicle speed, a control signal is output to the throttle 46, and the vehicle is decelerated until the vehicle speed reaches the predetermined vehicle speed.

  As a result, the stability of the vehicle can be further improved in the case of a storm where the air volume is larger than the strong wind. In addition, the classification | category (normal, strong wind, storm) of the air volume in this embodiment is an example, and various classification | category is possible for others. Further, the configuration may be such that one of steps S135, S140, and S145 is executed when a cross wind is received without performing classification.

(3) Other embodiments:
The above embodiment is an example for carrying out the present invention, and various other configurations can be adopted as long as it is prohibited to reach a feature whose road environment changes suddenly without power being transmitted to the wheels. It is. For example, the navigation system 10 may be fixedly mounted on the vehicle, or may be a mode in which the portable navigation system 10 is brought into the vehicle and used. In addition, at least some of the functions of the feature information acquisition unit 21a, the road environment information acquisition unit 21b, the environment determination unit 21c, and the control unit 21d may be realized by another control body (for example, a vehicle control ECU). Furthermore, in a state where the cruise control is not executed, the control unit 20 may perform a process of prohibiting reaching a feature whose road environment changes suddenly in a state where power is not transmitted to the wheels.

  Moreover, the feature information acquisition means should just be able to acquire the feature information regarding at least one of the exit of the tunnel and the bridge existing in front of the vehicle. That is, it is only necessary that the feature information acquisition unit is configured so as to be able to specify a point where the vehicle should be prevented from becoming unstable based on the feature information. Here, it is assumed that the tunnel exit and the bridge are the points where the vehicle should be prevented from destabilizing, and at least one of them can be specified by the feature information. Other points can be assumed as points that can be stabilized. For example, it may be configured such that a point where accidents frequently occur and a point to be noted (a merging point, a curve section, a point in a traffic jam, etc.) are specified based on the feature information.

  The road environment information acquisition unit only needs to be able to acquire road environment information related to the road environment ahead of the vehicle. That is, it is only necessary that the road environment at the point indicated by the feature information can be specified based on the road environment information as to whether or not the road environment is a predetermined environment. The road environment information only needs to be defined so that it can be determined whether or not the road environment is a predetermined environment. The road environment information may directly indicate whether or not the road environment is a predetermined environment. It may be configured to be able to determine whether or not the environment is a predetermined environment by comparing a numerical value or the like shown with a threshold value or the like.

  The environment determination means only needs to be able to determine whether or not at least one of the tunnel exit and the bridge is a predetermined environment based on the feature information and the road environment information. In other words, if the point where the road environment information indicates the predetermined environment and the point where the feature information indicates that the tunnel exit is the same, the tunnel exit is in the predetermined environment. What is necessary is just to determine with there. In addition, when the point where the road environment information indicates the predetermined environment and the point where the feature information indicates that it is a bridge match, it is determined that the bridge is the predetermined environment. Just do it. Of course, the coordinates of the points may match the coordinates, and a configuration may be adopted in which the points are considered to match when the distance between the points is equal to or less than a threshold value.

  The predetermined environment may be an environment that can destabilize the vehicle. If power is not transmitted to the wheels in the predetermined environment, the vehicle becomes unstable and power is transmitted to the wheels. Any environment that improves the stability of the vehicle can be used. Therefore, for example, an environment in which an external force acting on the vehicle can change can be adopted as the predetermined environment. In addition, such an environment includes an environment where the wind force acting on the vehicle changes from a state smaller than the predetermined value to a state higher than the predetermined value (such as a tunnel exit), and a state where the frictional force acting on the vehicle is larger than the predetermined value. Environments that change to a state below the default value (points where the friction coefficient of the road surface decreases, etc.), environments where the repulsive force from the road surface acting on the vehicle changes from a state smaller than the default value to a state above the default value (road surface unevenness) And the environment where the centrifugal force acting on the vehicle changes from a state smaller than a predetermined value to a state higher than the predetermined value (a point where avoidance operations occur frequently, a curve point, etc.).

  When it is determined that at least one of the exit of the tunnel and the bridge is in a predetermined environment, the control means is configured to prohibit the vehicle from reaching a predetermined environmental point in a state where the power is not transmitted to the wheels. It is only necessary to be able to control the transmission mechanism. That is, when it is determined that the tunnel exit is in the predetermined environment, the vehicle is prohibited from reaching the tunnel exit without power being transmitted to the wheels, and the bridge is determined to be in the predetermined environment It is sufficient that the vehicle can be prohibited from reaching the bridge in a state where power is not transmitted to the wheels.

  Various configurations can be adopted as a configuration for prohibiting the vehicle from reaching a predetermined environmental point in a state where power is not transmitted to the wheels. For example, a configuration that prohibits changing the gear ratio to neutral when the transmission is set to a position other than neutral immediately before reaching or reaching a point in a predetermined environment, or just before reaching a point in a predetermined environment Alternatively, when the transmission is set to neutral before reaching, it is possible to adopt a configuration that changes to a gear ratio other than neutral immediately before reaching or reaching a predetermined environment point. Of course, as a power transmission mechanism for controlling the power to be transmitted or not transmitted to the wheels, it is possible to assume other than the transmission, for example, by controlling a clutch in the torque converter, the power is transmitted to the wheels. You may implement | achieve the state which is not transmitted and the state transmitted.

  Further, in the configuration in which the control means can execute cruise control for controlling the vehicle speed so that the vehicle speed is within the range from the minimum value to the maximum value, the control means can perform the tunnel exit and the bridge under the cruise control. If it is determined that at least one of the two is a predetermined environment, the vehicle speed of the vehicle may be controlled so that the vehicle reaches a point of the predetermined environment with the minimum value of the vehicle speed.

  That is, in cruise control that controls the vehicle speed so that it falls within the range from the minimum value to the maximum value, the transmission gear ratio and the power transmission rate in the torque converter are automatically controlled to reduce fuel consumption. In some cases, the transmission ratio may be automatically set to neutral, or the transmission of power in the torque converter may be stopped. Therefore, if transmission control or torque converter control associated with cruise control is executed without using the present invention, the vehicle may reach a point in a predetermined environment without power being transmitted to the wheels. Therefore, if the control means functions under the execution of the cruise control, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from becoming unstable due to the execution of the cruise control under the execution of the cruise control.

  Furthermore, in order to improve the stability of the vehicle, it is preferable to suppress the vehicle speed of the vehicle, but the vehicle speed of the vehicle is limited within the range from the minimum value to the maximum value under the cruise control. Therefore, if the vehicle speed is controlled so that the vehicle reaches a predetermined environmental point at the minimum value of the vehicle speed, the vehicle speed can be suppressed as much as possible under execution of cruise control, and the stability of the vehicle can be reduced. It can be improved further.

  Furthermore, when the road environment information acquisition means acquires information on the cross wind with respect to the road ahead of the vehicle as road environment information, and the environment determination means determines that the air volume of the cross wind at the exit of the tunnel is greater than or equal to a predetermined air volume, You may employ | adopt the structure which determines that an exit is a predetermined | prescribed environment. According to this configuration, it is possible to suppress destabilization of the vehicle when a cross wind exceeding a predetermined air volume is received at the exit of the tunnel. The road environment information indicating the air volume of the cross wind can be acquired by communication or the like from an information management center that generates information (weather information or the like) indicating the wind direction and the air volume.

  Further, the predetermined air volume may be defined in advance by, for example, statistics or the like as an air volume that makes the vehicle unstable when the predetermined air volume is equal to or greater than the predetermined air volume. Here, since the exit of the tunnel is a point where the vehicle can receive cross wind, it may be outside the tunnel and near the opening of the tunnel than the point of the opening of the tunnel. Since it is difficult to determine precisely, the road environment information may be information about a section having a predetermined area including the exit of the tunnel. The definition of the tunnel exit is the same for the other examples below.

  Further, the road environment information acquisition means acquires information on the road surface condition of the road ahead of the vehicle as road environment information, and the environment determination means has a condition in which the road surface condition at the exit of the tunnel has a lower friction coefficient than the reference condition. In some cases, a configuration may be adopted in which it is determined that the tunnel exit is in a predetermined environment. According to this configuration, it is possible to suppress the vehicle from becoming unstable due to the fact that the friction coefficient of the road surface at the exit of the tunnel is lower than the reference state.

  The road environment information indicating the friction coefficient of the road can be acquired by communication or the like from an information management center that generates information indicating the friction coefficient directly or indirectly. The information indirectly indicating the friction coefficient may be, for example, information indicating that the road surface is in a frozen state or that snow that has been compressed is present on the road, and the friction coefficient may be reduced. It may be information indicating a state, for example, snowfall or rainfall. Further, the reference state as the road surface state may be defined in advance by, for example, statistics or the like as a state in which the vehicle becomes unstable when the friction coefficient is lower than the reference state.

  FIG. 3 shows a vehicle control process as an example of such a configuration. That is, in the same configuration as in FIG. 1, the road surface condition is bad from the road environment management device via the communication unit 44 (rain, heavy rain (a lot of rain than the rain), friction coefficient is reduced due to pressure snow) ), The vehicle environment processing shown in FIG. 3 may be executed. In the vehicle control process shown in FIG. 3, steps S200, S205, S220, S235, S240, and S245 are the same processes as steps S100, S105, S120, S135, S140, and S145. In step S210, the control unit 20 acquires road environment information indicating a road surface state. In step S215, the control unit 20 determines whether or not the road surface state in front of the tunnel exit is bad. That is, the control unit 20 refers to the road environment information acquired in step S210 by the process of the environment determination unit 21c, and the road surface state in front of the tunnel exit position indicated by the feature information acquired in step S205 is It is determined whether or not it is in a bad state.

  In step S215, when it is determined that the road surface state ahead of the tunnel exit is bad, the control unit 20 determines the cause of the bad road by the processing of the environment determination unit 21c (step S230). That is, the control unit 20 determines whether the cause of the bad road surface condition in front of the tunnel exit is rain, heavy rain, or compressed snow. And when it becomes a bad road by rain, the control part 20 performs step S235, When it becomes a bad road by heavy rain, the control part 20 performs step S240, and when it becomes a bad road by the pressure snow The control unit 20 executes Step S245. As a result, it is possible to prevent the road surface from reaching a point in which the transmission 45 is set to neutral, and to prevent the vehicle from becoming unstable.

  When the road environment information acquisition means acquires information on the weather of the road ahead of the vehicle as road environment information, and the environment determination means determines that the weather at the tunnel exit is worse than the reference weather, the tunnel exit A configuration may be adopted in which it is determined that is a predetermined environment. According to this configuration, it is possible to suppress the vehicle from becoming unstable due to the bad weather at the exit of the tunnel. The road environment information indicating the weather can be acquired by communication or the like from the information management center that generates the weather information. The reference weather may be defined in advance by, for example, statistics or the like as a state in which the vehicle becomes unstable when the weather is worse than the reference weather. Such a configuration is realized by, for example, the configuration shown in FIG. 3 in which the road environment information is used as weather information, whether bad weather is determined in step S215, and the type and cause of bad weather are determined in step S230. Is possible.

  The road environment information acquisition means acquires information on the road surface state of the road ahead of the vehicle as road environment information, and the environment determination means has a bridge having a predetermined shape and the road surface state in the bridge is more than the reference state. A configuration may be adopted in which it is determined that the bridge is in a predetermined environment when the friction coefficient is in a lowered state. According to this structure, it can suppress that a vehicle becomes unstable resulting from the fact that the friction coefficient of the road surface in a bridge of a specific shape is lower than a reference state. Note that the predetermined shape as the shape of the bridge may be defined in advance by, for example, statistics or the like as a shape in which the vehicle becomes unstable when the bridge has the predetermined shape.

  The road environment information indicating the friction coefficient of the road can be acquired by communication or the like from an information management center that generates information indicating the friction coefficient directly or indirectly. The information indirectly indicating the friction coefficient may be, for example, information indicating that the road surface is in a frozen state or that snow that has been compressed is present on the road, and the friction coefficient may be reduced. It may be information indicating a state, for example, snowfall or rainfall. Further, the reference state as the road surface state may be defined in advance by, for example, statistics or the like as a state in which the vehicle becomes unstable when the friction coefficient is lower than the reference state.

  FIG. 4 shows a vehicle control process as an example of such a configuration. That is, in the same configuration as in FIG. 1, the road surface condition is poor (rainy state, state of reduced friction coefficient due to pressure snow, frozen state) from the road environment management device via the communication unit 44. The road environment information indicating whether or not is obtained, and the vehicle control process shown in FIG. 4 may be executed. However, the link data of the map information 30a is associated with feature information indicating the position and shape of the bridges constituting the road. The shape of the bridge is defined as either flat or arched. In the vehicle control process shown in FIG. 4, steps S300, S310, S320, S335, S340, and S345 are the same processes as steps S100, S120, S135, S140, and S145. Steps S332 and S330 are the same processing as step S230.

  In step S305, the control unit 20 refers to the recording medium 30 and acquires feature information in which a position within a predetermined distance ahead of the current position of the vehicle is associated with the map information 30a. In the present embodiment, since the feature information indicates the position and shape of the bridge, when the feature information is acquired in step S305, the position of the bridge existing within a predetermined distance ahead of the current position of the vehicle. And the feature information indicating the shape is acquired. In step S <b> 310, the control unit 20 acquires road environment information indicating whether the road surface state is a rainy state, the friction coefficient is reduced due to snow pressure, or the frozen state.

  In step S315, the control unit 20 refers to the road environment information acquired in step S310 by the processing of the environment determination unit 21c, and the road surface state at the bridge position indicated by the feature information acquired in step S305 is poor. It is determined whether or not there is. In step S325, the control unit 20 determines whether the shape of the bridge indicated by the feature information acquired in step S305 is flat or arched.

  Then, in step S325, the control unit 20 executes step S330 when it is determined that the shape of the bridge is arched, and executes step S332 when it is determined that the shape of the bridge is flat. In these steps S330 and S332, the same determination is performed, but the processes executed after the same determination result are different. Specifically, when the determination result is rain, heavy rain, or heavy snow in step S330, steps S335, S340, and S345 are executed. In step S332, the determination result is rain, heavy rain, or heavy snow. Steps S320, S325, and S340 are executed.

  That is, the arch shape is more unstable when the bridge is flat. And the effect which improves the stability of a vehicle becomes high in order of step S320, S335, S340, S345. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the shape of the bridge is an arch shape having a relatively low stability, steps S335, S340, and S345 are performed according to the cause of the rough road, and the shape of the bridge is relative. In the case of a flat shape that is a highly stable shape, steps S320, S335, and S340 are performed according to the cause of the rough road. As a result, it can be prevented according to the shape of the bridge that the road surface is in a bad state in the state where the transmission 45 is set to neutral, and the vehicle becomes unstable depending on the shape of the bridge. Can be prevented.

  Further, the road environment information acquisition means acquires information on the weather of the road ahead of the vehicle as road environment information, and the environment determination means has a bridge having a predetermined shape and the weather at the bridge is more than the reference weather. If the weather is bad, the bridge may be determined to be in a predetermined environment. According to this configuration, the vehicle can be prevented from becoming unstable due to bad weather on the bridge. The road environment information indicating the weather can be acquired by communication or the like from the information management center that generates the weather information. The reference weather may be defined in advance by, for example, statistics or the like as a state in which the vehicle becomes unstable when the weather is worse than the reference weather. In such a configuration, for example, in the process shown in FIG. 4, road environment information is used as weather information, whether or not the weather is bad is determined in step S315, and the type and cause of bad weather are determined in steps S330 and S332. Is feasible.

  Furthermore, the feature information acquisition means acquires feature information indicating a point where attention should be paid to the occurrence of the accident in front of the vehicle, and the road environment information acquisition means varies the occurrence of the accident on the road ahead of the vehicle. When road environment information indicating the environment is acquired and the environment determination means is in a situation where the occurrence of the accident can be more than the standard at a point where the occurrence of the accident should be noted in front of the vehicle, the road ahead of the vehicle A configuration may be adopted in which it is determined that is a predetermined environment. According to this configuration, it is possible to suppress destabilization of the vehicle in a situation where the occurrence state of the accident may be greater than the standard at a point where the occurrence of the accident should be noted.

  Note that the road environment information indicating the environment in which the accident occurrence state is fluctuated may be a dynamic environment on the road or a static environment. The former includes the shape of the road (curves, junctions, etc.), and the latter includes the presence or absence of vehicles on the road, the degree of traffic congestion, and the like. Of course, even in such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 2 and the like, it is determined whether or not the neutral setting is prohibited according to the degree of decrease in the safety level when the vehicle becomes unstable, and cruise control is performed. It is possible to adopt a configuration in which the set vehicle speed is changed. For example, when a high-accident location is defined as a location where attention should be paid to the occurrence of an accident, the vehicle speed set for cruise control when the location is a curve, a traffic jam, or a junction Or a configuration for determining whether or not to disable the neutral setting depending on whether or not another vehicle is present in the merge lane.

  Furthermore, the method of prohibiting reaching a feature whose road environment changes suddenly in a state where power is not transmitted to the wheels, as in the present invention, can also be applied as a program or method. In addition, the system, program, and method as described above may be realized as a single device, or may be realized by using components shared with each unit provided in the vehicle when realized by a plurality of devices. It can be assumed and includes various aspects. For example, it is possible to provide a navigation system, method, and program including the above-described devices. Further, some changes may be made as appropriate, such as a part of software and a part of hardware. Furthermore, the invention can be realized as a recording medium for a program for controlling the system. Of course, the software recording medium may be a magnetic recording medium, a magneto-optical recording medium, or any recording medium to be developed in the future.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Navigation system, 20 ... Control part, 21 ... Vehicle control program, 21a ... Feature information acquisition part, 21b ... Road environment information acquisition part, 21c ... Environment determination part, 21d ... Control part, 30 ... Recording medium, 30a ... Map information, 41 ... GPS receiver, 42 ... vehicle speed sensor, 43 ... gyro sensor, 44 ... communication unit, 45 ... transmission, 46 ... throttle

Claims (9)

Feature information acquisition means for acquiring feature information on at least one of a tunnel exit and a bridge existing in front of the vehicle;
Road environment information acquisition means for acquiring road environment information related to the road environment ahead of the vehicle;
An environment determination means for determining whether at least one of the tunnel exit and the bridge is a predetermined environment based on the feature information and the road environment information;
When it is determined that at least one of the tunnel exit and the bridge is in a predetermined environment, the vehicle is prohibited from reaching the predetermined environment point in a state where power is not transmitted to wheels. Control means for controlling the power transmission mechanism;
A vehicle control system comprising: The control means includes
Cruise control for controlling the vehicle speed of the vehicle to be within a range from a minimum value to a maximum value can be executed,
Under the execution of the cruise control, when it is determined that at least one of the tunnel exit and the bridge is in a predetermined environment, the vehicle reaches the point of the predetermined environment at the minimum value. Control the vehicle speed,
The vehicle control system according to claim 1. The road environment information acquisition means
Obtaining information about crosswind on the road ahead of the vehicle as the road environment information,
The environment determination means includes
When the air volume of the cross wind at the exit of the tunnel is equal to or greater than a predetermined air volume, the tunnel exit is determined to be the predetermined environment.
The vehicle control system according to claim 1. The road environment information acquisition means
Obtaining information on the road surface condition of the road ahead of the vehicle as the road environment information,
The environment determination means includes
When the road surface state at the exit of the tunnel is a state where the friction coefficient is lower than the reference state, it is determined that the tunnel exit is the predetermined environment.
The vehicle control system in any one of Claims 1-3. The road environment information acquisition means
Obtaining information on the weather of the road ahead of the vehicle as the road environment information;
The environment determination means includes
When the weather at the exit of the tunnel is worse than the reference weather, the tunnel exit is determined to be the predetermined environment.
The vehicle control system in any one of Claims 1-4. The road environment information acquisition means
Obtaining information on the road surface condition of the road ahead of the vehicle as the road environment information,
The environment determination means includes
When the bridge has a predetermined shape and the road surface state in the bridge is a state in which a friction coefficient is lower than a reference state, the bridge is determined to be the predetermined environment.
The vehicle control system according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The road environment information acquisition means
Obtaining information on the weather of the road ahead of the vehicle as the road environment information;
The environment determination means includes
When the bridge has a predetermined shape and the weather on the bridge is worse than the standard weather, the bridge is determined to be the predetermined environment.
The vehicle control system in any one of Claims 1-6. A feature information acquisition step of acquiring feature information on at least one of a tunnel exit and a bridge existing in front of the vehicle;
Road environment information acquisition step for acquiring road environment information related to the road environment ahead of the vehicle;
An environment determination step for determining whether at least one of the tunnel exit and the bridge is a predetermined environment based on the feature information and the road environment information;
When it is determined that at least one of the tunnel exit and the bridge is in a predetermined environment, the vehicle is prohibited from reaching the predetermined environment point in a state where power is not transmitted to wheels. A control process for controlling the power transmission mechanism;
A vehicle control method. A feature information acquisition function for acquiring feature information on at least one of a tunnel exit and a bridge existing in front of the vehicle;
A road environment information acquisition function for acquiring road environment information related to the road environment ahead of the vehicle;
An environment determination function for determining whether at least one of the tunnel exit and the bridge is a predetermined environment based on the feature information and the road environment information;
When it is determined that at least one of the tunnel exit and the bridge is in a predetermined environment, the vehicle is prohibited from reaching the predetermined environment point in a state where power is not transmitted to wheels. A control function for controlling the power transmission mechanism;
A vehicle control program for realizing a computer.

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