JP2018001962A - Vehicle control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle control device capable of performing a proper running support according to a factor of deceleration or stop when the vehicle returns to an ordinary run from the state of deceleration or stop.SOLUTION: A travel speed control unit 11 decelerates a vehicle 1, when a deceleration factor occurs during the travel of the vehicle, and raises the running velocity of the vehicle 1 when a release condition according to a deceleration factor holds. A travel return countermeasure unit 12 performs, when a release condition holds so that the rise of the running velocity of the vehicle is started by the travel speed control unit 11, at least one of an acceleration limit treatment to restrict the acceleration of the vehicle 1 to below an upper limit deceleration, and a brake response increasing treatment to raise the response of the braking mechanism disposed in the vehicle 1 to a lower limit response level or higher.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle control device that supports driving of a vehicle.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a vehicle control device that supports driving of a vehicle according to the driving state of the vehicle is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  The vehicle control device described in Patent Document 1 is a blind corner monitor system, and when the vehicle decelerates and pauses before an intersection, the liquid crystal display screen is provided from the car navigation screen to the center of the front end of the vehicle. The screen is switched to a captured image screen in the left-right direction of the vehicle by the BCM (blind corner monitor) camera.

  Further, the blind corner system returns the screen of the liquid crystal display to the car navigation screen when the temporarily stopped vehicle resumes traveling and the traveling speed becomes a predetermined speed or more.

JP 2007-15562 A

  In the vehicle control device described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the driver switches the screen of the liquid crystal display between the captured image of the BCM camera and the navigation screen in accordance with the deceleration and stop of the vehicle at the intersection and the restart of traveling. Although driving assistance that does not require screen switching operation is performed, the vehicle is also decelerated or stopped due to various factors other than the intersection.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and a vehicle control device capable of performing appropriate travel support according to the cause of deceleration or stop when the vehicle returns to normal travel from the state of deceleration or stop. The purpose is to provide.

The vehicle control device of the present invention includes:
A vehicle control device for supporting driving of a vehicle,
A traveling speed control unit that decelerates the vehicle when a predetermined deceleration factor occurs during traveling of the vehicle and then increases the traveling speed of the vehicle when a release condition according to the deceleration factor is satisfied; ,
An acceleration limiting process for limiting the acceleration of the vehicle to a predetermined acceleration or less when the release condition is satisfied, and a braking response increasing process for setting a response of a braking mechanism provided in the vehicle to a predetermined response level or higher. And a travel recovery handling unit that executes at least one of them.

  According to the present invention, the traveling speed control unit decelerates the vehicle when a vehicle deceleration factor occurs, and then increases the vehicle traveling speed when a release condition according to the deceleration factor is satisfied. When the release condition is satisfied, at least one of the acceleration limiting process and the braking responsiveness increasing process is executed by the traveling return handling unit. The acceleration limiting process prevents the vehicle from suddenly accelerating when the release condition is satisfied and the vehicle starts accelerating, and the release condition is satisfied and the vehicle starts to accelerate by the braking responsiveness increasing process. However, by making it possible to quickly decelerate the vehicle when it is necessary to stop acceleration, the vehicle can be appropriately returned to the normal running state when the release condition is satisfied.

A travel environment recognition unit for recognizing the travel environment of the vehicle;
The traveling speed control unit determines whether the deceleration factor has occurred based on the traveling environment of the vehicle recognized by the traveling environment recognition unit.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not a deceleration factor of the vehicle has occurred based on a change in the traveling environment of the vehicle recognized by the traveling environment recognition unit.

In addition, the deceleration factor is that the travel environment recognition unit recognizes that the vehicle has approached a point where deceleration is necessary,
The release condition is that an acceleration operation of the vehicle by a driver of the vehicle is performed,
The travel recovery handling unit includes a process of prohibiting a shift up of a transmission provided in the vehicle when the release condition is satisfied, and a process of limiting the travel speed of the vehicle to a first predetermined speed or less. At least one of them is executed.

  According to this configuration, when the vehicle is decelerated by approaching a point where deceleration is required (such as a T-shaped road with poor visibility), and the driver performs an acceleration operation of the vehicle, By limiting the traveling speed, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from jumping out onto a T-shaped road or the like.

In addition, the deceleration factor is that the travel environment recognition unit recognizes that the vehicle has approached a point where deceleration is necessary,
The release condition is that an acceleration operation of the vehicle is performed by a driver of the vehicle,
The traveling return coping section executes a process of making a braking force generated by a braking mechanism provided in the vehicle larger than a first predetermined braking force when the release condition is satisfied.

  According to this configuration, the braking force of the braking mechanism is increased when the driver accelerates the vehicle after the vehicle is decelerated by approaching a point where the vehicle needs to be decelerated (such as a T-shaped road with poor visibility). Thus, when the driver finds an obstacle after the vehicle enters the T-junction or the like, the vehicle can be quickly decelerated by the braking mechanism.

Further, the deceleration factor is that the traveling environment recognition unit recognizes that the vehicle has approached a railroad crossing,
The release condition is that an acceleration operation of the vehicle is performed by a driver of the vehicle,
The travel recovery handling unit includes a process of prohibiting a shift up of a transmission provided in the vehicle while the vehicle passes a railroad crossing, and a process of limiting the speed of the vehicle to a second predetermined speed or less. It is characterized in that at least one of the above is executed.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent the traveling state of the vehicle from becoming unstable while the vehicle is passing the railroad crossing.

Further, the deceleration factor is that the traveling environment recognition unit recognizes that the vehicle has approached a railroad crossing,
When the travel environment recognizing unit recognizes that a crossing breaker is descending, the travel recovery handling unit operates a braking mechanism provided in the vehicle to maintain the vehicle in a stopped state. It is characterized by performing.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to eliminate the need for the driver to stop the vehicle by maintaining the vehicle in a stopped state while the crossing breaker is descending.

The deceleration factor is that an obstacle that may come into contact with the vehicle is recognized by the traveling environment recognition unit.
The release condition is that the obstacle is not recognized by the traveling environment recognition unit,
The travel return handling unit is configured to prohibit a shift up of a transmission provided in the vehicle when the obstacle is no longer recognized by the travel environment recognition unit, and to set a travel speed of the vehicle to a third predetermined value. It is characterized in that at least one of the processes limited to the speed or less is executed.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from rapidly accelerating when the state where the obstacle exists is shifted to the state where the obstacle does not exist.

The deceleration factor is that an obstacle that may come into contact with the vehicle is recognized by the traveling environment recognition unit.
The release condition is that the obstacle is not recognized by the traveling environment recognition unit,
The travel recovery handling unit executes a process of setting a braking force generated by a braking mechanism provided in the vehicle to a second predetermined braking force or more when the obstacle is no longer recognized by the traveling environment recognition unit. It is characterized by that.

  According to this configuration, the vehicle starts to accelerate from the state where the obstacle exists to the state where the obstacle does not exist, but when a new obstacle such as a pedestrian jumping out on the road occurs The vehicle can be quickly decelerated by the braking mechanism.

  Further, when the travel condition recognizing unit recognizes that the vehicle is located on a road surface portion with low friction when the release condition is satisfied, the travel return handling unit outputs torque output from driving wheels of the vehicle. Is performed to limit the torque to a predetermined torque or less.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from slipping when the vehicle accelerates from a low-friction road surface location (a location where a road sign is painted, a location where a manhole is disposed, etc.). .

In addition, the travel speed control unit
ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) has a function to control the traveling speed of the vehicle,
When the driving speed of the vehicle is controlled by the ACC, an operation to release the ACC is performed by the driver of the vehicle. When the vehicle turns right or left with the ACC released, the right or left turn When the process is completed, the control of the traveling speed of the vehicle by the ACC is resumed.

  According to this configuration, when the vehicle driver releases the ACC and makes a right turn or a left turn, when the right turn or the left turn is completed, the traveling speed control unit resumes the control of the traveling speed of the vehicle by the ACC. The Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the need for the ACC return operation by the driver at the end of the right or left turn.

In addition, the travel speed control unit
ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) has a function to control the traveling speed of the vehicle,
When the vehicle speed is controlled by the ACC, before the deceleration factor occurs and the vehicle is decelerated, the vehicle driver performs a deceleration operation to control the vehicle speed by the ACC. When the vehicle is released, thereafter, when the release condition is satisfied, the control of the traveling speed of the vehicle by the ACC is resumed.

  According to this configuration, when the driver who notices the deceleration factor performs a deceleration operation before the vehicle is decelerated according to the deceleration factor by the traveling speed control unit, the vehicle travels when the release condition is satisfied. Control of the traveling speed of the vehicle by ACC is resumed by the speed control unit. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the need for the ACC return operation by the driver when the release condition is satisfied.

Explanatory drawing of the vehicle by which a vehicle control apparatus is mounted. The control block diagram of a vehicle control apparatus. The flowchart of the driving assistance process at the time of restarting driving | running | working from the state which the vehicle stopped. The flowchart of the driving assistance process at the time of restarting driving | running | working from the state which the vehicle stopped by the red light. The flowchart of the driving assistance process at the time of restarting driving | running | working from the state which the vehicle stopped with the stop sign. The flowchart of the driving assistance process at the time of restarting driving | running | working from the state which the vehicle stopped at the crossing. The flowchart of the driving assistance process at the time of restarting driving | running | working from the state which the vehicle stopped at the intersection.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[1. Configuration of vehicle control apparatus]
Referring to FIG. 1, it includes a front camera 2 that images the front, a front camera 3 that images the front side (left front and right front), a front radar 4 that detects the position of an object existing in front, and a steering 7a. The vehicle is mounted on a vehicle 1 including a steering mechanism 7, a braking mechanism 8, a navigation device 30, a drive mechanism 40 (engine, electric motor, etc.), a transmission 41, and the like.

  The steering mechanism 7 changes the direction of the front wheels (steering wheels) 51 and 52 among the wheels 51 to 54 of the vehicle 1. The braking mechanism 8 decelerates the vehicle 1 by braking the rotation of the wheels 51 to 54. The drive mechanism 40 rotationally drives the drive wheels of the vehicle 1 via the transmission 41. The vehicle control device 10 controls the overall operation of the vehicle 1.

  Next, referring to FIG. 2, the vehicle control device 10 is an electronic circuit unit configured by a CPU, a memory, an interface circuit, etc. (not shown), and the CPU executes a control program for the vehicle 1 held in the memory. By doing so, it functions as the traveling speed control unit 11, the traveling return coping unit 12, and the traveling environment recognition unit 13.

  In the vehicle control device 10, the front image of the vehicle 1 captured by the front camera 2, the captured image of the front side of the vehicle 1 captured by the front side camera 3, and the position of the object detected by the front radar 4 are stored. Entered. The vehicle control device 10 includes a vehicle speed sensor 20, a yaw rate sensor 21, a rudder angle sensor 22 (detecting the rudder angle of the steered wheels 51 and 52), and a torque sensor 23 (in addition to the steering 7 a) provided in the vehicle 1. A detection signal by an accelerator pedal sensor 24 (detecting an operation state of an accelerator pedal not shown) and a brake pedal sensor 25 (detecting an operation state of a brake pedal sensor not shown). Is entered.

  The vehicle control device 10 controls the operations of the steering mechanism 7, the braking mechanism 8, the drive mechanism 40, the transmission 41, and the like based on these detection signals.

  Further, operations of the speaker 5, the display 6, the steering mechanism 7, the braking mechanism 8, the navigation device 30, the drive mechanism 40, the transmission 41, and the like are controlled by a control signal output from the vehicle control device 10. The navigation device 30 includes a GPS (Global Positioning System) unit 31 that detects the current position of the vehicle 1 and a map database 32 that stores map data, and performs route guidance to a destination.

  The traveling speed control unit 11 has a function of controlling the traveling speed of the vehicle by ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control), and the ACC is turned on (used state) and turned off (used state) according to the driver's selection operation. Is switched.

  When the ACC is ON, the traveling speed control unit 11 performs an ACC operation that causes the vehicle 1 to travel while maintaining an appropriate distance from the preceding vehicle at a speed (cruise speed) set by the driver. . When ACC is OFF, the traveling speed control unit 11 controls the traveling speed of the vehicle 1 according to the operation of the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal by the driver without performing the ACC operation.

[2. Driving recovery support process]
The traveling speed control unit 11 performs processing to decelerate and stop the vehicle 1 when various traveling factors are recognized by the traveling environment recognition unit 13 while controlling the traveling speed of the vehicle 1 by the ACC operation. . Then, the traveling speed control unit 11 resumes the ACC operation of the vehicle 1 when the release condition set in accordance with each deceleration factor is satisfied. At that time, the traveling return handling unit 12 causes the traveling of the vehicle 1 to travel. Support processing (running return support processing) is executed.

  In this embodiment, as a factor of deceleration of the vehicle 1 due to the ACC operation, (1) when a red signal approaching the front of the vehicle 1 is recognized, (2) a stop sign approaching the front of the vehicle 1 is recognized. (3) When a crossing approaching the front of the vehicle 1 is recognized, (4) When an obstacle that may come into contact with the vehicle 1 is recognized, (5) A road surface on which the vehicle 1 is stopped When it is recognized that the location is a low friction road surface, and (6) when an intersection approaching the front of the vehicle 1 is recognized, it is set.

  When the traveling speed recognition unit 13 recognizes any one of the deceleration factors (1) to (6) when the vehicle 1 is traveling by the ACC operation, The vehicle 1 is decelerated and stopped. And the process by the flowchart shown in FIGS. 3-7 is performed, and ACC operation | movement is restarted when the deceleration factor is eliminated.

  STEP 1 in FIG. 3 is processing by the traveling environment recognition unit 13. The traveling environment recognition unit 13 includes an image captured by the front camera 2, an image captured by the front side camera 3, object detection information by the front radar 4, the current position of the vehicle 1 detected by the GPS unit 31 of the navigation device 30, and the navigation device. Map data around the current position of the vehicle 1 held in the map DB 32 of 30, data from other vehicles received by the communication device 9, beacon signals (transmitted from road facilities) received by the communication device 9, etc. Based on the above, the traveling environment of the vehicle 1 is recognized.

  The traveling environment recognition unit 13 includes the conditions of the road ahead of the vehicle 1 (signals, road signs, railroad crossings, etc.), obstacles existing in front of the vehicle 1 (other vehicles, pedestrians, etc.) as the traveling environment of the vehicle 1. recognize.

  The next STEP2 to STEP7 are processing by the traveling speed control unit 11, and STEP100, STEP200, STEP300, STEP400, STEP500, and STEP600 are processing by the traveling speed control unit 11 and the traveling return handling unit 12.

  First, in STEP 2, the traveling speed control unit 11 determines whether or not a red signal is detected by the traveling environment recognition unit 13. If a red signal is detected, the process branches to STEP 100. If a red signal is not detected, the process proceeds to STEP 3. In STEP 100, the traveling speed control unit 11 and the traveling return handling unit 12 execute a “red signal handling process”. The “red signal handling process” will be described later.

  In STEP 3, the traveling speed control unit 11 determines whether or not the stop sign is recognized by the traveling environment recognition unit 13. When the stop sign is recognized, the process branches to STEP 200, and when the stop sign is not recognized, the process proceeds to STEP 4. In STEP 200, the traveling speed control unit 11 and the traveling return handling unit 12 execute a “temporary stop handling process”. The “pause handling process” will be described later.

  In STEP 4, the traveling speed control unit 11 determines whether or not the crossing is recognized by the traveling environment recognition unit 13. If a crossing is recognized, the process branches to STEP 300. If a crossing is not recognized, the process proceeds to STEP5. In STEP 300, the traveling speed control unit 11 and the traveling return handling unit 12 execute a “crossing handling process”. The “crossing handling process” will be described later.

  In STEP 5, the traveling speed control unit 11 determines whether or not an obstacle has been recognized by the traveling environment recognition unit 13. When an obstacle is recognized, the process branches to STEP 400, and when an obstacle is not recognized, the process proceeds to STEP 6. In STEP 400, the traveling speed control unit 11 and the traveling return handling unit 12 execute “obstacle handling process”. The “obstacle handling process” will be described later.

  In STEP 6, the traveling speed control unit 11 determines whether or not the low friction road surface is recognized by the traveling environment recognition unit 13. When the low friction road surface is recognized, the process branches to STEP 500, and when the low friction road is not recognized, the process proceeds to STEP7. In STEP 500, the traveling speed control unit 11 and the traveling return handling unit 12 execute a “low friction road surface handling process”. The “low friction road surface handling process” will be described later.

  In STEP 7, the traveling speed control unit 11 determines whether or not the intersection is recognized by the traveling environment recognition unit 13. When the intersection is recognized, the process branches to STEP 600, and when the intersection is not recognized, the process proceeds to STEP 8. In STEP 600, the traveling speed control unit 11 and the traveling return handling unit 12 execute “intersection handling process”. The “intersection handling process” will be described later.

  When the process proceeds to STEP 8 (when none of the deceleration factors (1) to (6) above is recognized), the traveling speed control unit 11 performs the ACC operation of the vehicle 1 according to the operation of the accelerator pedal by the driver. Restart travel control.

  When YES is determined in STEP 2 to STEP 7, the traveling speed control unit 11 performs an automatic brake process on the target recognized by the traveling environment recognition unit 13. In STEP 7, when the intersection is recognized by the traveling environment recognition unit 13, automatic braking is not necessary when the vehicle 1 goes straight through the intersection. Therefore, when the vehicle 1 turns right or left at the intersection, automatic braking is performed. Processing is performed. Here, when the vehicle 1 turns right or left at the intersection, for example, when the destination of the vehicle 1 is set in the navigation device 30, it can be estimated from the travel route to the destination.

[3. Red signal processing]
The “red signal handling process” executed by the travel speed control unit 11 and the travel return handling unit 12 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  In STEP 101, the traveling speed control unit 11 causes the traveling environment recognition unit 13 to execute traffic light recognition processing. In subsequent STEP102, the traveling speed control unit 11 branches to STEP101 when the red signal is recognized, and proceeds to STEP103 when the red signal is not recognized.

  In STEP 103, the traveling speed control unit 11 determines whether or not a green signal is recognized. When the blue signal is recognized, the process branches to STEP 110. When the blue signal is not recognized, the process proceeds to STEP 104 and the process is terminated.

  In STEP 110, the traveling speed control unit 11 detects the state of the brake pedal (whether the brake pedal is depressed) by the brake pedal sensor 25. In subsequent STEP 111, the traveling speed control unit 11 determines whether or not the driver is stepping on the brake pedal. Then, the process branches to STEP 110 when the driver is stepping on the brake pedal, and proceeds to STEP 112 when the driver is not stepping on the brake pedal (when an acceleration operation is performed by the driver).

  In STEP 112, the traveling speed control unit 11 performs notification of restarting the ACC operation (output of the notification sound from the speaker 5, display of the notification screen on the display 6, etc.), and restarts the ACC operation in the next STEP 113. Start 1

  The subsequent STEP 114 is a process performed by the travel return handling unit 12. The travel recovery handling unit 12 executes the following (a) to (d) as “travel recovery support processing”.

  (A) The acceleration of the vehicle 1 is limited to the first predetermined acceleration A1 or less until the first predetermined time T1 elapses from the time when the vehicle 1 starts.

  (B) The acceleration of the vehicle 1 is limited to the second predetermined acceleration A2 or less until the vehicle 1 travels the first predetermined distance L1 after starting. The second predetermined acceleration A2 may be set to be the same as or different from the first predetermined acceleration.

  (C) The responsiveness (response speed) of the automatic brake by the ACC operation is made higher than the first predetermined response level R1 until the second predetermined time T2 elapses after the vehicle 1 starts. The first predetermined response level R1 is set to be higher than the responsiveness during normal travel (cruise travel) by the ACC operation.

  (D) The response speed of the braking process according to the ACC operation and the driver's operation is made higher than the second predetermined response level R2 until the vehicle 1 travels the second predetermined distance L2 after starting. The second predetermined response level R2 is set to be higher than the responsiveness during normal traveling by the ACC operation. The second predetermined response level may be set to be the same as or different from the first predetermined response level.

  All of the processes (a) to (d) may be executed, or only one or some of them may be executed in combination. The processes (a) and (b) correspond to the acceleration limiting process of the present invention, and the processes (c) and (d) correspond to the braking response increasing process of the present invention.

[4. Suspension handling processing]
Next, the “pause handling process” will be described according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  In STEP 201 of FIG. 5, the traveling speed control unit 11 detects the state of the vehicle 1 based on the detection status of the vehicle speed sensor 20 and the like. In subsequent STEP 202, the traveling speed control unit 11 determines whether or not the vehicle 1 is temporarily stopped (stopped by a stop sign). If the vehicle 1 is temporarily stopped, the process proceeds to STEP 210. If not, the process proceeds to STEP 203. End the process.

  In addition, the position where the stop sign is installed corresponds to the point where deceleration of the present invention is necessary.

  In STEP 210, the traveling speed control unit 11 activates the front side camera 3 and displays a captured image of the front side camera 3 on the display 6. Here, since the navigation screen by the navigation device 30 is normally displayed on the display device 6, the screen of the display device 6 is switched from the navigation screen to the front side imaging screen by the processing of STEP210. By the processing of STEP 210, the screen switching operation of the display 6 by the driver can be made unnecessary.

  In STEP 211, the traveling speed control unit 11 detects the state of the brake pedal (whether the brake pedal is depressed) by the brake pedal sensor 25. In subsequent STEP 212, the traveling speed control unit 11 determines whether or not the driver is stepping on the brake pedal. Then, the process branches to STEP 210 when the driver is stepping on the brake pedal, and proceeds to STEP 213 when the driver is not stepping on the brake pedal.

  In STEP 213, the traveling speed control unit 11 switches the screen of the display 6 from the front side imaging screen to the navigation screen. By the processing in STEP 213, the screen switching operation (returning operation to the navigation screen) of the display 6 by the driver can be made unnecessary.

  In STEP 214, the traveling speed control unit 11 notifies the ACC operation restart, and in the next STEP 215, the ACC operation is restarted to start the vehicle 1.

  The subsequent STEP 216 is processing performed by the travel return handling unit 12. The travel recovery handling unit 12 executes the following processes (e) and (f) as the “travel recovery support process” in addition to the processes (a) to (d) described above.

  (E) The process of limiting the traveling speed of the vehicle 1 to the first predetermined speed V1 or less and the shift-up of the transmission 41 of the vehicle 1 from the time when the vehicle 1 starts until the third predetermined time T3 elapses. At least one of the prohibited processing is performed.

  (F) The process of limiting the traveling speed of the vehicle 1 to the second predetermined speed V2 or less and the upshifting of the transmission 41 of the vehicle 1 until the vehicle 1 travels the third predetermined distance L3 after starting. At least one of the prohibited processing is performed. The second predetermined speed V2 may be set to be the same as or different from the first predetermined speed V1.

  (G) The braking force by the braking mechanism 8 is set to be equal to or greater than the first predetermined braking force S1 until the fourth predetermined time T4 elapses after the vehicle 1 starts. The first predetermined braking force S1 is set to be larger than the braking force by the braking mechanism 8 during normal traveling (cruise traveling) by the ACC operation.

  (H) The braking force by the braking mechanism 8 is set to be equal to or greater than the second predetermined braking force S2 until the vehicle 1 travels the fourth predetermined distance L4 after starting. The second predetermined braking force S2 is set to be larger than the braking force by the braking mechanism 8 during normal traveling (cruise traveling) by the ACC operation. The second predetermined braking force S2 may be the same as or different from the first predetermined braking force S1.

  All of the processes (e) to (h) may be executed, or only one or some of them may be executed in combination.

[5. Crossing corresponding processing]
Next, the “crossing control process” will be described according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  In STEP 301 of FIG. 6, the traveling speed control unit 11 detects the state of the vehicle 1 based on the detection status of the vehicle speed sensor 20 and the like. In subsequent STEP 302, the traveling speed control unit 11 determines whether or not the vehicle 1 has been temporarily stopped (stopped before the railroad crossing). When the vehicle 1 is temporarily stopped, the process proceeds to STEP 310. When the vehicle 1 is not temporarily stopped, the process proceeds to STEP 303. End the process.

  In STEP 310, the traveling speed control unit 11 detects the state of the brake pedal (whether or not the brake is depressed) by the brake pedal sensor 25. In subsequent STEP 311, the traveling speed control unit 11 determines whether or not the driver is stepping on the brake pedal. Then, the process branches to STEP 310 when the driver is stepping on the brake pedal, and proceeds to STEP 312 when the driver is not stepping on the brake pedal.

  STEP 312 and STEP 320 are processes performed by the travel return handling unit 12. The travel recovery handling unit 12 determines whether or not the travel environment recognition unit 13 recognizes that the level crossing barrier is descending in STEP 312. When it is recognized that the breaker is descending, the process branches to STEP 320, and when it is not recognized that the breaker is descending, the process proceeds to STEP313.

  In STEP 320, the travel recovery handling unit 12 maintains the vehicle 1 in the stopped state by the braking mechanism 8, thereby making it unnecessary for the driver to perform a brake operation while the circuit breaker is descending. In addition, the traveling environment recognition unit 13 receives a captured image of the front camera 2, an alarm sound output from the crossing when the barrier is down, reception of a beacon signal transmitted from the crossing when the barrier is down, etc. Recognize that the breaker is down.

  In STEP 313, the traveling speed control unit 11 notifies the start of the ACC operation in which the shift-up of the transmission 41 is restricted, and starts the ACC operation in which the shift-up of the transmission 41 is restricted in the next STEP 314.

  The subsequent STEP 315 is processing performed by the travel return handling unit 12. The travel recovery handling unit 12 performs the above-described processes (a) to (d), (e), and (f) as the “travel recovery support process”. In this case, the first predetermined time T1, the second predetermined time T2, the third predetermined time T3, the fourth predetermined time T4, the first predetermined distance L1, the second predetermined distance L2, the third predetermined distance L3, and the fourth predetermined distance L4. , First predetermined acceleration A1, second predetermined acceleration A2, first predetermined response level R1, second predetermined response level R2, first predetermined speed V1, second predetermined speed V2, first predetermined braking force S1, and second place All or a part of the constant braking force S2 may be changed to a value suitable for level crossing travel.

  In the next STEP 316, the traveling speed control unit 11 determines whether or not the traveling environment recognition unit 13 has recognized that the vehicle 1 has passed the railroad crossing. Then, the process proceeds to STEP 317 when the vehicle 1 passes the railroad crossing. In STEP 317, the traveling speed control unit 11 notifies the ACC operation return, restarts the ACC operation in STEP 318, proceeds to STEP 303, and ends the process.

[6. Obstacle handling process]
Next, the process when the obstacle existing in front of the vehicle 1 is recognized by the traveling environment recognition unit 13 is described in [3. This is the same as the red signal processing. That is, the travel speed control unit 11 performs a process of determining whether or not the obstacle is no longer recognized by the travel environment recognition unit 13 instead of the process of STEP 101 to STEP 103 in FIG. 4, and the obstacle is no longer recognized. Sometimes STEP 110 to STEP 114 are performed.

[7. Low friction road surface treatment]
Next, the traveling environment recognition unit 13 recognizes that the road surface on which the vehicle 1 is stopped is a low friction road surface (a road surface on which a vehicle slip easily occurs such as a place where a sign is painted or a place where a manhole is installed). In the case of the case, the above [3. This is the same as the red signal processing. That is, the travel speed control unit 11 performs a process of determining whether or not the road surface on which the vehicle 1 is stopped is a low friction road surface by the travel environment recognition unit 13 instead of the processes of STEP 101 to STEP 103 in FIG. If it is determined that the road surface is a low-friction road surface, STEP 110 to STEP 114 are performed. In this case, the travel recovery handling unit 12 further performs the following process (i) at STEP 114.

  (I) The output torque to the drive wheels by the drive mechanism 40 is limited to a predetermined torque Tr1 or less.

[8. Intersection handling process]
next. The “intersection handling process” executed by the travel speed control unit 11 and the travel return handling unit 12 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  In STEP 601, the traveling speed control unit 11 causes the traveling environment recognition unit 13 to execute recognition processing of the current position and the intersection of the vehicle 1. In subsequent STEP 602, the traveling speed control unit 11 determines whether or not the vehicle 1 has entered the intersection. When the vehicle 1 enters the intersection, the process proceeds to STEP 610. When the vehicle 1 does not enter the intersection, the process proceeds to STEP 603 and the process ends.

  The next STEP 610 is processing by the traveling return handling unit 12. The travel recovery handling unit 12 executes the processes (a) to (d).

  In subsequent STEP 611, the traveling speed control unit 11 detects the operation of the driver from the detection status of the yaw rate sensor 21, the rudder angle sensor 22, and the like, and in STEP 612, determines whether the right turn or left turn of the vehicle 1 has been completed. . When the right turn or left turn is completed, the process proceeds to STEP 613. When the right turn or left turn is not completed, the process proceeds to STEP 611.

  In STEP 613, the traveling speed control unit 11 notifies the ACC operation resumption, and in STEP 614, the traveling speed of the vehicle 1 by the ACC operation is resumed, the process proceeds to STEP 603, and the process ends.

[9. Other Embodiments]
In the above embodiment, the vehicle 1 starts traveling from the state in which the vehicle 1 is stopped by the automatic braking process by the ACC operation by the traveling speed control unit 11 according to the operation of the driver, and the vehicle 1 is controlled by the ACC operation. , The “red signal handling process”, “temporary stop handling process”, “crossing handling process”, “obstacle handling process”, “low friction road surface handling process” shown in FIG. Regarding the “intersection handling process”, the present invention can be applied even when the vehicle 1 is stopped not by automatic braking by the ACC operation but by braking by the driver's operation. In this case, if there is a brake operation by the driver after the recognition process, it can be seen that there is an intention to decelerate the recognition target, so whether automatic braking processing was performed for a right or left turn at the intersection according to the destination There is no need to determine whether or not.

  When the vehicle 1 is in a low speed state where the vehicle 1 is not completely stopped, the travel recovery support process shown in FIGS. 3 to 7 may be performed. In this case, the ACC is released when the traveling speed of the vehicle 1 becomes equal to or lower than the predetermined determination speed, and the temporary stop condition in STEP 202 of FIG. 5 is changed to be equal to or lower than the determination speed.

  Further, when the traveling control of the vehicle 1 by the ACC operation is being executed, before the deceleration factors (1) to (6) are recognized, the driver has the deceleration factors (1) to (6). It is conceivable that the vehicle 1 is stopped (manually stopped) by performing a brake operation (deceleration operation) before automatic braking by the ACC operation is performed. In this case, after the ACC operation is canceled by the manual stop, the traveling speed control unit 11 recognizes the deceleration factors (1) to (6) described above. The ACC operation may be resumed.

  Moreover, although it is intended that the driver does not step on the brake pedal as the acceleration operation, the present invention is not limited to this, and the operation of the accelerator pedal or the operation switch of the ACC may be targeted. In this case, although the driver performs more operations than when the brake pedal is not depressed, the same effect can be obtained in the control for increasing the traveling speed.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle (passenger car), 2 ... Front camera, 3 ... Front side camera, 4 ... Front radar, 7 ... Steering mechanism, 8 ... Braking mechanism, 9 ... Communication apparatus, 10 ... Vehicle control apparatus, 11 ... Travel speed control part , 12 ... Travel recovery handling unit, 13 ... Travel environment recognition unit, 30 ... Navigation device, 31 ... GPS unit, 32 ... Map database, 40 ... Drive mechanism, 41 ... Transmission.

Claims (11)

A vehicle control device for supporting driving of a vehicle,
A traveling speed control unit that decelerates the vehicle when a predetermined deceleration factor occurs during traveling of the vehicle and then increases the traveling speed of the vehicle when a release condition according to the deceleration factor is satisfied; ,
An acceleration limiting process for limiting the acceleration of the vehicle to a predetermined acceleration or less when the release condition is satisfied, and a braking response increasing process for setting a response of a braking mechanism provided in the vehicle to a predetermined response level or higher. A vehicle control apparatus comprising: a travel return handling unit that executes at least one of them. The vehicle control device according to claim 1,
A travel environment recognition unit for recognizing the travel environment of the vehicle;
The vehicle control apparatus, wherein the travel speed control unit determines whether or not the deceleration factor has occurred based on the travel environment of the vehicle recognized by the travel environment recognition unit. The vehicle control device according to claim 2,
The deceleration factor is that the traveling environment recognition unit recognizes that the vehicle has approached a point where deceleration is necessary,
The release condition is that an acceleration operation of the vehicle by a driver of the vehicle is performed,
The travel recovery handling unit includes a process of prohibiting a shift up of a transmission provided in the vehicle when the release condition is satisfied, and a process of limiting the travel speed of the vehicle to a first predetermined speed or less. A vehicle control apparatus that executes at least one of them. In the vehicle control device according to claim 2 or claim 3,
The deceleration factor is that the traveling environment recognition unit recognizes that the vehicle has approached a point where deceleration is necessary,
The release condition is that an acceleration operation of the vehicle is performed by a driver of the vehicle,
The vehicle return control unit executes a process of making a braking force generated by a braking mechanism provided in the vehicle larger than a first predetermined braking force when the release condition is satisfied. apparatus. In the vehicle control device according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
The deceleration factor is that the traveling environment recognition unit recognizes that the vehicle has approached a railroad crossing,
The release condition is that an acceleration operation of the vehicle is performed by a driver of the vehicle,
The travel recovery handling unit includes a process of prohibiting a shift up of a transmission provided in the vehicle while the vehicle passes a railroad crossing, and a process of limiting the speed of the vehicle to a second predetermined speed or less. A vehicle control device that executes at least one of the above. In the vehicle control device according to any one of claims 2 to 5,
The deceleration factor is that the traveling environment recognition unit recognizes that the vehicle has approached a railroad crossing,
When the travel environment recognizing unit recognizes that a crossing breaker is descending, the travel recovery handling unit operates a braking mechanism provided in the vehicle to maintain the vehicle in a stopped state. The vehicle control apparatus characterized by performing. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 2 to 6,
The deceleration factor is that the traveling environment recognition unit recognizes an obstacle that may come into contact with the vehicle.
The release condition is that the obstacle is not recognized by the traveling environment recognition unit,
The travel return handling unit is configured to prohibit a shift up of a transmission provided in the vehicle when the obstacle is no longer recognized by the travel environment recognition unit, and to set a travel speed of the vehicle to a third predetermined value. A vehicle control apparatus that executes at least one of processing that limits speed or less. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 2 to 7,
The deceleration factor is that the traveling environment recognition unit recognizes an obstacle that may come into contact with the vehicle.
The release condition is that the obstacle is not recognized by the traveling environment recognition unit,
The travel recovery handling unit executes a process of setting a braking force generated by a braking mechanism provided in the vehicle to a second predetermined braking force or more when the obstacle is no longer recognized by the traveling environment recognition unit. The vehicle control apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. In the vehicle control device according to any one of claims 2 to 8,
When the release condition is satisfied, the travel recovery handling unit determines the output torque of the drive wheels of the vehicle when the travel environment recognition unit recognizes that the vehicle is positioned on a low friction road surface location. A vehicle control device that executes a process of limiting to a torque or less. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The travel speed control unit is
ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) has a function to control the traveling speed of the vehicle,
When the driving speed of the vehicle is controlled by the ACC, an operation to release the ACC is performed by the driver of the vehicle, and when the vehicle turns right or left with the ACC released, the right or left turn When the control is completed, the control of the traveling speed of the vehicle by the ACC is resumed. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
The travel speed control unit is
ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) has a function to control the traveling speed of the vehicle,
When the vehicle speed is controlled by the ACC, before the deceleration factor occurs and the vehicle is decelerated, the vehicle driver performs a deceleration operation to control the vehicle speed by the ACC. When the vehicle is released, thereafter, when the release condition is satisfied, the control of the traveling speed of the vehicle by the ACC is resumed.