JP2019026183A - Vehicle control device, speed control method - Google Patents

Abstract

To avoid sudden deceleration even when a parallel running vehicle interrupts in front of an own vehicle.SOLUTION: The vehicle control device includes a speed command part for controlling the own vehicle speed which is the speed of an own vehicle, a speed acquiring part acquiring the speed of an adjacent vehicle which is the vehicle traveling in front of the own vehicle on a travel lane adjacent to a travel lane in which the own vehicle travels, and a distance obtaining part which acquires vehicle to vehicle distance being a distance between the adjacent vehicle and the own vehicle, and the speed instruction part, when the own vehicle catches up with the adjacent vehicle, controls the speed of the own vehicle so that a speed difference between the own vehicle and the adjacent vehicle comes to be a specified value or less.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle control device and a speed control method.

  A technique is known in which the vehicle speed is maintained at a preset speed, and the vehicle travels following the preceding vehicle when the speed of the preceding vehicle is slower than the set speed. Patent document 1 discloses a vehicle travel control device that travels following when there is a preceding vehicle and travels at a constant speed at a set vehicle speed when there is no preceding vehicle, and the traveling speed of the host vehicle that has lost the preceding vehicle. When the deviation between the vehicle speed and the set vehicle speed is greater than a predetermined value, there is disclosed a vehicle travel control device comprising control means for controlling the acceleration that transitions to the set vehicle speed to be smaller than when the deviation is equal to or greater than the predetermined value. Yes.

JP 2007-186097 A

  In the invention described in Patent Document 1, when a parallel running vehicle interrupts in front of the host vehicle, it must be decelerated suddenly.

A vehicle control apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a speed command unit that controls a host vehicle speed that is a speed of the host vehicle, and a travel path adjacent to the travel path on which the host vehicle travels in front of the host vehicle. A speed acquisition unit that acquires a speed of an adjacent vehicle that is a traveling vehicle; and a distance acquisition unit that acquires an inter-vehicle distance that is a distance between the adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle. The speed command unit includes the host vehicle When the vehicle catches up with the adjacent vehicle, the vehicle speed is controlled so that the speed difference between the vehicle and the adjacent vehicle is a predetermined value or less.
The speed control method according to the second aspect of the present invention controls the host vehicle speed, which is the speed of the host vehicle, and travels in front of the host vehicle on a travel path adjacent to the travel path on which the host vehicle travels. Acquiring the speed of an adjacent vehicle that is a vehicle; acquiring an inter-vehicle distance that is a distance between the adjacent vehicle and the own vehicle; and when the own vehicle catches up with the adjacent vehicle, the adjacent vehicle and the adjacent vehicle Controlling the vehicle speed so that the speed difference with the vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

  According to the present invention, sudden deceleration can be avoided even when a parallel running vehicle has interrupted the front of the host vehicle.

The figure which shows the structure of the vehicle control system 10 in 1st Embodiment. 2A shows a state at time t0 when the preceding vehicle 200 moves from the front of the host vehicle 100, and FIG. 2B shows a state at time tM when the host vehicle 100 catches up with the adjacent vehicle 201. FIG. 3A is a diagram showing a speed change when the distance between the host vehicle 100 and the adjacent vehicle 201 is relatively long, and FIG. 3B is a case where the distance between the host vehicle 100 and the adjacent vehicle 201 is relatively short. FIG. 3C is a diagram showing a speed change, and FIG. 3C is a diagram showing a time change of the vehicle speed v of the host vehicle 100 when the vehicle speed V2 of the adjacent vehicle 201 is equal to or higher than the vehicle speed V1 of the preceding vehicle 200. The figure which shows operation | movement of integrated control ECU11 in auto cruise mode The figure which shows the structure of 10A of vehicle control systems in 2nd Embodiment.

-First embodiment-
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of an integrated control ECU, which is a vehicle control device, will be described with reference to FIGS.

(Definition)
In the present embodiment, an area divided by road lane markings and having a width in which one vehicle travels is referred to as a “traveling road”. However, the “traveling road” may be called “lane” or “traveling lane”. In the present embodiment, changing the travel route is also referred to as “lane change”. An area having one or more traveling roads in a certain traveling direction is referred to as a “road”.

(Constitution)
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle control system 10 including an integrated control ECU 11. Hereinafter, a vehicle equipped with the vehicle control system 10 is referred to as a host vehicle. The vehicle control system 10 includes an integrated control ECU 11, an engine ECU 12, a brake ECU 13, a cruise control switch 14, an inter-vehicle communication device 15, a vehicle speed sensor 16, a GPS receiver 17, and a gyro sensor 18. The engine ECU 12, the brake ECU 13, the cruise control switch 14, the inter-vehicle communication device 15, the vehicle speed sensor 16, the GPS receiver 17, and the gyro sensor 18 are connected to the integrated control ECU 11 through signal lines and can exchange information.

  The integrated control ECU 11 is an electronic control unit (Electronic Control Unit) including a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The CPU realizes functions to be described later by expanding and executing a program stored in the ROM on the RAM. The engine ECU 12 controls the output of the engine of the host vehicle based on the operation command from the integrated control ECU 11. The engine ECU 12 controls, for example, the opening degree of a throttle valve disposed in the intake passage to the engine. By opening and closing the throttle valve, the amount of air supplied to the combustion chamber of the engine through the intake passage is adjusted, thereby controlling the output of the engine.

  The brake ECU 13 operates the braking device of the host vehicle based on the operation command from the integrated control ECU 11. The cruise control switch 14 is a switch for switching between two operation modes, that is, an auto cruise mode and a manual operation mode, and is operated by a user of the host vehicle. The cruise control switch 14 transmits the operation mode selected by the user to the integrated control ECU 11. However, in the present embodiment, description will be made assuming that the auto-cruise mode is set. The inter-vehicle communication device 15 performs inter-vehicle communication wirelessly with surrounding vehicles. In the present embodiment, each vehicle transmits speed information and position information to surrounding vehicles by inter-vehicle communication. The vehicle speed sensor 16 is a sensor that measures the speed of the host vehicle, such as a tachometer. The vehicle speed sensor 16 outputs the product of the measured rotational speed and a predetermined coefficient to the integrated control ECU 11 as the vehicle speed of the host vehicle.

  The GPS receiver 17 receives radio waves from a plurality of satellites constituting the satellite navigation system, and analyzes the signals included in the radio waves to calculate the position of the host vehicle, that is, the latitude and longitude. The GPS receiver 17 outputs the calculated latitude and longitude to the integrated control ECU 11. The gyro sensor 18 is an angular velocity meter that can measure at least the yaw angle, and integrates the angular velocity and outputs the yaw angle of the host vehicle to the integrated control ECU 11.

(Integrated control ECU 11)
The integrated control ECU 11 includes a speed command unit 111, a speed acquisition unit 112, a distance acquisition unit 113, a position acquisition unit 114, and an inter-vehicle communication unit 115 as its functions. All of these are realized by the CPU of the integrated control ECU 11 executing a program stored in the ROM.

  Speed command unit 111 outputs an operation command to engine ECU 12 and brake ECU 13 to control the speed of the host vehicle. The speed acquisition unit 112 acquires information on the vehicle speed of the host vehicle from the vehicle speed sensor 16. The speed acquisition unit 112 also acquires information on the vehicle speed of surrounding vehicles from the inter-vehicle communication device 15. The distance acquisition unit 113 calculates the difference between the position information of the adjacent vehicle output from the inter-vehicle communication device 15 and the position information of the host vehicle output from the GPS receiver 17, and acquires the distance to the adjacent vehicle. The position acquisition unit 114 acquires the position information of the host vehicle from the GPS receiver 17. However, when the GPS receiver 17 only receives radio waves and does not calculate position information, the position acquisition unit 114 analyzes a signal included in the radio waves received by the GPS receiver 17 and calculates the position of the host vehicle. . The inter-vehicle communication unit 115 functions as a communication interface with the inter-vehicle communication device 15 of the integrated control ECU 11 and acquires, for example, position information and speed information of an adjacent vehicle via the inter-vehicle communication device 15.

(Auto cruise mode)
When the integrated control ECU 11 receives a signal from the cruise control switch 14 that the auto-cruise mode has been activated, the integrated control ECU 11 controls the speed of the host vehicle. Specifically, the engine ECU 12 and the brake ECU 13 are controlled so that the speed of the host vehicle coincides with the calculated target speed. The ROM of the integrated control ECU 11 stores standard speed, standard acceleration, and standard deceleration, which are parameters used in the auto cruise mode. However, these parameters may be stored in a nonvolatile storage unit and changeable by the user. The standard speed is the maximum speed in the auto cruise mode. The integrated control ECU 11 sets the target speed as the standard speed when it is determined that there is no need to limit the speed, for example, when there is no other vehicle ahead of the host vehicle. The standard control speed may be automatically changed by the integrated control ECU 11 so as to be equal to or less than the speed limit set on the road on which the host vehicle is traveling.

  The standard acceleration is an acceleration at the time of acceleration of the host vehicle in the auto cruise mode. The integrated control ECU 11 performs acceleration so that the acceleration coincides with the standard acceleration during acceleration. Hereinafter, acceleration by standard acceleration is referred to as “standard acceleration”. The standard deceleration is the acceleration at the time of deceleration of the host vehicle in the auto cruise mode. The integrated control ECU 11 performs deceleration so that the acceleration matches the standard deceleration at the time of deceleration. In the following, deceleration by standard deceleration is referred to as “standard deceleration”. The standard acceleration and the standard deceleration are accelerations set so that passengers of the host vehicle do not feel uncomfortable. In an emergency, the integrated control ECU 11 may perform speed control other than standard acceleration and standard deceleration, for example, brake control for stopping at a minimum braking distance.

  The integrated control ECU 11 calculates the travel path on which each vehicle is traveling from the output of the gyro sensor 18 and the received position information of each vehicle. Further, the integrated control ECU 11 acquires the position information of the host vehicle from the GPS receiver 17 to determine whether there is a vehicle traveling in front of the host vehicle and whether there is a vehicle traveling on the adjacent traveling path. Judge whether or not. As will be described later in detail, the integrated control ECU 11 controls the speed of the host vehicle so that the speed difference from the host vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined value when catching up with a vehicle traveling on an adjacent travel path.

(Operation example | Situation explanation)
2 to 3 are diagrams for explaining an operation example. FIG. 2A is a diagram showing a state at time t0 when the preceding vehicle 200 moves from the front of the host vehicle 100, and FIG. 2B is a diagram showing a state at time tM when the host vehicle 100 catches up with the adjacent vehicle 201. .

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the host vehicle 100 on which the vehicle control system 10 is mounted is traveling following the preceding vehicle 200. Since the speed V1 of the preceding vehicle 200 is slower than the standard speed, the host vehicle 100 follows the preceding vehicle 200 and travels at the speed V1. At time t0, the preceding vehicle 200 has moved out of the road, and there is no other vehicle in the lane in which the host vehicle 100 is traveling until sufficiently ahead of the host vehicle 100. However, the vehicle 201 is traveling on the third traveling path L13, and the vehicle 202 is traveling on the first traveling path L11. The vehicle 201 travels ahead of the own vehicle 100 in the traveling direction, and the vehicle 202 travels behind the own vehicle 100 in the traveling direction. At this time, the vehicle 201 is called an adjacent vehicle. The vehicle 202 travels on a travel path adjacent to the host vehicle 100, but is not an adjacent vehicle because it is located behind the host vehicle 100 in the travel direction. Next, the speed change of the host vehicle from time t0 to time tM will be described. In the following, the vehicle speed of the adjacent vehicle 201 is represented by V2, and V2 is constant at least from time t0 to time tM. The distance between the adjacent vehicle 201 and the host vehicle 100 at time t0 is referred to as an initial distance D.

(Operation example | When V2 <V1)
FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are diagrams showing time changes in the vehicle speed v of the host vehicle 100 when the vehicle speed V2 of the adjacent vehicle 201 is slower than the vehicle speed V1 of the preceding vehicle 200. FIG. Note that FIG. 3C will be described later. In FIG. 3, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents velocity v. In FIG. 3, the time elapses from the left to the right in the figure, and the speed is higher at the upper side than at the lower side in the figure. In FIG. 3, the inclination indicates the magnitude of acceleration, and the area indicates the distance.

  FIG. 3A is a diagram showing a speed change when the distance between the host vehicle 100 and the adjacent vehicle 201 is relatively long. In the example shown in FIG. 3A, the host vehicle 100 maintains the vehicle speed at V1 from time t0 to time Tw, and then decelerates to speed V2 by standard deceleration. The time when the vehicle speed v becomes the speed V2 is tM, and at this time, the host vehicle 100 catches up with the adjacent vehicle 201 and enters a parallel running state. Then, the host vehicle 100 performs standard acceleration, increases the vehicle speed v to the standard speed Vs, and thereafter keeps the vehicle speed constant at Vs. It should be noted that the speed changes abruptly at time tM in FIG. 3 (a), but this is merely an outline of the speed for the sake of explanation, and in fact, a large speed change, that is, no large acceleration occurs. So that the speed is controlled.

  The time Tw indicates the time of waiting at the current speed until the deceleration is started, and this is hereinafter referred to as “waiting time”. Although the calculation method of the waiting time Tw will be described later, the area of the region S1 indicated by hatching in FIG. The vehicle speed of the host vehicle at time tM may be completely coincident with V2, or may be within a predetermined width, for example, 5 km / h from V2. That is, in this case, the predetermined value described above may be zero or 5 km / h.

  FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating a speed change when the distance between the host vehicle 100 and the adjacent vehicle 201 is relatively short. In the example shown in FIG. 3B, the host vehicle 100 immediately starts standard deceleration from time t0. Then, before the speed of the host vehicle 100 decreases to V2, the host vehicle 100 catches up with the adjacent vehicle 201 and enters a parallel running state at time tM. Then, the host vehicle 100 performs standard acceleration, increases the vehicle speed to Vs that is the standard speed, and thereafter keeps the vehicle speed constant at Vs. In FIG. 3B as well, a region S2 indicated by hatching corresponds to the initial distance D.

(Operation example | When V1 ≤ V2)
FIG. 3C is a diagram showing the time change of the vehicle speed v of the host vehicle 100 when the vehicle speed V2 of the adjacent vehicle 201 is equal to or higher than the vehicle speed V1 of the preceding vehicle 200. In the example shown in FIG. 3C, not only the adjacent vehicle 201 is ahead, but also the speed V2 of the adjacent vehicle 201 is faster than V1 that is the initial speed of the host vehicle 100. Therefore, the host vehicle 100 cannot catch up with the adjacent vehicle 201 unless the vehicle 100 is always accelerated to the speed V2 or higher. In the example shown in FIG. 3C, standard acceleration is performed between the time t0 and the acceleration time Tu so as to be equal to or higher than the speed V2, and thereafter, the vehicle approaches the adjacent vehicle 201 while performing standard deceleration. At time tM, the host vehicle 100 catches up with the adjacent vehicle 201 and enters a parallel running state. Then, the host vehicle 100 performs standard acceleration, increases the vehicle speed to Vs that is the standard speed, and thereafter keeps the vehicle speed constant at Vs.

  In FIG. 3C, an area obtained by excluding the area of the region S <b> 4 indicated by hatching of dots from the area of the region S <b> 3 indicated by hatching with diagonal lines corresponds to the initial distance D. In the example shown in FIG. 3 (c), it is difficult to make the vehicle speed of the vehicle at time tM exactly coincide with the speed V2. Also good. That is, in this case, the aforementioned predetermined value is 5 km / h.

(Calculation method)
A method of calculating the speed maintenance time Tw and the acceleration time Tu will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, since the acceleration in the auto-cruise mode is constant at a predetermined standard acceleration, the uphill angle in FIG. 3 is known, and all uphill angles in FIG. 3 are the same. Similarly, the downhill angle is also known, and all downhill angles in FIG. 3 are the same.

  A method of calculating the speed maintenance time Tw will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, the area S1 in FIG. 3A, that is, the sum of the area S11 and the area S12 corresponds to the initial distance D. In the present embodiment, since the slope of the straight line is known as the standard deceleration, the area of the region S12 can be calculated from V1, V2, and the standard deceleration. The area of the region S11 is the product of V1-V2 and Tw. Therefore, the value of Tw can be calculated using these relationships.

  A method for calculating the acceleration time Tu will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, the area obtained by removing the area of the region S4 from the area of the region S3 in FIG. First, paying attention to the region S4, since the angle of the upward gradient is known as the standard acceleration, the area of the region S4 can be calculated from V1, V2, and the standard acceleration. The area of the region S31 constituting the region S3 can be expressed using a known angle of ascending slope, V2-V1, and the parameter Tu. Further, the area of another region S32 constituting the region S3 can be expressed by using a downward gradient angle together. That is, the area of the region S32 can be expressed by using a known upward gradient angle, a known downward gradient angle, V2-V1, and the parameter Tu. Therefore, the value of Tu can be calculated by using the fact that the area obtained by subtracting the area of the region S4 from the area of the region S3 corresponds to the initial distance D.

(flowchart)
When the integrated control ECU 11 receives from the cruise control switch 14 a signal indicating that cruise control has been activated, the integrated control ECU 11 repeatedly executes a program whose operation is represented by the flowchart shown in FIG.

  First, in step S301, the integrated control ECU 11 determines whether there is a preceding vehicle. If it is determined that there is a preceding vehicle, the process proceeds to step S302. If it is determined that there is no preceding vehicle, the process proceeds to step S303. In step S302, the integrated control ECU 11 follows the preceding vehicle and travels at the same speed as the preceding vehicle, and ends the program whose operation is represented by the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S303, the integrated control ECU 11 determines whether there is an adjacent vehicle. If the integrated control ECU 11 determines that there is an adjacent vehicle, the process proceeds to step S304. If the integrated control ECU 11 determines that there is no adjacent vehicle, the process proceeds to step S330. In step S304, the integrated control ECU 11 calculates the distance from the own vehicle to the adjacent vehicle (adjacent vehicle distance) and the speed of the adjacent vehicle (adjacent vehicle speed) using the output from the sensor. In subsequent step S305, the integrated control ECU 11 determines whether or not the adjacent vehicle speed calculated in step S304 is slower than the own vehicle speed. When it is determined that the adjacent vehicle speed is slower than the own vehicle speed, the process proceeds to step S310, and when it is determined that the adjacent vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the own vehicle speed, the process proceeds to step S321.

  In step S310, the integrated control ECU 11 determines whether the vehicle can sufficiently decelerate until it catches up with the adjacent vehicle. In this step, based on the adjacent vehicle distance, the adjacent vehicle speed, and the own vehicle speed calculated in step S304, if the own vehicle immediately performs standard deceleration, the adjacent vehicle speed before the own vehicle catches up with the adjacent vehicle. It is determined whether the vehicle can be decelerated below. If the integrated control ECU 11 determines that sufficient deceleration is possible before catching up to the adjacent vehicle, the process proceeds to step S311. If the integrated control ECU 11 determines that sufficient deceleration cannot be achieved before catching up to the adjacent vehicle, the process proceeds to step S315. In step S311, the integrated control ECU 11 calculates a speed maintenance time Tw. In subsequent step S312, the integrated control ECU 11 waits for the elapse of the speed maintenance time Tw calculated in step S311 while keeping the speed of the host vehicle constant. In subsequent step S313, the integrated control ECU 11 starts deceleration at standard deceleration and proceeds to step S325.

  In step S315, which is executed when a negative determination is made in step S310, standard deceleration is immediately started, and the process proceeds to step S325.

  In step S321, which is executed when a negative determination is made in step S305, the integrated control ECU 11 calculates an acceleration time Tu. The acceleration time Tu is calculated so that the standard deceleration is performed after the standard acceleration, and the own vehicle speed exactly matches the adjacent vehicle speed when the own vehicle catches up with the adjacent vehicle. In subsequent step S322, the integrated control ECU 11 performs standard acceleration for the acceleration time Tu calculated in step S321, starts standard deceleration in subsequent step S323, and proceeds to step S325. In step S325, the integrated control ECU 11 waits until it catches up with the adjacent vehicle while maintaining the standard deceleration, that is, until it enters a parallel running state with the adjacent vehicle. The process shown in FIG.

  Although not shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4, even when any step of the flowchart shown in FIG. 4 is executed, the vehicle is interrupted in front of the host vehicle, that is, the lane is changed in front of the host vehicle. When the vehicle is detected, the follow-up traveling is started immediately. At this time, when it is determined that the inter-vehicle distance is short and there is no sufficient speed difference, the vehicle is decelerated to ensure a safe inter-vehicle distance.

  In step S330, which is executed when a negative determination is made in step S303, the integrated control ECU 11 performs standard acceleration, accelerates to the standard speed, and ends the processing shown in FIG.

According to the first embodiment described above, the following operational effects are obtained.
(1) The integrated control ECU 11 is a vehicle that travels in front of the host vehicle on a travel path adjacent to the travel path on which the host vehicle travels, and a speed command unit 111 that controls the host vehicle speed that is the speed of the host vehicle. A speed acquisition unit 112 that acquires the speed of the vehicle, and a distance acquisition unit 113 that acquires an inter-vehicle distance that is the distance between the adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle. As shown in the operation example of FIG. 3 and the flowchart of FIG. 4, the speed command unit 111 is configured so that when the own vehicle catches up with the adjacent vehicle, the speed difference between the own vehicle and the adjacent vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined value. Control the speed. Therefore, even if the adjacent vehicle makes a sudden lane change in front of the host vehicle, that is, interrupts before and after the host vehicle runs parallel to the adjacent vehicle, avoid sudden deceleration that imposes a load on the occupant, that is, sudden braking. it can.

(2) When the speed of the adjacent vehicle is slower than the own vehicle speed, the speed command unit 111 decelerates the own vehicle at a predetermined deceleration based on the speed difference and the inter-vehicle distance until the own vehicle catches up with the adjacent vehicle. (Step S305 and S310 in FIG. 4), and the timing for starting the deceleration of the host vehicle is changed based on the result of the deceleration determination (FIG. 4). S311 to S313, S315). Therefore, deceleration can be started at an appropriate timing.

(3) If the speed command unit 111 determines that the speed difference is less than or equal to a predetermined value in the deceleration determination, the speed command unit 111 automatically determines that the timing at which the host vehicle catches up with the adjacent vehicle coincides with the timing at which the speed difference becomes less than the predetermined value. The timing for starting deceleration of the vehicle, that is, the speed maintenance time is determined (S311 in FIG. 4). Therefore, it is possible to maintain a high speed of the host vehicle and to travel at high speed while ensuring safety.

(4) If the speed command unit 111 determines that the speed difference does not become a predetermined value or less in the deceleration determination, the speed command unit 111 immediately starts deceleration of the host vehicle (S315 in FIG. 4). Therefore, the speed difference when the host vehicle catches up with the adjacent vehicle can be reduced as much as possible while ensuring the comfort of the passenger of the host vehicle.

(5) When the speed of the adjacent vehicle is equal to or higher than the own vehicle speed, the speed command unit 111 accelerates the own vehicle to a speed faster than the speed of the adjacent vehicle, and then decelerates the own vehicle at a predetermined deceleration (FIG. 4). S322 to S323). Therefore, even when the speed of the adjacent vehicle is higher than that of the own vehicle, it is possible to avoid sudden braking due to a sudden interruption of the adjacent vehicle.

(6) The speed command unit 111 sets the acceleration time of the host vehicle so that the timing at which the host vehicle catches up with the adjacent vehicle coincides with the timing at which the speed difference becomes a predetermined value or less (S321 in FIG. 4). Therefore, the vehicle can travel at high speed while ensuring the safety of the host vehicle.

(7) The speed command unit 111 accelerates at a predetermined acceleration when the host vehicle catches up with an adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle and the adjacent vehicle run in parallel. Therefore, since the vehicle does not accelerate at least immediately before the own vehicle catches up with the adjacent vehicle, the influence can be reduced even when the adjacent vehicle interrupts.

(8) The speed acquisition unit 112 acquires the speed of the adjacent vehicle from the adjacent vehicle by inter-vehicle communication. In vehicle-to-vehicle communication, information can be obtained directly without using a server, so information with high freshness can be obtained.

(9) The integrated control ECU 11 includes a position acquisition unit 114 that acquires the position of the host vehicle. The distance acquisition unit 113 calculates and acquires the inter-vehicle distance from the position of the adjacent vehicle obtained from the adjacent vehicle by inter-vehicle communication and the position of the host vehicle acquired by the position acquisition unit. Therefore, the distance can be calculated using position information with high freshness obtained by inter-vehicle communication.

(Modification 1)
In the embodiment described above, the integrated control ECU 11 calculates the travel path on which each vehicle is traveling from the output of the gyro sensor 18 and the received position information of each vehicle. However, when each vehicle transmits information indicating the travel route, the received information may be used instead of calculating the travel route on which each vehicle is traveling. That is, in this case, the vehicle control system 10 may not include the GPS receiver 17 and the gyro sensor 18.

(Modification 2)
If the surrounding vehicle does not support inter-vehicle communication or the surrounding vehicle does not transmit position information to the host vehicle, the configuration of the vehicle control system 10 may be changed as follows. That is, the vehicle control system 10 further includes a distance sensor, and measures the distance to each surrounding vehicle. And integrated control ECU11 calculates the speed of each vehicle based on the time change of distance, and the speed of the own vehicle.

(Modification 3)
When there is an adjacent vehicle, the integrated control ECU 11 may set the acceleration to be lower than the standard acceleration, for example, 50% of the standard acceleration.

(Modification 4)
The integrated control ECU 11 may temporarily accelerate when an affirmative determination is made in step S310 of FIG. This acceleration may be accelerated at a standard acceleration, or may be accelerated at an acceleration lower than the standard acceleration. Furthermore, acceleration and speed maintenance may be mixed.

(Modification 5)
In step S325 of FIG. 4, the timing for starting acceleration may be delayed. For example, the acceleration may be started after the own vehicle completely overtakes the adjacent vehicle, or the acceleration may be started when the bumper of the own vehicle precedes the bumper of the adjacent vehicle by a predetermined distance, for example, 1 m. According to this modification, it is possible to reduce the possibility of an adjacent vehicle interrupting at the start of acceleration.

(Modification 6)
The configuration of the vehicle control system 10 is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment. For example, the integrated control ECU 11 and the inter-vehicle communication device 15 may be integrated. Further, the integrated control ECU 11 and the GPS receiver 17 may be integrated. Further, the integrated control ECU 11, the engine ECU 12, and the brake ECU 13 may be integrated. That is, it is sufficient that the functions of the vehicle control system 10 described above are mounted on the host vehicle, and the number of hardware constituting the integrated control ECU 11 and the function sharing for each hardware are arbitrary.

(Second Embodiment)
A second embodiment of the vehicle control system will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and different points will be mainly described. Points that are not particularly described are the same as those in the first embodiment. The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the acceleration and deceleration are mainly changed based on the behavior prediction of the adjacent vehicle.

(Constitution)
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle control system 10A according to the second embodiment. The difference of the vehicle control system 10A from the first embodiment is that an integrated control ECU 11A is provided instead of the integrated control ECU 11. The difference of the integrated control ECU 11A from the first embodiment is that a probability calculation unit 116 is further provided.

  The probability calculation unit 116 is one of functions realized when the CPU of the integrated control ECU 11A executes a program. The probability calculation unit 116 calculates the own lane movement probability that is the probability that the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel path on which the own vehicle travels. For example, if there is a restaurant or a large branch road on the side opposite to the travel position of the adjacent vehicle, that is, the left side in FIG. 2, this is a factor for increasing the own lane movement probability. In addition, when there is a slow vehicle in front of the adjacent vehicle, it becomes a factor to increase the own-lane movement probability. On the other hand, when there is no branch road, or when the adjacent vehicle operates the direction indicator in the direction opposite to the direction of the own vehicle, it becomes a factor of lowering the own lane movement probability. In addition, the probability calculation unit 116 may acquire a travel route from an adjacent vehicle by inter-vehicle communication, and may consider the probability calculation.

  The integrated control ECU 11A determines a speed difference between the own vehicle and the adjacent vehicle when the own vehicle catches up with the adjacent vehicle based on the own lane movement probability calculated by the probability calculating unit 116. For example, when the speed difference is normally 5 km / h and the own lane movement probability is higher than a predetermined first threshold, the speed difference is set to 1 km / h to avoid the risk of collision, and the own lane movement probability is predetermined. If it is lower than the second threshold, the speed difference is set to 10 km / h. Then, the integrated control ECU 11A calculates a speed maintenance time (step S311 in FIG. 4) and an acceleration time (step S321 in FIG. 4) based on this speed difference.

  In this embodiment as well, the acceleration and deceleration in the auto cruise mode are the same as in the first embodiment, so the speed maintenance time Tw and the acceleration time Tu are calculated using the same method as in the first embodiment. can do.

According to the second embodiment described above, the following operational effects can be obtained.
(10) The integrated control ECU 11A includes a probability calculation unit 116 that calculates the own lane movement probability that is the probability that the adjacent vehicle moves to the travel path on which the own vehicle travels. The speed command unit 111 decreases the speed difference between the host vehicle and the adjacent vehicle when the host vehicle catches up with the adjacent vehicle as the host lane movement probability increases. Therefore, appropriate speed control can be performed according to the own-lane movement probability of the adjacent vehicle.

(Modification of the second embodiment)
The probability calculation unit 116 may not perform acceleration when the own lane movement probability is equal to or higher than a predetermined probability. According to this modification, safety can be improved.

  Although the program is stored in a ROM (not shown), the program may be stored in a nonvolatile memory (not shown). Further, the integrated control ECU 11 may include an input / output interface (not shown), and when necessary, the program may be read from another device via a medium that can be used by the input / output interface and the integrated control ECU 11. Here, the medium refers to, for example, a storage medium that can be attached to and detached from the input / output interface, or a communication medium, that is, a wired, wireless, or optical network, or a carrier wave or digital signal that propagates through the network. Also, part or all of the functions realized by the program may be realized by a hardware circuit or FPGA.

  The above-described embodiments and modifications may be combined. Although various embodiments and modifications have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these contents. Other embodiments conceivable within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention are also included in the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle 10 Vehicle control system 14 Cruise control switch 15 Inter-vehicle communication apparatus 16 Vehicle speed sensor 17 PS receiver 18 Gyro sensor 111 Speed command part 112 Speed acquisition part 113 Distance acquisition part 114 Position acquisition part 115 Inter-vehicle communication part 116 Probability calculation part

Claims (11)

A speed command unit that controls the speed of the host vehicle, which is the speed of the host vehicle;
A speed acquisition unit that acquires the speed of an adjacent vehicle, which is a vehicle that travels in front of the host vehicle on a travel path adjacent to the travel path on which the host vehicle travels;
A distance acquisition unit that acquires an inter-vehicle distance that is a distance between the adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle;
The speed command unit is a vehicle control device that controls the speed of the host vehicle so that a speed difference between the host vehicle and the adjacent vehicle becomes a predetermined value or less when the host vehicle catches up with the adjacent vehicle. The vehicle control device according to claim 1,
The speed command section is
When the speed of the adjacent vehicle is slower than the own vehicle speed, if the own vehicle is decelerated at a predetermined deceleration based on the speed difference and the inter-vehicle distance, the own vehicle catches up with the adjacent vehicle before Deceleration determination is performed to determine whether the speed difference is equal to or less than the predetermined value,
A vehicle control device that changes a timing for starting deceleration of the host vehicle based on a result of the deceleration determination. The vehicle control device according to claim 2,
When the speed command unit determines that the speed difference is less than or equal to the predetermined value in the deceleration determination, the timing at which the host vehicle catches up with the adjacent vehicle coincides with the timing at which the speed difference becomes less than the predetermined value. Thus, the vehicle control apparatus which determines the timing which starts the deceleration of the said own vehicle. In the vehicle control device according to claim 2 or 3,
When the speed command unit determines that the speed difference is not equal to or less than the predetermined value in the deceleration determination, the speed control unit immediately starts deceleration of the host vehicle. In the vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
When the speed of the adjacent vehicle is equal to or higher than the own vehicle speed, the speed command unit accelerates the own vehicle to a speed faster than the speed of the adjacent vehicle, and then decelerates the own vehicle at a predetermined deceleration. Control device. The vehicle control device according to claim 5, wherein
The speed control unit is a vehicle control device that sets an acceleration time of the host vehicle so that a timing at which the host vehicle catches up with the adjacent vehicle coincides with a timing at which the speed difference becomes equal to or less than the predetermined value. In the vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The speed command unit is a vehicle control device that accelerates at a predetermined acceleration when the host vehicle catches up with the adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle and the adjacent vehicle run in parallel. In the vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The said speed acquisition part is a vehicle control apparatus which acquires the speed of the said adjacent vehicle by vehicle-to-vehicle communication from the said adjacent vehicle. In the vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
A position acquisition unit for acquiring the position of the host vehicle;
The said distance acquisition part is a vehicle control apparatus which calculates and acquires the said inter-vehicle distance from the position of the said adjacent vehicle obtained by the vehicle-to-vehicle communication from the said adjacent vehicle, and the position of the said own vehicle which the said position acquisition part acquired. In the vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
A probability calculating unit that calculates a probability that the adjacent vehicle moves to a travel path on which the host vehicle travels;
The speed command unit is a vehicle control device that reduces a speed difference between the host vehicle and the adjacent vehicle when the host vehicle catches up with the adjacent vehicle as the probability increases. Controlling the vehicle speed, which is the speed of the vehicle,
Acquiring a speed of an adjacent vehicle that is a vehicle that travels in front of the host vehicle on a travel path adjacent to the travel path on which the host vehicle travels;
Obtaining an inter-vehicle distance that is a distance between the adjacent vehicle and the host vehicle;
A speed control method comprising: controlling the host vehicle speed so that a speed difference between the host vehicle and the adjacent vehicle becomes a predetermined value or less when the host vehicle catches up with the adjacent vehicle.

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