JP2019059361A - Vehicle control device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control device capable of obtaining an adequate limited speed as a setting speed and securing safety when two or more limited speeds are set in a traveling track.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device comprises: a controller (ECU) performing speed control of a vehicle according to a setting vehicle speed; a limited speed recognition unit (ECU, navigation device) obtaining a limited speed; and a traveling vehicle detection unit (ECU) detecting a subsequent vehicle. The controller (ECU) is constituted to memorize the limited speed obtained by the limited speed recognition unit as a setting vehicle speed. The controller memorizes, when the limited speed recognition unit obtains two limited speeds ("70", "50") (S11; Yes), either of the two limited speeds according to detection (S12) of a subsequent vehicle as a setting vehicle speed (S13, S14).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle control device, and more particularly to a vehicle control device that executes vehicle control using a speed limit set for a traveling path.

  In recent years, various driving support modes have come to be provided to the driver by a driving support control device mounted on a vehicle. For example, there is known a driving support mode in which vehicle control is performed so as to follow a preceding vehicle with a preset vehicle speed set as an upper limit speed (see Patent Document 1). Furthermore, in Patent Document 1, a speed limit (marking speed) is detected from a speed sign imaged by a camera, and after a predetermined time (3 seconds), the set vehicle speed is replaced by the detected speed limit. Thus, in Patent Document 1, when the speed mark is detected, the speed limit (marking speed) is used as the set vehicle speed.

  The driver can cancel the switching of the set speed to the marking speed by operating the resume switch provided on the steering wheel within a predetermined time. Generally, the resume switch is a switch for switching the driving support mode from the standby state to the active state. When the set speed is stored in the memory, the driving support mode is resumed using the set speed by the operation of the resume switch.

JP 2012-206594 A

  However, the cited reference 1 only describes the processing for the case where the velocity indicator displays one limiting velocity, and does not consider the case where the velocity indicator displays two or more limiting velocities.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and in the case where two or more speed limits are set on the traveling road, an appropriate speed limit is obtained as the set speed, and safety is achieved. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle control device that can be secured.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, during execution of the driving support mode, a control unit that executes the speed control of the vehicle according to the stored set vehicle speed, and a limitation that acquires the speed limit for the traveling path A vehicle control apparatus comprising a speed recognition unit and a traveling vehicle detection unit for detecting a following vehicle traveling behind the vehicle, wherein the control unit stores the speed limit acquired by the speed limit recognition unit as the set vehicle speed. When the limit speed recognition unit acquires two limit speeds, the control unit is configured to perform the two limit speeds acquired according to the presence or absence of detection of the following vehicle by the traveling vehicle detection unit. One of the above is selected and stored as the set vehicle speed.

  According to the present invention configured as described above, when two speed limits are set for the traveling road, one of the speed limits is set to the set speed according to the presence or absence of the following vehicle. , Speed control can be performed. Thus, according to the present invention, it is possible to select one of two speed limits while avoiding approach to the following vehicle.

In the present invention, preferably, the control unit selects the larger one of the two acquired limit speeds when the following vehicle is detected.
If a low speed limit is selected, and this selection is incorrect, the vehicle may rush close to the following vehicle if the following vehicle travels at a high speed that is the correct choice. On the other hand, in the present invention, as long as the vehicle travels based on at least the selected high speed limit, it is possible to avoid the approach to the following vehicle regardless of whether the selection is correct or incorrect.

In the present invention, preferably, the control unit selects the smaller one of the two acquired limit speeds when the following vehicle is not detected.
According to the present invention configured as described above, even if the selection of the lower speed limit is erroneous and the vehicle travels based on the lower speed limit, there is no following vehicle, so There is no risk of approaching. Furthermore, even if there is a leading vehicle, as long as the vehicle travels based on the smaller speed limit, approach with the leading vehicle can be avoided.

In the present invention, preferably, the control unit further includes an operation unit operable by the driver, and the control unit selects one of the acquired two limit speeds and stores it as the set vehicle speed, and then operates the operation unit. If there is, the stored set vehicle speed is replaced with the control speed that has not been selected and stored.
According to the present invention configured as described above, even if the selection of the speed limit is erroneous, the driver can easily switch to the correct speed limit by operating the operation unit.

  According to the vehicle control device of the present invention, it is possible to improve the operability and safety in the input operation of the set speed used in the driving support mode by the driver.

It is a block diagram of a vehicle control device by an embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing of the operation part by embodiment of this invention. It is an explanatory view at the time of speed limit acquisition by an embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing of the display part by embodiment of this invention. It is a processing flow of vehicle control processing by an embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. First, the configuration of the vehicle control device will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle control device, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an operation unit.

  The vehicle control device 100 of the present embodiment is mounted on the vehicle 1 (see FIG. 3), and is configured to execute predetermined driving support control in accordance with the driving support mode selected by the driver. .

  In the present embodiment, the driving support mode includes a preceding vehicle tracking mode and a speed limit mode. The preceding vehicle following mode is a mode in which vehicle control is performed so as to maintain the set vehicle speed when there is no preceding vehicle and to follow the preceding vehicle with the set vehicle speed as the upper limit when there is a preceding vehicle , Speed control and steering control of the vehicle 1 are executed. In this speed control, the vehicle control device 100 automatically controls the engine output via the engine control system 40 and automatically controls the braking force via the brake control system 42. Further, in the steering control, the vehicle control device 100 automatically controls the steering angle by the steering wheel via the steering control system.

  The speed limit mode is a mode in which vehicle control (speed control) is performed such that the speed of the vehicle 1 does not exceed the set vehicle speed. In this mode, when the driver operates the accelerator pedal, the engine output is controlled in accordance with the depression amount of the accelerator pedal. However, when the speed of the vehicle 1 exceeds the set speed, the vehicle control device 100 restricts the speed of the vehicle 1 to the set speed regardless of the depression amount of the accelerator pedal. In this case, the vehicle control device 100 throttles the engine output via the engine control system 40 and applies a braking force via the brake control system 42 as necessary.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle control device 100 includes a control unit (ECU) 10, various sensors / input / output units, and a predetermined vehicle system. The sensor / input / output unit includes a camera 20 for imaging outside the vehicle, a radar device 22 for detecting other vehicles in front of and behind the vehicle, a vehicle speed sensor 23 for detecting the speed of the vehicle 1, and user input for driving assistance control. The operation unit 24, the navigation device 26, the display unit 28 for presenting information to the driver, the speaker 29, other sensors, and the like are included. The vehicle system includes an engine control system 40 and a brake control system 42.

  The ECU 10 is configured by a computer including a CPU, a memory 11 for storing various programs and data, an input / output device and the like. The ECU 10 includes various functions and, for example, functions as a control unit 10a and a speed limit recognition unit 10b.

  The ECU 10 (control unit 10a) displays predetermined information on the display unit 28 based on a signal received from the outside during operation of the driving support mode, and also transmits a vehicle system (engine control system 40, brake control system 42, etc.) , And outputs a request signal to execute vehicle control processing. Further, the data stored in the memory 11 includes the set speed used for speed control during execution of the driving support mode, and the speed limit acquired by the speed limit recognition unit 10 b. In addition, since a plurality of speed limits may be set in the same section of the traveling path, the memory 11 can store a plurality of speed limits.

  Further, the ECU 10 (control unit 10a) monitors the current vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 detected by the vehicle speed sensor 23, and when the current vehicle speed exceeds a threshold speed, the speaker 29 (notification unit) generates an overspeed alarm. Execute alarm processing. Further, in addition to the speaker 29, the overspeed alarm may be displayed on the display of the navigation device 26, the display unit 28 and the like.

  Further, the ECU 10 (speed limit recognition unit 10b) executes speed limit recognition processing for acquiring the speed limit (marking speed) indicated by the speed sign in the image by analyzing the image data captured by the camera 20. . The camera 20 captures an image of the front of the vehicle 1 and transmits the captured image data to the ECU 10. The speed limit recognition unit 10b may include the camera 20 as a component.

  The radar 22 transmits radio waves (transmission waves) toward the front and rear of the vehicle 1 and receives the reflected waves. Then, based on the transmission wave and the reflected wave, the radar 22 measures measurement data on the inter-vehicle distance between the other vehicle and the vehicle 1 present in front of and behind the vehicle 1 and measurement data on the relative velocity of the other vehicle. Output the signal that contains. In place of the radar 22 and / or in place of the radar 22, a sensor such as a laser radar or a sonar may be used.

  The operation unit 24 is provided on the steering wheel of the vehicle 1 and includes a plurality of switches. As shown in FIG. 2, the operation unit 24 includes on switches 24 a and 24 b which are start switches in the driving support mode, an off switch 24 c which is a stop switch, a cancel switch 24 d and speed setting switches 24 e and 24 f and a resume switch. It has 24g.

  The preceding vehicle follow-up mode is activated by the operation (depression) of the on switch 24a. Further, the speed limit mode is activated by the operation of the on switch 24b. The operating state of each driving support mode includes an active state and a standby state. In the active state, control (speed control) for changing the behavior of the vehicle is performed via the engine control system 40 and the brake control system 42. In the standby state, the vehicle behavior change control is temporarily inactivated.

By the operation of the off switch 24c, the currently active driving support mode is deactivated regardless of the active state and the standby state. While the driving support mode is in operation, the set speed stored in the memory 11 of the ECU 10 is used, but the set speed stored in the memory 11 is cleared (erased) by the operation of the off switch 24c.
The driving support mode is switched from the active state to the standby state by the operation of the cancel switch 24d.

  By operating the speed setting switch 24e, the set speed can be increased from the current value. Further, the set speed can be reduced from the current value by operating the speed setting switch 24 f. When the driver inputs the set speed, the set speed is stored in the memory 11 of the ECU 10. For example, the driver can input the current vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 as the set speed by pressing one of the speed setting switches 24e and 24f after pressing the on switches 24a and 24b. Furthermore, the set speed can be increased or decreased by operating the speed setting switches 24e and 24f while the set speed is stored in the memory 11.

  The resume switch 24g operates as the basic operation function by using the set speed stored in the memory 11 of the ECU 10 by operating when the driving support mode is in the standby state. It is used to restart (active).

  The navigation device 26 can obtain the current position of the vehicle 1 using GPS or the like, and specify the position of the vehicle 1 on the map based on the stored map information or map information of an external source. The navigation device 26 can also acquire the speed limit (marking speed) of the traveling path on which the vehicle 1 is traveling from the current position on the map. Therefore, the navigation device 26 may be used as the speed limit recognition unit.

  The display unit 28 is disposed on an instrument panel or the like, and includes an operation status display field 28a, a set speed display field 28b, and a speed limit display field 28c (see FIG. 4). Although only one operation status display field 28a is displayed in FIG. 4 for easy understanding, an operation status display field can be provided corresponding to each of a plurality of driving support modes.

The operating condition display field 28a indicates the operating condition of the driving support mode. The execution state of the driving support mode is displayed in the operation state display column 28 a in any one of “blank (off)”, “active”, and “standby”.
The set speed display field 28 b displays the set speed (for example, “80”) stored in the memory 11 of the ECU 10. When the set speed is not stored in the memory 11, “blank (−−−)” is displayed in the set speed display field 28b.
The speed limit display field 28 c displays the acquired speed limit (for example, “50”). When the speed limit is not acquired, "blank" is displayed in the speed limit display field 28c.

Next, vehicle control according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram at the time of obtaining the speed limit, and FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a display unit.
In FIG. 3, the vehicle 1 is traveling on the traveling path 3 at 80 km / h (V = 80) (position A). At position A, the speed limit is 80 km / h. In addition, a rear vehicle 2 travels behind the vehicle 1.

  Also, the preceding vehicle follow-up mode or the speed limit mode is selected as the driving support mode. In the speed control in the preceding vehicle tracking mode, automatic acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle 1 are performed. On the other hand, in the speed control in the speed limit mode, only the automatic deceleration of the vehicle 1 is executed, and the acceleration of the vehicle 1 is possible by the driver's operation of the accelerator pedal.

  In the present embodiment, the vehicle 1 is accelerated or decelerated to a new set speed (= limit speed) by speed control associated with the change of the set speed, but if the new set speed is greater than the current vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 1 is accelerated (preceding vehicle following mode only), and the vehicle 1 is decelerated (preceding vehicle following mode, speed limiting mode) if the new set speed is smaller than the current vehicle speed of the vehicle 1.

  At the position A, the display unit 28 of the vehicle 1 displays as shown in FIG. 4 (a). At this time, the driving support mode is an active state ("active"), the set speed is 80 km / h ("80 km / h"), and the speed limit is 80 km / h ("80").

  A speed marker 5 is installed near the traveling path 3. The velocity marker 5 has two marker parts 5a and 5b. For example, the upper marking 5a (limit speed "70 km / h") is a display for a passenger car, and the lower marking 5b (limit speed "50 km / h") is a display for a truck.

  The vehicle 1 detects the speed limit “70 km /” and “50 km / h” from the speed sign 5 at the position B in front of the speed sign 5. When acquiring the speed limit from the detected speed mark 5, the ECU 10 updates the current value (80 km / h) of the speed limit stored in the memory 11 with the two speed limits acquired (70 km / h, 50 km / h) And store them in the memory 11. As a result, in response to the detection of the velocity marker 5, the display unit 28 displays as shown in FIG. 4 (b). That is, two new speed limits ("70", "50") are displayed in the speed limit display field 28c.

  Further, in response to the detection of the speed mark 5, the ECU 10 rewrites the set speed (80 km / h) stored in the memory 11 with the selected one of the two speed limits. In the present embodiment, one of the two speed limits is selected based on a predetermined condition (presence or absence of a following vehicle). For example, if there is a following vehicle, the largest speed limit is selected among the plurality, and if there is no following vehicle, the smallest speed among the plurality is selected.

  In the example of FIG. 3, since the following vehicle 2 is detected, the larger speed limit "70 km / h" is selected. As a result, at the position C, the display unit 28 displays as shown in FIG. That is, the new set speed ("70 km / h") is displayed in the set speed display field 28b. The ECU 10 may switch the display at the position B or after a predetermined time from the detection of the velocity marker 5.

  Further, in the present embodiment, in response to the detection of the speed mark 5, the setting speed is automatically replaced with the higher limit speed, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the replacement is performed in response to the driver's operation. You may For example, when the driver operates (depresses) the resume switch 24g at the position B, the larger speed limit is stored as the set speed in the memory 11 according to the operation of the resume switch 24g, whereby the set speed display field 28b The new set speed is displayed on.

  When the set speed is changed from 80 km / h to 70 km / h, the vehicle control device 100 executes speed control via the engine control system 40 and the brake control system 42 with the new set speed as the target speed. In this case, the speed of the vehicle 1 is reduced from 80 km / hr to 70 km / hr.

  When a plurality of speed limits are displayed on the speed sign, the driver can determine which speed limit should be observed. However, in computer program processing, it may be difficult to select an appropriate speed limit. For this reason, in the present embodiment, even if a non-optimal speed limit is selected, one speed limit is selected so as to ensure the safety of the vehicle 1 and surrounding vehicles. .

  It is assumed that the lower speed limit ("50 km / h") is selected while the higher speed limit ("70 km / h") should be selected if there is a following vehicle. In this case, the speed control causes the vehicle 1 to be greatly reduced to the set speed (small speed limit). On the other hand, the following vehicle 2 tries to decelerate toward the correct speed limit ("70 km / h"). As a result, the vehicle 1 rapidly approaches the following vehicle 2 and the safety may be reduced.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, when there is a following vehicle, the larger speed limit ("70 km / h") is selected, and the set speed is set to this speed limit. Even if this selection is incorrect, the safety will not be lost if the driver resets the set speed or reduces the speed of the vehicle 1 by operating the brake pedal. Thus, in the present embodiment, in order to prevent the vehicle 1 from approaching the following vehicle by selecting the wrong speed limit, if the following vehicle is present, the larger one is selected. Is configured.

  When the selection is incorrect, the set vehicle speed stored in the memory 11 may be replaced with the speed limit not selected by the driver's operation (for example, the operation of the resume switch 24g). As a result, the driver can set the set vehicle speed by sequentially switching the plurality of speed limits.

Next, the processing flow of the vehicle control processing according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The ECU 10 (control unit 10a) repeatedly executes the process flow of FIG. 5 at predetermined time intervals. Note that the ECU 10 (control unit 10a) as a traveling vehicle detection unit constantly calculates the presence / absence of the other vehicle (the leading vehicle and the following vehicle), the inter-vehicle distance, and the relative speed from the measurement data of the radar 22 It is stored in the memory 11 for a predetermined period. Further, the ECU 10 (speed limit recognition unit 10 b) executes speed limit recognition processing by another process, and stores the speed limit in the memory 11.

  First, when the process is started, the ECU 10 determines whether the driving support mode is in operation (including the standby state) (S10). When the driving support mode is not in operation (S10; No), the ECU 10 ends the processing. On the other hand, when the driving support mode is in operation (S10; Yes), the ECU 10 determines whether a plurality of speed limits (marking speeds) have been acquired (S11).

  If a plurality of speed limits have not been acquired (S11; No), the ECU 10 ends the process. If only one speed limit has been acquired, the setting speed is replaced with the acquired speed limit in another process. On the other hand, when a plurality of speed limits have been acquired (S11; Yes), the ECU 10 determines whether a following vehicle exists within a predetermined distance (S12).

If the following vehicle exists within the predetermined distance (S12; Yes), the ECU 10 selects the largest speed limit among the plurality (or two) speed limits acquired and stored in the memory 11, and sets the speed. Are replaced with this speed limit (S13), and the process is ended.
On the other hand, when the following vehicle does not exist within the predetermined distance (S12; No), the ECU 10 selects the smallest speed limit among the plurality (or two) speed limits acquired and stored in the memory 11, The set speed is replaced with this speed limit (S14), and the process is ended.
As described above, the operation by the driver (for example, the operation of the resume switch 24g) may be set as the execution condition of steps S13 and S14.

Next, the operation of the driving support control device of the present embodiment will be described.
The vehicle control device 100 according to the present embodiment acquires the control speed (ECU 10) that executes the speed control of the vehicle 1 according to the stored set vehicle speed during execution of the driving support mode, and the speed limit for the travel path Speed limit recognition unit (ECU 10, navigation device 26), and a traveling vehicle detection unit (ECU 10) for detecting a following vehicle 2 traveling behind the vehicle 1, the control unit (ECU 10) is a speed limit recognition unit The control unit (ECU 10) is configured to store the acquired speed limit acquired as the set vehicle speed, and when the speed limit recognition unit acquires two speed limits (“70”, “50”) (the control unit (ECU 10) S11; Yes, according to the presence or absence of the detection of the following vehicle 2 by the traveling vehicle detection unit (S12), one of the two acquired speed limits is selected and stored as the set vehicle speed (S) 3, S14).

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when two speed limits are detected on the travel path 3, one of the speed limits is set to the set speed according to the presence or absence of the following vehicle, and speed control is performed. Can be performed. Thus, in the present embodiment, any one of the two limit speeds can be selected while avoiding approach to the following vehicle.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when the following vehicle 2 is detected (S12; Yes), the control unit (ECU 10) has a larger one of the two acquired speed limits (“70” and “50”). The selected speed limit ("70") is selected (S13). If a low speed limit is selected and this selection is incorrect, if the following vehicle 2 travels at a high speed that is the correct selection, the vehicle 1 may suddenly approach the following vehicle 2. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as long as the vehicle travels based on at least the selected high speed limit, approach to the following vehicle 2 can be avoided regardless of whether this selection is correct or incorrect.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when the following vehicle 2 is not detected (S12; No), the control unit (ECU 10) has a smaller one of the two acquired speed limits (“70” and “50”). The selected speed limit ("50") is selected (S14). Thereby, in the present embodiment, even if the selection of the smaller speed limit is erroneous and the vehicle travels based on the smaller speed limit, there is no possibility that the vehicle approaches the following vehicle since there is no following vehicle . Furthermore, even if there is a leading vehicle, as long as the vehicle travels based on the smaller speed limit, approach with the leading vehicle can be avoided.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the control unit (ECU 10) further includes an operation unit (resume switch 24g) that can be operated by the driver, and the control unit (ECU 10) selects one speed limit from the acquired two speed limits and sets it as the set vehicle speed. After the storage, when the operation unit (resume switch 24g) is operated, the stored set vehicle speed is replaced with the control speed not selected and stored. Thus, in the present embodiment, even if the selection of the speed limit is erroneous, the driver can easily switch to the correct speed limit by operating the operation unit.

1 vehicle 10 control unit 100 vehicle control device

Claims (4)

A control unit that executes speed control of the vehicle according to the stored set vehicle speed during execution of the driving support mode;
A speed limit recognition unit that acquires a speed limit for the traveling road;
A traveling vehicle detection unit that detects a following vehicle traveling behind the vehicle;
A vehicle control device comprising:
The control unit is configured to store, as the set vehicle speed, the speed limit acquired by the speed limit recognition unit.
In the case where the speed limit recognition unit acquires two speed limits, the control unit may select one of the two speed limits acquired according to the presence or absence of detection of the following vehicle by the traveling vehicle detection unit. Control device which selects one and stores it as the set vehicle speed.   The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit selects a larger one of the acquired two limit speeds when a following vehicle is detected.   The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit selects a lower one of the acquired two limit speeds when the following vehicle is not detected. It further comprises an operation unit operable by the driver,
The control unit selects one speed limit from the acquired two speed limits and stores it as the set vehicle speed, and then, when there is an operation on the operation unit, the control that did not select the stored set vehicle speed The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the speed is replaced and stored.

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