JP2019059417A - Vehicle control device and vehicle control method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method, by which a steering actuator can appropriately be switched according to a surrounding situation.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device according to an embodiment comprises a determination unit and a steering control unit. The determination unit determines whether a predetermined switching condition is satisfied or not when a vehicle having a plurality of steering actuators for respectively steering a front wheel and a rear wheel uses, for standard control, one of the steering actuators. In a case where the determination unit determines that the switching condition is satisfied, the steering control unit executes control so as to switch from the one steering actuator to the other steering actuator.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

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

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a vehicle provided with, for example, a steering actuator that turns a front wheel and a steering actuator that turns a rear wheel. Further, there has been proposed a vehicle control device for switching these two steering actuators from one steering actuator to the other by manual operation of a switching lever or the like (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP, 2006-62615, A

  However, since the prior art leaves the switching of the steering actuator to the user, for example, in a situation where there is an obstacle around the vehicle, if the driver does not switch the steering actuator properly, the safety is reduced. Become.

  The present invention is made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method capable of appropriately switching a steering actuator in accordance with a surrounding situation.

  In order to solve the problems described above and to achieve the object, a vehicle control device according to the present invention includes a determination unit and a steering control unit. The determination unit determines whether or not a predetermined switching condition is satisfied when a vehicle having a plurality of steer actuators that steer each of the front wheels and the rear wheels performs standard control of one of the steer actuators. The steering control unit performs control to switch from the one steering actuator to the other steering actuator when it is determined by the determination unit that the switching condition is satisfied.

  According to the present invention, the steering actuator can be switched appropriately in accordance with the surrounding situation.

FIG. 1A is a diagram showing an outline of a vehicle control method according to an embodiment. FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an outline of a vehicle control method according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle system according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle control device according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of steering mode information. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of switching of the steering mode. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of switching of the steering mode. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of switching of the steering mode. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the switching process performed by the vehicle control device according to the embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method disclosed in the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited by the embodiments described below.

  FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B are diagrams showing an outline of a vehicle control method according to an embodiment. Vehicle C shown in FIG. 1A is a three-wheeler for single use having two front wheels FW disposed on the left and right sides of the vehicle body and one rear wheel RW disposed at the center of the vehicle body in the vehicle width direction that is the Y-axis direction. Mobility.

  The vehicle C may be, for example, a four-wheeled vehicle having one front wheel FW and two rear wheels RW, or two front wheels FW and two rear wheels RW. .

  The vehicle C is switchably provided with a steering actuator for turning the front wheel FW and a steering actuator for turning the rear wheel RW, and in normal driving, one of the steering actuators is controlled in a standard manner. In other words, when the vehicle C does not satisfy the switching condition described later, the other steering actuator is fixed in a state in which the other steering actuator is directed straight ahead, and performs standard control in which only one steering actuator operates. The vehicle C further includes a lean actuator for tilting the vehicle body and an in-wheel motor for driving the left and right front wheels FW, which will be described later.

  In FIG. 1B, the top view of the vehicle C is shown, and a situation where an object 100 such as a wall is present on the left side of the vehicle C is shown. In the following, it is assumed that a steering actuator for turning the rear wheel R is controlled in a standard manner.

  Here, a conventional vehicle control method will be described. In the conventional vehicle control method, for example, in the case of switching the rear wheel steering actuator under standard control to the front wheel steering actuator, the driver has to switch manually.

  However, for example, when the driver does not notice an object on the side of the vehicle, or when the vehicle is erroneously recognized as not contacting the object even if the rear wheel is steered to turn, etc. Switching is not performed.

  Therefore, when the vehicle is turned by the rear wheel steering actuator, the rear part of the vehicle body swings to the left, and the vehicle comes into contact with an object, which may lower the safety. That is, the conventional vehicle control method has room for improvement in that the steering actuators are appropriately switched according to the surrounding conditions.

  Therefore, in the vehicle control method according to the embodiment, when the predetermined switching condition is satisfied, the steering actuator is automatically switched. Specifically, in the vehicle control device 1 according to the embodiment, for example, when the trajectory (broken line arrow in FIG. 1B) when turning by the steering actuator of the rear wheel RW intersects the position of the object 100 or when the vehicle turns When there is a possibility that the vehicle contacts the surrounding object 100, it is determined that the switching condition is satisfied, and the rear wheel RW is switched to the steering actuator of the front wheel FW.

  That is, since the rear wheel RW is fixed and turned by turning of the front wheel FW, the rear portion of the vehicle body does not swing leftward. For this reason, since the vehicle C and the object 100 can turn without contacting each other, it is possible to prevent the safety from being lowered. That is, according to the vehicle control method which concerns on embodiment, a steering actuator can be switched appropriately according to the surrounding condition.

  Next, a vehicle control system S including the vehicle control device 1 according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle control system S according to the embodiment. In FIG. 2, only components necessary to explain the features of the present embodiment are represented by functional blocks, and descriptions of general components are omitted.

  The vehicle control system S includes two control systems duplicated in the systems A and B. The vehicle control system S also includes a power supply ECU 50 that controls the power supply of both systems A and B.

  System A includes an integrated ECU 1a, a lean ECU 2a, a front wheel steer ECU 3a, a rear wheel steer ECU 4a, a battery ECU 5a, and an IWM ECU 6a. The integrated ECU 1a corresponds to the vehicle control device 1 in FIG. 1B.

  The integrated ECU 1a controls the entire system A. The integrated ECU 1a is a host ECU, and the lean ECU 2a, the front wheel steer ECU 3a, the rear wheel steer ECU 4a, the battery ECU 5a and the IWM ECU 6a are lower ECUs.

  The integrated ECU 1a is communicably connected to the ECUs via a vehicle-mounted network such as a controller area network (CAN). The integrated ECU 1a is communicably connected to the lean ECU 2b of the system B, the front wheel steer ECU 3b, the rear wheel steer ECU 4b, the battery ECU 5b, and the IWM ECU 6b through CAN or the like.

  The lean ECU 2a, the front wheel steer ECU 3a, the rear wheel steer ECU 4a, the battery ECU 5a, and the IWM ECU 6a are communicably connected to the integrated ECU 1b of the system B through a CAN or the like. A detailed functional block of the integrated ECU 1a will be described later.

  The battery ECU 5a monitors the deterioration of the battery 15a. The lean ECU 2a controls the lean actuator (lean ACT) 12a to tilt the vehicle body in the lateral direction, which is the vehicle width direction, in accordance with the turning acceleration in order to facilitate turning of the vehicle C (see FIG. 1A). At the same time, the inclination of the vehicle body in the lateral direction is appropriately maintained so that the vehicle C does not fall down.

  The front wheel steer ECU 3a and the rear wheel steer ECU 4a control the front wheel steer actuator (front wheel steer ACT) 13a and the rear wheel steer actuator (rear wheel steer ACT) 14a such that the vehicle C travels according to the driver's steering operation. . The front wheel steer ACT13a and the rear wheel steer ACT14a are examples of a steer actuator.

  Further, the front wheel steer ECU 3a and the rear wheel steer ECU 4a are controlled such that one of the steer actuators is driven and the other is fixed based on an instruction of the integrated ECU 1a.

  The IWM ECU 6a controls an in-wheel motor (IWM) 16a provided on the left front wheel FW of the vehicle C so that the vehicle C is accelerated or braked in response to the driver's accelerator operation or brake operation.

  The lean ACT 12a tilts the vehicle body in the left and right direction based on an instruction from the lean ECU 2a, that is, an instruction signal, and changes the posture of the vehicle body, for example, when the vehicle C turns. Further, the lean ACT 12a changes the posture of the vehicle body according to the unevenness of the traveling road surface or the inclination.

  The front wheel steer ACT 13a changes the turning angle of the front wheel FW based on an instruction (instruction signal) from the front wheel steer ECU 3a. The rear wheel steer ACT14a adjusts the turning angle of the rear wheel RW based on an instruction (instruction signal) from the rear wheel steer ECU 4a.

  The IWM 16a rotates the left front wheel FW based on an instruction (instruction signal) from the IWM ECU 6a, and controls the number of rotations of the left front wheel FW. The battery 15a is a storage battery, for example, a lithium ion battery.

  Similarly to system A, system B includes integrated ECU 1b, lean ECU 2b, front wheel steer ECU 3b, rear wheel steer ECU 4b, battery ECU 5b, and IWM ECU 6b. The integrated ECU 1 b corresponds to the vehicle control device 1 in FIG. 1B.

  Each configuration of the system B is the same as each configuration of the system A, so the description thereof is omitted here. The IWM ECU 6b controls an in-wheel motor (IWM) 16b provided on the right front wheel FW of the vehicle C so that the vehicle C is accelerated or braked in accordance with the driver's accelerator operation or brake operation.

  The configurations of lean ACT 12b controlled by system B, front wheel steer ACT 13b, rear wheel steer ACT 14b and battery 15b are the same as the configurations of lean ACT 12a controlled by system A, front wheel steer ACT 13a, rear wheel steer ACT 14a and battery 15a The description is omitted here. The IWM 16 b rotates the right front wheel FW based on an instruction (instruction signal) from the IWM ECU 6 b and controls the number of rotations of the right front wheel FW.

  In addition, vehicle control system S is dualized by system A and system B as described above based on, for example, fault tolerant design. For example, electronic control of vehicle C is 50% each based on the fault tolerant design. Can share in

  Specifically, for example, the lean ECUs 2a and 2b respectively receive 50% of the total output of the lean mechanism by the lean ACTs 12a and 12b, and the lean ACTs 12a and 12b are set so that the outputs of both systems A and B become 100%. Control.

  Also, for example, even if an abnormality occurs in one of the integrated ECUs 1a and 1b, the other integrated ECU 1a and 1b can move the vehicle C to a safe place, for example, until it can be retracted to a safe place.

  In the following, when the systems A and B are not distinguished from one another, the symbols “a” and “b” are omitted. For example, the integrated ECU 1a and the integrated ECU 1b are collectively described as an integrated ECU 1, and the lean ACT 12a and the lean ACT 12b are collectively described as a lean ACT 12.

  Next, a vehicle control device 1 corresponding to the integrated ECU 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle control device 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle control device 1 according to the embodiment includes a camera 40, a radar device 41, a steering angle sensor 42a, a front wheel steering angle sensor 42b, a rear wheel steering angle sensor 42c, and a vehicle speed sensor And 43.

  The camera 40 is an on-vehicle camera, and is provided at a position for imaging the periphery of the vehicle C. The camera 40 outputs a captured image obtained by capturing the surroundings of the vehicle C to the vehicle control device 1.

  The radar device 41 emits radio waves around the vehicle C, and detects the object 100 existing around the vehicle C by acquiring a reflected wave in which the emitted radio waves are reflected by the object 100 or the like. The radar device 41 outputs information on the detected object 100 to the vehicle control device 1.

  The steering angle sensor 42 a is a sensor that detects the steering angle of the steering operated by the driver of the vehicle C. The front wheel turning angle sensor 42 b is a sensor that detects the actual turning angle of the front wheel in the vehicle C. The rear wheel steering angle sensor 42c is a sensor that detects the actual steering angle of the rear wheel in the vehicle C.

  Next, the vehicle control device 1 according to the embodiment includes a control unit 20 and a storage unit 30. The control unit 20 includes a detection unit 21, a determination unit 22, and a steering control unit 23. The storage unit 30 stores switching information 31 and steering mode information 32.

  Here, the vehicle control device 1 may be, for example, a computer having a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a hard disk drive (HDD), an input / output port, and various circuits. including.

  The CPU of the computer functions as, for example, the detection unit 21, the determination unit 22, and the steering control unit 23 of the control unit 20 by reading and executing a program stored in the ROM.

  In addition, at least one or all of the detection unit 21 of the control unit 20, the determination unit 22, and the steering control unit 23 is configured with hardware such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA). It can also be done.

  The storage unit 30 corresponds to, for example, a RAM or an HDD. The RAM and the HDD can store information of various programs such as switching information 31 and steering mode information 32. The vehicle control device 1 may acquire the above-described program and various information via another computer connected via a wired or wireless network or a portable recording medium.

  The switching information 31 is information including switching conditions as a reference in the determination process of the determination unit 22 described later. The details of the switching conditions will be described later with reference to FIGS. The steering mode information 32 is information on the control state of the steering actuator. Here, the steering mode information 32 will be described using FIG. 4.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of the steering mode information 32. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, there are two control modes of the steering actuator, a front wheel steering mode st1 and a rear wheel steering mode st2.

  The front wheel steering mode st1 is a control state in which the front wheel steer ACT13 of the vehicle C is operated and the rear wheel steer ACT14 is fixed. The rear wheel steering mode st2 is a control state in which the front wheel steer ACT13 of the vehicle C is fixed and the rear wheel steer ACT14 is operated.

  The steering control unit 23, which will be described later, selects one of the steering modes as a standard control during normal traveling, and when a predetermined switching condition is satisfied, the steering mode from one steering mode to the other steering mode Switch. That is, the steering mode information 32 is information indicating which of the two steering modes is the standard control steering mode, and when the steering control unit 23 switches the steering control, It is information for switching from the steering mode of standard control to the steering mode which is not standard control with reference to the steering mode information 32.

  In the following, the rear wheel steering mode st2, that is, the rear wheel steer ACT14 will be described as the standard control, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the front wheel steering mode st1, that is, the front wheel steer ACT13 may be the standard control.

  The control unit 20 of the vehicle control device 1 determines whether or not a predetermined switching condition is satisfied, and performs switching control of the front wheel steer ACT13 and the rear wheel steer ACT14 based on the result of the determination.

  The detection unit 21 detects the situation around the vehicle C. For example, the detection unit 21 detects the object 100 present around the vehicle C based on the captured image of the camera 40 and the detection result of the radar device 41.

  The determination unit 22 determines whether or not the switching condition in the switching information 31 is satisfied based on the detection result of the detection unit 21. The detailed determination method of the determination unit 22 will be described later with reference to FIGS.

  The steering control unit 23 switches the steering mode of the steering mode information 32 based on the determination result of the determination unit 22. For example, when the determining unit 22 determines that the switching condition is satisfied, the steering control unit 23 performs control to switch from the rear wheel steering mode st2 under standard control to the front wheel steering mode st1. Further, the steering control unit 23 maintains the standard control of the rear wheel steer ACT 14 except when the determination unit 22 determines that the switching condition is satisfied. As a result, it is possible to prevent the steering actuator from switching frequently, and it is possible to suppress the driver's confusion.

  Here, the example of switching of a steering mode is demonstrated using FIGS. 5-7. 5-7 is a figure which shows the example of switching of a steering mode.

  First, the switching example shown in FIG. 5 will be described. FIG. 5 shows a scene in which the vehicle C starts moving in the forward direction of the vehicle C from the stopped state in the state where the object 100 is present laterally. Note that the object 100 is detected by the detection unit 21.

  When the rear wheel steer ACT 14 on the side far from the forward direction, which is the traveling direction of the vehicle C, is subjected to standard control, the determination unit 22 determines whether or not the switching condition is satisfied. As a result, the steering actuator is switched from the far side to the near side with respect to the traveling direction. For example, when the object 100 is present on the side of the vehicle C, the vehicle body approaches the outside 100 Direction) can be prevented.

  Further, when the position of the object 100 detected by the detection unit 21 is a position at which the vehicle C collides, the determination unit 22 determines that the switching condition is satisfied. For example, the determination unit 22 determines that the switching condition is satisfied when the position of the object 100 is located on the traveling locus at the time of turning of the vehicle C (the broken arrow in FIG. 5). For example, the determination unit 22 calculates a turning radius when the turning angle of the rear wheel RW is maximum, and predicts a traveling locus based on the turning radius.

  More preferably, the determination unit 22 determines whether the traveling locus of the vehicle rear portion 60 of the vehicle C on the side where the object 100 exists intersects the object 100 by turning of the rear wheel RW. That is, it is determined whether or not the outermost portion at the time of turning contacts the object 100.

  More specifically, first, the detection unit 21 detects in advance that the object 100 is present on the left side of the vehicle C while the vehicle C is traveling straight. Then, the determination unit 22 determines in advance whether the vehicle C collides with the object 100 in the right turn by calculating the traveling locus when it is assumed that the vehicle C has turned rightward from going straight. Do.

  Then, when it is determined by the determination unit 22 that the vehicle 100 collides with the object 100 (step S1), the steering control unit 23 steers the front wheel FW from the rear wheel RW at the moment the steering operation for turning right is performed. Switching to the actuator (step S2). That is, when the steering control unit 23 determines that the vehicle 100 collides with the object 100 in advance by the determination unit 22, the steering angle sensor 42a detects the steering operation for turning to the right, the rear wheel steer ACT14 Switch to front wheel steer ACT13. Thereby, for example, it is possible to prevent the collision of the vehicle C and the object 100 at the time of start.

  The steering control unit 23 performs control to switch from the rear wheel steer ACT14 to the front wheel steer ACT13 when the steering operation is detected by the steering angle sensor 42a, that is, when it is determined that the vehicle turns right. It is not limited to this.

  For example, the steering control unit 23 may switch control in advance regardless of the presence or absence of a right turn. Specifically, when the turning control unit 23 determines that a collision with the object 100 is made if the turning unit 22 makes a right turn in advance by the determination unit 22, the rear wheel steer ACT 14 to the front wheel steer ACT 13 in advance in the straight ahead state Switch on. Thereby, when the vehicle C makes a right turn, switching of control has already been performed, so that responsiveness can be improved. In such a case, the steering control unit 23 returns the front wheel steer ACT13 to the rear wheel steer ACT14 when the vehicle C is maintained straight without turning right and then the collision with the object 100 is eliminated. .

  In addition, although the determination unit 22 previously determined whether or not to collide with the object 100 before turning, the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be determined whether to collide with the object 100 when actually turning. Good. Specifically, first, the detection unit 21 detects the presence of the object 100 in advance. Subsequently, when the rear wheel steering angle sensor 42c detects that the rear wheel RW has steered in conjunction with the steering operation, the determination unit 22 detects the rear wheel steering angle sensor 42c based on the actual steering angle detected by the rear wheel steering angle sensor 42c. Calculate the travel locus. Then, the steering control unit 23 switches from the rear wheel RW to steering of the front wheel FW when it is determined that the vehicle 100 collides with the object 100 based on the travel locus calculated by the determination unit 22. In such a case, the steering control unit 23 performs control to return the rear wheel RW to the straight traveling state while steering the front wheel FW. As a result, it is determined whether or not a collision occurs during actual turning to switch, so that the switching frequency can be minimized.

  The steering control unit 23 performs control to return the steering mode by switching from the front wheel FW to the steering actuator for the rear wheel RW when the predetermined release condition is satisfied after switching (step S3).

  Next, the switching example shown in FIG. 6 will be described. FIG. 6 shows the case where the object 100 is a movable body such as a motorcycle, and the situation where the object 100 passes by the side of the vehicle C is shown. Note that the detection unit 21 detects the object 100 periodically and continuously in the past.

  In such a case, the determination unit 22 predicts the moving direction or the moving speed of the object 100 based on the history of the detection result of the detecting unit 21. The determination unit 22 determines that the switching condition is satisfied when the predicted path of the predicted object 100 (solid arrow in FIG. 6) intersects with the traveling path of the vehicle C. Then, the rear wheel RW is switched to the steering actuator for the front wheel FW.

  Thereby, the collision of the vehicle C with the object 100 which is a moving object can be reliably prevented, and the safety of the vehicle C can be enhanced.

  Next, an example of switching shown in FIG. 7 will be described. FIG. 7 shows a scene where the vehicle C turns to the right side in the condition where the side groove 110 exists on the left side of the traveling path on which the vehicle C travels.

  In such a case, the determination unit 22 determines that the switching condition is satisfied when the side groove 110 exists, in other words, when the traveling path disappears on the traveling locus of the vehicle C. That is, when the vehicle turns right, the rear wheel RW comes in contact with the side groove 110 as the rear wheel RW disengages from the side groove 110. Therefore, the side groove 110 can be regarded as an object around the vehicle. Then, the steering control unit 23 switches from the rear wheel RW to the steering actuator for the front wheel FW. In this case, it is preferable to use the trajectory of the rear wheel RW itself, not the rear portion 60 (see FIG. 5). As a result, the rear wheel RW of the vehicle C can turn without derailing to the side groove 110.

  The side groove 110 can be detected by, for example, detecting an end portion of a traveling path by analyzing a captured image of the camera 40. In addition, if it is the condition which a driving | running | working path lose | disappears not only in the side groove 110, it is good. Alternatively, when crossing a dividing line such as a white line, switching to the front wheel steer ACT 13 may be performed. As a result, it is possible to prevent the vehicle C from coming off the traveling path. In addition, when crossing division lines, such as a white line, although the object around a vehicle is not detected directly, by crossing a division line, it may contact with an oncoming vehicle. Therefore, when the vehicle turns, the vehicle may come in contact with the surrounding objects (that is, the oncoming vehicle) even when the vehicle passes the dividing line, so that the predetermined switching condition is satisfied.

  Next, a processing procedure of the switching process performed by the vehicle control device 1 according to the embodiment will be described using FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the switching process performed by the vehicle control device 1 according to the embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the steering control unit 23 performs standard control of the steering actuator (rear wheel steering ACT 14) of the rear wheel RW (step S101). Subsequently, the detection unit 21 detects the object 100 present on the side of the vehicle C (step S102).

  Subsequently, the determination unit 22 determines whether the vehicle C is traveling straight (step S103). When it is determined that the vehicle C is in a straight traveling state (Yes at Step S103), the determining unit 22 determines in advance whether or not the vehicle C collides with the object 100 when it is assumed that the vehicle C turns (Step S104).

  The steering control unit 23 determines the presence or absence of a steering operation based on the steering angle sensor 42a when it is determined by the determination unit 22 that the vehicle 100 collides with the object 100 (step S104) (step S105). When the steering operation is detected in the direction of collision with the object 100 (step S105, Yes), that is, it is determined to turn, the steering control unit 23 switches from the rear wheel RW to the steering actuator for the front wheel FW (step S106) , End the process.

  On the other hand, in step S103, when the vehicle C is not in the straight ahead state (step S103, No), that is, when the vehicle C is turning, the object is determined by actual turning based on the rear wheel steering angle sensor 42c. It is determined whether or not there is a collision with 100 (step S107).

  Subsequently, when it is determined by the determination unit 22 that the vehicle 100 collides with the object 100 due to actual turning (step S107, Yes), the steering control unit 23 shifts the process to step S106. In such a case, control is also performed to return the steer of the rear wheel RW to a straight-ahead state while switching to the steering actuator for the front wheel FW.

  On the other hand, in step S104, when the determining unit 22 determines that the vehicle does not collide with the object 100 (step S104, No), the steering control unit 23 maintains control of the steering actuator of the rear wheel RW (step S108), End the process.

  In step S105, the steering control unit 23 shifts the processing to step S108 when the steering operation is not detected (step S105, No). In step S107, the steering control unit 23 shifts the process to step S108 when the determination unit 22 determines that the vehicle does not collide with the object 100 (step S107, No).

  As described above, the vehicle control device 1 according to the embodiment includes the determination unit 22 and the turning control unit 23. Determination unit 22 determines whether or not a predetermined switching condition is satisfied, when vehicle C having a plurality of steer actuators that steer each of front wheel FW and rear wheel RW, uses either one of the steer actuators as a standard control. Do. When the determining unit 22 determines that the switching condition is satisfied, the steering control unit 23 performs control to switch from one steer actuator to the other steer actuator. Thereby, the steering actuator can be switched appropriately in accordance with the surrounding situation.

  In the embodiment described above, the vehicle C in which the rear wheel RW is controlled in a standard manner has been described, but the vehicle C in which the front wheel FW is controlled in a standard manner may be used. In the case of the vehicle C in which the front wheel FW is controlled in a standard manner, the vehicle control method according to the embodiment is suitable, for example, for back traveling when parking.

  For example, in the vehicle C in which the front wheel FW is controlled in a standard manner, when the shift position is reverse ("R"), the steering control unit 23 switches from the front wheel FW to the steering actuator of the rear wheel RW. Thereby, at the time of back parking, it is possible to prevent contact with the object 100 due to the swing of the vehicle body front part of the vehicle C, and back parking can be performed more smoothly.

  Further effects and modifications can be easily derived by those skilled in the art. Thus, the broader aspects of the invention are not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments represented and described above. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

1, 1a, 1b Vehicle control unit (integrated ECU)
2, 2a, 2b Lean ECU
3, 3a, 3b front wheel steer ECU
4, 4a, 4b Rear wheel steer ECU
5,5a, 5b Battery ECU
6, 6a, 6b IWMECU
12, 12a, 12b Lean ACT
13, 13a, 13b front wheel steer ACT
14, 14a, 14b Rear wheel steer ACT
15, 15a, 15b battery 16, 16a, 16b IWM
Reference Signs List 20 control unit 21 detection unit 22 determination unit 23 steering control unit 30 storage unit 31 switching information 32 steering mode information 40 camera 41 radar device 42a steering angle sensor 42b front wheel steering angle sensor 42c rear wheel steering angle sensor 43 vehicle speed sensor 50 Power supply ECU
100 object C vehicle FW front wheel RW rear wheel

Claims (6)

A determination unit that determines whether or not a predetermined switching condition is satisfied when a vehicle having a plurality of steer actuators that steer each of the front wheels and rear wheels performs standard control of one of the steer actuators;
And a steering control unit that performs control to switch from the one steering actuator to the other steering actuator when it is determined by the determination unit that the switching condition is satisfied. The determination unit is
It is determined whether or not a predetermined switching condition is satisfied when the steering actuator far from the traveling direction of the vehicle is under standard control.
The steering control unit
The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein when it is determined that the switching condition is satisfied, switching is performed to the steering actuator closer to the traveling direction. It further comprises a detection unit for detecting an object present on the side of the vehicle,
The determination unit is
3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein when the position of the object detected by the detection unit is a position where a collision occurs when the vehicle turns, it is determined that the switching condition is satisfied. The determination unit is
The vehicle control device according to claim 3, wherein when the position of the object is located on a traveling locus when the vehicle turns, it is determined that the switching condition is satisfied. The vehicle is
It has the front wheels disposed on the left and right in the vehicle width direction, and the rear wheels disposed in the center in the vehicle width direction,
The steering control unit
The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein standard control of the steering actuator of the rear wheel is maintained except when it is determined that the switching condition is satisfied. A determination step of determining whether or not a predetermined switching condition is satisfied, in a case where a vehicle having a plurality of steer actuators that steer each of the front wheels and the rear wheels performs standard control of any one of the steer actuators;
And a steering control step of performing control to switch from the one steering actuator to the other steering actuator when it is determined in the determination step that the switching condition is satisfied.

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