JP2020090224A - Vehicle runaway prevention method and vehicle runaway prevention device - Google Patents

Abstract

To prevent and suppress runaway driving of a vehicle due to an abnormal physical condition of the driver in the initial movement, for preventing accidents.SOLUTION: While a vehicle 300 is traveling in a predetermined area at a vehicle speed higher than a predetermined speed, when it is determined that the physical condition of the driver is abnormal (S100 to S120) and a predetermined condition indicating a sign of runaway is detected (S130), the electronic control unit 100 forcibly reduces the rate of change of the acceleration of the vehicle 300 and forcibly limits the vehicle speed. This prevents the vehicle 300 from running out of control and ensures safety.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to driving control of an automatic vehicle, and more particularly, to a vehicle runaway prevention and a safety assurance due to a driver's reckless driving.

In recent years, as terrorism acts frequently around the world, terrorism acts using a motor vehicle that causes a large number of casualties by intentionally causing a vehicle to run wild to passersby.
In addition, recently, although it is not a terrorist act with a political background or the like, there are cases in which a large number of ordinary people are killed or injured by causing a motor vehicle to runaway due to personal abnormal behavior.

These are not the intended usage patterns of the motor vehicle, but from the perspective of not only ensuring a safe usage pattern of the motor vehicle but also ensuring reliability for the vehicle manufacturer, runaway due to such abnormal driving There is a demand for a method of suppressing or preventing the above, and various proposals and practical applications are being made.

For example, whether or not the vehicle is in a dangerous driving state based on the positional relationship with the vehicle or a person existing in front of the vehicle acquired by the camera mounted on the vehicle, the vehicle speed, and the surrounding road condition. Is proposed and put into practical use, for example, by analyzing the result of the analysis and displaying the analysis result on a display device mounted on the vehicle to inform the driver that the vehicle is in a dangerous driving state. 1).

JP, 2013-101505, A

However, a driver with good sense can sufficiently prevent the worst situation from occurring even with the above-mentioned device, but it seems that the driver intentionally performs dangerous driving. In such a case, it is difficult to prevent the occurrence of an accident with the above-mentioned conventional device, and a measure for more positively and surely preventing dangerous driving and runaway driving is desired.

The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and a runaway operation of a vehicle caused by an abnormal physical condition of a driver can be prevented and suppressed in the initial motion of the vehicle to prevent an accident before it happens. A prevention method and a vehicle runaway prevention device are provided.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object of the present invention, the vehicle runaway prevention method according to the present invention,
When the vehicle is traveling in a predetermined area at a speed exceeding a predetermined speed, the physical condition of the driver is determined to be abnormal, and a predetermined condition indicating a sign of a runaway is detected, the acceleration of the vehicle Is configured to forcibly reduce the rate of change of the vehicle to prevent the vehicle from running out of control.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned object of the present invention, the vehicle runaway prevention device according to the present invention is
A vehicle runaway prevention device comprising an electronic control unit configured to be able to execute operation control of a vehicle, and configured to prevent runaway of the vehicle,
The electronic control unit,
When the vehicle is traveling in a predetermined area at a speed exceeding a predetermined speed, the physical condition of the driver is determined to be abnormal, and a predetermined condition indicating a sign of a runaway is detected, the acceleration of the vehicle It is configured so that the rate of change of can be forcibly reduced.

According to the present invention, when it is determined that there is a high possibility of a driver's runaway based on a plurality of determination factors, regardless of the driver's intention, the traveling state of the vehicle is forcibly limited, Since sudden acceleration cannot be performed, the vehicle can be surely prevented from running out of control due to crowding in the initial run for runaway, and safety can be ensured.

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the vehicle runaway prevention apparatus to which the vehicle runaway prevention method in embodiment of this invention is applied. 5 is a subroutine flowchart showing a procedure of vehicle runaway prevention processing executed by the vehicle runaway prevention device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
The members, arrangements, etc. described below do not limit the present invention and can be variously modified within the scope of the gist of the present invention.
First, a configuration example of a vehicle runaway prevention device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The vehicle travel control device according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured with electronic control unit 100 mounted on vehicle 300 as a main component.

The electronic control unit 100 is configured so as to be able to execute operation control of the engine 200 as an internal combustion engine, and is basically the same as that mounted on a conventional motor vehicle that enables electronic control. Are the same.
That is, the electronic control unit 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention executes various controls necessary for vehicle traveling control such as rotation control of the engine 200 and fuel injection control of a fuel injection valve (not shown) as in the conventional case. It is assumed that it is configured as possible.

The electronic control unit 100 mainly includes, for example, a microcomputer having a known/well-known configuration, a storage element (not shown) such as a RAM or a ROM, and an input/output interface circuit (not shown). Is a main component.

The electronic control unit 100 receives various signals necessary for controlling the operation of the vehicle, such as an engine speed, an accelerator opening degree, and a vehicle speed, which are detected by a sensor (not shown) or the like, and is used for engine rotation control or fuel injection. The control and the like are further provided for vehicle runaway prevention control described later.
Further, position/population density information (details will be described later) and driver physical/mental information (details will be described later) are input to the electronic control unit 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention, and are used for vehicle runaway prevention control and the like described later. It has been offered.

FIG. 2 shows a subroutine flowchart showing the procedure of the vehicle runaway prevention process in the embodiment of the present invention executed by the electronic control unit 100, and the content thereof will be described below with reference to the same figure. ..
When the processing is started by the electronic control unit 100, first, it is determined whether the traveling speed of the vehicle 300, that is, the vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined threshold value (see step S100 in FIG. 2).

This determination process is repeatedly performed until it is determined that the vehicle speed exceeds the threshold value, and when it is determined that the vehicle speed exceeds the threshold value (YES), the process proceeds to step S110.

In step S110, it is determined whether the vehicle 300 is traveling in a predetermined area, that is, a specific crowded area.
Here, the “specific congestion area” is an area that is specified in advance as a place where vehicle runaway should be prevented in the embodiment of the present invention.
Specifically, for example, it is preferable to set a shopping district, a school road, a residential area, or the like as the specific crowded area. The specific congestion area does not have to be limited to these specific examples, and should be arbitrarily selected.

The position information indicating whether or not the vehicle 300 is located in the specific crowded area can be obtained by using a so-called car navigation device, a GPS device, or a map information service via the Internet. Which one is used is arbitrary and does not need to be limited to a specific device or the like.

In addition, in recent years, the map information service via the Internet provides information about the location of the vehicle 300, such as a distinction between a shopping district, a residential area, and a school road, and a real-time population density in the surrounding area. There is also.
It is also preferable to add the above-mentioned real-time population density information to the above-mentioned distinction of the place where the vehicle 300 is located to determine whether or not the area is a specific congestion area.

That is, when the place where the vehicle 300 is located is a predetermined place such as a shopping street or a school road, and the population density around the vehicle 300 obtained in real time exceeds the predetermined number of people, the vehicle runs in a specific crowded area. It is also suitable to determine that it is doing.

Then, when it is determined in step S110 that the vehicle 300 is traveling in the specific congested area (in the case of YES), it is determined whether or not the physical condition of the driver is abnormal (step S120 of FIG. 2). reference). In addition, in step S110, when it is not determined that the vehicle 300 is traveling in the specific congestion area (in the case of NO), the process returns to the previous step S100, and the series of processes is repeated.

In the embodiment of the present invention, in particular, it is determined whether or not the driver is in an excited state, and it is determined that the driver is in an excited state to determine that the physical condition of the driver is abnormal.
The specific determination is made based on the driver's physical/mental information input to the electronic control unit 100 from the outside.

Here, the "driver's physical/mental information" is information on the physiological state and mental state of the driver's body.
In the embodiment of the present invention, specifically, the heart rate, the movement of the eyes, the degree of opening of the eyelids and the pupil are defined as “driver's physical/mental information”.
The "driver's physical/mental information" may be any as long as it is suitable for determining whether the physical/mental state is not suitable for driving, such as heart rate, eye movement, eyelid/pupil opening. There is no need to be limited, and other judgment factors may be used.

A well-known method for detecting a heartbeat is a method of detecting it by a detection electrode attached to a steering wheel, but in recent years, various devices such as a device capable of detecting a heartbeat in a non-contact state with a driver are available. Various detection devices have been put to practical use.
Further, as a method for detecting the movement of the eyes, the degree of opening of the eyelid or the pupil, for example, a method of detecting the pupil by infrared rays, a method of detecting a change in the eyelid of the driver using a camera, etc. ..

What is specifically used to detect the heart rate, the degree of eyelid opening, and the degree of pupillary opening is arbitrary, and is not limited to a specific technique or device.
For example, in the case of a vehicle in which the steering wheel is provided with an electrode for heartbeat detection, that may be used. On the other hand, in the case of a vehicle not provided with such a device, it is preferable to use a non-contact type heartbeat detection device.
This also applies to detection of eye movements, eyelid and pupil opening.

Regarding the reference value of the heart rate when judging that the physical condition of the driver is abnormal, the movement of the eyes, the reference of the degree of opening of the eyelids and the pupil, while considering the specific specifications of the vehicle 300, It is preferable to select based on the test results, simulation results, etc., taking into consideration the variations of individual drivers.

Then, in step S120, when it is determined that the driver's physical condition is abnormal, that is, the driver is in any excited state based on the driver's physical/mental information (in the case of YES), a runaway warning sign is given. It is determined whether or not a condition, that is, a predetermined condition indicating a sign of runaway has been detected (see step S140 in FIG. 2).
In addition, in step S120, when it is not determined that the physical condition of the driver is abnormal (NO), the process returns to the previous step S100, and the series of processes is repeated.

Here, the "runaway predictive condition" is a condition for determining that there is a very high possibility that the driver will cause a runaway.
In the embodiment of the present invention, when the accelerator opening is set to the maximum opening and it is detected that the driver's eyes are closed for a predetermined time or more, it is determined that the runaway precursory condition is detected. I am going to do it.

Since the above-mentioned predetermined time of closing the eyes has individual differences and the like, it is preferable to set an appropriate value based on the test result, the simulation result, and the like.
Further, the runaway precursory condition is not limited to the above condition, and may be another condition or a combination with another condition.

When it is determined in step S130 that the runaway precursory condition has been detected (YES), the driving state forced restriction is executed (see step S140 in FIG. 2).
If it is not determined in step S130 that the runaway precursory condition has been detected (NO), the process returns to step S100 and the series of processes is repeated.

The driving state forced restriction is a process of forcibly lowering the operating state of the engine 200 in order to prevent the vehicle 300 from running out of control.
Specifically, in the embodiment of the present invention, the rate of change in acceleration is reduced and the vehicle speed is reduced.

The rate of change of acceleration has a sufficient time margin even if the rate of change of acceleration, that is, the amount of change in speed per unit time by limiting the torque, is such that the vehicle 300 rushes into the crowd. It is set to a small value that can avoid contact with the vehicle 300.
In addition, the vehicle speed reduction is executed by setting a vehicle speed limit.

It should be noted that the change rate of the acceleration and the value of the vehicle speed limit have different appropriate values depending on the specific specifications of the vehicle 300, and therefore the test results, the simulation results, etc. should be considered in consideration of the specific specifications of the individual vehicles 300. It is preferable to determine it based on
It should be noted that it is preferable to maintain this driving state forced restriction until the traveling of vehicle 300 is stopped.

The present invention can be applied to a vehicle for which it is desired to reliably prevent or suppress runaway driving of the vehicle due to an abnormal physical condition of the driver.

100... Electronic control unit 200... Engine 300... Vehicle

Claims (10)

When the vehicle is traveling in a predetermined area at a speed exceeding a predetermined speed, the physical condition of the driver is determined to be abnormal, and a predetermined condition indicating a sign of a runaway is detected, the acceleration of the vehicle A method of preventing runaway of a vehicle, which is characterized by forcibly reducing the rate of change of the vehicle to prevent runaway of the vehicle. The vehicle runaway prevention method according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle speed limitation is forcibly performed at the same time when the rate of change of the acceleration is forcibly reduced. 3. The vehicle runaway prevention method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined area is at least one of a residential area, a shopping area, and a school road. When the driver's heart rate exceeds a predetermined reference value and any one of eye movement, eyelid, and pupil opening is determined to be abnormal, the physical condition of the driver is determined to be abnormal. The vehicle runaway prevention method according to claim 3. 5. The predetermined condition indicating a sign of the runaway is detected when the accelerator opening is the maximum opening and the driver's eyes are closed for a predetermined time or more. Vehicle runaway prevention method. A vehicle runaway prevention device comprising an electronic control unit configured to be able to execute operation control of a vehicle, and configured to prevent runaway of the vehicle,
The electronic control unit,
When the vehicle is traveling in a predetermined area at a speed exceeding a predetermined speed, the physical condition of the driver is determined to be abnormal, and a predetermined condition indicating a sign of a runaway is detected, the acceleration of the vehicle A vehicle runaway prevention device characterized by being configured to forcibly reduce the rate of change of the vehicle. The electronic control unit,
7. The vehicle runaway prevention device according to claim 6, wherein the vehicle speed limit is forcibly executed at the same time when the rate of change of the acceleration of the vehicle is forcibly reduced. The electronic control unit,
Whether the vehicle is traveling in the predetermined area based on position information input from the outside, with at least one of the residential area, the shopping area, and the school road as the predetermined area. The vehicle runaway prevention device according to claim 7, wherein the device is configured to make a determination. The electronic control unit,
When the driver's heart rate exceeds a predetermined reference value and any one of eye movement, eyelid, and pupil opening is determined to be abnormal, the physical condition of the driver is determined to be abnormal. 9. The vehicle runaway prevention device according to claim 8, wherein: The electronic control unit,
When the accelerator opening is the maximum opening, and when it is determined that the driver's eyes are closed for a predetermined time or longer, it is configured to detect a predetermined condition indicating the sign of the runaway. The vehicle runaway prevention device according to claim 9, wherein:

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