JP2024037294A - Vehicle control device and vehicle control program - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a vehicle control device and a vehicle control program capable of preventing a collision with an obstacle while reducing the inconvenience to the driver. [Solution] An ECU 20 includes an obstacle determination unit 22 that determines the presence or absence of an obstacle in the traveling direction of the vehicle based on a still image captured by an imaging device 10, and a driving force control unit 23 that limits the driving force of the vehicle based on the determination result by the obstacle determination unit 22 when the vehicle starts moving. The driving force control unit 23 limits the driving force to a first limit driving force or less so that the driving force is equal to or less than an intermediate acceleration that is smaller than the maximum allowable acceleration allowed by the vehicle during a period from when the vehicle starts moving until a predetermined time has elapsed, and limits the driving force to a second limit driving force or less that is smaller than the first limit driving force if the obstacle determination unit 22 determines that an obstacle is present after the predetermined time has elapsed, and releases the limit on the driving force if it determines that no obstacle is present. [Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

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

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, inventions have been known that prevent sudden acceleration of a vehicle caused by erroneous depression of an accelerator pedal or collision between a vehicle and an obstacle caused by erroneous start (for example, Patent Document 1). In the invention described in Patent Document 1, when it is determined that there is no obstacle, the power source generates a required driving force according to the amount of accelerator operation, and when it is determined that there is an obstacle, the driving force is requested. The driving force is suppressed to a limit driving force that is smaller than the driving force, and if the presence or absence of an obstacle cannot be determined, the driving force is suppressed to an intermediate driving force that is smaller than the required driving force and larger than the limit driving force.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-159761

However, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, if a state in which it is not possible to determine the presence or absence of an obstacle continues, the suppression of the driving force below the intermediate driving force continues, which may cause the driver to feel troubled.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device and a vehicle control program that can prevent collisions with obstacles while reducing driver's annoyance. do.

The first invention is
A vehicle control device that controls the driving force of a vehicle based on the amount of accelerator operation by a driver,
a determination unit that determines the presence or absence of an obstacle in the traveling direction of the vehicle based on a still image captured by an imaging device mounted on the vehicle;
a control unit that limits the driving force of the vehicle based on a determination result by the determination unit when the vehicle starts,
The control unit includes:
The driving force is set to a first limit driving force such that the driving force becomes equal to or less than an intermediate acceleration smaller than the maximum allowable acceleration allowed by the vehicle during a period from when the vehicle starts until a predetermined time period elapses. While limited to:
When the predetermined period of time has elapsed, if the determining unit determines that the obstacle exists, the driving force is limited to a second driving force limit, which is smaller than the first driving force limit, and the obstacle is removed. If it is determined that the driving force does not exist, the restriction on the driving force is canceled.

In the above configuration, until a predetermined time has elapsed after the vehicle starts, the driving force of the vehicle is reduced to the first limit driving force or less so that the intermediate acceleration is smaller than the maximum allowable acceleration allowed by the vehicle. I tried to limit it. As a result, even if an erroneous operation of the accelerator occurs when the vehicle starts (immediately after the start of travel), sudden acceleration of the vehicle is suppressed. Further, when a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the driving force is reduced to a second limit driving force or less, which is smaller than the first limit driving force, depending on whether it is determined that an obstacle exists or that an obstacle does not exist. It is now possible to limit the driving force or remove the driving force limit. In this case, by tightening the acceleration limit when the vehicle has advanced slightly, it is possible to appropriately suppress collisions with obstacles, but it also avoids unnecessary continuation of the acceleration limit state, thereby reducing the inconvenience felt by the driver. This makes it possible to reduce the In this way, according to the above configuration, it is possible to achieve both collision prevention and trouble reduction.

The second invention is
A vehicle control device that controls the driving force of a vehicle based on the amount of accelerator operation by a driver,
a first determination unit that determines the presence or absence of an obstacle in the traveling direction of the vehicle based on a still image captured by an imaging device mounted on the vehicle while the vehicle is stopped;
a second determination unit that determines the presence or absence of an obstacle in the traveling direction of the vehicle based on a plurality of time-series images captured by the imaging device while the vehicle is moving;
a control unit that limits the driving force of the vehicle based on the determination results by each of the determination units when the vehicle starts,
The control unit includes:
If the first determination unit determines that the obstacle is present at the time of starting the vehicle, the driving force is adjusted to a first value such that the acceleration is equal to or less than an intermediate acceleration that is smaller than the maximum allowable acceleration allowed by the vehicle. While limiting the driving force to less than 1 limit,
If the second determining unit determines that the obstacle exists after the vehicle starts, the driving force is limited to a second driving force limit smaller than the first driving force limit, and it is determined that the obstacle exists. If it is determined not to do so, the restriction on the driving force is canceled.

In the above configuration, when the vehicle is stopped, the presence or absence of an obstacle in the traveling direction of the vehicle is determined based on a still image taken by the imaging device, and when the vehicle is moving, the presence or absence of an obstacle is determined based on a plurality of time-series images taken by the imaging device. In such cases, obstacle detection based on time-series images is more accurate than obstacle detection based on still images, but it takes time to detect obstacles in the direction of travel. It takes. Considering this point, when the vehicle is started, if it is determined that an obstacle exists based on the obstacle determination using the still image of the imaging device, the intermediate acceleration is less than or equal to the maximum allowable acceleration allowed by the vehicle. The driving force of the vehicle is limited to a value equal to or less than the first limit driving force. As a result, even if an erroneous operation of the accelerator occurs when the vehicle starts (immediately after starting traveling), collision with an obstacle due to rapid acceleration of the vehicle is suppressed.

In addition, after the vehicle has started and it becomes possible to detect obstacles using time-series images, it will depend on whether the obstacle is determined to be present or not. Therefore, the driving force is limited to a second limit driving force that is smaller than the first limit driving force, or the limit on the driving force is canceled. In this case, the timing at which obstacle determination based on time-series images becomes possible is when the vehicle has advanced slightly, and by strengthening the acceleration limit at that point, it becomes possible to appropriately suppress collisions with obstacles; It is possible to avoid unnecessary continuation of this state and reduce the annoyance felt by the driver. In this way, according to the above configuration, it is possible to achieve both collision prevention and trouble reduction.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an acceleration suppression system according to a first embodiment. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the ECU according to the first embodiment. The figure which shows the relationship used for setting predetermined time TA. A time chart illustrating acceleration suppression control in more detail. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an acceleration suppression system according to a second embodiment. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the ECU according to the second embodiment. A time chart illustrating acceleration suppression control in more detail. The figure which shows the relationship used for setting predetermined time TA.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

(First embodiment)
With reference to FIG. 1, a configuration example of an acceleration suppression system 100 according to a first embodiment will be described. The acceleration suppression system 100 will be described below as being installed in a vehicle such as a four-wheeled vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1, the acceleration suppression system 100 includes a camera 10 as an imaging device, an accelerator opening sensor 11, a vehicle speed sensor 12, an ECU 20 (Electronic Control Unit), and a travel drive device 13.

The camera 10 is installed at the front or rear of the vehicle, and continuously captures images of the front or rear of the vehicle during movement. An image captured by the camera 10 is input to the ECU 20. The main use of this image is to calculate the distance to preceding vehicles, pedestrians, and obstacles such as walls. In this embodiment, camera 10 is a monocular camera.

The accelerator opening sensor 11 detects the operation amount (pedal depression amount) of the accelerator pedal, which is the object of operation by the driver, as the accelerator opening, and outputs an accelerator opening signal indicating the accelerator opening to the ECU 20. Vehicle speed sensor 12 outputs a vehicle speed signal to ECU 20 according to the speed of the vehicle. The travel drive device 13 is a device that generates power for travel when the vehicle is traveling, and is, for example, an engine or a travel motor.

The ECU 20 is a general-purpose microcomputer that includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a storage section, and an input/output section. The storage unit is, for example, an HDD (Hard Disc Drive), flash memory, ROM (Read Only Memory), or RAM (Random Access Memory), and stores various programs (firmware, application programs, etc.) executed by the CPU of the ECU 20. It also stores the results of processing executed by the CPU. The ECU 20 calculates a required driving force TR (required torque) of the vehicle according to the accelerator opening degree, and controls driving of the traveling drive device 13 based on the required driving force TR. The required driving force TR is determined according to the accelerator opening degree, for example, using a correlation map that defines the relationship between the accelerator opening degree and the driving force. Further, the ECU 20 controls the driving force of the vehicle by controlling the throttle opening degree and ignition timing of the engine, and outputting a torque command signal to the driving motor.

The ECU 20 also includes a start determination section 21, an obstacle determination section 22, and a driving force control section 23 shown in FIG. This is a software functional unit that functions when a CPU executes a program stored in a storage unit based on the following. The functions provided by the ECU 20 may be provided not only by software recorded in a physical storage unit and a computer that executes the software, but also by only software, only hardware, or a combination thereof. The ECU 20 corresponds to a "vehicle control device".

The start determination unit 21 determines that the vehicle has started from a stopped state. Although the determination method is not particularly limited, for example, the start determination unit 21 can determine whether the vehicle has started using the vehicle speed signal from the vehicle speed sensor 12.

The obstacle determination unit 22 determines whether or not an obstacle exists in the traveling direction of the vehicle based on the image captured by the camera 10 while the vehicle is moving. Specifically, the obstacle determination unit 22 recognizes an obstacle and estimates the distance to the obstacle based on a plurality of images continuously captured by the camera 10. Then, if the estimated distance to the obstacle is within a predetermined distance (for example, within several meters), it is determined that the obstacle exists in the direction of travel of the vehicle. Regarding obstacles in the direction of travel of the vehicle, if the vehicle is traveling forward, the obstacles in front are subject to determination, and if the vehicle is traveling backwards, obstacles in the rear are subject to determination. The obstacle determination section 22 corresponds to a "determination section".

The driving force control unit 23 suppresses acceleration by limiting the driving force of the vehicle when the vehicle starts. In the present embodiment, it is possible to set a first limited driving force TL1 and a second limited driving force TL2 as the limited driving force that limits the driving force of the vehicle. According to the first limited driving force TL1, the vehicle The acceleration is suppressed to below an intermediate acceleration that is smaller than the maximum allowable acceleration allowed by the vehicle. Further, the second limited driving force TL2 is a smaller driving force than the first limited driving force TL1. For example, the maximum allowable acceleration allowed in a vehicle is 0.3G, and the intermediate acceleration is 0.15G. The driving force control section 23 corresponds to a "control section".

Next, an example of the acceleration suppression process executed by the ECU 20 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 2. The process shown in FIG. 2 is repeatedly executed at predetermined time intervals.

In step S101, for example, using a vehicle speed signal from the vehicle speed sensor 12, it is determined whether the vehicle has started from a stopped state. If it is determined that the vehicle has started (YES in step S101), the process advances to step S102. On the other hand, the process waits until it is determined that the vehicle has started (NO in step S101).

In step S102, the driving force of the vehicle is limited to the first limit driving force TL1 or less. In the following step S103, it is determined whether a predetermined time TA has elapsed since the vehicle started, and the vehicle waits in that state until the predetermined time TA has elapsed. As a result, the driving force outputted to the travel drive device 13 (vehicle driving force) is limited to the first limit driving force TL1 or less during a period from when the vehicle starts to elapses to a predetermined time TA.

The ECU 20 variably sets the predetermined time TA based on the accelerator opening degree when the vehicle starts. For example, using the relationship shown in FIG. 3(a), the greater the accelerator opening, the shorter the predetermined time TA is set. Alternatively, the predetermined time TA may be variably set based on the acceleration of the vehicle when the vehicle starts. For example, using the relationship shown in FIG. 3(b), the greater the acceleration of the vehicle, the shorter the predetermined time TA is set. Note that the relationship in FIGS. 3A and 3B may be such that the predetermined time TA is set in stages according to the parameters on the horizontal axis.

However, it is also possible to set a fixed time as the predetermined time TA, and the predetermined time TA is, for example, one second.

After a predetermined time TA has elapsed since the vehicle started (YES in step S103), the process advances to step S104. In step S104, it is determined whether or not an obstacle exists within a predetermined distance in the traveling direction of the vehicle, based on a plurality of images continuously captured by the camera 10. If it is determined that an obstacle exists (YES in step S104), the process advances to step S105. In step S105, the driving force of the vehicle is limited to the second limit driving force TL2 or less.

On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no obstacle (NO in step S104), the process advances to step S106. In step S106, the restriction on the driving force is canceled. That is, the driving force is controlled so that the required driving force TR is determined according to the accelerator opening degree.

Here, with reference to FIG. 4, the acceleration suppression control of this embodiment will be explained in more detail. In FIG. 4, the vertical axis indicates the accelerator opening degree and the driving force, and the horizontal axis indicates time.

In FIG. 4, at time t1, the accelerator opening degree increases due to the driver's depression of the accelerator pedal, and accordingly, a driving force is generated in the vehicle, and the vehicle starts from a stopped state. After this time t1, the driving force of the vehicle is limited to the first limit driving force TL1 or less until a predetermined time TA has elapsed. Thereby, the acceleration of the vehicle is suppressed to below an intermediate acceleration that is smaller than the maximum allowable acceleration of the vehicle.

Thereafter, at time t2 when a predetermined time TA has elapsed, it is determined whether there is an obstacle ahead in the direction of travel of the vehicle. At time t2, if it is determined that there is an obstacle, the driving force of the vehicle is limited to a second limit driving force TL2 or less, which is smaller than the first limit driving force TL1, as shown by the solid line in the figure. In other words, stronger acceleration suppression control is performed.

On the other hand, at time t2, when it is determined that there is no obstacle, the restriction on the driving force is canceled and the driving force of the vehicle becomes the required driving force TR, as shown by the dashed line in the figure.

According to the first embodiment described in detail above, the following effects can be obtained.

Until a predetermined time TA has elapsed after the vehicle starts, the driving force of the vehicle is limited to a first limit driving force TL1 or less so that the intermediate acceleration is smaller than the maximum allowable acceleration allowed by the vehicle. I did it like that. As a result, even if an erroneous operation of the accelerator occurs when the vehicle starts (immediately after the start of travel), sudden acceleration of the vehicle is suppressed. Further, when the predetermined time TA has elapsed, the driving force is changed to a second limited driving force smaller than the first limited driving force TL1 depending on whether it is determined that an obstacle exists or that an obstacle does not exist. The driving force is now limited to TL2 or below, or the driving force limit is lifted. In this case, by tightening the acceleration limit when the vehicle has advanced slightly, it is possible to appropriately suppress collisions with obstacles, but it also avoids unnecessary continuation of the acceleration limit state, thereby reducing the inconvenience felt by the driver. This makes it possible to reduce the In this way, according to the above configuration, it is possible to achieve both collision prevention and trouble reduction.

When the vehicle starts, the greater the accelerator opening (accelerator operation amount), the greater the risk of collision with an obstacle. In this regard, when the accelerator opening is large, by making the predetermined time TA shorter than when the accelerator opening is small, appropriate acceleration suppression control can be performed in accordance with the driver's accelerator operation.

When a vehicle starts, the acceleration of the vehicle (that is, the amount of change in vehicle speed) varies depending on the driver's accelerator operation, the road gradient, etc., and the greater the acceleration of the vehicle, the greater the risk of collision with an obstacle. In this regard, when the acceleration of the vehicle is large, by making the predetermined time TA shorter than when the acceleration of the vehicle is small, appropriate acceleration suppression control can be performed in accordance with the starting situation of the vehicle.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7. Note that for configurations that overlap with those of the first embodiment, reference numerals will be cited and explanations thereof will be omitted. The differences will be mainly explained below.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of an acceleration suppression system 100 according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the ECU 20 according to the second embodiment includes a stopping obstacle determining section 24 and a moving obstacle determining section 25 in place of the obstacle determining section 22 shown in FIG. The obstacle determination section 24 at the time of stop corresponds to a "first determination section", and the obstacle determination section 25 at the time of movement corresponds to a "second determination section".

The stopped obstacle determining unit 24 uses a still image captured by the camera 10 while the vehicle is stopped to determine the presence or absence of an obstacle in the traveling direction of the vehicle. A specific determination method includes a well-known deep neural network. By detecting and learning various features from images, deep neural networks can recognize obstacles in images based on still images and estimate the distance to the obstacles. . If the estimated distance to the obstacle is within a predetermined distance (for example, within several meters), the stop obstacle determination unit 24 determines that an obstacle exists in the direction of travel of the vehicle.

Further, the moving obstacle determination unit 25 recognizes an obstacle and estimates the distance to the obstacle based on a plurality of time-series images captured by the camera 10 while the vehicle is moving. Then, if the estimated distance to the obstacle is within a predetermined distance (for example, within several meters), it is determined that the obstacle exists in the direction of travel of the vehicle. Note that the function of the moving obstacle determining section 25 is the same as that of the obstacle determining section 22 in FIG. 1 .

The driving force control unit 23 limits the driving force of the vehicle based on the determination results by the determination units 24 and 25 when the vehicle starts moving. Specifically, when it is determined that there is an obstacle based on the still image of the camera 10 at the time the vehicle starts, the driving force control unit 23 sets the acceleration to an intermediate acceleration that is smaller than the maximum allowable acceleration for the vehicle. Thus, the driving force is limited to the first limit driving force TL1 or less. Further, if it is determined that an obstacle is present based on the time-series images of the camera 10 after the vehicle has started, the driving force is limited to a second limit driving force TL2 or less, which is smaller than the first limit driving force TL1, and the obstacle is not present. If it is determined that this is the case, the restriction on the driving force is canceled.

Next, an example of the acceleration suppression process executed by the ECU 20 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 6 . The process shown in FIG. 6 is repeatedly executed at predetermined time intervals.

In step S201, for example, using a vehicle speed signal from the vehicle speed sensor 12, it is determined whether the vehicle has started from a stopped state. If it is determined that the vehicle has started (YES in step S201), the process advances to step S202. On the other hand, the process waits until it is determined that the vehicle has started (NO in step S201).

In step S202, an obstacle determination process is performed using a still image taken by the camera 10 while the vehicle is stopped, and in the subsequent step S203, the presence or absence of an obstacle in the traveling direction of the vehicle is determined based on the determination result (when the vehicle is stopped). time obstacle determination unit 24). If it is determined that an obstacle exists (YES in step S203), the process advances to step S204. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no obstacle (NO in step S203), the process advances to step S208.

In step S204, the driving force of the vehicle is limited to the first limit driving force TL1 or less. In the subsequent step S205, it is determined whether or not it is possible to determine an obstacle based on the time-series images taken by the camera 10 while the vehicle is moving, and the process waits in that state until the obstacle determination becomes possible. That is, in obstacle determination based on time-series images, it is necessary to acquire a predetermined number of images in time series, and the process waits in step S205 until the predetermined number of images have been acquired. If YES in step S205, the process advances to step S206.

In step S206, an obstacle determination process is performed using the time-series images of the camera 10 acquired while the vehicle is moving, and in the subsequent step S207, the presence or absence of an obstacle in the traveling direction of the vehicle is determined based on the determination result ( Obstacle determining unit 25) during movement. If it is determined that an obstacle exists (YES in step S207), the process advances to step S208. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no obstacle (NO in step S207), the process advances to step S209.

In step S208, the driving force of the vehicle is limited to the second limit driving force TL2 or less. On the other hand, in step S209, the restriction on the driving force is canceled. That is, the driving force is controlled so that the required driving force TR is determined according to the accelerator opening degree. However, if the process transitions from NO in step S203 to step S209, the acceleration suppression control is not canceled.

Here, with reference to FIG. 7, the acceleration suppression control of this embodiment will be explained in more detail. The vertical axis in FIG. 7 indicates the accelerator opening, driving force, and determination flag, and the horizontal axis indicates time. Note that FIG. 7 illustrates a case where it is determined that a vehicle is present in obstacle determination using a still image when the vehicle is stopped.

In FIG. 7, at time t11, the accelerator opening degree increases due to the driver's depression of the accelerator pedal, and accordingly, a driving force is generated in the vehicle, and the vehicle starts from a stopped state. As described above, in the obstacle determination based on a still image while the vehicle is stopped, it is determined that the vehicle is present, so the obstacle determination flag at the time of stop switches from 0 to 1 at time t11. After this time t11, the driving force of the vehicle is limited to the first limit driving force TL1 or less. Thereby, the acceleration of the vehicle is suppressed to below an intermediate acceleration that is smaller than the maximum allowable acceleration of the vehicle.

Thereafter, at time t12, when it becomes possible to determine an obstacle using time-series images, it is determined whether there is an obstacle ahead in the direction of travel of the vehicle. At time t12, when it is determined that there is an obstacle, that is, when the obstacle determination flag during movement switches from 0 to 1, the driving force of the vehicle increases to the first limit driving force TL1, as shown by the solid line in the figure. The driving force is limited to a smaller second limit driving force TL2 or less. In other words, stronger acceleration suppression control is performed.

On the other hand, at time t12, when it is determined that there is no obstacle, the restriction on the driving force is lifted, and the driving force of the vehicle becomes the required driving force TR, as shown by the dashed line in the figure. At time t12, if it is determined that there is no obstacle, the obstacle determination flag during movement remains 0.

According to the second embodiment described in detail above, the following effects can be obtained.

When the vehicle is stopped, the presence or absence of an obstacle in the direction of travel of the vehicle is determined based on a still image, and when the vehicle is in motion, the presence or absence of an obstacle in the direction of travel of the vehicle is determined based on a plurality of time-series images. Although obstacle determination using time-series images is more accurate than obstacle determination using still images, it takes time to become possible. Considering this point, when the vehicle is started, if it is determined that an obstacle exists by obstacle determination using a still image, the acceleration will be less than or equal to the intermediate acceleration that is smaller than the maximum permissible acceleration allowed by the vehicle. In addition, the driving force of the vehicle is limited to the first limit driving force TL1 or less. As a result, even if an erroneous operation of the accelerator occurs when the vehicle starts (immediately after starting traveling), collision with an obstacle due to rapid acceleration of the vehicle is suppressed.

In addition, after the vehicle has started and it becomes possible to detect obstacles using time-series images, it will depend on whether the obstacle is determined to be present or not. Therefore, the driving force is limited to a second limit driving force TL2 or less, which is smaller than the first limit driving force TL1, or the limit on the driving force is canceled. In this case, the timing at which obstacle determination based on time-series images becomes possible is when the vehicle has advanced slightly, and by strengthening the acceleration limit at that point, it becomes possible to appropriately suppress collisions with obstacles; It is possible to avoid unnecessary continuation of this state and reduce the annoyance felt by the driver. In this way, according to the above configuration, it is possible to achieve both collision prevention and trouble reduction.

(Modified example)
A part of the configuration of the above embodiment may be modified. Modifications will be described below.

In the first embodiment, it is also possible to obtain environmental information about imaging by the camera 10 and to variably set the predetermined time TA based on the environmental information. The environmental information captured by the camera 10 can be rephrased as an environmental parameter that depends on the accuracy of obstacle determination using the time-series images (continuous images) of the camera 10. For example, the predetermined time TA is variably set based on information such as the brightness (darkness) around the vehicle and the weather. More specifically, using the relationship shown in FIG. 8, the brighter the surroundings of the vehicle, the shorter the predetermined time TA is set. Here, when the surroundings of the vehicle are dark, the accuracy of obstacle determination using camera images (time-series images) is lower than when it is bright, so it is desirable to increase the number of times of image sampling. In addition, the predetermined time TA may be set to a shorter time when it is raining or snowing than when it is not raining or snowing.

When starting the vehicle, when setting the predetermined time TA based on the accelerator opening (accelerator operation amount) or when setting the predetermined time TA based on the acceleration of the vehicle, the predetermined time TA is set based on the environmental information captured by the camera 10. Therefore, the configuration may be such that the predetermined time TA is allowed to be changed from a reference value (for example, 1 second). For example, if the situation is favorable for obstacle determination using camera images, such as when the surroundings of the vehicle are bright, it is allowed to shorten the predetermined time TA. Furthermore, if the situation is inconvenient for obstacle determination using camera images, such as when the surroundings of the vehicle are dark, it is allowed to extend the predetermined time TA.

As the imaging device, a compound eye camera may be used instead of a monocular camera. Even when a compound eye camera is used, a difference in determination accuracy may occur between obstacle determination using a still image of the vehicle in a stopped state and obstacle determination using time-series images of the vehicle in a moving state. Therefore, for example, as in the second embodiment, it is preferable to selectively use obstacle determination using a still image of the vehicle in a stopped state and obstacle determination using time-series images of the vehicle in a moving state.

The present invention is applicable not only to automobiles such as four-wheeled vehicles but also to two-wheeled vehicles. When the present invention is applied to a two-wheeled vehicle, the rotational operation amount of the accelerator grip corresponds to the "accelerator operation amount."

The control unit and the method described in the present disclosure are implemented by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions embodied by a computer program. may be done. Alternatively, the controller and techniques described in this disclosure may be implemented by a dedicated computer provided by a processor configured with one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the control unit and the method described in the present disclosure may be implemented using a combination of a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions and a processor configured by one or more hardware logic circuits. It may be implemented by one or more dedicated computers configured. The computer program may also be stored as instructions executed by a computer on a computer-readable non-transitory tangible storage medium.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Camera, 20... ECU, 22... Obstacle determination part, 23... Driving force control part, 24... Obstacle determination part when stopped, 25... Obstacle determination part when moving

Claims (7)

A vehicle control device (20) that controls the driving force of the vehicle based on the amount of accelerator operation by the driver,
a determination unit (22) that determines the presence or absence of an obstacle in the traveling direction of the vehicle based on a still image captured by an imaging device (10) mounted on the vehicle;
a control unit (23) that limits the driving force of the vehicle based on the determination result by the determination unit when the vehicle starts;
The control unit includes:
The driving force is set to a first limit driving force such that the driving force becomes equal to or less than an intermediate acceleration smaller than the maximum allowable acceleration of the vehicle during a period from when the vehicle starts until a predetermined time period elapses. While limited to:
When the predetermined time period has elapsed, if the determining unit determines that the obstacle exists, the driving force is limited to a second driving force limit smaller than the first driving force limit, and the obstacle is removed. A vehicle control device that releases the restriction on the driving force if it is determined that the driving force does not exist. The control unit sets the predetermined time based on the accelerator operation amount at the time of starting the vehicle, and when the accelerator operation amount is large, the predetermined time is set compared to when the accelerator operation amount is small. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined time is shortened. The control unit sets the predetermined time based on the acceleration of the vehicle when the vehicle starts, and sets the predetermined time when the acceleration of the vehicle is large compared to when the acceleration of the vehicle is small. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined time is shortened. an acquisition unit that acquires environmental information captured by the imaging device around the vehicle;
a setting unit that sets the predetermined time based on the environmental information;
The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: A vehicle control device (20) that controls the driving force of the vehicle based on the amount of accelerator operation by the driver,
a first determination unit (24) that determines the presence or absence of an obstacle in the traveling direction of the vehicle based on a still image captured by an imaging device (10) mounted on the vehicle while the vehicle is stopped;
a second determination unit (25) that determines the presence or absence of an obstacle in the traveling direction of the vehicle based on a plurality of time-series images captured by the imaging device while the vehicle is moving;
a control unit (23) that limits the driving force of the vehicle based on the determination results by each of the determination units when the vehicle starts;
The control unit includes:
If the first determination unit determines that the obstacle is present at the time of starting the vehicle, the driving force is adjusted to a first value such that the acceleration is equal to or less than an intermediate acceleration that is smaller than the maximum allowable acceleration allowed by the vehicle. While limiting the driving force to less than 1 limit,
If the second determining unit determines that the obstacle exists after the vehicle starts, the driving force is limited to a second driving force limit smaller than the first driving force limit, and it is determined that the obstacle exists. If it is determined that the drive force is not controlled, the vehicle control device cancels the restriction on the driving force. a determination unit (22) that determines the presence or absence of an obstacle in the traveling direction of the vehicle based on a still image captured by an imaging device (10) mounted on the vehicle;
applied to a vehicle control device (20) comprising a control unit (23) that limits the driving force of the vehicle based on a determination result by the determination unit when the vehicle starts;
In the control section,
The driving force is set to a first limit driving force such that the driving force becomes equal to or less than an intermediate acceleration smaller than the maximum allowable acceleration of the vehicle during a period from when the vehicle starts until a predetermined time period elapses. While limited to the following,
When the predetermined time period has elapsed, if the determining unit determines that the obstacle exists, the driving force is limited to a second driving force limit, which is smaller than the first driving force limit, and the obstacle is removed. A vehicle control program that releases the restriction on the driving force if it is determined that the restriction does not exist. a first determination unit (24) that determines the presence or absence of an obstacle in the traveling direction of the vehicle based on a still image captured by an imaging device (10) mounted on the vehicle while the vehicle is stopped;
a second determination unit (25) that determines the presence or absence of an obstacle in the traveling direction of the vehicle based on a plurality of time-series images captured by the imaging device while the vehicle is moving;
applied to a vehicle control device (20) comprising a control unit (23) that limits the driving force of the vehicle based on determination results by each of the determination units when the vehicle starts;
In the control section,
If the first determination unit determines that the obstacle is present at the time of starting the vehicle, the driving force is adjusted to a first value such that the acceleration is equal to or less than an intermediate acceleration that is smaller than the maximum allowable acceleration allowed by the vehicle. While limiting the driving force to less than 1 limit,
If the second determining unit determines that the obstacle exists after the vehicle starts, the driving force is limited to a second driving force limit smaller than the first driving force limit, and it is determined that the obstacle exists. If it is determined that the driving force is not limited, the vehicle control program cancels the restriction on the driving force.

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