JP4722799B2 - Travel control device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a travel control device.

It is determined by a travel control device that recognizes a vehicle (preceding vehicle) that travels immediately in front of the host vehicle using a radar mounted on the host vehicle and performs inter-vehicle distance control with the preceding vehicle, and a set speed set by the driver. A travel control device that performs high-speed travel control is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this travel control device, when the driver uses a switch or the like provided inside the vehicle to set the travel control device to ON, the set speed of the host vehicle, the distance mode to the preceding vehicle, etc., the travel control device Based on the above, travel control is performed to keep the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle constant or to keep the vehicle speed of the host vehicle constant.
In addition, some travel control devices assume follow-up travel on congested roads and perform inter-vehicle distance control from the low-speed state to the stop state in the low-speed range, and stop the host vehicle when the preceding vehicle stops. is there. In this case, only the inter-vehicle distance control is performed in the low speed range, and the constant speed traveling control based on the set speed set by the driver is not performed.

Such traveling control with inter-vehicle distance control is premised on the presence of a preceding vehicle to be controlled on the estimated traveling locus of the host vehicle. Therefore, when the preceding vehicle that was the control target no longer exists from the estimated travel locus and the control target is canceled, the travel control such as the inter-vehicle control is stopped, the operation is left to the driver and the travel control is executed again. A control method that requires a setting operation for starting control by the driver is considered.
In this case, since it is cumbersome for the driver to perform a control start setting operation every time traveling control is stopped, a predetermined grace period is set in advance, and the grace time is set after the controlled object is released. A system has been considered in which the travel control is automatically returned when the control object can be recognized again by the time elapsed.
JP 2003-173500 A

However, when traveling in a low speed range, it is assumed that there are many cases where the control target cannot be stably recognized when the vehicle behavior becomes unstable or the road shape is complicated. In such a case, even if the grace time is set as described above, it is expected that there will be many situations in which the control target is not recognized again within the grace time, and driving control is contrary to the driver's intention. Therefore, the driver has to frequently perform the setting operation for starting the control, which is not easy to use and the driver feels uncomfortable.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a travel control device that prevents frequent setting operations for starting control by a driver.

In the travel control apparatus according to the present invention, the following means are employed in order to solve the above problems.
The invention according to claim 1 is based on a travel locus estimating means for estimating the travel locus of the host vehicle (for example, a host vehicle locus estimating unit 31 in an embodiment described later) and the travel locus estimated by the travel locus estimating means. Control target region setting means for setting a predetermined control target region (for example, a control target region first setting unit 32 in an embodiment described later), and an electromagnetic wave is transmitted toward the traveling direction of the host vehicle. Object detection means (for example, a radar device 15 in an embodiment to be described later) that receives the reflected wave reflected and detects the object, and the object detection means within the control target area set by the control target area setting means The object to be controlled by the host vehicle is determined from the objects detected by the above, and is released from the control target when the object determined as the control target is out of the control target area. Control of the host vehicle based on the relative relationship between the control object determining means (for example, the control object determining unit 34 in the embodiment described later) and the object to be controlled determined by the control object determining means and the host vehicle. Travel control means (for example, a vehicle control unit 37 in an embodiment described later), and when the object determined as the control object by the control object determination means is released from the control object, the travel by the travel control means A travel control device that stops control and automatically resumes the stopped travel control when an object to be controlled is determined by the control target determining means until a predetermined release grace time elapses after the control target is canceled (For example, a travel control device 1 in an embodiment to be described later), in which an object determined as a control target by the control target determination unit is solved from the control target. Storage means for storing the moving direction of the object and the moving direction of the host vehicle at the time when the object is set (for example, the control target release time information storage unit 38 in the embodiment described later), and the control target determining means to make the object to be controlled Whether or not the moving direction of the host vehicle after being released from is approaching the moving direction of the object stored in the storage unit with reference to the moving direction of the host vehicle stored in the storage unit It is determined that the moving direction of the host vehicle is approaching the moving direction of the object stored in the storage unit by the moving direction determining unit (for example, step S111 in the embodiment described later) and the moving direction determining unit. Control target area correction means for enlarging and correcting the control target area set by the control target area setting means closer to the moving direction of the object stored in the storage means (For example, a control target region second setting unit 33 in an embodiment described later).
By configuring in this way, when the moving direction of the vehicle after the object is released from the control target is close to the moving direction of the object when the object is released from the control target, Since the control target area is enlarged and corrected closer to the moving direction of the object, it becomes easier to detect an object in the control target area after the control target is released, and it becomes easier to determine an object to be controlled within the release grace period. Thus, the automatic return of traveling control is facilitated.

The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 1, the control target area correction means ends the enlargement correction of the control target area when the release grace time has elapsed.
With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the execution period of the enlargement correction of the control target area from becoming redundant beyond the release grace period.

The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 2, wherein the control target area correction unit determines an object to be controlled by the control target determination unit even before the release grace period has elapsed. In some cases, the enlargement correction of the control target region is terminated.
With this configuration, it is possible to keep the execution period of the enlargement correction of the control target area in a minimum necessary short period.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, when the control target area correcting unit determines an object to be controlled by the control target determining unit before the release grace time elapses. The enlargement correction of the control target area is continued until a predetermined time has elapsed from the time of the determination.
With this configuration, when an object to be controlled is determined by performing enlargement correction on the control target area, the object is released from the control target immediately after the enlargement correction of the control target area is finished. Can be suppressed.

The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein when the speed of the host vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the control target area is corrected by the control target area correcting means. It is characterized by permitting.
By configuring in this way, it is possible to limit the execution of the control target area enlargement correction to an area where the speed of the host vehicle is not more than a predetermined value.

The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the moving direction of the host vehicle is based on at least one of a steering angle and a yaw rate of the host vehicle. It is characterized by being judged.
By comprising in this way, the moving direction of the own vehicle can be detected easily.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, it becomes easier to detect an object in the control target area after canceling the control target, and it is easy to determine an object to be controlled within the release grace time, and automatic return of traveling control is possible. Since it becomes easy to be performed, the frequency of occurrence of manual driving control start operation by a complicated driver can be reduced, and usability is improved.

According to the invention which concerns on Claim 2 or Claim 3, the execution period of the expansion correction | amendment of a control object area | region can be set appropriately.
According to the invention according to claim 4, when an object to be controlled is determined by enlarging the control target area, the object is released from the control target immediately after the enlargement correction of the control target area is finished. Therefore, stable control is possible.

According to the invention which concerns on Claim 5, since execution of control object area | region expansion correction | amendment can be restrict | limited to the area | region where the speed of the own vehicle is below a predetermined value, it can be performed only to the area | region (low speed area) with a high effect. it can.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the moving direction of the host vehicle can be easily detected, it is possible to easily set an enlargement direction when enlarging and correcting the control target region.

Embodiments of a traveling control apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings of FIGS.
As shown in the functional block diagram of FIG. 1, the travel control device 1 according to the present invention includes a steering angle sensor 11, a yaw rate sensor 12, a vehicle speed sensor 13, a navigation device 14, a radar device (object detection means) 15, and a setting switch 16. The vehicle is equipped with a deceleration actuator 21, an acceleration actuator 22, a control state notification device 23, and a control device 30.

  The steering angle sensor 11 detects the steering angle of the host vehicle, the yaw rate sensor 12 detects the yaw rate of the host vehicle, the vehicle speed sensor 13 detects the vehicle speed of the host vehicle, and a detection signal corresponding to each detection result is controlled. Output to 30.

  For example, the navigation device 14 performs map matching on map data stored in the device based on current position information obtained by using GPS (Global Positioning System), D-GPS (Differential GPS), or the like. The current position of the host vehicle is calculated, processing such as route search to the destination and route guidance is performed based on the calculated current position, and information such as the current position of the host vehicle is output to the control device 30.

  The radar device 15 transmits an electromagnetic wave such as a laser beam or a millimeter wave in an appropriate detection direction (for example, forward of the traveling direction of the host vehicle), and the transmitted electromagnetic wave is an object outside the host vehicle (for example, other The reflected wave is received when reflected by the vehicle), the transmitted electromagnetic wave and the received electromagnetic wave (reflected wave) are mixed to generate a beat signal, and output to the control device 30.

  The setting switch 16 includes various switches for setting instructions to the driving control system by the driver. For example, a driving control main switch for turning on / off the driving control system, a control mode switch for setting a control mode, and cruise control time. An acceleration / deceleration operation switch for increasing / decreasing the set vehicle speed, an inter-vehicle distance setting switch for setting the size of the inter-vehicle distance during inter-vehicle control, and the like are output to the control device 30 according to the instruction content. In this embodiment, the control mode switch performs inter-vehicle distance control mode in which only inter-vehicle distance control with the preceding vehicle is performed, and inter-vehicle distance control with the preceding vehicle is performed, and the own vehicle speed is kept constant when there is no inter-vehicle distance control target. One of the cruise modes with the inter-vehicle control function can be selected.

The deceleration actuator 21 controls the throttle opening and the brake fluid pressure, for example, according to a command from the control device 30, and decelerates the host vehicle.
The acceleration actuator 22 controls the throttle opening, for example, according to a command from the control device 30 to accelerate the host vehicle.
The control state notification device 23 notifies the driver of information input from the control device 30 using display means such as a meter.

  The control device 30 includes a host vehicle trajectory estimation unit (running trajectory estimation unit) 31, a control target region first setting unit (control target region setting unit) 32, a control target region second setting unit (control target region correction unit) 33, A control target determining unit (control target determining unit) 34, a control target release time information storage unit (storage unit) 38, a control mode determining unit 35, a control target value determining unit 36, and a vehicle control unit (running control unit) 37. It is prepared for.

  The own vehicle trajectory estimation unit 31 receives information such as the steering angle sensor 11, the yaw rate sensor 12, the detection signal of the vehicle speed sensor 13, and the current position of the own vehicle calculated by the navigation device 14. Calculates (estimates) the travel trajectory of the host vehicle based on these inputs, and outputs it to the control target region first setting unit 32. In the following description, the traveling locus estimated by the own vehicle locus estimating unit 31 is referred to as an estimated traveling locus.

The control target region first setting unit 32 has a basic width orthogonal to the estimated traveling locus based on the estimated traveling locus of the own vehicle input from the own vehicle locus estimating unit 31, and extends along the estimated traveling locus. A certain distance range is set as a control target range (hereinafter referred to as a basic control target area A), and the set basic control target area A is output to the control target area second setting unit 33.
The control target region second setting unit 33 satisfies a predetermined condition based on the basic control target region A input from the control target region first setting unit 32 and the information stored in the control target release time information storage unit 38. In such a case, correction is performed to enlarge the basic control target area A in either the left or right direction orthogonal to the estimated travel locus.
Furthermore, the control target region second setting unit 33 outputs the basic control target region A to the control target determining unit 34 when the enlargement correction is not performed on the basic control target region A, and the basic control target region A When the enlargement correction is performed, the control target region after the enlargement correction (hereinafter referred to as the enlargement control target region B) is output to the control target determining unit 34.

The control target determining unit 34 extracts objects existing in the basic control target region A or the enlarged control target region B input from the control target region second setting unit 33 from the detection data of the objects detected by the radar device 15. At the same time, the relative distance between the object and the vehicle, the relative speed, the moving direction of the object, etc. are calculated, and the object to be controlled by the vehicle (ie, the preceding vehicle) is determined from the extracted objects. (See FIGS. 2A and 2D). Further, when determining the preceding vehicle, the control target determining unit 34 outputs information such as the relative distance and relative speed between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle to the control target value determining unit 36.
Furthermore, when the preceding vehicle determined as the control target deviates from the basic control target area A or the enlarged control target area B, the control target determining unit 34 releases the preceding vehicle from the control target (FIG. 2B). (See (C)).

The controlled object release time information storage unit 38 indicates the moving direction of the preceding vehicle at the time when the preceding vehicle determined as the controlled object by the controlled object determining unit 34 is released from the controlled object and the moving direction of the host vehicle at the same point. Remember.
Based on the control mode switch of the setting switch 16 and the vehicle control state of the host vehicle, the control mode determination unit 35 determines whether the control mode of the host vehicle is the cruise mode with the inter-vehicle control function or the inter-vehicle control mode, The determination result is output to the control target value determination unit 36.

  The control target value determination unit 36 includes the command content (for example, the set vehicle speed and the target inter-vehicle distance) input from the setting switch 16, the relative distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle input from the control target determination unit 34, the relative speed, and the like. Control parameters such as target vehicle speed and target acceleration / deceleration are determined based on the above information, the control mode input from the control mode determination unit 35, and the like.

The vehicle control unit 37 controls the traveling of the host vehicle by controlling the deceleration actuator 21 and the acceleration actuator 22 based on the control target value (target vehicle speed, target acceleration / deceleration, etc.) determined by the control target value determination unit 36. At the same time, the current control state is output to the control state notification device 23.
Further, the vehicle control unit 37 stops the traveling control when the preceding vehicle determined as the control target by the control target determination unit 34 is released from the control target, and a predetermined release grace time elapses from the release of the control target. When the object to be controlled is determined by the control object determination unit 34 by the time, the traveling control is automatically returned and restarted (see FIG. 4), and the control object determination unit 34 controls even if the release grace time elapses. When the object to be targeted is not determined, the travel control is canceled (see FIG. 5). When the travel control is cancelled, the travel control is not automatically returned, so that the driver needs to operate the travel control main switch of the setting switch 16 to be “ON” in order to resume the travel control (see FIG. 5).

Next, the change of the control target area will be described.
Here, a case where the road having a corner ahead of a straight road is controlled to travel in the inter-vehicle control mode or the cruise mode with the inter-vehicle control function will be described as an example when the vehicle is traveling at a low speed due to traffic congestion. In the traveling control device 1, when traveling at a low speed, even when the cruise mode with an inter-vehicle control function is selected as the control mode, the vehicle speed control is not performed, and only the inter-vehicle control is performed.

  FIG. 2A shows a state in which the host vehicle travels on a straight road in front of the corner, and the preceding vehicle to be controlled starts entering the corner. At this time (t1), the estimated traveling locus of the host vehicle is a straight line, and the control target region is also linear along the estimated traveling locus. At this time (t1), since the preceding vehicle is detected in the control target area, this preceding vehicle is determined as the subject distance control target, and the following distance control is executed.

  FIG. 2B shows a state in which the host vehicle has advanced until just before entering the corner, and the preceding vehicle has advanced to near the center of the corner. Even at this time (t2), the estimated travel locus of the host vehicle is a straight line, and the control target area is also a straight line. However, since the preceding vehicle that has advanced to the vicinity of the center of the corner deviates from the control target area, the preceding vehicle is released from the object of inter-vehicle control, and as a result, inter-vehicle control is stopped and left for driving by the driver.

  FIG. 2C shows a state in which the host vehicle starts entering the corner and the preceding vehicle released from the target for distance control is running near the center of the corner. At this time (t3), the estimated travel locus of the host vehicle has a gentle left-turn curve, and the control target region also has a curve along the estimated travel locus. However, even if the control target area becomes a gentle curve, the preceding vehicle is out of the control target area, so that it is not detected as a target control and the stop of the control is continued.

  FIG. 2D shows a state in which the host vehicle has advanced to near the center of the corner, and the preceding vehicle is still traveling near the center of the corner. At this time (t4), the estimated travel locus of the host vehicle is a left turn curve substantially along the corner, and the control target region is also a curve shape along the estimated travel locus. In this case, the preceding vehicle that has been released from the inter-vehicle distance control target is detected in the control target area.

  In this way, if the preceding vehicle is released from the inter-vehicle control target and is detected again within the control target area (hereinafter referred to as the release continuation time) is within the release grace time, The control is automatically restored and the inter-vehicle distance control is resumed (see FIG. 4). On the other hand, when the release duration exceeds the release grace time, the inter-vehicle control is canceled, and the driver operates the travel control main switch of the setting switch 16 to execute the inter-vehicle control again by turning “ON”. The setting operation for starting the inter-vehicle distance control must be performed (see FIG. 5).

  By the way, when driving on such a road at medium and high speeds and performing inter-vehicle control, it is considered that the frequency of the release duration exceeding the release grace time is relatively low. When the inter-vehicle control is being performed, it is predicted that a situation in which the release continuation time exceeds the release grace time will be relatively large, and it is predicted that the inter-vehicle control will be frequently released. When frequent cancellation of the inter-vehicle control occurs frequently, the driver must turn on the travel control main switch of the setting switch 16 to set the start of the inter-vehicle control, which is complicated.

  Therefore, the travel control device 1 according to this embodiment, when it is difficult to cancel the inter-vehicle control in such a situation, when the preceding vehicle that was the target of the inter-vehicle control is canceled from the control target, The moving azimuth of the preceding vehicle at the time of the control object cancellation (hereinafter abbreviated as the control object release) and the moving azimuth of the own vehicle at the same time are stored, and the moving azimuth of the own vehicle after the preceding vehicle is released from the control object is When approaching the moving direction of the preceding vehicle when the controlled object is released with reference to the moving direction of the subject vehicle when the controlled object is released, as shown in FIG. The control target area A) is enlarged and corrected to the same side as the moving direction of the preceding vehicle when the control target is released to be an enlarged control target area B. By changing the control target area from the basic control target area A to the enlarged control target area B, it becomes easier to detect the preceding vehicle in the control target area, and the preceding vehicle is again determined as the target for the headway control within the release grace period. It becomes easy. As a result, it is possible to facilitate the automatic return of the inter-vehicle distance control, and the driver's manual inter-vehicle control start setting operation can be reduced.

  The moving direction of the host vehicle can be detected by the rudder angle sensor 11 or the yaw rate sensor 12. In this embodiment, the moving direction is detected based on the rudder angle detected by the rudder angle sensor 11. Further, the moving direction of the preceding vehicle can be detected from the history of detection results of the radar device 15.

Next, change control of the control target area during inter-vehicle distance control will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The control target area changing control routine shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6 is repeatedly executed by the control device 30 at regular intervals.
First, in step S101, the radar device 15 detects an object.
Next, it progresses to step S102 and the estimated driving locus of the own vehicle is calculated.
Next, the process proceeds to step S103, and a basic control target area A having a basic width and extending along the estimated traveling locus is calculated.
Next, the process proceeds to step S104, and it is determined whether or not the area enlargement mode count n is 1 or more.
If the determination result in step S104 is “NO” (n <1), the process proceeds to step S105, where the basic control target area A is set as the control target area. The initial value of the area expansion mode count is “0”, and when this routine is executed for the first time, “NO” is determined in step S104.

Proceeding from step S105 to step S106, it is determined whether or not an object is present in the control target area (in this case, the basic control target area A).
If the determination result in step S106 is “YES”, the process proceeds to step S107, and this time, it is determined that there is a preceding vehicle that can be an inter-vehicle control target in the control target area, and the inter-vehicle control target can be determined.
In step S108, the area enlargement mode count n is reset to "0", and the execution of this routine is temporarily terminated.
When the preceding vehicle that is the target for inter-vehicle control does not deviate from the control target region, and therefore the target for inter-vehicle control is not released, the series of processing from step S101 to step S108 is repeated, during which the control target region is the basic control target region A. Maintained.

As described above, if the determination result in step S106 is “NO” while the state of maintaining the basic control target area A continues, the process proceeds to step S109, and this time the inter-vehicle distance control is performed within the control target area. Since there is no preceding vehicle that can be the target, it is determined that the target distance control target cannot be determined, and the process proceeds to step S110.
In step S110, it is determined whether or not there is a preceding vehicle that can be an inter-vehicle distance control target in the control target region when this routine is executed last time. That is, it is determined whether it is not possible to determine the vehicle distance control object for the first time this time, or whether it is not possible to determine the vehicle distance control object this time following the previous time.

If the determination result in step S110 is “YES” (the vehicle distance control object cannot be determined for the first time this time), the process proceeds to step S111, and it is determined whether or not the vehicle distance control object is released on the moving direction side of the host vehicle. judge. In other words, is the moving direction of the host vehicle after the preceding vehicle is released from the controlled object approaching the moving direction of the preceding vehicle when the controlled object is released based on the moving direction of the own vehicle when the controlled object is released? Determine whether or not.
If the determination result in step S111 is “YES”, the process proceeds to step S112 to store the moving direction of the preceding vehicle at the time of release of the controlled object, and further to step S113 to set “1” in the area expansion mode count n. Is set to end the execution of this routine.
In this case, the next time this routine is executed, the determination result in step S104 is “YES”.

When the determination result in step S104 is “YES” (n ≧ 1), the process proceeds to step S114, and the enlargement control target area B is calculated. The enlargement control target region B can be calculated by enlarging and correcting the control target region by a predetermined width on the moving direction side of the preceding vehicle stored in step S112 with respect to the basic control target region A.
The process proceeds from step S114 to step S115, the enlargement control target area B is set as the control target area, and the process advances to step S106 to determine whether or not an object exists in the control target area (in this case, the enlargement control target area B). judge.

On the other hand, if the determination result in step S110 is “NO”, that is, if it is not possible to determine the inter-vehicle distance control object again this time, the process proceeds to step S116, where the area expansion mode count n is 1 or more. It is determined whether or not there is.
If the determination result in step S116 is “NO” (n <1), the execution of this routine is temporarily terminated.
If the determination result in step S116 is “YES” (n ≧ 1), the process proceeds to step S117, and the area enlargement mode count n is incremented (1 is added to n).
In step S118, it is determined whether the area expansion mode count n is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. This predetermined value corresponds to the release grace time.

If the determination result in step S118 is “NO” (less than a predetermined value), the execution of this routine is temporarily terminated. That is, in this case, since the release grace time has not elapsed, the enlargement control target area B is maintained while the state in which the inter-vehicle control target cannot be determined continues.
In addition, when a preceding vehicle that can be an inter-vehicle distance control target is detected in the expansion control target area B within the release grace period, that is, in step S115, the control target area is set as the expansion control target area B, and in the subsequent step S106, the expansion is performed. If it is determined that an object is present in the control target area B, the process of steps S107 and S108 is performed thereafter, and the enlargement correction of the control target area is completed even within the release grace period. As a result, the execution period of the enlargement correction of the control target area can be kept in a minimum necessary short period.

If the determination result in step S118 is “YES” (predetermined value or more), the process proceeds to step S119, the area expansion mode count n is reset to “0”, and the execution of this routine is temporarily ended. That is, when the release grace time has elapsed, the enlargement correction of the control target area is terminated, and the enlargement control target area B is returned to the basic control target area A. As a result, it is possible to prevent the execution period of the enlargement correction of the control target region from becoming redundant beyond the release grace period, and to set an appropriate period.
If the determination result in step S111 is “NO”, since the inter-vehicle control target is not released on the moving direction side of the host vehicle, the process proceeds to step S120 because it is not a target for enlargement correction of the control target region. Then, the area enlargement mode count n is reset to “0”, and the execution of this routine is temporarily terminated.
In this embodiment, the moving direction determination means is realized by the control device 30 executing the process of step S111.

  In this embodiment, when a preceding vehicle that can be an inter-vehicle distance control target is detected within the enlargement control target region B within the release grace period, and the preceding vehicle is determined as a control target, the control target region is immediately expanded. Although the correction is finished, the enlargement correction of the control target area may be continued until a predetermined fixed time elapses from the determination without ending the enlargement correction immediately. If it does in this way, immediately after ending expansion correction of a control object field, it can control that a preceding vehicle determined as a distance control object is released from a control object again, and stable control becomes possible.

  Further, enlargement correction of the control target area may be permitted when the speed of the host vehicle is equal to or lower than a predetermined value. In this way, it is possible to limit the execution of the control target area enlargement correction to an area below a predetermined vehicle speed and execute it only in a low-speed traveling area that is highly effective.

It is a functional block diagram in the Example of the traveling control apparatus concerning this invention. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the own vehicle at the time of drive | working a corner from a straight road, a preceding vehicle, and a control object area | region. It is a figure explaining basic control object field A and expansion control object field B. It is a time chart in case an inter-vehicle control is automatically returned in an Example. It is a time chart in case an inter-vehicle control is cancelled | released in an Example. It is a flowchart of the control object area | region change control in the traveling control apparatus of an Example.

Explanation of symbols

1 Travel control device 15 Radar device (object detection means)
31 Own vehicle trajectory estimation unit (running trajectory estimation means)
32 Control object area first setting unit (control object area setting means)
33 Control object area second setting unit (control object area correcting means)
34 Control object determination unit (control object determination means)
37 Vehicle control unit (travel control means)
38 Information storage section (storage means) when control object is released
S111 Moving direction determination means

Claims (6)

Traveling locus estimation means for estimating the traveling locus of the host vehicle;
Control target area setting means for setting a predetermined control target area based on the travel path estimated by the travel path estimation means;
Object detection means for detecting an object by transmitting an electromagnetic wave toward a traveling direction of the host vehicle and receiving a reflected wave reflected by the object;
An object to be controlled by the own vehicle is determined from the objects detected by the object detection unit within the control target region set by the control target region setting unit, and the object determined as the control target is the control target A control object determining means for releasing the control object when it is out of the target area;
Travel control means for performing travel control of the host vehicle based on the relative relationship between the object to be controlled and the host vehicle determined by the control target determination unit;
When the object determined as the control target by the control target determination means is released from the control target, the travel control by the travel control means is stopped until a predetermined release grace time elapses from the release of the control target. When the object to be controlled is determined by the control target determining means, the travel control device that automatically returns the stopped travel control,
Storage means for storing the moving azimuth of the object and the moving azimuth of the host vehicle when the object determined to be controlled by the control target determining means is released from the control target;
The moving direction of the host vehicle after the object is released from the control target by the control target determining unit is stored in the storage unit with reference to the moving direction of the host vehicle stored in the storage unit. Moving direction determining means for determining whether or not the moving direction is approached,
The control target area set by the control target area setting unit when the moving direction determination unit determines that the moving direction of the host vehicle is approaching the moving direction of the object stored in the storage unit Control target area correcting means for enlarging and correcting the object closer to the moving direction of the object stored in the storage means,
A travel control device comprising:   The travel control device according to claim 1, wherein the control target area correcting unit ends the enlargement correction of the control target area when the release grace time has elapsed.   The control target area correcting unit ends the enlargement correction of the control target area when the control target determining unit determines an object to be controlled even before the release grace period has elapsed. Item 3. The travel control device according to Item 2.   When the control target determining unit determines an object to be controlled before the release grace time elapses, the control target region correcting unit expands the control target region until a predetermined time elapses from the determination. The travel control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the correction is continued.   The travel control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein when the speed of the host vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the control target region correction means permits enlargement correction of the control target region. .   The travel control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the moving direction of the host vehicle is determined based on at least one of a steering angle and a yaw rate of the host vehicle. .

Images