JP5434464B2 - Driving support apparatus, method and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving support device, a method, and a program for supporting operation of a fuel supply amount adjusting pedal.

  Conventionally, in order to prevent unnecessary fuel consumption in a vehicle, a technique for predicting a vehicle speed at a predetermined position when performing inertial traveling and determining whether or not the vehicle can reach a predetermined position by inertial traveling is known. Yes. For example, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, when inertial traveling is performed from the current position of the vehicle toward the vehicle stop position, the vehicle speed at the time when the vehicle stop position is reached and the vehicle speed before the vehicle stop position are determined. The vehicle speed at the time of reaching the position is estimated, and when each vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a threshold corresponding to each vehicle speed, it is considered that each position can be reached by inertial running, and acceleration control is prohibited.

JP 2009-173143 A

In the conventional technology, a configuration is adopted in which a vehicle stop position is set ahead of the current position of the vehicle, and it is determined whether inertia traveling is possible up to the vehicle stop position. Therefore, it can be applied only to a scene where the vehicle is stopped in front of the vehicle, and the conventional technique cannot be applied to a scene where the vehicle travels on an uphill road or a downhill road in front of the vehicle. In other words, it is necessary to verify whether or not the top of the uphill can be crossed before entering the uphill road in order to safely complete the traveling of the section until it becomes flat beyond the uphill road or downhill road, It is necessary to verify whether or not the vehicle speed is excessively high after traveling downhill.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technology that enables safe traveling by suppressing fuel consumption in a section until it becomes flat beyond an uphill road or a downhill road.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, when the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal is not operated, acceleration information indicating acceleration acting on the vehicle when the transmission is set to an arbitrary gear ratio is acquired. To do. Further, based on the gradient information and acceleration information, the travel of the determination target section is completed within a predetermined vehicle speed range without operating the fuel supply amount adjusting pedal and without operating the braking force adjusting pedal. It is determined whether or not it can be performed. When it is determined that traveling in the determination target section can be completed within a predetermined vehicle speed range, guidance is provided indicating that it is not necessary to operate the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal in the determination target section.

  That is, in the present invention, it is assumed that the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal is not operated and the brake force adjustment pedal is not operated. This state is a state in which fuel is not supplied by operating the fuel supply amount adjusting pedal and is not decelerated by the driver's intention, so that fuel consumption is extremely low and the vehicle energy is very efficiently consumed. It is available for advancing. In this state, whether or not the vehicle can complete traveling in the determination target section by determining whether or not the vehicle speed when the vehicle travels in the determination target section is within a predetermined vehicle speed range. Determine. As a result, it is determined whether or not the vehicle can travel in the determination target section within a predetermined vehicle speed range determined in a state where the fuel consumption is extremely low and the vehicle energy can be used for the vehicle advancement very efficiently. can do. Further, when it is determined that the travel in the determination target section can be completed, guidance is provided that the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal does not need to be operated. By traveling in the determination target section without operating the, it is possible to travel safely while suppressing fuel consumption.

  Here, the gradient information may be information indicating the gradient of the road on which the vehicle is to travel, and when a planned travel route is set, the gradient information of any section included in the planned travel route, travel When the planned route is not set, it is only necessary to acquire gradient information of an arbitrary section ahead of the vehicle. The gradient information only needs to indicate the gradient of the road, and may be information indicating the altitude for each position of the road, or may be information for each position indicating the altitude change per unit distance.

  The determination target section setting means only needs to be able to set a section from the road ahead ahead of the current position of the vehicle to a predetermined amount or more until the road gradient becomes less than the predetermined amount as the determination target section. Here, the road having a gradient greater than or equal to a predetermined amount indicates an uphill road or a downhill road whose absolute value of the gradient angle is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The start position of the determination target section only needs to be defined as the start point of the section to be determined whether or not fuel consumption can be suppressed. The current position of the vehicle, the start position of the uphill road (the lowest point), The start position (uppermost point) of the downhill road can be set as the start position of the determination target section. The end position of the determination target section only needs to be set at a position where the road gradient is less than a predetermined amount. For example, when roads with a slope less than a predetermined amount continue for a predetermined distance or longer, such a road may be a flat road, and the start position of the flat road may be the end position of the determination target section.

  The acceleration information acquisition means acquires acceleration information indicating an acceleration acting on the vehicle when an arbitrary gear ratio is set by a transmission mounted on the vehicle without operating the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal. If you can. In other words, in a state where fuel is not supplied, the vehicle operates in a state where the driving source is rotated by the rotation of the wheel (the state where the engine brake is applied) and the acceleration which acts according to the external situation such as the gradient. The sum of acceleration acts on the vehicle. Therefore, the acceleration information acquisition unit only needs to be able to specify the latter acceleration among the accelerations. Note that the latter acceleration differs depending on the gear ratio set in the transmission, and the acceleration can be specified in advance according to the specifications of the vehicle. A configuration defined as information can be adopted. Further, since the acceleration is always opposite to the traveling direction of the vehicle, the acceleration is negative (deceleration).

  Further, the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal may be a pedal for adjusting the fuel supply amount to the drive source in accordance with the driver's intention. Therefore, for example, a pedal for adjusting the throttle valve, a pedal for adjusting the fuel supply amount by the injector, or the like can be used.

  Based on the gradient information and the acceleration information, the travel completion determining means determines within a predetermined vehicle speed range without operating the fuel supply amount adjusting pedal and without operating the braking force adjusting pedal mounted on the vehicle. It suffices if it is possible to determine whether traveling of the target section can be completed. That is, the acceleration acting on the vehicle due to the degree of the gradient is identified based on the gradient information, the acceleration acting on the vehicle is identified by rotating the drive source by the rotation of the wheel indicated by the acceleration information, It is only necessary to be able to determine whether or not it is possible to travel in the determination target section within a predetermined vehicle speed range without performing fuel supply and aggressive braking.

  The acceleration specified based on the gradient information is a positive acceleration or a negative acceleration. That is, the acceleration is negative on the uphill road and positive on the downhill road. The predetermined vehicle speed range is configured by a lower limit value and an upper limit value of a predetermined vehicle speed, and the vehicle speed in the determination target section is limited to the predetermined vehicle speed range so that the vehicle travels within the predetermined vehicle speed range. What is necessary is just to be comprised so that it can be determined whether it can complete. For example, if a predetermined vehicle speed range is defined as a realistic range as the vehicle speed when the vehicle actually travels on the road, the vehicle travels in the determination target section within the realistic vehicle speed range without traveling at an excessively high vehicle speed. It is possible to determine whether or not it can be completed.

  The braking force adjustment pedal may be a pedal for adjusting the braking force by the friction brake according to the driver's intention. Therefore, for example, a mechanism for adjusting the pressure of the wheel cylinder by hydraulic pressure can be configured by a pedal or the like for adjusting the hydraulic pressure.

  The guidance means performs guidance indicating that it is not necessary to operate the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal in the determination target section when it is determined that the traveling of the determination target section can be completed within a predetermined vehicle speed range. If you can. That is, it is only necessary to provide guidance indicating that it is not necessary to operate the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal by various user I / Fs that output sound, images, and the like.

  Further, as a configuration example of the predetermined vehicle speed range, the upper limit value of the predetermined vehicle speed range is set as the limit vehicle speed of the determination target section, and the lower limit value of the predetermined vehicle speed range is set as the minimum vehicle speed for preventing the vehicle from stopping. A configuration may be adopted. In other words, by determining the upper limit of the vehicle speed as the limit vehicle speed of the determination target section, it is determined whether or not the travel of the determination target section can be completed while complying with legal restrictions and preventing an excessively high vehicle speed. can do. Further, by setting the lower limit value of the vehicle speed to the minimum vehicle speed for preventing the vehicle from stopping, it is possible to determine whether or not the traveling of the determination target section can be completed without stopping the vehicle. Note that the minimum vehicle speed for preventing the vehicle from stopping may be set to 0 km / h, and it may be verified whether or not the speed is 0 km / h or more in all sections of the determination target section. A predetermined value close to 0 may be used as the minimum vehicle speed so that the vehicle does not stop even if the vehicle occurs.

  Furthermore, as a configuration example of the predetermined vehicle speed range, a configuration is adopted in which the predetermined vehicle speed range is defined with the upper limit value as the limit vehicle speed of the determination target section and the lower limit value as a value having a predetermined relationship with the limit vehicle speed. Also good. That is, for the purpose of limiting the fluctuation range of the vehicle speed when traveling in the determination target section, a configuration in which a predetermined range as the maximum vehicle speed fluctuation range allowed in the determination target section is set as the predetermined vehicle speed range And According to this configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not traveling can be completed in a state where the range of variation in the vehicle speed in the determination target section is limited within the range in which the vehicle speed limit and the vehicle speed limit have a predetermined relationship. . The predetermined relationship defining the lower limit value can be specified based on various viewpoints such as riding comfort. For example, if the lower limit value of the fluctuation range of the vehicle speed is set to a value obtained by multiplying the limited vehicle speed by a constant (<1, for example, 0.8), the traveling in the determination target section is completed without the vehicle speed changing rapidly. It is possible to determine whether or not it is possible.

  Further, whether or not the traveling of the determination target section can be completed within a predetermined vehicle speed range without operating the fuel supply amount adjusting pedal and without operating the braking force adjusting pedal as in the present invention. The method of determining whether or not can be applied as a program or a method. In addition, the above-described device, program, and method may be realized as a single device or may be realized by using components shared with each part of the vehicle, and include various aspects. It is a waste. For example, it is possible to provide a navigation device, a method, and a program that include the above devices. Further, some changes may be made as appropriate, such as a part of software and a part of hardware. Furthermore, the invention is also established as a recording medium for a program for controlling the apparatus. Of course, the software recording medium may be a magnetic recording medium, a magneto-optical recording medium, or any recording medium to be developed in the future.

It is a block diagram of the navigation apparatus containing a driving assistance device. It is a flowchart which shows a driving assistance process. (3A) is a diagram schematically showing the shape of the road, and (3B) is a diagram schematically showing the vehicle speed. It is a flowchart which shows a driving assistance process. It is a flowchart which shows an uphill road gear ratio setting process. It is a flowchart which shows a downhill road gear ratio setting process. It is a flowchart which shows throttle-off guidance processing. It is a flowchart which shows a vehicle control process. (9A) is a diagram schematically showing the shape of the road, and (9B) is a diagram schematically showing the vehicle speed.

Here, embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order.
(1) Configuration of navigation device:
(2) Driving support processing:
(3) Other embodiments:
(3-1) Embodiment in which change of gear ratio is permitted:
(3-1-1) Uphill speed ratio setting process:
(3-1-2) Downhill road gear ratio setting process:

(1) Configuration of navigation device:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a navigation device 10 including a driving support device according to the present invention. The navigation apparatus 10 includes a control unit 20 including a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, and the like, and a recording medium 30, and the control unit 20 can execute a program stored in the recording medium 30 and the ROM. In the present embodiment, the driving support program 21 can be executed as this program. The driving support program 21 is executed in a state where the control unit 20 is executing navigation processing.

  The vehicle in the present embodiment includes a GPS receiving unit 41, a wheel sensor 42, a gyro sensor 43, an acceleration unit 44, a transmission unit 45, a braking unit 46, and a user I / F unit 47. Utilizing this, the control unit 20 realizes the function of the driving support program 21.

  The GPS receiver 41 receives radio waves from GPS satellites and outputs information for calculating the current position of the vehicle via an interface (not shown). The control unit 20 acquires this signal and acquires the current position of the vehicle. The vehicle speed sensor 42 outputs a signal corresponding to the rotational speed of the wheels provided in the vehicle. The control unit 20 acquires this signal via an interface (not shown) and acquires the speed of the vehicle. The gyro sensor 43 outputs a signal corresponding to the angular velocity acting on the vehicle. The control unit 20 acquires this signal via an interface (not shown) and acquires the traveling direction of the vehicle. The wheel sensor 42 and the gyro sensor 43 are used for correcting the current position of the vehicle specified from the output signal of the GPS receiver 41. Further, the current position of the vehicle is appropriately corrected based on the travel locus of the vehicle.

  The acceleration unit 44 includes a throttle valve for adjusting fuel supplied to a drive source (engine) mounted on the vehicle, and a fuel supply amount adjusting pedal for adjusting the opening of the throttle valve. . That is, the fuel supplied to the drive source can be adjusted by the driver operating the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal. Further, in a state where the driver does not operate the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal, the fuel supply to the drive source based on the driver's will is stopped.

  The transmission unit 45 includes a transmission including a stepped torque converter having a plurality of shift stages including a total of six speeds for forward travel, a first speed for reverse travel, and a neutral speed, and the transmission corresponds to each shift speed. The driving force of the driving source can be transmitted to the wheels while adjusting the rotation speed with the changed gear ratio. In the present embodiment, the gear ratio is configured to become smaller as the gear position becomes higher gear, such as forward 1st speed to forward 6th speed. In addition, the control unit 20 can output a control signal to the transmission unit 45 via an interface (not shown) to acquire the currently set transmission ratio.

  Note that the drive source in the present embodiment includes a control unit (not shown) for preventing the rotation from stopping, and is controlled at the minimum by the control unit to prevent the rotation of the drive source from stopping during traveling. Limited fuel supply. That is, when the transmission is set to neutral, the control unit performs the minimum fuel supply in order to maintain the minimum rotation speed even when the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal is not operated. To control the throttle valve. In addition, when the gear position is set to a position other than neutral, the control unit performs the minimum rotation when the rotational speed of the drive source becomes a predetermined rotational speed or less even when the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal is not operated. The throttle valve is controlled to provide a minimum amount of fuel to maintain the number.

  The braking unit 46 includes a device that controls the pressure of the wheel cylinder that adjusts the amount of deceleration by the friction brake mounted on the wheel, and a braking force adjustment pedal that adjusts the pressure. In other words, the braking force applied to the vehicle by the friction brake can be adjusted by the driver operating the braking force adjusting pedal.

  The user I / F unit 47 is an interface unit for inputting a driver's instruction and providing various information to the driver, and includes a touch panel display, a switch, a speaker, and the like (not shown). The control unit 20 outputs various guides by outputting a control signal to the user I / F unit 47.

  Whether the driving support program 21 can complete the traveling of the determination target section within a predetermined vehicle speed range without operating the fuel supply amount adjusting pedal and without operating the braking force adjusting pedal. Therefore, a gradient information acquisition unit 21a, a determination target section setting unit 21b, an acceleration information acquisition unit 21c, a travel completion determination unit 21d, and a guide unit 21e are provided. In addition, map information 30a and acceleration information 30b are recorded in the recording medium 30 in advance.

  The map information 30a includes node data indicating nodes set on the road on which the vehicle travels, shape interpolation point data for specifying the shape of the road between the nodes, link data indicating the connection between the nodes, the road and its surroundings Includes data indicating features (such as stop lines, white lines, and pedestrian crossings) on the road. In the present embodiment, the node data and the shape interpolation point data include information indicating the position and altitude of each node and each shape interpolation point.

  The acceleration information 30b is information indicating the vehicle speed in a state where the engine brake is applied to the vehicle and the acceleration acting on the vehicle in association with each other, for each gear ratio set by the transmission included in the transmission unit 45. A correspondence relationship between the vehicle speed and the acceleration when the fuel supply amount adjusting pedal is not operated and the brake unit 46 is not decelerated is defined and recorded in the recording medium 30 as acceleration information 30b. . Note that the vehicle speed of the vehicle and the rotational speed of the drive source directly correspond to each other, and the rotational speed of the drive source and the acceleration acting on the vehicle directly correspond to each other. The acceleration information 30b is defined by defining the correspondence between the vehicle speed and the acceleration based on the relationship between the number and the relationship between the rotation speed and the acceleration.

(2) Driving support processing:
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing processing realized by the control unit 20 by the processing of the driving support program 21 in the above configuration. When the driving support program 21 is executed, the control unit 20 first acquires the current position of the vehicle by the process of the gradient information acquisition unit 21a (step S100). That is, the control unit 20 acquires output signals from the GPS receiving unit 41, the vehicle speed sensor 42, and the gyro sensor 43, and specifies the current position of the vehicle with reference to the map information 30a.

  Next, the control unit 20 acquires gradient information indicating the gradient of the road on which the vehicle is to travel by processing of the gradient information acquisition unit 21a, and based on the gradient information by processing of the determination target section setting unit 21b. A section from the current position of the vehicle until the road slope becomes less than the predetermined amount after the road slope becomes more than a predetermined amount in front of the current position is set as a determination target section (step S110). That is, the control unit 20 sets the current position of the vehicle as the start position of the determination target section. Further, the control unit 20 refers to the map information 30a and acquires node data and shape interpolation point data corresponding to the nodes and shape interpolation points existing on the road ahead of the vehicle in order from the ones located near the vehicle. The altitude of nodes and shape interpolation points is acquired as gradient information.

Then, with reference to the gradient information, a position where the gradient is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount (for example, the absolute value of the gradient angle is equal to or greater than the predetermined value) is identified in front of the vehicle, and the gradient is determined on the road ahead. A position that is less than the fixed amount is specified, and a section in which the former position is a start position and the latter position is an end position is specified as a determination target section. Note that the end position of the determination target section may be a position where the gradient is less than a predetermined amount, but in this embodiment, a position where the gradient does not change again by a predetermined amount or more within a predetermined distance in front of the end position is an end position. And That is, it is determined whether or not the road where the gradient is less than the predetermined amount in front of the position where the gradient is less than the predetermined amount is a flat road which continues for a predetermined distance or more, and is ahead of the position where the gradient is less than the predetermined amount. When the road is a flat road, the start position of the flat road is set as the end position of the determination target section. FIG. 3A is a diagram schematically illustrating the shape of the road in front of the vehicle C. FIG. In the road shown in FIG. 3A, the slope of the road changes in front of the vehicle C, and an uphill road, a downhill road, an uphill road, a downhill road, and a flat road are formed in this order. Therefore, in this example, the current position P ₁ of the vehicle C is the start position of the determination target section Z, and the flat road start position P ₅ that appears first is the end position of the determination target section Z.

  The start position of the determination target section only needs to be defined as the start point of the section to be determined whether fuel consumption can be suppressed. In addition to the current position of the vehicle, the start position of the uphill road (maximum The starting point of the determination target section can be a starting point (upper point), a descending slope, or the like. In addition, the end position of the determination target section may be set to a position where the gradient does not change in a predetermined range ahead of the end position.

  The acceleration information acquisition unit 21c indicates to the control unit 20 the acceleration acting on the vehicle when an arbitrary gear ratio is set with a transmission mounted on the vehicle without operating the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal. This module realizes a function for acquiring acceleration information. Once the determination target section is set in step S110, the control unit 20 next acquires acceleration information corresponding to the speed ratio currently set in the vehicle by the processing of the acceleration information acquisition unit 21c (step S115). That is, in the present embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which it is determined whether or not the traveling of the determination target section can be completed while maintaining the currently set speed ratio, and the control unit performs the determination. 20 selects and acquires the acceleration information 30b corresponding to the currently set gear ratio from the acceleration information 30b regarding each gear ratio.

  Next, the control unit 20 does not operate the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal and does not operate the braking force adjustment pedal based on the gradient information and the acceleration information by the processing of the travel completion determination unit 21d. It is determined whether or not it is possible to complete traveling in the determination target section within a predetermined vehicle speed range (step S120). That is, the control unit 20 repeats the process of specifying the vehicle speed and acceleration for each unit time to specify the vehicle speed and acceleration at a plurality of positions in the determination target section, and sets the vehicle speed at each position and a predetermined vehicle speed range. Compare. Specifically, the vehicle speed after a unit time of time T can be specified by the sum of the vehicle speed and acceleration at time T. That is, the control unit 20 specifies the acceleration acting on the vehicle at the current position based on the acceleration information 30b from the vehicle speed at the current position, and identifies the sum of the acceleration and the acceleration acting on the vehicle based on the acceleration specified by the gradient. Then, the vehicle speed after the unit time has elapsed is determined based on the total acceleration. By repeating the above processing, the vehicle speeds at a plurality of positions in the determination target section are specified. Therefore, by comparing the vehicle speed at each position with a predetermined vehicle speed range, traveling in the determination target section within the predetermined vehicle speed range is performed. It can be determined whether it can be completed.

For example, in the example shown in FIG. 3A, the control unit 20 specifies the current vehicle speed V ₁ of the vehicle C based on the output signal of the vehicle speed sensor 42 in a state where the vehicle is present at the current position P ₁ shown in FIG. The control unit 20 outputs a control signal to the transmission unit 45 identifies the gear ratio which is currently set, by referring to the acceleration information 30b identifying the acceleration a ₁₁ that corresponds to the gear ratio. Further, the control unit 20 specifies the acceleration a ₁₂ acting on the vehicle C due to the gradient at the current position P ₁ of the vehicle C based on the gradient information.

According to the above processing, the vehicle speed V ₁ of the vehicle C at the current time and the acceleration (a ₁₁ + a ₁₂ ) acting on the vehicle C are specified. Therefore, the control unit 20 determines that the position of the vehicle C after the unit time is a position ahead of (V ₁ × unit time) (m) from P _{1 and} the vehicle speed V _{2 at the} position is (V ₁ + ((a ₁₁ + a ₁₂ ) × unit time)) (km / h). Then, the control unit 20 specifies the acceleration a ₂₁ corresponding to the vehicle speed V ₂ based on the acceleration information, and specifies the acceleration a ₂₂ at a position ahead of (V ₁ × unit time) from P ₁ based on the gradient information. Thereafter, the same processing is repeated up to the position P ₅ . Here, because it defines the acceleration traveling direction of the vehicle as the positive direction is _{a 11 <0, a 12 <} 0 if uphill, if descending in slope a ₁₁ <0, a ₁₂ > 0. Thus, in the uphill road it becomes acceleration (a ₁₁ + a ₁₂₎ is negative, the downward slope may be acceleration (a ₁₁ + a ₁₂₎ is positive or negative. FIG. 3B schematically shows the vehicle speed when the vehicle C travels in the determination target section Z shown in FIG. 3A by a solid curve with the vertical axis as the vehicle speed and the horizontal axis as the position. The transition of the vehicle speed as shown in FIG. 3B is specified.

The predetermined vehicle speed range serving as an index for determining whether or not it is possible to complete the travel in the determination target section in step S120 is a realistic range as the vehicle speed when the vehicle actually travels on the road. It only needs to be defined. In the present embodiment, the upper limit value of the predetermined vehicle speed range is set as the limit vehicle speed of the determination target section, and the lower limit value of the predetermined vehicle speed range is set as the minimum vehicle speed for preventing the vehicle from stopping. In other words, by determining the upper limit of the vehicle speed as the limit vehicle speed of the determination target section, it is determined whether or not the travel of the determination target section can be completed while complying with legal restrictions and preventing an excessively high vehicle speed. can do. Further, by setting the lower limit value of the vehicle speed to the minimum vehicle speed for preventing the vehicle from stopping, it is possible to determine whether or not the traveling of the determination target section can be completed without stopping the vehicle. Note that 0 km / h may be set as the minimum vehicle speed for preventing the vehicle from stopping, and it may be verified that the speed is 0 km / h or more in all sections of the determination target section. However, a predetermined value close to 0 may be used as the minimum vehicle speed so that the vehicle does not stop. In FIG. 3B, the limit vehicle speed that is the upper limit value of the predetermined vehicle speed range is shown as Vmax. Therefore, if the lower limit value of the predetermined vehicle speed range is 0 km / h, the vehicle speed at the positions P ₁ to P ₅ is not less than the lower limit value and not more than the upper limit value in the transition of the vehicle speed as shown in FIG. 3B. It can be determined that the traveling of the determination target section can be completed within the range.

  If it is not determined in step S120 that the travel in the determination target section can be completed within the predetermined vehicle speed range, the control unit 20 skips step S125 and ends the process. When it is determined in step S120 that the traveling of the determination target section can be completed within the predetermined vehicle speed range, the control unit 20 sets the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal in the determination target section by the processing of the guide unit 21e. Guidance indicating that there is no need to operate is performed (step S125). That is, the control unit 20 outputs a control signal to the user I / F unit 47, and information indicating that the vehicle can travel to the next flat road without operating the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal by a predetermined sound and image. The user I / F unit 47 is controlled to output. Of course, the guidance can be performed by various devices. For example, the guidance may be performed by turning on a lamp installed on the instrument panel.

  In the above processing, the fuel consumption is determined in order to determine whether or not the traveling of the determination target section can be completed in a state where fuel is not supplied to the driving source of the vehicle and the vehicle is not decelerated due to the driver's intention. It is possible to determine whether or not the traveling of the determination target section can be completed in a state where the amount of vehicle energy is extremely small and the vehicle energy can be used for vehicle advancement very efficiently. Furthermore, in order to determine whether it is possible to complete the travel in the determination target section within the predetermined vehicle speed range, the travel in the determination target section is completed in a state where fuel consumption is suppressed and the restricted vehicle speed is observed. It can be determined whether or not it is possible. Furthermore, the driver travels in the determination target section without operating the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal according to the guidance when it is determined that the travel in the determination target section can be completed, thereby suppressing fuel consumption and ensuring safety. It is possible to travel on the road.

(3) Other embodiments:
The above embodiment is an example for carrying out the present invention, and without operating the fuel supply amount adjusting pedal and without operating the braking force adjusting pedal, the determination target section within the predetermined vehicle speed range. Various other embodiments can be employed as long as it is determined whether or not the traveling can be completed. For example, it may be determined whether or not the traveling of the determination target section can be completed in accordance with the behavior of the preceding vehicle and the subsequent vehicle of the vehicle including the driving support device according to the present invention. That is, it is determined whether or not the travel of the determination target section can be completed within a range in which the distance between the preceding vehicle and the following vehicle is not too small. For example, it is impossible to complete travel when the speed of the preceding vehicle or the following vehicle is predicted based on the vehicle speed or behavior of the preceding vehicle or the following vehicle, and the distance from the preceding vehicle or the following vehicle is below a threshold value. It is possible to adopt a configuration in which it is determined. Further, the predetermined vehicle speed range may be adjusted so that the distance from the preceding vehicle or the following vehicle does not become too short. For example, in order to prevent the distance from the preceding vehicle from becoming too small, correction is made to reduce the upper limit value of the predetermined vehicle speed range, and in order to prevent the distance from the following vehicle from becoming too small, A configuration that corrects to increase the lower limit of the vehicle speed range can be adopted. Furthermore, when there is a preceding vehicle or a succeeding vehicle, it may be configured not to provide guidance indicating that it is not necessary to operate the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal.

  Furthermore, the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the predetermined vehicle speed range can be corrected based on various factors. For example, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which an index indicating the accuracy of the map information 30a is associated with the map information 30a, and the upper limit value and the lower limit value are given more allowance as the accuracy is lower. For example, the lower the accuracy, the lower the upper limit value is smaller than the limit vehicle speed, and the lower limit value is larger than a specific value (for example, 0 km / h). That is, a margin that exceeds an error is added to the upper limit value and the lower limit value. According to this configuration, even when the acceleration information or the like includes an error due to an error in the map information 30a, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the traveling of the determination target section can be completed. Is possible.

  Further, the gradient information may be information indicating the gradient of the road on which the vehicle is to travel, and when a planned travel route is set, the gradient information of an arbitrary section included in the planned travel route is acquired. That's fine. Further, the gradient information only needs to indicate a road gradient, and may be information for each position indicating a change in altitude per unit distance.

  Further, the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal may be a pedal for adjusting the fuel supply amount to the drive source in accordance with the driver's intention. In addition to the pedal for adjusting the throttle valve, the fuel supply amount by the injector It may be a pedal for adjustment.

  Furthermore, as a configuration example of the predetermined vehicle speed range, a configuration is adopted in which the predetermined vehicle speed range is defined with the upper limit value as the limit vehicle speed of the determination target section and the lower limit value as a value having a predetermined relationship with the limit vehicle speed. Also good. That is, for the purpose of limiting the fluctuation range of the vehicle speed when traveling in the determination target section, a configuration in which a predetermined range as the maximum vehicle speed fluctuation range allowed in the determination target section is set as the predetermined vehicle speed range And According to this configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not traveling can be completed in a state where the range of variation in the vehicle speed in the determination target section is limited within the range in which the vehicle speed limit and the vehicle speed limit have a predetermined relationship. . The predetermined relationship defining the lower limit value can be specified based on various viewpoints such as riding comfort. For example, if the lower limit value of the fluctuation range of the vehicle speed is set to a value obtained by multiplying the limited vehicle speed by a constant (<1, for example, 0.8), the traveling in the determination target section is completed without the vehicle speed changing rapidly. It is possible to determine whether or not it is possible.

(3-1) Embodiment in which change of gear ratio is permitted:
Furthermore, when determining whether or not the travel in the determination target section can be completed, it may be configured to determine whether or not the travel in the determination target section can be completed in a state where the change of the currently set gear ratio is permitted. . Here, the judgment target section is classified into small sections with the top and bottom points of the slope as the end points, and the judgment target is permitted in a state in which the shift stage is changed by one step for each small section or set to neutral. An embodiment for determining whether or not traveling in a section can be completed will be described.

  The present embodiment can be realized by executing processing as shown in FIGS. 4 to 8 by using a configuration as shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the control unit 20 outputs a control signal to the transmission unit 45 via an interface (not shown) to change the transmission gear ratio in the transmission to a transmission gear ratio corresponding to an arbitrary gear stage. Is possible. Further, the control unit 20 can output a control signal to the braking unit 46 via an interface (not shown) to obtain a signal indicating the operation amount of the braking force adjusting pedal.

  In the present embodiment, when the driving support program 21 is executed, the control unit 20 acquires the current position of the vehicle by the process of the gradient information acquisition unit 21a as in step S100 (step S200). Next, the control unit 20 acquires gradient information indicating the gradient of the road on which the vehicle is to travel by processing of the gradient information acquisition unit 21a, and based on the gradient information by processing of the determination target section setting unit 21b. Is set as a determination target section (step S210). Here, the process for setting the determination target section is the same as that in step S110 described above, but in the present embodiment, in addition to this process, a process for classifying the determination target section into small sections is also performed. That is, the control unit 20 specifies the current position of the vehicle, the uphill / downhill change position, and the start position of the flat road, and sets a plurality of determination target sections with a section having an adjacent point as an end point in each position as a small section. Classify into subsections.

For example, as shown in FIG. 9A, in a road having the same shape as FIG. 3A, a section from the current position P ₁ of the vehicle C to the apex P ₂ of the first uphill road is a small section Z ₁ , and the first uphill road is vertex P ₂ ~ first descending nadir P ₃ small section Z ₂ of the section up to the slope, the initial downward slope of the lowermost point P ₃ to 2 th uphill section of the small section Z of vertex to P ₄ of the _{3. The} section from the vertex P ₄ of the second uphill road to the lowest point (start position of the flat road) P ₅ of the second downhill road is classified as a small section Z ₄ . In the present embodiment, the small section information indicating the speed ratio to be set for the vehicle and the vehicle speed at each position in each small section is defined for each small section, and each small section travels based on the small section information. It is configured to determine whether or not the traveling of the determination target section can be completed by determining whether or not it can be completed. Further, in the present embodiment, the speed ratio to be set for the vehicle in the small section is determined by the variable Rc indicating whether or not the speed ratio should be changed with respect to the speed ratio in the small section adjacent in the rear in the traveling direction. It has a specific configuration.

When the determination target section and the small section are identified, the control unit 20 sets the small section to be identified in the small section information as the first small section (small section Z _{1 in the} example illustrated in FIG. 9A), and sets the first small section. Steps S220 to S245 are executed by processing of the travel completion determination unit 21d in order to specify the gear ratio. In the following, a small section that is a target for specifying small section information is referred to as a target small section.

  In the steps S220 to S245, the control unit 20 first determines whether or not the target small section is an uphill road (step S220). In step S220, when it is not determined that the target small section is an uphill road, the target small section is a downhill road, and thus the control unit 20 sets the gear ratio on the downhill road by the processing of the travel completion determination unit 21d. The downhill road speed ratio setting process is executed (step S230). In Step S220, when it is determined that the target small section is an uphill road, the control unit 20 performs an uphill road speed ratio setting process for setting a speed ratio on the uphill road by the process of the travel completion determination unit 21d. Is executed (step S235).

  Details of the downhill speed ratio setting process and the uphill speed ratio setting process will be described later, but according to the downhill speed ratio setting process and the uphill speed ratio setting process, the variable indicating the speed ratio to be set in the target small section Rc and vehicle speeds at a plurality of positions in the target small section when traveling in the target small section at the gear ratio are specified, and are recorded in the RAM as the small section information. Note that Rc = 4 indicates that the gear position set before reaching the small section is shifted by one step at the boundary of the small section, and Rc = 3 is set before reaching the small section after the boundary of the small section. It shows that the gear position is maintained. In addition, Rc = 2 indicates that the shift speed is set one step higher than the gear set before reaching the small section at the boundary of the small section, and Rc = 1 indicates that the position is set to neutral at the boundary of the small section. Rc = 0 indicates that traveling in a small section cannot be completed.

  When step S230 or S235 described above is executed, the control unit 20 determines whether or not the specification of the small section information has been completed for all the small sections constituting the determination target section (step S240). If it is not determined in step S240 that the identification of the small section information has been completed for all the small sections, the control unit 20 determines whether or not the variable Rc is 0 by the process of the travel completion determination unit 21d (step S240). S245). If it is not determined in step S245 that the variable Rc is 0, the target small section is switched to a small section adjacent to the front in the traveling direction, and the processes in and after step S220 are repeated.

  When it is determined in step S240 that the identification of the small section information has been completed for all the small sections, or when it is determined that the variable Rc is 0 in step S245, the control unit 20 performs the process of the guide unit 21e. Then, a throttle-off guidance process for performing guidance regarding the operation of the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal is executed (step S250). FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the throttle-off guidance process. In this process, the control unit 20 determines that the value of the variable Rc specified in step S230 or S235 executed immediately before is 1 or more 4 by the process of the guide unit 21e. It is determined whether or not the following is true (step S500). When it is determined in step S500 that the value of the variable Rc is 1 or more and 4 or less, the control unit 20 outputs a control signal to the user I / F unit 47, and operates the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal according to a predetermined sound and image. The user I / F unit 47 is controlled so as to output information indicating that the vehicle can travel to the next flat road without being operated. By preventing the driver from operating the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal in accordance with this guidance, the traveling of the determination target section can be completed while suppressing fuel consumption. On the other hand, if it is not determined in step S500 that the value of the variable Rc is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 4, that is, if the value of the variable Rc is 0, the determination target section is operated without operating the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal. Since it is impossible to complete the travel of step S505, step S505 is skipped.

  In the present embodiment, the control unit 20 automatically controls the speed ratio in the process of actually traveling in the determination target section by executing the vehicle control process (step S255) after performing the guidance as described above. Is adopted. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the vehicle control process. In addition, the control part 20 numbers 1, 2, 3, etc. in order from the back in the traveling direction with respect to the small sections, and executes the vehicle control process in a state where the variable N indicating the small sections is initialized to 1. . Further, the vehicle control process in step S255 is executed when the braking force adjusting pedal is not operated. That is, the control unit 20 outputs a control signal to the braking unit 46 to acquire a signal indicating the operation amount of the braking force adjustment pedal, and when it is determined that the braking force adjustment pedal is operated based on the signal. Step S255 is skipped.

  In the vehicle control process, the control unit 20 acquires the small section information of the small section N (step S600). Next, the control unit 20 determines whether or not the variable Rc is 4 with reference to the small section information acquired in Step S600 (Step S605), and when it is determined that the variable Rc is 4, the control is performed. The unit 20 outputs a control signal to the transmission unit 45 at the time when the current position of the vehicle becomes the start position of the small section N and sets it to a gear position that is shifted down by one step from the previous setting (step). S610). When N is 1, there is no small section adjacent to the rear of small section 1, and therefore, the speed is shifted down by one stage from the currently set speed immediately after the determination in step S605.

  On the other hand, when it is not determined in step S605 that the variable Rc is 4, the control unit 20 determines whether the variable Rc is 2 with reference to the small section information acquired in step S600 (step S615). . When it is determined in step S615 that the variable Rc is 2, the control unit 20 outputs a control signal to the transmission unit 45 immediately before the current position of the vehicle becomes the start position of the small section N, and immediately before Is set to a shift stage that is upshifted by one stage from the above setting (step S620). When N is 1, the upshift is performed by one step from the currently set shift step immediately after the determination in step S615.

  Furthermore, when it is not determined in step S615 that the variable Rc is 2, the control unit 20 determines whether the variable Rc is 1 with reference to the small section information acquired in step S600 (step S625). . If it is determined in step S625 that the variable Rc is 1, the control unit 20 outputs a control signal to the transmission unit 45 at the time when the current position of the vehicle becomes the start position of the small section N, and shifts. The stage is shifted to neutral (step S630). If N is 1, the shift is made to neutral immediately after the determination in step S625.

  As described above, when the gear ratio at the start position of the small section N is set by any one of steps S610, S620, and S630, the control unit 20 increments the variable N (step S635) and configures all the determination target sections. It is determined whether or not the processing is finished for the small section (step S640). In step S640, the processes in and after step S600 are repeated until it is determined that all the small sections have been processed. By the above processing, it is possible to travel in the determination target section within a predetermined vehicle speed range while setting a gear ratio that provides higher fuel consumption at the start position of each small section.

(3-1-1) Uphill speed ratio setting process:
Next, the uphill speed ratio setting process will be described in detail. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the uphill speed ratio setting process. In the uphill speed ratio setting process, the control unit 20 acquires small section information of a small section that is adjacent to the target small section at the rear in the traveling direction (step S300). When the target small section is the first small section of the determination target section, since the small section is not defined behind the traveling direction, the currently set speed ratio and current vehicle speed are acquired in step S300. . Hereinafter, a small section that is adjacent to the target small section at the rear in the traveling direction is referred to as a rear adjacent small section.

  Next, based on the gradient information and the acceleration information, the control unit 20 indicates the gear ratio indicated by the subsection information of the rear adjacent subsection (if the target subsection is the first subsection, the speed ratio currently set). To determine whether or not it is possible to complete the traveling of the target small section within the predetermined vehicle speed range without operating the fuel supply amount adjusting pedal and without operating the braking force adjusting pedal. (Step S305). That is, the control unit 20 refers to the acceleration information 30b, and is processed by the acceleration information acquisition unit 21c to indicate the gear ratio indicated by the small section information of the rear adjacent small section (if the target small section is the first small section, it is currently set). The acceleration at the start position of the target small section is regarded as the sum of the acquired acceleration and the acceleration specified from the gradient information. Further, the vehicle speed at the start position of the target small section is regarded as the vehicle speed at the end position of the rear adjacent small section indicated by the small section information of the rear adjacent small section (the current vehicle speed if the target small section is the first small section). . Furthermore, the transition of the vehicle speed and acceleration per unit time is specified based on each acceleration and vehicle speed. Whether or not the traveling of the determination target section can be completed within a predetermined vehicle speed range by determining whether or not the vehicle speed at the end position of the target small section (the top of the uphill road) is greater than the lower limit value. Determine. That is, since the uphill road is the target small section here, the vehicle speed gradually decreases from the start position to the end position of the small section. Therefore, on the assumption that the vehicle speed limit is not exceeded at the start position of the small section, the vehicle speed is determined for the end position of the small section where the vehicle speed is the lowest.

  If it is determined in step S305 that the travel in the target small section can be completed, the control unit 20 changes the speed ratio indicated by the small section information of the rear adjacent small section (the target small section is the first small section). If so, it is determined whether or not the travel of the target small section can be completed when the gear position corresponding to the currently set gear ratio is downshifted (step S310). That is, the control unit 20 downshifts the gear position corresponding to the gear ratio indicated by the subsection information of the rear adjacent subsection (the currently set gear ratio if the target subsection is the first subsection). Acceleration information 30b corresponding to the gear ratio of the gear position is acquired. Further, the acceleration at the start position of the target subsection is regarded as the sum of the acceleration specified by the acceleration information 30b and the acceleration specified from the gradient information. Further, the vehicle speed at the start position of the target small section is regarded as the vehicle speed at the end position of the rear adjacent small section indicated by the small section information of the rear adjacent small section (the current vehicle speed if the target small section is the first small section). . Furthermore, the transition of the vehicle speed and acceleration per unit time is specified based on each acceleration and vehicle speed. Whether or not the traveling of the determination target section can be completed within a predetermined vehicle speed range by determining whether or not the vehicle speed at the end position of the target small section (the top of the uphill road) is greater than the lower limit value. Determine.

  If it is determined in step S310 that the traveling in the target small section can be completed when the downshift is performed, a variable Rc indicating the set value of the speed ratio in the target small section is set to 4 (step S315). If it is not determined in step S310 that traveling in the target small section can be completed when the downshift is performed, a variable Rc indicating a setting value of the gear ratio in the target small section is set to 3 (step S320).

  On the other hand, when it is not determined in step S305 that the travel in the target small section can be completed, the control unit 20 changes the speed ratio indicated by the small section information of the rear adjacent small section (the target small section is the first small section). If it is a section, when the shift stage corresponding to the currently set speed ratio) is upshifted, it is determined whether or not traveling in the target small section can be completed (step S325). That is, the control unit 20 upshifts the gear position corresponding to the gear ratio indicated by the subsection information of the rear adjacent subsection (the gear ratio currently set if the target subsection is the first subsection) by one step. Acceleration information 30b corresponding to the gear ratio of the gear position is acquired. Further, the acceleration at the start position of the target subsection is regarded as the sum of the acceleration specified by the acceleration information 30b and the acceleration specified from the gradient information. Further, the vehicle speed at the start position of the target small section is regarded as the vehicle speed at the end position of the rear adjacent small section indicated by the small section information of the rear adjacent small section (the current vehicle speed if the target small section is the first small section). . Furthermore, the transition of the vehicle speed and acceleration per unit time is specified based on each acceleration and vehicle speed. Whether or not the traveling of the determination target section can be completed within a predetermined vehicle speed range by determining whether or not the vehicle speed at the end position of the target small section (the top of the uphill road) is greater than the lower limit value. Determine.

  If it is determined in step S325 that traveling in the target small section can be completed when the upshift is performed, a variable Rc indicating a set value of the gear ratio in the target small section is set to 2 (step S330). If it is not determined in step S325 that traveling in the target small section can be completed when upshifting, whether or not traveling in the target small section can be completed when the gear position is set to neutral. Is determined (step S335).

  That is, the control unit 20 regards the acceleration when the gear position is set to neutral in the transmission as 0, and regards the acceleration at the start position of the target subsection as the acceleration specified from the gradient information. Further, the vehicle speed at the start position of the target small section is regarded as the vehicle speed at the end position of the rear adjacent small section indicated by the small section information of the rear adjacent small section (the current vehicle speed if the target small section is the first small section). . Furthermore, the transition of the vehicle speed and acceleration per unit time is specified based on each acceleration and vehicle speed. Whether or not the traveling of the determination target section can be completed within a predetermined vehicle speed range by determining whether or not the vehicle speed at the end position of the target small section (the top of the uphill road) is greater than the lower limit value. Determine.

  If it is determined in step S335 that traveling in the target small section can be completed when the gear position is set to neutral, a variable Rc indicating the set value of the gear ratio in the target small section is set to 1 (step S335). S340). In step S335, if it is not determined that the travel of the target small section can be completed when the gear position is set to neutral, the variable Rc indicating the set value of the speed ratio in the target small section is set to 0 (step S345). ). When the variable Rc indicating the set value of the gear ratio and the vehicle speeds at a plurality of positions in the small section at each gear ratio calculated by the above process are specified by the above processing, these variables Rc and the vehicle speed are stored in the small section information. Is recorded in the RAM (step S350).

  In the above processing, when traveling from the rear adjacent small section toward the target small section, it is first determined whether or not the target small section can be completed by continuing to travel without changing the gear ratio. It is determined whether or not traveling in a small section can be completed when it is downshifted, and when it is next upshifted, it is determined when it is finally set to neutral.

  This determination order is determined based on the characteristics of fuel consumption and travel distance for each gear ratio. That is, in the present embodiment, first, it is determined whether or not it is possible to complete the travel in the next small section without changing the gear ratio set in a certain small section, and the determination Depending on the result, it is preferentially (first) determined whether or not the vehicle can travel in a fuel-efficient state.

  More specifically, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that the vehicle is driven in a state where the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal is not operated, but the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal is not operated. However, the drive source according to the present embodiment is configured such that a minimum amount of fuel is supplied in order to maintain the minimum number of revolutions when the number of revolutions (rpm) of the drive source becomes a predetermined number of revolutions or less. ing.

  On the other hand, the smaller the gear ratio, the higher the wheel speed when the drive source speed is a specific speed, and the vehicle speed when the drive source speed is a specific speed is smaller. It gets bigger. Therefore, when it is assumed that the vehicle speed of the vehicle is decelerated from a specific vehicle speed when the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal is not operated, the minimum fuel supply starts when the gear ratio is small. Increases vehicle speed. For this reason, when it is assumed that the specific vehicle speed is gradually decreased to near the lower limit value of 0 km / h in the determination target section, the minimum fuel supply starts at a vehicle speed having a larger difference from the lower limit value as the gear ratio is smaller. The minimum fuel supply is not started until the difference between the lower limit value and the vehicle speed becomes smaller as the gear ratio is larger. Therefore, when it is assumed that the specific vehicle speed is gradually decreased to near the lower limit value of 0 km / h in the determination target section in a state where the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal is not operated, a gear stage having a larger gear ratio (more The fuel consumption can be suppressed by selecting the low gear gear position.

  Furthermore, the smaller the gear ratio, the smaller the negative acceleration acting on the vehicle while traveling at a specific vehicle speed, so that the specific vehicle speed is gradually reduced to near the lower limit of 0 km / h in the determination target section. Assuming that the speed is reduced, the smaller the gear ratio, the smaller the degree of deceleration and the longer the travel distance. In the state where the gear position is neutral, the acceleration due to engine braking does not act on the vehicle, so the mileage is the longest compared to other gear speeds, but the minimum is required to maintain the minimum number of revolutions. Since the fuel supply is continuously performed, the fuel consumption is the highest as compared with other gears.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the fuel consumption is highest in the neutral state, and the fuel consumption is suppressed as the gear ratio is changed from a small state to a large state. Further, the travel distance becomes the longest in the neutral range, and the travel distance becomes shorter as the gear ratio is changed from a small state to a large state. Therefore, in the gear ratio setting process shown in FIG. 5, it is determined in step S305 that it is possible to complete traveling in a small section at the current gear ratio, and then whether or not traveling with higher fuel consumption is possible. In order to determine whether or not a downshift has been performed in step S310. Further, if it is not determined in step S305 that the travel of the small section can be completed with the current gear ratio, it is determined in step S325 that the up-distance is extended so that the travel distance is extended even if the fuel consumption becomes lower. It is configured. If it is determined in step S325 that even if the upshift is performed, it is not possible to complete the travel in the small section, it is determined whether the travel in the small section can be completed for the neutral with the longest travel distance. Judgment is to be made.

(3-1-2) Downhill road gear ratio setting process:
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a downhill road speed ratio setting process executed when the target small section is a downhill road. In the descending slope speed ratio setting process, the control unit 20 acquires the small section information of the rear adjacent small section (step S400). When the target small section is the first small section of the determination target section, since the small section is not defined behind the traveling direction, in step S400, the currently set speed ratio and the current vehicle speed are set to the small section. Obtain as information.

  Next, based on the gradient information and the acceleration information, the control unit 20 indicates the gear ratio indicated by the subsection information of the rear adjacent subsection (if the target subsection is the first subsection, the speed ratio currently set). To determine whether or not it is possible to complete the traveling of the target small section within the predetermined vehicle speed range without operating the fuel supply amount adjusting pedal and without operating the braking force adjusting pedal. (Step S405).

  That is, the control unit 20 refers to the acceleration information 30b, and is processed by the acceleration information acquisition unit 21c to indicate the gear ratio indicated by the small section information of the rear adjacent small section (if the target small section is the first small section, it is currently set). The acceleration corresponding to the transmission gear ratio) is acquired. Further, the acceleration at the start position of the target small section is regarded as the sum of the acquired acceleration and the acceleration specified from the gradient information. Further, the vehicle speed at the start position of the target small section is regarded as the vehicle speed at the end position of the rear adjacent small section indicated by the small section information of the rear adjacent small section (the current vehicle speed if the target small section is the first small section). . Furthermore, the transition of the vehicle speed and acceleration per unit time is specified based on each acceleration and vehicle speed. Whether it is possible to complete the traveling of the determination target section within the predetermined vehicle speed range by determining whether the vehicle speed at the end position of the target small section (the lowest point on the downhill road) is higher than the upper limit value. Determine whether or not. That is, since the downhill road is the target small section here, the vehicle speed gradually increases from the start position to the end position of the small section. Therefore, on the assumption that the vehicle speed is higher than the lower limit value at the start position of the small section, the vehicle speed is determined for the end position of the small section where the vehicle speed is the highest. Thus, it is determined whether or not traveling in a small section can be completed when the gear ratio is maintained.

  If it is not determined in step S405 that the travel in the target small section can be completed, the control unit 20 changes the speed ratio indicated by the small section information of the rear adjacent small section (the target small section is the first small section). If there is a downshift of the gear position corresponding to the currently set gear ratio (if any), it is determined whether or not traveling of the target small section can be completed (step S410). That is, the control unit 20 downshifts the gear position corresponding to the gear ratio indicated by the subsection information of the rear adjacent subsection (the currently set gear ratio if the target subsection is the first subsection). Acceleration information 30b corresponding to the gear ratio of the gear position is acquired. Further, the acceleration at the start position of the target subsection is regarded as the sum of the acceleration specified by the acceleration information 30b and the acceleration specified from the gradient information. Further, the vehicle speed at the start position of the target small section is regarded as the vehicle speed at the end position of the rear adjacent small section indicated by the small section information of the rear adjacent small section (the current vehicle speed if the target small section is the first small section). . Furthermore, the transition of the vehicle speed and acceleration per unit time is specified based on each acceleration and vehicle speed. Whether it is possible to complete the traveling of the determination target section within the predetermined vehicle speed range by determining whether the vehicle speed at the end position of the target small section (the lowest point on the downhill road) is higher than the upper limit value. Determine whether or not. Thus, it is determined whether or not it is possible to complete the traveling by applying a larger engine brake to suppress the increase in the vehicle speed as compared with the case of traveling while maintaining the gear ratio.

  If it is determined in step S410 that the traveling of the target small section can be completed when the downshift is performed, a variable Rc indicating a set value of the speed ratio in the target small section is set to 4 (step S415). If it is not determined in step S410 that the traveling in the target small section can be completed when the downshift is performed, a variable Rc indicating the set value of the gear ratio in the target small section is set to 0 (step S420).

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S405 that it is possible to complete the travel in the target small section, the control unit 20 sets a variable Rc indicating the set value of the speed ratio in the target small section to 3 ( Step S425).

  When the variable Rc indicating the set value of the gear ratio and the vehicle speed at each position in the small section at each gear ratio calculated by the above process are specified by the above processing, the variable Rc and the vehicle speed are used as the small section information. Recording in the RAM (step S430).

  In the loop processing of steps S220 to S245, when the minimum shift speed (first speed) is set, the step (steps S310 and S410) for determining the possibility of completion of traveling by downshifting is executed. Determines that it is impossible to complete traveling by downshifting. In addition, when step S325 for determining the possibility of completion of traveling by upshifting is executed when neutral or the maximum gear position (for example, 6th speed) is set, traveling completion by upshifting is impossible. Judge that there is.

Next, the operation by the above processing will be described based on an actual example. For example, when the small sections Z _{1 to} Z ₄ are set for the determination target section shown in FIG. 9A and the processes of FIGS. 4 to 8 are executed at the current position of the vehicle C shown in FIG. 9A, the small section Z that is an uphill road _{For 1} , the gear ratio is set by the uphill road gear ratio setting process shown in FIG. Here, when the transition of the vehicle speed at each position according to the currently set gear ratio is a curve C ₁ indicated by a broken line, the vehicle speed at the peak P ₂ of the uphill road is greater than the lower limit value (0 km / h). In S305, it is determined that traveling in the small section can be completed.

In this case, to identify the vehicle in the case of a downshift at step S310, the case change in vehicle speed when downshift is shaped like a curve C ₂ indicated by the solid line, uphill road speed lower limit at the vertex P ₂ of Therefore, it is determined in step S310 that traveling in the small section can be completed. Therefore, even if it is possible to complete the travel in the small section at the vehicle speeds of the curve C ₁ indicated by the broken line and the curve C ₂ indicated by the solid line, the vehicle is shifted down so that the vehicle speed becomes the curve C ₂ indicated by the solid line. Set to When downshifting in this manner, it becomes smaller than the difference between the vehicle speed and the lower limit minimum fuel supply is initiated no downshift, as the vehicle speed becomes smaller toward the apex P ₂ uphill However, it is unlikely that the minimum fuel supply will be started. Therefore, it is possible to select a gear ratio that has a high possibility of improving fuel consumption.

On the other hand, in step S310, when shapes, such as curves C ₃ to change in vehicle speed when downshift is indicated by a one-dot chain line, since the speed at vertex P ₂ uphill is smaller than the lower limit value at step S310 It is not determined that traveling in a small section can be completed. Accordingly, the transition of the vehicle speed is set to be a curve C ₁ indicated by a broken line so that the travel of the small section can be completed while suppressing the fuel consumption due to the state where the fuel supply amount adjusting pedal is not operated. Will be set.

Further, it is assumed that the transition of the vehicle speed at each position by the gear ratio currently set is curve C ₃ indicated by a dashed line. In this case, since the vehicle speed at the vertex P ₂ uphill is smaller than the lower limit value is not determined to be complete running of small section in step S305. In this case, to identify the vehicle in the case of upshift at step S325, if the transition of the vehicle speed in the case where the upshift is shaped like a curve C ₂ indicated by the solid line, uphill road speed lower limit at the vertex P ₂ of Therefore, it is determined in step S325 that traveling in the small section can be completed. Therefore, the possibility that the fuel consumption can be suppressed is lower than that in the case where the gear ratio is maintained, but it is possible to safely travel in a small section while suppressing the fuel consumption by not operating the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal. Will be set to complete.

Furthermore, change in vehicle speed when up-shifting in step S325 is not a shape like the curve C ₂ indicated by the solid line, when it is not determined that it is possible complete running of small section, when shifted into neutral in step S335 Specify the vehicle speed. And when the transition of the vehicle speed at the time of shifting to neutral is a shape like the curve C ₁ shown by the broken line, the vehicle speed at the peak P ₂ of the uphill road is larger than the lower limit value, so that the small section travels in step S335. It is determined that it can be completed. Therefore, fuel consumption is higher than when maintaining the gear ratio, but it is possible to safely complete a small section while suppressing fuel consumption by not operating the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal. Will be set.

Similarly, in the example shown in FIG. 9A, the gear ratio is set by the process shown in FIG. 6 for the small section Z ₂ that is a downhill road. Here, when the transition of the vehicle speed at each position in the small section Z ₂ when the speed ratio set in the small section Z ₁ is maintained is a curve C ₄ indicated by a one-dot chain line, the lowest point P on the downhill road _Since the vehicle speed at ₃ is greater than the upper limit value (Vmax), it is not determined in step S405 that traveling in the small section can be completed.

In this case, to identify the vehicle in the case of a downshift at step S410, if change in vehicle speed when downshift is shaped like a curve C ₅ shown by the solid line, the vehicle speed at the lowest point P ₃ of the downhill Since it is smaller than the upper limit value, it is determined in step S410 that traveling in the small section can be completed. Accordingly, the vehicle speed is set to the vehicle speed indicated by the solid line by the downshift. In this way, even if it is not possible to complete traveling in a small section when the gear ratio is maintained, whether or not there is a possibility that the traveling can be completed by assuming a downshift and adjust the fuel supply amount It is possible to increase the possibility that traveling in a small section can be safely completed while suppressing fuel consumption due to the state where the pedal is not operated.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the configuration for determining whether or not traveling in a small section can be completed when the gear ratio is downshifted or upshifted by one stage has been described. A downshift or an upshift may be assumed. For example, it is possible to determine whether or not traveling in a small section can be completed at all gear ratios, and to select a gear ratio that is capable of completing traveling and has the best fuel efficiency.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, it is configured to determine whether traveling can be completed for each small section, but a configuration is employed to determine whether traveling can be completed over a plurality of small sections. Also good. For example, when it is determined in step S405 shown in FIG. 6 that the travel in the target small section can be completed, the next small section is selected when the gear ratio is maintained, the upshift, or the neutral shift is performed. It is good also as a structure which determines whether driving | running | working can be completed including. According to this configuration, the gear ratio is set so that the traveling can be completed even in a situation where the traveling on the next uphill road cannot be completed unless the uphill or the neutral is shifted in advance on the downhill road. be able to.

  Furthermore, the timing for changing the gear ratio is not limited to the start position of the small section, but may be configured to change the gear ratio in the middle of the small section.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Navigation apparatus, 20 ... Control part, 21 ... Driving assistance program, 21a ... Gradient information acquisition part, 21b ... Determination object area setting part, 21c ... Acceleration information acquisition part, 21d ... Travel completion determination part, 21e ... Guidance part, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 30 ... Recording medium, 30a ... Map information, 30b ... Acceleration information, 41 ... GPS receiving part, 42 ... Wheel sensor, 43 ... Gyro sensor, 44 ... Acceleration part, 45 ... Transmission part, 46 ... Braking part, 47 ... User I / F part

Claims (5)

Gradient information acquisition means for acquiring gradient information indicating the gradient of the road on which the vehicle is scheduled to travel;
Based on the gradient information from the current position of the vehicle, after the gradient of the road in front of the current position is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, Ri gradient of the road Do less than the predetermined amount, and less than the gradient of a predetermined amount A determination target section setting means for setting a section to a start position of the flat road when the flat road is continuous for a predetermined distance or more as a determination target section;
Acquire acceleration information indicating the acceleration acting on the vehicle when an arbitrary gear ratio is set by a transmission mounted on the vehicle without operating a fuel supply amount adjustment pedal mounted on the vehicle. Acceleration information acquisition means for
Based on the gradient information and the acceleration information, the determination target is within a predetermined vehicle speed range without operating the fuel supply amount adjusting pedal and without operating a braking force adjusting pedal mounted on the vehicle. Travel completion determination means for determining whether or not the travel of the section can be completed;
Guidance that provides guidance indicating that it is not necessary to operate the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal in the determination target section when it is determined that the traveling of the determination target section can be completed within the predetermined vehicle speed range. Means,
A driving support apparatus comprising: The upper limit value of the predetermined vehicle speed range is a limit vehicle speed of the determination target section, and the lower limit value of the predetermined vehicle speed range is a minimum vehicle speed for preventing the vehicle from stopping.
The driving support device according to claim 1. The upper limit value of the predetermined vehicle speed range is a limit vehicle speed of the determination target section, and the lower limit value of the predetermined vehicle speed range is a value having a predetermined relationship with the limit vehicle speed.
The driving support device according to claim 2. A gradient information acquisition step for acquiring gradient information indicating the gradient of the road on which the vehicle is scheduled to travel;
Based on the gradient information from the current position of the vehicle, after the gradient of the road in front of the current position is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, Ri gradient of the road Do less than the predetermined amount, and less than the gradient of a predetermined amount A determination target section setting step for setting a section to a start position of the flat road when the flat road is continuous for a predetermined distance or more as a determination target section;
Acquire acceleration information indicating the acceleration acting on the vehicle when an arbitrary gear ratio is set by a transmission mounted on the vehicle without operating a fuel supply amount adjustment pedal mounted on the vehicle. An acceleration information acquisition step,
Based on the gradient information and the acceleration information, the determination target is within a predetermined vehicle speed range without operating the fuel supply amount adjusting pedal and without operating a braking force adjusting pedal mounted on the vehicle. A travel completion determination step for determining whether or not the travel of the section can be completed;
Guidance that provides guidance indicating that it is not necessary to operate the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal in the determination target section when it is determined that the traveling of the determination target section can be completed within the predetermined vehicle speed range. Process,
A driving support method comprising: A gradient information acquisition function for acquiring gradient information indicating the gradient of the road on which the vehicle is scheduled to travel;
Based on the gradient information from the current position of the vehicle, after the gradient of the road in front of the current position is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, Ri gradient of the road Do less than the predetermined amount, and less than the gradient of a predetermined amount A determination target section setting function for setting a section to a start position of the flat road when the flat road is continuous for a predetermined distance or more as a determination target section;
Acquire acceleration information indicating the acceleration acting on the vehicle when an arbitrary gear ratio is set by a transmission mounted on the vehicle without operating a fuel supply amount adjustment pedal mounted on the vehicle. Acceleration information acquisition function to
Based on the gradient information and the acceleration information, the determination target is within a predetermined vehicle speed range without operating the fuel supply amount adjusting pedal and without operating a braking force adjusting pedal mounted on the vehicle. A travel completion determination function for determining whether or not the travel of the section can be completed;
Guidance that provides guidance indicating that it is not necessary to operate the fuel supply amount adjustment pedal in the determination target section when it is determined that the traveling of the determination target section can be completed within the predetermined vehicle speed range. Function and
Driving support program that realizes the computer.

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