JP5742626B2 - Follow-up control device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a follow-up running control device that performs follow-up running that automatically follows a preceding vehicle.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a follow-up running control device that performs follow-up running that automatically follows a preceding vehicle is known. As a follow-up running control device, one that performs acceleration / deceleration control so that the inter-vehicle distance from a preceding vehicle detected using a distance measuring sensor such as a radar is matched with the target inter-vehicle distance is known. Such an apparatus requires a technique for selecting a preceding vehicle to be followed.

  On the other hand, in Patent Document 1, for example, when the cruise control switch is turned on, the preceding vehicle is selected from the vehicles detected by the laser radar sensor based on the inter-vehicle distance detected by the sensor, A technique for performing follow-up running is disclosed. Specifically, in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, based on the inter-vehicle distance detected by the laser radar sensor, a vehicle having a probability that the vehicle is on the estimated traveling path is greater than a predetermined value and the minimum inter-vehicle distance is preceded. Choose with cars.

  Further, in recent years, not only information obtained by a distance sensor such as a radar but also position information and speed information of a preceding vehicle obtained by inter-vehicle communication, a technology for following the preceding vehicle, that is, measurement. Techniques have also been proposed in which follow-up traveling is performed using information obtained by a distance sensor and information obtained by inter-vehicle communication.

JP 2000-108721 A

  However, when the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is applied to a technique for performing follow-up traveling using information obtained by a distance measurement sensor and information obtained by inter-vehicle communication, There is a problem that it is difficult to select a vehicle that can communicate between vehicles. This is because it cannot be determined from the inter-vehicle distance detected by the laser radar sensor whether the vehicle detected by the sensor is a vehicle capable of inter-vehicle communication.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a follow-up traveling control device that can more easily select a preceding vehicle that can be detected by a sensor and can be communicated between vehicles. There is to do.

The following traveling control device according to claim 1 and 2 includes a preceding vehicle position determining means for determining a positional relationship of the preceding vehicle with respect to the own vehicle based on a detection result of an obstacle sensor that detects the preceding vehicle of the own vehicle; Other vehicle position determination information acquisition means for sequentially acquiring other vehicle position determination information for determining the positional relationship of the other vehicle with respect to the vehicle from the other vehicle by inter-vehicle communication. And it is detected by the obstacle sensor based on the positional relationship of the preceding vehicle determined by the preceding vehicle position determining means and the other vehicle position determining information acquired by the other vehicle position determining information acquiring means by the same determining means. It is determined whether or not the preceding vehicle is the same as the other vehicle that has acquired the other vehicle position determination information through inter-vehicle communication.

  Since the other vehicle position determination information acquired by the other vehicle position determination information acquisition means is acquired from the other vehicle by inter-vehicle communication, it can be said that the other vehicle is a vehicle capable of inter-vehicle communication. In addition, since the other vehicle position determination information is information for determining the positional relationship of the other vehicle, the same determination means determines the positional relationship of the preceding vehicle with respect to the own vehicle and the positional relationship of the other vehicle with respect to the own vehicle. It is possible to determine whether or not the preceding vehicle and the other vehicle are the same. Based on the positional relationship with respect to the own vehicle, it is possible to accurately determine whether the preceding vehicle and the other vehicle are the same. Therefore, when it is determined by the same determination means that the preceding vehicle and the other vehicle are the same, there is a high possibility that the preceding vehicle is a vehicle capable of inter-vehicle communication.

Further, according to the first and second aspects, when it is determined that they are the same by the same determination means, the user is informed that the preceding vehicle of the own vehicle detected by the obstacle sensor is a vehicle capable of inter-vehicle communication. Since the notification means performs notification of information for recognition, the user can know that a vehicle that is likely to be a preceding vehicle capable of inter-vehicle communication is being detected by the obstacle sensor. Therefore, the user recognizes a preceding vehicle that can be detected by the sensor by the above notification and can communicate between vehicles, and the user performs an input operation while the obstacle sensor detects a vehicle that is likely to be a preceding vehicle that can communicate between vehicles. By performing the above, the vehicle can be determined as the follow-up destination by the selection means. Therefore, it is possible to more easily select a preceding vehicle that can be detected by the sensor and can communicate between vehicles.
If the distance to the preceding vehicle and the speed of the preceding vehicle are similar to the distance to the next succeeding vehicle of the other vehicle and the speed of the other vehicle, the preceding vehicle and the other vehicle may be the same. High nature. Therefore, according to the configuration of the first aspect, it is possible to increase the accuracy of the determination as to whether or not the preceding vehicle and the other vehicle are the same.
When the distance to the preceding vehicle and the speed of the preceding vehicle are similar to the distance to the other vehicle and the speed of the other vehicle, there is a higher possibility that the preceding vehicle and the other vehicle are the same. Therefore, according to the configuration of the second aspect, it is possible to increase the accuracy of the determination as to whether or not the preceding vehicle and the other vehicle are the same.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the notifying means notifies information indicating that the follow-up running control is being performed during the follow-up running control. According to this, the user can recognize whether or not the own vehicle is performing the traveling control following the preceding vehicle.

As in claim 4 , the notification means can no longer detect the preceding vehicle as the follow-up destination of the follow-up running control by the obstacle sensor, but the information of the preceding vehicle can be acquired from the preceding vehicle by inter-vehicle communication. In some cases, it is preferable to notify information for allowing the user to recognize the state. According to this, the obstacle vehicle cannot detect the preceding vehicle as the follow-up destination of the follow-up running control, but the user recognizes that the follow-up running control is being performed using the information transmitted by the inter-vehicle communication. Can do.

As in claim 5 , the notification means cannot detect the preceding vehicle as the follow-up destination of the follow-up running control by the obstacle sensor, and cannot acquire the information on the preceding vehicle transmitted from the preceding vehicle by inter-vehicle communication. If it is in the state, it is preferable to notify information for allowing the user to recognize the state. According to this, it is possible for the user to recognize that the vehicle cannot use the information transmitted by the inter-vehicle communication and cannot perform the follow-up running control for the preceding vehicle.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the notifying means performs notification by displaying at least one of an image and text on a display device. According to this, the user can visually recognize the notified information.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the vehicle further includes a straight traveling state determination unit that determines whether or not the host vehicle is in a straight traveling state. On the other hand, when it is determined that the host vehicle is not in the straight traveling state, the determination by the same determination means is not performed. When the vehicle is in a straight ahead state, the preceding vehicle detected by the obstacle sensor (that is, the vehicle regarded as the preceding vehicle) is actually the preceding vehicle, but when the vehicle is not in the straight ahead state, In some cases, the preceding vehicle detected by the obstacle sensor is not an actual preceding vehicle. Specifically, on a curved road, a vehicle on the opposite lane may be a vehicle that is present in the immediate front, and this vehicle may be regarded as a preceding vehicle. On the other hand, according to the configuration of the sixth aspect, when the straight vehicle state determining means determines that the own vehicle is in the straight traveling state, the same determining means performs determination, while when the own vehicle is determined not to be in the straight traveling state. Does not perform discrimination by the same discrimination means, so it is possible to communicate between the preceding vehicle detected by the obstacle sensor only when it is certain that the preceding vehicle detected by the obstacle sensor is the actual preceding vehicle. It is possible to determine that the vehicle is a preceding vehicle. Accordingly, it is possible to more accurately select a vehicle capable of inter-vehicle communication that should be the preceding vehicle to be followed.

As in claim 8 , when the follow-up running control is performed, the approach and separation state with respect to the preceding vehicle is an index that represents the speed of the preceding vehicle, and increases as the relative speed approaching the preceding vehicle increases. In addition, an index that becomes larger as the inter-vehicle distance with the preceding vehicle becomes shorter and increases as the inter-vehicle distance becomes shorter becomes steeper as the inter-vehicle distance becomes shorter as a corrected approach / separation state evaluation index, and corrected approach / separation state evaluation It is preferable to perform follow-up running control using an index. It has already been recognized by academic societies and the like that when speed control is performed using the corrected approaching / separating state evaluation index, speed control without a sense of incongruity for the driver can be performed. Therefore, by performing the follow-up running control using the corrected approaching / separating state evaluation index, smooth acceleration / deceleration control without a sense of incongruity for the driver can be performed.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a follow-up travel control system 100. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the schematic structure of vehicle control ECU1. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the follow-up preceding vehicle determination process in vehicle control ECU1. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state which the following vehicle has caught the preceding vehicle which can communicate between vehicles, by the radar 8. FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the display of followable preceding vehicle capture information. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of a display of the following running information. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the alerting | reporting change process in vehicle control ECU1. It is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the following vehicle can no longer capture the preceding vehicle by the radar 8, but the inter-vehicle communication with the preceding vehicle is made. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of a display of radar lost notification information. It is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the following vehicle can no longer capture the preceding vehicle by the radar 8 and cannot perform inter-vehicle communication with the preceding vehicle. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of a display of follow-up running impossible notification information. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the capture-related process in vehicle control ECU1. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of a display of to-be-captured notification information. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the display before the display of to-be-captured notification information. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of a display of the following vehicle follow-up impossible notification information.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a follow-up traveling control system 100 to which the present invention is applied. A follow-up travel control system 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes two follow-up travel control devices (specifically, vehicle control ECU 1) mounted on each of a plurality of vehicles (vehicles A and B).

  In addition, in FIG. 1, although the structure which contains two following driving control apparatuses in the following driving control system 100 was shown, it does not necessarily restrict to this. The following traveling control system 100 may include a number of following traveling control devices other than three mounted on each vehicle. However, for the sake of convenience, the following description will be continued assuming that the following traveling control system 100 includes two following traveling control devices, one mounted on each of the vehicles A and B.

  Here, a schematic configuration of the vehicle control ECU 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the vehicle control ECU 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle control ECU 1 is connected to the VSC_ECU 2, the steering angle sensor 3, the G sensor 4, the yaw rate sensor 5, the ENG_ECU 6, the wireless communication device 7, the radar 8, the operation SW 9, and the display device 10 so as to be able to exchange electronic information. Has been. For example, in this embodiment, the vehicle control ECU 1, VSC_ECU 2, rudder angle sensor 3, G sensor 4, yaw rate sensor 5, ENG_ECU 6, and wireless communication device 7 are each in an in-vehicle LAN compliant with a communication protocol such as CAN (controller area network). It shall be connected.

  The VSC_ECU 2 controls a brake actuator (not shown) that applies a braking force to the host vehicle, and has a control function of VSC (Vehicle Stability Control (registered trademark)) that suppresses a side slip of the host vehicle. The VSC_ECU 2 receives information on the requested deceleration from the in-vehicle LAN, and controls the brake actuator so that the requested deceleration is generated in the own vehicle. Further, the VSC_ECU 2 transmits information on the speed (vehicle speed) Vo of the own vehicle and the brake pressure to the in-vehicle LAN. The steering angle sensor 3 is a sensor that detects information on the steering angle of the steering of the host vehicle, and transmits information on the detected steering angle to the in-vehicle LAN.

  The G sensor 4 is an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration (front-rear G) generated in the front-rear direction of the host vehicle and acceleration (lateral G) generated in the lateral (left-right) direction, and information on the detected front-rear G and lateral G is detected. Is transmitted to the in-vehicle LAN. The yaw rate sensor 5 is a sensor that detects an angular velocity (yaw rate) around the vertical axis of the host vehicle, and transmits information on the detected yaw rate to the in-vehicle LAN. The ENG_ECU 6 receives information on the requested acceleration from the in-vehicle LAN, and controls a throttle actuator (not shown) so that the own vehicle generates the requested acceleration. In addition, when the information on the requested deceleration is received, the engine brake is generated by controlling the throttle actuator.

  The wireless communication device 7 includes a transmission / reception antenna and distributes information on the own vehicle and receives information on other vehicles by wireless communication with other vehicles existing around the position of the own vehicle without going through the telephone network (that is, information on other vehicles). Vehicle-to-vehicle communication). It is assumed that the communication range of inter-vehicle communication is limited to a predetermined range (preferably a radius of about several hundred m to 1 km). For example, in the case of wireless communication using a 700 MHz band radio wave, vehicle-to-vehicle communication is performed with another vehicle existing at a radius of, for example, about 1 km around the position of the host vehicle, and a 5.9 GHz band radio wave is transmitted. In the case of wireless communication using the vehicle, vehicle-to-vehicle communication is performed with another vehicle that exists in a range of, for example, a radius of about 500 m centered on the own vehicle position.

  The wireless communication device 7 transmits vehicle information obtained from the in-vehicle LAN, such as the speed Vo of the own vehicle and the distance to the subsequent vehicle of the own vehicle, at a constant transmission cycle such as every 100 msec. . In addition, the wireless communication device 7 receives vehicle information of another vehicle transmitted from the wireless communication device 7 mounted on another vehicle that is a vehicle other than the host vehicle. The wireless communication device 7 outputs the received information to the vehicle control ECU 1.

  The radar 8 is, for example, a well-known laser radar, which irradiates a predetermined range ahead of the host vehicle with laser light and receives the reflected light to receive the preceding vehicle of the host vehicle, the inter-vehicle distance D between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle. Relative speed Vr, a deviation amount (lateral deviation amount) between the center axis of the own vehicle width and the center axis of the preceding vehicle, and the like are output to the vehicle control ECU 1. The vehicle control ECU 1 may detect the inter-vehicle distance D with the preceding vehicle, the relative speed Vr with the preceding vehicle, the misalignment amount (lateral shift amount) between the center width of the host vehicle and the center axis of the preceding vehicle, and the like. Good. In the present embodiment, the above description will be continued on the assumption that the detection is performed by the vehicle control ECU 1 based on the signal of the radar 8. Therefore, the radar 8 corresponds to the obstacle sensor in the claims.

  In addition to the radar 8 described above, a radar 8 that irradiates laser light to a predetermined range behind the host vehicle is provided, and the distance to the following vehicle of the host vehicle is determined by the vehicle control ECU 1 based on the signal from the radar 8. It is good also as a structure to detect. In the present embodiment, an example will be described in which the vehicle control ECU 1 detects the distance to the following vehicle of the own vehicle based on the signal of the radar 8 that irradiates laser light to a predetermined range behind the own vehicle. .

  Moreover, although the structure which uses the radar 8 as an obstacle sensor of a claim was shown, it does not necessarily restrict to this. As the obstacle sensor, other sensors may be used as long as they can be used to detect the distance to the other vehicle and the relative speed. For example, a millimeter wave radar or a camera can be used. For example, in the case of using cameras, the vehicle control ECU 1 detects the presence of another vehicle and the distance between the other vehicles using the stereo images of the two cameras, or detects other vehicles in the images sequentially captured. What is necessary is just to set it as the structure which detects relative speed by vehicle control ECU1 based on the change of a magnitude | size.

  The operation SW 9 is a switch group operated by the driver of the own vehicle, and operation information of the switch group is output to the vehicle control ECU 1. The display device 10 displays text and images and is provided in the passenger compartment. The display device 10 is provided so that a passenger of the own vehicle can see texts and images. For example, the display device 10 may be configured to use a head-up display (HUD), or may be configured to use a display used in an in-vehicle navigation device. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which uses the display provided in the instrument panel etc. separately from the display used for a vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus.

  The vehicle control ECU 1 is mainly configured as a microcomputer, and each includes a known CPU, ROM, RAM, I / O, and a bus connecting them. The vehicle control ECU 1 executes various processes based on various information input from the VSC_ECU 2, the steering angle sensor 3, the G sensor 4, the yaw rate sensor 5, the ENG_ECU 6, the wireless communication device 7, the radar 8, and the operation SW 9. The vehicle control ECU 1 corresponds to the following travel control device.

  The vehicle control ECU 1 sequentially acquires vehicle information such as the speed Vo of the host vehicle and the distance to the subsequent vehicle of the host vehicle obtained from the in-vehicle LAN. The vehicle control ECU 1 acquires the vehicle information at regular intervals, for example, and transmits the vehicle information from the wireless communication device 7. For example, as the vehicle information, the speed Vo of the own vehicle is obtained from the VSC_ECU 2, and the distance to the following vehicle of the own vehicle may be obtained by detecting based on the signal of the radar 8. Therefore, the vehicle control ECU 1 corresponds to the own vehicle speed acquisition means.

  When transmitting vehicle information, the identification information which can specify the own vehicle is given and transmitted. As identification information, vehicle ID, apparatus ID of the wireless communication apparatus 7, etc. can be used, for example. When transmitting vehicle information, for example, a time stamp indicating the time when the vehicle information is detected may be given and transmitted. As the time mentioned here, a time synchronized with the time of the atomic clock of the satellite in the satellite positioning system (for example, GPS time may be used. In the present embodiment, when transmitting vehicle information, the wireless communication device 7 is used. The following description will be continued on the assumption that the device ID and the GPS time as a time stamp are transmitted.

  Further, the vehicle control ECU 1 acquires the vehicle information of the other vehicle transmitted from the wireless communication device 7 of the other vehicle through inter-vehicle communication via the wireless communication device 7 of the own vehicle. Vehicle control ECU1 should just store the vehicle information acquired from the other vehicle in memory, such as RAM. In addition, the vehicle information that has passed for a certain period of time or more after the acquisition is erased, and among the newly acquired vehicle information, the same device ID as the device ID assigned to the already stored vehicle information is assigned. For things, overwrite the old vehicle information. In addition, among the newly acquired vehicle information, information to which a device ID different from the device ID assigned to already stored vehicle information is assigned is stored in the memory. The fixed time here is a value that can be arbitrarily set, and may be set to, for example, several seconds. As a result, only the latest vehicle information of other vehicles that can regularly perform inter-vehicle communication is stored in the memory.

  The vehicle control ECU 1 performs follow-up running control using various devices connected by an in-vehicle LAN or the like. The follow-up running control starts when the driver operates the operation SW 9 to give an instruction to start follow-up running control, and the follow-up running control ends when the driver finishes the operation. In the present embodiment, for example, in the state where the main switch of the cruise control switch as the operation SW 9 is turned on, the tracking start control is started by turning on the control start switch of the cruise control switch, and the control end switch is turned on. The case where the follow-up running control is terminated will be described as an example. It should be noted that in the state where the main switch of the cruise control switch is turned off, it is not possible to issue a follow-up running control start instruction and the following-following preceding vehicle determination process described later is not executed.

  Further, the vehicle control ECU 1 detects the distance from the preceding vehicle detected by the radar 8 at the time when the follow-up running control start instruction is given based on the signal from the radar 8, and this detected distance (that is, the preceding For example, the initial inter-vehicle distance) is set as the target inter-vehicle distance Dt.

  The follow-up traveling control is terminated when a brake operation of the own vehicle is detected or when information transmitted from the preceding vehicle through inter-vehicle communication cannot be received. As a case where the information transmitted by the inter-vehicle communication cannot be received, for example, the case where the information transmitted by the inter-vehicle communication from the preceding vehicle is not received for a certain time or more can be cited.

  The follow-up running control is assumed to be started after determination of a vehicle capable of vehicle-to-vehicle communication that should be the preceding vehicle for the host vehicle (hereinafter referred to as follow-up preceding vehicle determining process). Here, the follow-up preceding vehicle determination process will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the following vehicle determination process in the vehicle control ECU 1. The flow in FIG. 3 is started when, for example, the main switch of the cruise control switch is turned on. Note that the flow in FIG. 3 also ends when the main switch is turned off.

  First, in step S1, it is determined whether or not the host vehicle is in a straight traveling state. Therefore, the vehicle control ECU 1 corresponds to the straight-running state determination means in the claims. Whether or not the host vehicle is in a straight traveling state may be determined based on the steering angle of the host vehicle obtained from the steering angle sensor 3. For example, the configuration may be such that when the steering angle from the neutral position of the steering is within a predetermined angle, the host vehicle is determined to be in a straight traveling state. If it is determined that the vehicle is in a straight traveling state (YES in step S1), the process proceeds to step S2. If it is determined that the host vehicle is not in a straight traveling state (NO in step S1), the flow in step S1 is repeated.

  In step S2, a sensor detection process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S3. In the sensor detection process, detection of the preceding vehicle of the host vehicle is started based on the signal from the radar 8. Specifically, when no obstacle is detected based on the signal from the radar 8, it is assumed that the preceding vehicle of the host vehicle has not been detected. Further, when an obstacle is detected based on the signal from the radar 8, other vehicles or structures other than the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle are determined from the relative speed and distance of the obstacle in the same manner as in the known technology. When the preceding vehicle is determined, it is assumed that the preceding vehicle of the own vehicle has been detected.

  When the own vehicle is in a straight traveling state, the preceding vehicle detected based on the signal from the radar 8 (that is, the vehicle regarded as the preceding vehicle) is an actual preceding vehicle, but the own vehicle is not in the straight traveling state. In some cases, the preceding vehicle detected based on the signal from the radar 8 may not be an actual preceding vehicle. On the other hand, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, the sensor detection process is performed when it is determined that the host vehicle is in a straight traveling state. Therefore, the preceding vehicle detected based on the signal from the radar 8 is an actual preceding vehicle. It is certain that there is.

  In step S3, when the preceding vehicle of the own vehicle is detected (YES in step S3), the process proceeds to step S4. If the preceding vehicle of the host vehicle is not detected (NO in step S3), the process returns to step S1 and the flow is repeated.

  In step S4, it is determined whether or not the vehicle information (specifically, information on the speed of the other vehicle and the distance to the subsequent vehicle of the other vehicle) transmitted from the wireless communication device 7 of the other vehicle is acquired. For example, what is necessary is just to set it as the structure which determines with acquiring the vehicle information of another vehicle based on the vehicle information received with the radio | wireless communication apparatus 7 being stored in memory. The vehicle information transmitted from the other vehicle corresponds to the determination information in the claims, and the vehicle control ECU 1 corresponds to the other vehicle position determination information acquisition means in the claims.

  And when it determines with having acquired the vehicle information of another vehicle (it is YES at step S4), it moves to step S5. If it is determined that the vehicle information of the other vehicle has not been acquired (NO in step S4), the process returns to step S1 and the flow is repeated.

  In step S5, a preceding vehicle position determination process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S6. In the preceding vehicle position determination process, the distance D between the preceding vehicle (that is, the distance from the host vehicle to the preceding vehicle) is detected based on the signal from the radar 8 as described above, and the distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle is detected. The distance D is determined. Therefore, the inter-vehicle distance D with the preceding vehicle corresponds to the positional relationship of the preceding vehicle with respect to the subject vehicle in the claims, and the vehicle control ECU 1 corresponds to the preceding vehicle position determining means in the claims. In the preceding vehicle position determination process, the relative speed Vr with the preceding vehicle is detected based on the signal from the radar 8 as described above. Then, the speed Vp of the preceding vehicle is calculated from the relative speed Vr with respect to the preceding vehicle detected based on the signal from the radar 8 and the own vehicle speed Vo obtained from the in-vehicle LAN, and the speed Vp of the preceding vehicle is determined. . Therefore, the vehicle control ECU 1 corresponds to the preceding vehicle speed determination means.

  In step S6, the other vehicle position determination process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S7. In the other vehicle position determination process, the vehicle information that has been acquired is read from the memory, and the speed of the other vehicle specified by the device ID given to the vehicle information and the distance from the other vehicle to the subsequent vehicle are determined.

  In addition, in this embodiment, although the structure which performs an other vehicle position determination process after performing the preceding vehicle position determination process was shown, it does not necessarily restrict to this. For example, the preceding vehicle position determination process may be performed after the other vehicle position determination process is performed, or the preceding vehicle position determination process and the other vehicle position determination process may be performed in parallel.

  In step S7, the same determination process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S8. In the same discrimination process, the same vehicle is determined depending on whether the preceding vehicle detected based on the signal of the radar 8 and the other vehicle from which the received vehicle information is transmitted are approximate in terms of the inter-vehicle distance and speed. It is determined whether or not. Therefore, the vehicle control ECU 1 corresponds to the same determination means in the claims. Specifically, the inter-vehicle distance D between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle determined in the preceding vehicle position determination process and the speed Vp of the preceding vehicle, the distance from the other vehicle determined in the other vehicle position determination process, and the other vehicle Whether or not the preceding vehicle and the other vehicle are the same vehicle is determined according to whether or not the speed of the vehicle matches the vehicle speed within a certain range. Specifically, if the difference in both distance and speed is equal to or less than a predetermined value, it may be determined that the preceding vehicle and the other vehicle are the same vehicle. The predetermined value here is a value that can be arbitrarily set. For example, the same determination process may be performed for all other vehicles that have transmitted vehicle information stored in the memory.

  In step S8, when there is another vehicle determined to be the same as the preceding vehicle in the same determination processing (YES in step S8), the process proceeds to step S9. If there is no other vehicle determined to be the same as the preceding vehicle in the same determination processing (NO in step S8), the flow returns to step S1 and the flow is repeated.

  In step S9, a followable preceding vehicle capture notification process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S10. In the followable preceding vehicle capture notification process, the user is made to recognize that the preceding vehicle detected based on the signal from the radar 8 (that is, captured by the radar 8) is a preceding vehicle capable of inter-vehicle communication. Information (hereinafter, followable preceding vehicle capture information) is displayed on the display device 10. Therefore, the vehicle control ECU 1 corresponds to the notifying means in the claims.

  Here, the display of the followable preceding vehicle capture information will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the preceding vehicle is capturing the preceding vehicle capable of inter-vehicle communication with the radar 8. Here, the description will be made on the assumption that A in FIG. 4 is the own vehicle, B is the preceding vehicle, and C is the detection range of the radar 8 of the own vehicle. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of display of followable preceding vehicle capture information.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the preceding vehicle capable of inter-vehicle communication is being captured by the radar 8, in the present embodiment, for example, the display device 10 displays as shown in FIG. 5. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, an image display (D in the figure for the own vehicle and E in the figure for the preceding vehicle) indicating the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle is performed, and the display of the preceding vehicle is displayed. Highlight. In addition, a display indicating that a preceding vehicle can be selected as a follow-up destination, such as a text display (F in the figure) such as “automatic follow-up set possible” is also performed. These displays allow the user to recognize that the preceding vehicle capable of inter-vehicle communication is being captured by the radar 8.

  The display of the followable preceding vehicle capture information is performed continuously, for example. Note that the display of the followable preceding vehicle capture information may be intermittently performed. The display of the followable preceding vehicle capture information is stopped when the preceding vehicle capable of inter-vehicle communication is not captured by the radar 8, or is stopped when the display is switched to the following follow-up running information display. What is necessary is just to be the structure to do.

  Returning to FIG. 3, in step S10, a selection determination process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S11. In the selection determination process, it is determined whether or not the preceding vehicle has been selected as the follow-up destination. In the present embodiment, for example, in a state where a preceding vehicle capable of inter-vehicle communication is captured by the radar 8, when the control start switch of the cruise control switch is turned on by the user, the preceding vehicle is selected as the follow-up destination. To do. Therefore, when the control start switch is turned on by the user, it is determined that the preceding vehicle has been selected as the follow-up destination. When the control start switch is not turned on by the user, it is determined that the preceding vehicle is not selected as the follow-up destination. Therefore, the vehicle control ECU 1 corresponds to the selection means in the claims.

  If the preceding vehicle capable of inter-vehicle communication is not captured by the radar 8, the preceding vehicle can be detected even when the followable preceding vehicle capturing information is not displayed or the control start switch is turned on by the user. It is preferable to adopt a configuration in which the tracking destination is not selected. According to this, it is possible to avoid a preceding vehicle that is not capable of inter-vehicle communication as a follow-up destination.

  If it is determined in step S11 that the preceding vehicle has been selected as the follow-up destination in the selection determination process (YES in step S11), the process proceeds to step S12. If it is determined in the selection determination process that the preceding vehicle is not selected as the follow-up destination (NO in step S11), the process returns to step S10 and the flow is repeated. In addition, since it may be possible that the preceding vehicle has been replaced due to an interruption or the like after a lapse of time since the followable preceding vehicle capture information has been displayed, a certain time has elapsed since the followable preceding vehicle capture information was displayed. In the case where it is determined that the preceding vehicle is not selected as the follow-up destination in the selection determination process, the flow may be repeated by returning to step S1. The certain time here is a time that can be arbitrarily set.

  In step S12, a preceding vehicle determination process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S13. In the preceding vehicle determination process, the selected preceding vehicle is determined as the follow-up destination and the follow-up running control is started. When the selected preceding vehicle is determined as the follow-up destination, the display device 10 displays the follow-up running information as shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the display of the following traveling information. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, an image display (D in the figure for the own vehicle and E in the figure for the preceding vehicle) indicating the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle is performed, and the display of the preceding vehicle is displayed. Highlight. In addition, the following traveling control is being performed with respect to the preceding vehicle such as a text display (G in the figure) such as “automatic following” or a display including a text such as “set” (H in the figure). The display which shows that is also performed. And by these displays, a user is made to recognize that it is under following run control to a preceding vehicle.

  Returning to FIG. 3, in step S13, follow-up destination selection information transmission processing is performed, and the flow ends. In the follow-up destination selection information transmission process, follow-up destination selection information indicating that the preceding vehicle of the host vehicle is selected as the follow-up destination of the follow-up travel is transmitted via the wireless communication device 7. For example, the follow-up destination selection information may be configured to be transmitted together with vehicle information transmitted at a constant transmission cycle. Moreover, what is necessary is just to set it as the structure which assign | provides apparatus ID provided to the vehicle information of the said preceding vehicle so that the following vehicle of the following destination can be specified to tracking destination selection information. Thereby, in the vehicle control ECU 1 of the other vehicle that has acquired the follow-up destination selection information via the wireless communication device 7, whether the own vehicle is selected as the follow-up destination, or whether another vehicle other than the own vehicle is selected as the follow-up destination. Can be determined.

  During the follow-up running control, for example, while the follow-up running information as shown in FIG. 6 is displayed on the display device 10, the flow returns to step S1 to repeat the flow, and the preceding vehicle capable of inter-vehicle communication is set to the radar 8. 6 may be configured to stop the display as shown in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration in which the follow-up destination selection information transmission process is performed after the preceding vehicle determination process is shown, but the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the preceding vehicle determination process may be performed after the follow-up destination selection information transmission process, or the preceding vehicle determination process and the follow-up destination selection information transmission process may be performed in parallel.

  Here, the effect in this invention is demonstrated. When the positional relationship with respect to the own vehicle is approximate, there is a high possibility that the preceding vehicle and the other vehicle determined in the same determination process are the same. In the present embodiment, the relationship between the distance from the own vehicle to the preceding vehicle and the distance to the next succeeding vehicle of the other vehicle is the distance from the own vehicle to the preceding vehicle and the next succeeding vehicle of the preceding vehicle. This corresponds to the case where the distance to the vehicle is the same. In addition, when the speeds of the preceding vehicle and the other vehicle are approximate, it is more likely that the preceding vehicle and the other vehicle determined by the same determination process are the same. Therefore, when it is determined in the same determination process that the preceding vehicle and the other vehicle are the same, there is a high possibility that the preceding vehicle is a vehicle capable of inter-vehicle communication.

  Further, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, when it is determined that they are the same in the same determination process, information for allowing the user to recognize that the preceding vehicle captured by the radar 8 is a preceding vehicle capable of inter-vehicle communication. Is displayed, the user can know that the radar 8 is capturing a vehicle that is likely to be a preceding vehicle capable of inter-vehicle communication. Therefore, it is possible to easily select a vehicle that is highly likely to be a preceding vehicle capable of vehicle-to-vehicle communication as a preceding vehicle to be followed based on the above display.

  In the present embodiment, in the same determination process, the inter-vehicle distance D between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle determined in the preceding vehicle position determination process, the speed Vp of the preceding vehicle, and the subsequent vehicle determined in the other vehicle position determination process. Although a configuration has been shown in which it is determined whether the preceding vehicle and the other vehicle are the same depending on whether the distance to the vehicle and the speed of the other vehicle are approximate, but the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, depending on whether or not the distance D between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle determined in the preceding vehicle position determination process and the distance from the other vehicle determined in the other vehicle position determination process to the subsequent vehicle are approximate, It is good also as a structure which discriminate | determines whether a preceding vehicle and another vehicle are the same.

  In addition, whether or not the inter-vehicle distance D between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle determined in the preceding vehicle position determination process and the distance from the host vehicle to the other vehicle determined from the vehicle information acquired from the other vehicle are approximate. Accordingly, it may be configured to determine whether or not the preceding vehicle and the other vehicle are the same. In this case, the distance from the own vehicle to the other vehicle may be determined in the vehicle control ECU 1 as follows. First, at the time of transmission, the GPS time at the time of transmission is given and the vehicle information is transmitted, and at the time of reception, the GPS time at the time of reception of the vehicle information is acquired. Then, the distance from the own vehicle to the other vehicle is calculated based on the propagation time of the vehicle information calculated from the GPS time at the time of transmission given to the vehicle information and the acquired GPS time at the time of reception.

  Further, the distance from the host vehicle to the other vehicle may be determined in the vehicle control ECU 1 as follows. First, a position detector (not shown) is mounted on the own vehicle so that the current position of the own vehicle can be sequentially acquired and the current position of the own vehicle is included in the vehicle information and transmitted. That is, the vehicle information received from the other vehicle includes the current position of the other vehicle. Then, based on the current position of the own vehicle acquired from the position detector of the own vehicle and the current position of the other vehicle acquired by inter-vehicle communication via the wireless communication device 7, the own vehicle and the other Calculate the distance to the car. Note that the association of the current position between the host vehicle and the nearest preceding vehicle at the same point is performed using the GPS time at the time when the current position is detected. Therefore, the vehicle control ECU 1 corresponds to other vehicle position determination means in the claims.

  When the distance from the own vehicle to the preceding vehicle and the distance from the own vehicle to another vehicle are approximate, there is a higher possibility that the preceding vehicle and the other vehicle are the same. Therefore, according to the above configuration, the user can know that the radar 8 is capturing a vehicle that is more likely to be a preceding vehicle capable of inter-vehicle communication.

  In addition, when the speed of the other vehicle is included in the vehicle information, the inter-vehicle distance D between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle determined in the preceding vehicle position determination process, the speed of the preceding vehicle, and the vehicle information acquired from the other vehicle It may be configured to determine whether or not the preceding vehicle and the other vehicle are the same depending on whether or not the determined distance from the own vehicle to the other vehicle and the speed of the other vehicle are approximate.

  The position detector includes a geomagnetic sensor that detects geomagnetism, a gyroscope that detects the angular velocity of the vehicle around the vertical direction, a distance sensor that detects the movement distance of the vehicle, and the current position of the vehicle based on radio waves from the satellite. What is necessary is just to use what detects the present position of a vehicle sequentially based on the information obtained from each sensor, such as a GPS receiver for GPS (global positioning system) which detects. In addition, about each above-mentioned sensor, depending on the precision of each sensor, you may comprise by some of the above-mentioned, and it is good also as a structure using sensors other than the above-mentioned.

  Moreover, it is good also as a structure which discriminate | determines whether a preceding vehicle and another vehicle are the same according to whether the relative position of the preceding vehicle with respect to the own vehicle and the relative position of the other vehicle with respect to the own vehicle are approximate. . In this case, the relative position of the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle may be determined by using the radar 8 that detects the azimuth of the target based on the phase difference between the received waves at the plurality of receiving antennas.

  Moreover, what is necessary is just to set it as the structure calculated | required as follows about the relative position of the other vehicle with respect to the own vehicle. First, the above-described position detector is mounted on the own vehicle so that the current position of the own vehicle can be sequentially acquired and the current position of the own vehicle is included in the vehicle information and transmitted. That is, the vehicle information received from the other vehicle includes the current position of the other vehicle. Then, based on the current position of the own vehicle acquired from the position detector of the own vehicle and the current position of the other vehicle acquired by inter-vehicle communication via the wireless communication device 7, Calculate the relative position of the car. Note that the association of the current position between the host vehicle and the nearest preceding vehicle at the same point is performed using the GPS time at the time when the current position is detected. Therefore, vehicle control ECU1 is equivalent to the own vehicle position acquisition means of a claim.

  When the relative position of the preceding vehicle with respect to the own vehicle and the relative position of the other vehicle with respect to the own vehicle are close to each other, there is a high possibility that the preceding vehicle and the other vehicle are the same. Therefore, according to the above configuration, the user can know that the radar 8 is capturing a vehicle that is very likely to be a preceding vehicle capable of inter-vehicle communication.

  Also, based on the distance from the host vehicle to the preceding vehicle and information on whether or not the vehicle is ahead of the host vehicle, and the information on the distance from the host vehicle to another vehicle and whether or not the vehicle is in front of the host vehicle. Furthermore, it may be configured to determine whether the preceding vehicle and the other vehicle are the same. In this case, as the distance from the own vehicle to the preceding vehicle, the inter-vehicle distance D between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle determined in the preceding vehicle position determination process may be used. Moreover, since it is a preceding vehicle about the information of whether it exists ahead of the own vehicle, it becomes information that it exists ahead of the own vehicle. On the other hand, as described above, the distance from the host vehicle to the other vehicle may be calculated from the current positions of the host vehicle and the other vehicle. The information about whether or not the other vehicle exists ahead of the own vehicle is obtained by determining whether or not the other vehicle exists ahead of the own vehicle from the current position of the own vehicle and the other vehicle. And it is sufficient. Specifically, if both the preceding vehicle and the other vehicle are present in front of the own vehicle, and the distance from the own vehicle to the preceding vehicle and the distance from the own vehicle to the vehicle are approximate, What is necessary is just to set it as the structure which determines that a vehicle and another vehicle are the same.

  That is, in the preceding configuration, in the preceding vehicle position determination process, the distance from the own vehicle to the preceding vehicle as the positional relationship of the preceding vehicle with respect to the own vehicle based on the signal of the radar 8 (detection result of the obstacle sensor). And it determines that the said preceding vehicle is located ahead of the own vehicle. Further, the current position of the other vehicle is sequentially acquired via the wireless communication device 7 as determination information for determining the positional relationship of the other vehicle with respect to the own vehicle. Subsequently, based on the acquired current position of the other vehicle and the current position of the own vehicle acquired from the position detector, the distance from the own vehicle to the other vehicle and whether the other vehicle is positioned in front of the own vehicle. To decide. In the same discrimination process, the distance to the preceding vehicle with respect to the determined own vehicle and that the preceding vehicle is positioned in front of the own vehicle, and the determined distance to the other vehicle and the other vehicle are positioned in front of the own vehicle. It is determined whether or not the preceding vehicle and the other vehicle are the same by comparing the result of whether or not to do so.

  In addition, when it is set as the structure which does not include the distance to a following vehicle in vehicle information, it is good also as a structure which does not have the radar 8 which irradiates a laser beam to the predetermined range behind the own vehicle.

Further, the vehicle control ECU 1 performs follow-up running control using the corrected approaching / separating state evaluation index KdB_c. Here, the corrected approach / separation state evaluation index KdB_c will be described. The corrected approaching / separating state evaluation index KdB_c is obtained by correcting the approaching / separating state evaluation index KdB in consideration of the speed of the preceding vehicle. The approaching / separating state evaluation index KdB is an index that represents the degree of change per unit time of the area of the assumed image assuming an image seen by the driver's eyes of the front object. The approaching / separating state evaluation index KdB and the corrected approaching / separating state evaluation index KdB_c are expressed by, for example, the following formulas 1 and 2, respectively. In equations 1 and 2, D is the distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle, Vr is the relative speed of the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle, a is a multiplier, and Vp is the speed of the preceding vehicle.

  As shown in Equation 2, the corrected approaching / separating state evaluation index KdB_c increases as the absolute value of the relative speed Vr approaching the preceding vehicle increases. Moreover, it becomes small, so that the speed Vp of a preceding vehicle is high. Moreover, it becomes larger as the inter-vehicle distance becomes shorter. Further, since the inter-vehicle distance D is a cube term, the increasing gradient of the corrected approaching / separating state evaluation index KdB_c with respect to the change in which the inter-vehicle distance D becomes shorter becomes steeper as the inter-vehicle distance D becomes shorter. It has already been recognized by academic societies and the like that when speed control is performed using the corrected approaching / separating state evaluation index KdB_c, speed control without a sense of incongruity for the driver can be performed. Therefore, by performing the follow-up running control using the corrected approaching / separating state evaluation index KdB_c, it is possible to perform smooth acceleration / deceleration control that does not give the driver a sense of incongruity.

In a memory such as a ROM of the vehicle control ECU 1, for example, three threshold expressions, a friction brake start threshold expression, an engine brake start threshold expression, and an acceleration control end threshold expression, are stored. Each of these threshold expressions is an expression obtained by adding an offset value to the brake discriminant. Formula 3 shows the brake discriminant.

  This brake discriminant is an expression showing the relationship between the corrected approaching / separating state evaluation index KdB_c and the inter-vehicle distance D at the start of the brake operation of the driver, and in Expression 3, a, b, and c are all constants. Determined based on experiments. A means a in Formula 2. a, b, and c are, for example, 0.2, −22.66, and 74.71, respectively.

Since the brake discriminant is an expression shown in Expression 3, the friction brake start threshold expression, the engine brake start threshold expression, and the acceleration control end threshold expression are all expressions shown in Expression 4. Δc in Equation 4 is an offset value. As this offset value, the first brake offset value Δc1 is used in the friction brake start threshold equation, and the second brake offset value Δc2 is used in the engine brake start threshold equation, and the acceleration control ends. In the threshold type, an acceleration offset value Δc3 is used. These offset values Δc1, Δc2, and Δc3 are, for example, −3 dB, −4 dB, and −6 dB.

  Due to the magnitude relationship of the offset values, the corrected approach / separation state evaluation index KdB_c at the same inter-vehicle distance D decreases in the order of the brake discriminant formula, the friction brake start threshold formula, the engine brake start threshold formula, and the acceleration control end threshold formula.

  Hereinafter, the content of the follow-up running control will be described in detail. The vehicle control ECU 1 sequentially calculates the current value of KdB_c during the follow-up running control. KdB_c is calculated from the evaluation index calculation formula shown in Formula 2. Therefore, to calculate the current value of KdB_c, it is necessary to determine the relative speed Vr, the speed Vp of the preceding vehicle, and the inter-vehicle distance D. The relative speed Vr and the inter-vehicle distance D are determined based on a signal from the radar 8, for example. The speed Vp of the preceding vehicle is calculated from the relative speed Vr and the speed Vo of the host vehicle from the VSC_ECU2. Then, by substituting these into Equation 2, the current value of KdB_c is calculated sequentially.

  Note that the speed Vp of the preceding vehicle may be sequentially acquired from the preceding vehicle via the wireless communication device 7. In this case, the relative speed Vr may be sequentially calculated from the speed Vo of the own vehicle sequentially acquired from the VSC_ECU 2 and the speed Vp of the preceding vehicle sequentially acquired via the wireless communication device 7. The inter-vehicle distance D may be determined by calculating a distance increase / decrease from the target inter-vehicle distance Dt based on the sequentially calculated relative speed Vr. In addition, it is good also as a structure which uses the stable inter-vehicle distance in Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-99199 for which this applicant applied previously instead of the target inter-vehicle distance Dt.

  The vehicle control ECU 1 sequentially calculates three threshold values, that is, a friction brake start threshold value, an engine brake start threshold value, and an acceleration control end threshold value during the follow-up running control. These are calculated from three threshold expressions stored in the memory, that is, a friction brake start threshold expression, an engine brake start threshold expression, an acceleration control end threshold expression, and a current value of the inter-vehicle distance D.

  The vehicle control ECU 1 compares the target inter-vehicle distance Dt with the current inter-vehicle distance D during the follow-up traveling control, and if the current inter-vehicle distance D is shorter than the target inter-vehicle distance Dt, the current value of KdB_c is determined. Regardless of the value, the VSC_ECU 2 is instructed to operate the friction brake.

On the other hand, when the current inter-vehicle distance D is longer than the target inter-vehicle distance Dt, the current value of KdB_c is compared with the friction brake start threshold, the engine brake start threshold, and the acceleration control end threshold. As a result of the comparison, there are the following results (1) to (4). That is, (1) when the current value of KdB_c is higher than the friction brake start threshold, (2) when the current value of KdB_c is between the friction brake start threshold and the engine brake start threshold, (3) the current value of KdB_c is When it is between the brake start threshold value and the acceleration control end threshold value, (4) the current value of the corrected approaching / separating state evaluation index may be lower than the acceleration control end threshold value. In the case of (1), the friction brake is operated, in the case of (2), the engine brake is operated, in the case of (3), the host vehicle is driven at a constant speed, and in the case of (4), the acceleration is accelerated. Take control. The required acceleration / deceleration GDp when the host vehicle is decelerated or accelerated is calculated by, for example, the following formula 5. A positive value is the required acceleration, and a negative value is the required deceleration.

  Vr_t in Equation 5 is a target relative speed obtained by substituting KdB_c at the current inter-vehicle distance D obtained from the brake discriminant into Equation 2. T is a divisor for converting the difference between the current relative speed Vr of the host vehicle and the target relative speed Vr_t into the required acceleration / deceleration GDp, and is set as appropriate.

  Here, even if the relative speed Vr1, the speed Vp of the following vehicle and the inter-vehicle distance D are determined based on the vehicle information obtained by inter-vehicle communication, the configuration is determined based on the signal of the radar 8 of the own vehicle. However, in the present embodiment, these are used properly. In detail, while the preceding vehicle can be detected by the radar 8, the determination is made based on the signal of the radar 8 of the own vehicle, and when the preceding vehicle cannot be detected by the radar 8 (that is, when the radar is lost), the vehicle is It is good also as a structure determined based on the vehicle information obtained by inter-vehicle communication. Radar lost occurs, for example, when a preceding vehicle enters a curve and deviates from the front of the host vehicle and no longer exists in the detection range of the radar 8.

  The determination as to whether or not the radar lost has been made, for example, from the state in which the preceding vehicle has been detected for a certain time (for example, several tens of seconds) based on the signal from the radar 8 to the state in which the preceding vehicle has not been detected. Thus, it may be determined that the radar is lost for a predetermined time (for example, several seconds), and that the radar is not lost after the predetermined time is exceeded. Moreover, it may be configured to determine that the radar is lost when the state in which the preceding vehicle is detected and the state in which the preceding vehicle is not detected are repeated a plurality of times in a short time such as every several seconds based on the signal of the radar 8.

  In addition, for example, it may be configured to determine whether or not radar lost is performed as follows. First, from the current position of the preceding vehicle received from the wireless communication device 7 of the preceding vehicle and the current position of the own vehicle, the distance between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle is obtained by obtaining the distance between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle. Detect distance. If the preceding vehicle is not detected based on the radar 8 signal even though the detected inter-vehicle distance is less than the distance at which the preceding vehicle can be detected based on the radar 8 signal, the radar lost What is necessary is just to judge.

  Further, the vehicle control ECU 1 performs a notification change process for causing the display device 10 to display information corresponding to the loss of radar lost or inter-vehicle communication during the follow-up traveling control. Here, the notification change process will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of notification change processing in the vehicle control ECU 1. The flow in FIG. 7 is assumed to be started when the following traveling information is displayed. Moreover, what is necessary is just to complete | finish the flow of FIG. 7, for example, when turning on the control end switch of a cruise control switch.

  First, in step S31, radar lost determination processing is performed, and the process proceeds to step S32. In the radar lost determination process, in the same manner as described above, it is determined whether or not the preceding vehicle can no longer be detected by the radar 8 (that is, whether or not the radar is lost). If it is determined in step S32 that radar lost is determined in the radar lost determination process (YES in step S32), the process proceeds to step S33. If it is determined in the radar lost determination process that the radar is not lost (NO in step S32), the flow returns to step S31 to repeat the flow.

  In step S33, radar lost notification processing is performed, and the process proceeds to step S34. In the radar lost notification process, the radar 8 can no longer capture the preceding vehicle, but information for allowing the user to recognize that the information transmitted from the preceding vehicle by inter-vehicle communication can be acquired (hereinafter referred to as radar lost notification). Information) is displayed on the display device 10. Although the information indicating that the following traveling control is being performed corresponds to the information indicating that the following traveling control is being performed in the claims, the information indicating that the following traveling control is being performed may be included up to the radar lost notification information.

  Here, the display of the radar lost notification information will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the following vehicle can no longer capture the preceding vehicle by the radar 8, but the inter-vehicle communication with the preceding vehicle is possible. In the following description, it is assumed that A in FIG. 8 indicates the detection range of the radar 8 of the own vehicle, B is the preceding vehicle, and C is the own vehicle. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of display of radar lost notification information.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when the preceding vehicle can no longer be captured by the radar 8, but information transmitted from the preceding vehicle by inter-vehicle communication is being acquired, in the present embodiment, for example, FIG. A display as shown is performed on the display device 10. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, an image display indicating the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle (D in the drawing for the own vehicle and I in the drawing for the preceding vehicle) is performed, and the following traveling information is displayed. In the case of display, the color of the preceding vehicle is changed and highlighted. In addition, the following traveling control is being performed with respect to the preceding vehicle such as a text display (G in the figure) such as “automatic following” or a display including a text such as “set” (H in the figure). The display which shows that is also performed. With these displays, the radar 8 can no longer capture the preceding vehicle, but allows the user to recognize that information transmitted from the preceding vehicle by inter-vehicle communication is being acquired.

  Returning to FIG. 7, in step S34, a first inter-vehicle communication determination process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S35. In the first inter-vehicle communication determination process, it is determined whether inter-vehicle communication between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle is no longer possible. As an example, when the vehicle information transmitted from the preceding vehicle is not acquired via the wireless communication device 7 for a predetermined time or more, it is determined that inter-vehicle communication between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle is no longer possible. do it. The predetermined time mentioned here is a value that can be arbitrarily set, and may be several seconds, for example. As another example, when the vehicle information transmitted from the preceding vehicle is not acquired via the wireless communication device 7 while traveling for a predetermined distance, inter-vehicle communication between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle is performed. It is good also as a structure which determines with having become impossible. The vehicle information transmitted from the preceding vehicle may be determined based on the device ID given to the vehicle information.

  If it is determined in step S35 that inter-vehicle communication between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle is no longer possible (that is, inter-vehicle communication is impossible) (YES in step S35), the process proceeds to step S36. If it is determined that vehicle-to-vehicle communication is not possible (NO in step S35), the process returns to step S31 and the flow is repeated. If it is determined that the vehicle-to-vehicle communication is not possible and the flow returns to step S31 and the flow is repeated, the radar radar lost notification information is continuously displayed, and it is determined that radar lost is not detected in the radar lost determination process. It may be configured to return to the display.

  In step S36, follow-up travel impossibility notification processing is performed, and the flow returns to step S34 to repeat the flow. In the follow-up travel impossibility notification process, the radar 8 can no longer capture the preceding vehicle, and the information transmitted from the preceding vehicle by inter-vehicle communication cannot be acquired, that is, the follow-up traveling cannot be performed on the preceding vehicle. The display device 10 displays information for the user to recognize (hereinafter, follow-up travel impossibility notification information). For example, the display of the following travel impossibility notification information may be switched from the display of the radar lost notification information. In addition, in step S36, it is good also as a structure which performs a follow running impossibility notification process and complete | finishes a flow.

  If it is determined in step S35 that vehicle-to-vehicle communication is not possible, for example, the following traveling control for the preceding vehicle may be immediately stopped. In addition, the follow-up running control may be suspended for a certain period of time, and the follow-up running control may be resumed when it is determined in the first vehicle-to-vehicle communication determination process that vehicle-to-vehicle communication is not possible. The follow-up running control is canceled when the control end switch of the cruise control switch is turned on.

  Here, the display of the following travel impossible notification information will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the following vehicle can no longer capture the preceding vehicle by the radar 8 and cannot perform inter-vehicle communication with the preceding vehicle. The state in which vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the preceding vehicle cannot be performed occurs when the vehicle-to-vehicle communication is obstructed by an obstacle such as a mountain as shown in FIG. In the following description, it is assumed that A in FIG. 10 indicates the detection range of the radar 8 of the own vehicle, B is the preceding vehicle, and C is the own vehicle. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example of display of follow-up travel impossibility notification information.

  As shown in FIG. 10, in the present embodiment, when the radar 8 can no longer capture the preceding vehicle and the information transmitted from the preceding vehicle by inter-vehicle communication cannot be acquired, for example, FIG. A display as shown is performed on the display device 10. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, an image display (D in the figure) indicating the own vehicle is performed, but an image display indicating the preceding vehicle is not performed. In addition, a display indicating that it is no longer possible to follow the preceding vehicle such as canceling the highlighting of the display including the text “set” (J in the figure) is also performed. These displays allow the user to recognize that the vehicle cannot follow the preceding vehicle.

  According to the above configuration, during the follow-up running control, information indicating that the follow-up running control is being performed is displayed, so that the user can determine whether or not the own vehicle is under the follow-up running control with respect to the preceding vehicle. Can be recognized. In addition, when the preceding vehicle can no longer be captured by the radar 8, but the information transmitted from the preceding vehicle by inter-vehicle communication can be acquired, the user can recognize that this state is present. Therefore, the user can recognize that the following traveling control is being performed using the information transmitted by the inter-vehicle communication. Further, when the radar 8 can no longer capture the preceding vehicle and the information transmitted from the preceding vehicle by inter-vehicle communication cannot be acquired, the user recognizes that the following vehicle cannot be followed. can do.

  In addition, the vehicle control ECU 1 performs the captured notification process or the subsequent process that allows the user to recognize that the own vehicle is selected as the follow-up destination of the follow-up travel when the own vehicle is selected as the follow-up destination of the follow-up travel. A captured-related process such as a process of notifying information according to the vehicle following state is performed. Here, the capture-related processing will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the capture-related process in the vehicle control ECU 1. The flow in FIG. 12 is started when, for example, the ignition power supply of the own vehicle is turned on, and is ended when the ignition power supply is turned off.

  First, in step S51, it is determined whether or not the information transmitted from the wireless communication device 7 of the other vehicle by the inter-vehicle communication has been acquired. For example, what is necessary is just to set it as the structure determined with having acquired the information of the other vehicle based on the information received with the radio | wireless communication apparatus 7 of the own vehicle having been input into vehicle control ECU1. And when it determines with having acquired the information of the other vehicle (it is YES at step S51), it moves to step S52. If it is determined that the information on the other vehicle is not acquired (NO in step S51), the flow in step S51 is repeated.

  In step S52, a follow-up destination selection information acquisition determination process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S53. In the follow-up destination selection information acquisition determination process, it is determined whether or not follow-up destination selection information indicating that the host vehicle is selected as the follow-up destination is acquired. Specifically, when the tracking destination selection information to which the device ID of the wireless communication device 7 of the own vehicle is acquired, it is determined that the tracking destination selection information indicating that the vehicle is selected as the tracking destination is acquired. .

  If it is determined in step S53 that follow-up destination selection information indicating that the vehicle is selected as the follow-up destination has been acquired (YES in step S53), the process proceeds to step S54. If it is determined that follow-up destination selection information indicating that the host vehicle is selected as the follow-up destination is not acquired (NO in step S53), the process returns to step S51 and the flow is repeated.

  In step S54, a captured notification process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S55. In the captured notification process, the display device 10 displays information (hereinafter referred to as captured notification information) for allowing the user to recognize that the own vehicle is selected as the follow-up destination of the following vehicle. Here, the display of the captured notification information will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of display of captured notification information.

  In the captured notification process, for example, a display as shown in FIG. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13, an image display showing the own vehicle and the following vehicle (K in the drawing for the own vehicle and L in the drawing for the following vehicle) and the display of the following vehicle are displayed. Highlight. In addition, a display indicating that the own vehicle is selected as the follow-up destination of the follow-up traveling of the following vehicle, such as a text display (M in the figure) such as “tracked vehicle lock-on”, is also performed. And these displays make a user recognize that the own vehicle is selected as the follow-up destination of the follow-up running of the following vehicle.

  Further, for example, a display as shown in FIG. 14 may be performed on the display device 10 until the captured notification process is performed. Specifically, an image display showing the own vehicle and the following vehicle (K in the drawing for the own vehicle and L in the drawing for the following vehicle) is performed, but the display of the following vehicle is not highlighted. Also, text display such as “followed vehicle lock-on” is not performed. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of display before the captured notification information is displayed. Further, the display as shown in FIG. 14 may be configured to be displayed by default, or when a following vehicle is detected based on a signal from the radar 8 that irradiates a laser beam to a predetermined range behind the host vehicle. It is good also as a structure which displays only.

  Returning to FIG. 12, in step S55, a second inter-vehicle communication determination process is performed, and the process proceeds to step S56. In the second vehicle-to-vehicle communication determination process, it is determined whether or not the vehicle-to-vehicle communication between the host vehicle and the following vehicle is no longer possible. As an example, when the vehicle information transmitted from the following vehicle is not acquired through the wireless communication device 7 for a predetermined time or more, it is determined that the inter-vehicle communication between the own vehicle and the following vehicle is no longer possible. do it. The predetermined time mentioned here is a value that can be arbitrarily set, and may be several seconds, for example. As another example, if the vehicle information transmitted from the following vehicle is not acquired via the wireless communication device 7 while traveling for a predetermined distance, inter-vehicle communication between the vehicle and the following vehicle is performed. It is good also as a structure which determines with having become impossible. The vehicle information transmitted from the succeeding vehicle may be determined based on the device ID given to the vehicle information.

  If it is determined in step S56 that inter-vehicle communication between the own vehicle and the following vehicle is no longer possible (that is, inter-vehicle communication is impossible) (YES in step S56), the process proceeds to step S57. If it is determined that vehicle-to-vehicle communication is not possible (NO in step S56), the process returns to step S55 and the flow is repeated. In addition, what is necessary is just to set it as the structure which continues displaying the to-be-captured notification information, when it determines with it not being incommunicable between vehicles and returning to step S31 and repeating a flow.

  In step S57, the following vehicle follow-up notifying process is performed, and the process returns to step S51 to repeat the flow. In the subsequent vehicle follow-up impossibility notification process, information for allowing the user to recognize that the following vehicle is unable to acquire information transmitted from the own vehicle through inter-vehicle communication, that is, that the follow-up traveling with respect to the own vehicle cannot be performed ( Hereinafter, the display device 10 displays the following vehicle follow-up failure notification information). The display of the following vehicle following impossibility notification information may be configured to be switched from the display of the captured notification information.

  Here, the display of the following vehicle follow-up disabled notification information will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 15. Here, the description will be made on the assumption that A in FIG. 10 indicates the detection range of the radar 8 of the succeeding vehicle, B is the own vehicle, and C is the following vehicle. FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of display of the following vehicle follow-up impossibility notification information.

  As shown in FIG. 10, when the succeeding vehicle cannot capture the vehicle by the radar 8 and the information transmitted from the own vehicle by inter-vehicle communication cannot be acquired, in the present embodiment, for example, The display as shown in FIG. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 15, an image display (K in the figure) indicating the own vehicle is performed, but an image display indicating the following vehicle is not performed, so that it is possible to follow the preceding vehicle. Let the user recognize that it is gone.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the following vehicle can no longer capture the own vehicle by the radar 8, but in the state where the information transmitted from the own vehicle by inter-vehicle communication can be acquired, May be configured to continue displaying the captured notification information.

  In the present embodiment, a display when the own vehicle selects the preceding vehicle as the follow-up destination (hereinafter, displayed when selected) and a display when the own vehicle is selected as the follow-up destination for the following vehicle (hereinafter, displayed when selected) However, these may be displayed on separate display devices 10 or may be displayed on the same display device 10. The display at the time of selection is a display of the following vehicle capture information that can be followed, the following traveling information, the radar lost notification information, the follow-up impossible notification information, and the like. The selected display is the captured notification information and the following vehicle follow-up information. It is a display of impossibility notification information or the like.

  In addition, when the display at the time of selection and the display at the time of selection are displayed on the same display device 10, the display may be displayed on each of the divided screens, or the display at the time of selection and the display at the time of selection may be combined. It is good also as a structure displayed on the same screen. As an example, the display indicating the preceding vehicle, the host vehicle, and the following vehicle is arranged in a line, and during the follow-up running control for the preceding vehicle, the display of the preceding vehicle is highlighted and selected as the following destination of the following vehicle. If it is, the display of the following vehicle may be highlighted. In addition, it is good also as a structure which displays two rows, the row | line | column which arranged the display which shows a preceding vehicle and the own vehicle, and the row | line | column which arranged the display which shows the own vehicle and the following vehicle.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the display device 10 displays various types of information such as followable preceding vehicle capture information, follow-up running information, radar lost notification information, follow-up travel impossibility notification information, captured notification information, and subsequent vehicle follow-up disapproval notification information. Although the structure to display is shown, it is not necessarily limited to this. For example, it is good also as a structure which alert | reports information to a user by audio | voice outputting from the audio | voice output apparatus which is not shown in figure.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and the technical means disclosed in different embodiments can be appropriately combined. Such embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

1 vehicle control ECU (following travel control device, own vehicle speed acquisition means, straight traveling state determination means, other vehicle position determination information acquisition means, preceding vehicle position determination means, preceding vehicle speed determination means, identical determination means, notification means, selection means , Other vehicle position determination means, own vehicle position acquisition means), 2 VSC_ECU, 3 rudder angle sensor, 4 G sensor, 5 yaw rate sensor, 6 ENG_ECU, 7 wireless communication device, 8 radar (obstacle sensor), 9 operation SW, 10 display device, 100 following traveling control system

Claims (8)

Mounted on the vehicle,
In addition to obtaining information on the preceding vehicle from the preceding vehicle of the own vehicle through inter-vehicle communication,
Get information on the detection result of the obstacle sensor that detects the preceding vehicle of your vehicle,
A follow-up running control device that performs follow-up running control using information on the preceding vehicle acquired by inter-vehicle communication and information on the detection result of the obstacle sensor,
Based on the detection result of the obstacle sensor, the preceding vehicle position determining means for determining the positional relationship of the preceding vehicle with respect to the own vehicle;
Other vehicle position determination information acquisition means for sequentially acquiring other vehicle position determination information for determining the positional relationship of the other vehicle with respect to the own vehicle from the other vehicle by inter-vehicle communication,
Based on the positional relationship of the preceding vehicle determined by the preceding vehicle position determining means and the other vehicle position determining information acquired by the other vehicle position determining information acquiring means, the preceding vehicle and the vehicle detected by the obstacle sensor The same determination means for determining whether or not the other vehicle that has acquired the information for determining the position of the other vehicle by inter-vehicle communication is the same,
Notification for notifying the user of information for recognizing that the preceding vehicle of the own vehicle detected by the obstacle sensor is a vehicle capable of inter-vehicle communication when determined to be the same by the same determining means Means,
Selecting means for selecting a preceding vehicle of the host vehicle detected by the obstacle sensor as a follow-up destination according to a user input operation;
The have lines the following distance control was determined to follow the destination the selected preceding vehicle in the selection means,
The preceding vehicle position determining means determines the distance from the own vehicle to the preceding vehicle as the positional relationship of the preceding vehicle with respect to the own vehicle based on the detection result of the obstacle sensor, and also determines the relative speed of the preceding vehicle. Is to decide
The other vehicle position determination information acquisition means sequentially acquires the distance to the next vehicle nearest to the other vehicle as the other vehicle position determination information, and sequentially acquires the speed of the other vehicle. And
Own vehicle speed acquisition means for sequentially acquiring the speed of the own vehicle;
A preceding vehicle speed determining means for determining the speed of the preceding vehicle from the speed of the own vehicle acquired by the own vehicle speed acquiring means and the relative speed of the preceding vehicle determined by the preceding vehicle position determining means;
The same determining means includes the distance to the preceding vehicle determined by the preceding vehicle position determining means, the speed of the preceding vehicle determined by the preceding vehicle speed determining means, and the other acquired by the other vehicle position determining information acquiring means. Follow-up travel control characterized in that it is determined whether the preceding vehicle and the other vehicle are the same based on whether the distance to the nearest succeeding vehicle and the speed of the other vehicle are approximate. apparatus. Mounted on the vehicle,
In addition to obtaining information on the preceding vehicle from the preceding vehicle of the own vehicle through inter-vehicle communication,
Get information on the detection result of the obstacle sensor that detects the preceding vehicle of your vehicle,
A follow-up running control device that performs follow-up running control using information on the preceding vehicle acquired by inter-vehicle communication and information on the detection result of the obstacle sensor,
Based on the detection result of the obstacle sensor, the preceding vehicle position determining means for determining the positional relationship of the preceding vehicle with respect to the own vehicle;
Other vehicle position determination information acquisition means for sequentially acquiring other vehicle position determination information for determining the positional relationship of the other vehicle with respect to the own vehicle from the other vehicle by inter-vehicle communication,
Based on the positional relationship of the preceding vehicle determined by the preceding vehicle position determining means and the other vehicle position determining information acquired by the other vehicle position determining information acquiring means, the preceding vehicle and the vehicle detected by the obstacle sensor The same determination means for determining whether or not the other vehicle that has acquired the information for determining the position of the other vehicle by inter-vehicle communication is the same,
Notification for notifying the user of information for recognizing that the preceding vehicle of the own vehicle detected by the obstacle sensor is a vehicle capable of inter-vehicle communication when determined to be the same by the same determining means Means,
Selecting means for selecting a preceding vehicle of the host vehicle detected by the obstacle sensor as a follow-up destination according to a user input operation;
The have lines the following distance control was determined to follow the destination the selected preceding vehicle in the selection means,
The preceding vehicle position determining means determines the distance from the own vehicle to the preceding vehicle as the positional relationship of the preceding vehicle with respect to the own vehicle based on the detection result of the obstacle sensor, and also determines the relative speed of the preceding vehicle. Is to decide
The other vehicle position determination information acquisition means sequentially acquires information that can determine the distance from the own vehicle to the other vehicle as the other vehicle position determination information, and also sequentially determines the speed of the other vehicle. To get,
Own vehicle speed acquisition means for sequentially acquiring the speed of the own vehicle;
Preceding vehicle speed determining means for determining the speed of the preceding vehicle from the speed of the own vehicle acquired by the own vehicle speed acquiring means and the relative speed of the preceding vehicle determined by the preceding vehicle position determining means;
Other vehicle position determination means for determining the distance to the other vehicle from information that can be determined from the own vehicle to the other vehicle acquired by the other vehicle position determination information acquisition means,
The same determining means includes the distance to the preceding vehicle determined by the preceding vehicle position determining means, the speed of the preceding vehicle determined by the preceding vehicle speed determining means, and the distance to the other vehicle determined by the other vehicle position determining means. Whether the preceding vehicle and the other vehicle are the same is determined based on whether the distance and the speed of the other vehicle acquired by the other vehicle position determination information acquisition unit are approximate. Follow-up running control device. In claim 1 or 2 ,
The follow-up traveling control device is characterized in that, during the follow-up running control, the notification means notifies information indicating that the follow-up running control is being performed. In claim 3 ,
The informing means is unable to detect the preceding vehicle as the follow-up destination of the follow-up traveling control by the obstacle sensor, but is in a state where the information on the preceding vehicle can be acquired from the preceding vehicle by inter-vehicle communication. Includes a follow-up travel control device that informs the user of information for recognizing the state. In claim 3 or 4 ,
The notification means is in a state in which the obstacle sensor can no longer detect the preceding vehicle as the follow-up destination of the follow-up running control and the information on the preceding vehicle cannot be acquired from the preceding vehicle by inter-vehicle communication. Includes a follow-up travel control device that informs the user of information for recognizing the state. In any one of Claims 1-5 ,
The follow-up traveling control device, wherein the notification means causes the notification to be performed by displaying at least one of an image and text on a display device. In any one of Claims 1-6 ,
It further comprises a straight-ahead state determining means for determining whether or not the host vehicle is in a straight-ahead state
When the straight vehicle state determining means determines that the host vehicle is in a straight traveling state, the same determination means performs a determination. On the other hand, when the host vehicle determines that the vehicle is not in a straight traveling state, the same determination means is not determined. A follow-up running control device characterized by the above. In any one of claims 1 to 7
When performing the following traveling control,
It is an index that represents the approach and separation state with respect to the preceding vehicle in consideration of the speed of the preceding vehicle. An index that increases as the distance between the vehicles decreases becomes steeper as the distance between the vehicles decreases,
A follow-up running control device that performs the follow-up running control using the corrected approaching / separating state evaluation index.

Images