JP6641332B2 - Vehicle control device and vehicle control method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle control device that automatically controls a vehicle, and in particular, includes both a parking assist function for assisting driving when the vehicle is parked and an emergency braking function for preventing the vehicle from contacting an obstacle. The present invention relates to a vehicle control device.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, parking assist devices that assist driving of a vehicle during parking have been put to practical use. For example, Patent Literature 1 below provides effective parking assistance even in a situation where it is impossible to guide the vehicle to the target parking position by one reversing operation (a situation where “returning” of repeating forward and backward movements is necessary). There is disclosed a parking assist device that can be used. Further, Patent Literature 2 discloses an emergency brake device that operates a vehicle brake to reduce collision damage when the vehicle is likely to collide with an obstacle.

Japanese Patent No. 3936204 Japanese Patent No. 3805832

  Due to the growing momentum of installing a preventive safety system for preventing automobile accidents, both functions of a parking assist device as disclosed in Patent Document 1 and an emergency braking device as disclosed in Patent Document 2 Vehicles equipped with are increasing. In such a vehicle, even if an obstacle suddenly appears during parking assistance, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from colliding with the obstacle, and to reduce the damage even if the vehicle collides with the obstacle. The effect that can be done is expected.

  Normally, the emergency braking function is designed to reduce collision damage in a range up to a vehicle speed of about 25 km / h when the vehicle moves forward and up to a vehicle speed of about 10 km / h when the vehicle moves backward. In addition, since the stop position of the vehicle when the emergency brake is applied varies due to variations in the weight and brake characteristics of each vehicle, the emergency brake function secures a certain distance between the position to stop the vehicle and obstacles Designed to be. This distance is referred to as “margin distance”, and the margin distance is generally set to 30 cm to 50 cm.

  On the other hand, the parking assistance function searches for a space that can be parked using ultrasonic waves (hereinafter referred to as “parking space”) when the vehicle is moving forward, confirms the driver's willingness to park, and then reverses the vehicle to park. It leads to space. If the parking space is sufficiently large, the vehicle can be guided to a target parking position (hereinafter, referred to as a “target parking position”) in the parking space by one reversing operation, but when the parking space is narrow (for example, parking). When the vehicle is parked in parallel between two vehicles with a short interval, for example), the vehicle enters the parking space by a reversing operation and then performs a reversing operation of repeatedly moving forward and retreating to guide the vehicle to the target parking position. .

  Searching for a parking space using ultrasonic waves corresponds to a range of vehicle speeds of about 20 to 35 km / h, which is about the same as the range of vehicle speeds supported by the emergency braking function when moving forward. On the other hand, when the vehicle is guided to the target parking position by the parking assist function, the vehicle is caused to run at a vehicle speed of 10 km / h or less, and the range of the vehicle speed corresponds to the emergency braking function at the time of forward and reverse. It is within the range of the vehicle speed. The switching operation is performed while measuring the distance to an obstacle (for example, another vehicle that has already been parked) around the parking space using an ultrasonic sensor of the vehicle.

  In the switching operation, the closer the vehicle to the obstacle around the parking space as much as possible, the longer the distance to the target parking position in one switching operation becomes, so that parking can be completed quickly with a small number of switching operations. However, in vehicles equipped with an emergency braking function, if the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle is less than the allowance, the emergency braking will be applied, and the vehicle will not be able to approach the obstacle sufficiently. This was one of the factors that increased the number of times of switching during support.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device having both a parking assistance function and an emergency braking function, in which the number of times of switching back when performing parking assistance is reduced. I do.

A vehicle control device according to the present invention includes a parking assistance control unit that performs parking assistance control that controls the vehicle so as to park the vehicle in a parking space, and a distance between the vehicle and an obstacle that is predetermined. A brake control unit that decelerates the vehicle so as not to be smaller than a distance, a driver detection unit that detects a driver of the vehicle, and an operation related to parking assistance of the vehicle that can be performed from a place other than the driver's seat of the vehicle. A parking support remote operation unit, and in the parking support control, a return distance that is a minimum distance between the vehicle and an obstacle when performing the return operation of the vehicle is defined; the brake control unit, the parking assist control unit in response to whether or not to control the vehicle, such values of the allowed distance, the driver detection unit, the parking The position of the parking assist remote operation unit detected by communicating with the assistance remote operation unit detects as the position of the driver, the brake control unit is controlling the vehicle the parking assist control unit (a) And when the driver detecting section detects a driver in the driver's seat of the vehicle, the spare distance is set to be equal to or less than the turning distance, (b) the parking assist control section controls the vehicle, and When the driver detecting unit does not detect the driver in the driver's seat of the vehicle, the margin distance is not set to be equal to or less than the return distance.

  According to the parking assist device of the present invention, the margin in the emergency braking function is changed between when the parking assist control is not being performed and when the parking assist control is being performed, so that the vehicle can sufficiently approach the obstacle around the parking space. Can be done. This makes it possible to reduce the number of times the parking assist control is performed and to complete parking in a short time. In addition, even when the parking assist control is being performed, if the vehicle speed of the own vehicle is high, the margin distance is maintained at a normal value. Therefore, even when the vehicle speed is too high due to the influence of the above, contact with an obstacle is prevented.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the vehicle control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of setting a target deceleration in the vehicle control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a vehicle control device. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a vehicle control device. FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle control device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle control device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, elements having the same or corresponding functions are denoted by the same reference numerals.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of the vehicle control device according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle control device includes a parking support start determination unit 11, a vehicle state detection unit 12, an obstacle detection unit 13, a parking support control unit 14, an emergency brake control unit 15, a steering control unit 16, a driving force. A control unit 17 and a braking force control unit 18 are provided. Hereinafter, a vehicle equipped with a vehicle control device may be referred to as “own vehicle”.

  The parking support start determination unit 11 detects a parking support start request from a user (mainly a driver of the own vehicle) and outputs a parking support start signal. As a method of detecting a parking assistance start request, for example, a parking assistance start button for a user to input a parking assistance start request is installed in the driver's seat of the own vehicle, and when the user operates the parking assistance start button, parking assistance start is performed. A method of inputting a parking support start request to the determination unit 11 is conceivable. Alternatively, a parking support start request may be automatically input to the parking support start determination unit 11 when the traveling speed of the host vehicle falls below a predetermined threshold.

  The vehicle state detection unit 12 detects the state of the host vehicle (hereinafter, referred to as “vehicle state”) using various sensors provided in the host vehicle, and outputs a vehicle state signal indicating the detected vehicle state. The vehicle state includes, for example, a steering wheel angle which is a rotation angle of a steering wheel of the own vehicle, a vehicle speed which is a moving speed of the own vehicle in a front-rear direction, a yaw rate which is a rotation angular speed of the own vehicle with respect to a vertical axis direction, and the like.

  The obstacle detection unit 13 includes, for example, an ultrasonic sensor provided around the own vehicle, and detects an obstacle around the own vehicle. Further, the obstacle detection unit 13 calculates and outputs the distance from the host vehicle to the obstacle.

  The steering control unit 16 changes the traveling direction of the own vehicle in the lateral direction by controlling the steering (not shown) of the own vehicle.

  The driving force control unit 17 controls acceleration of the own vehicle by controlling a driving device (not shown) of the own vehicle. The driving device may be an engine using fuel as an energy source, a motor using electric power as an energy source, or a combination of an engine and a motor.

  The braking force control unit 18 controls deceleration of the host vehicle by controlling a braking device (not shown). The braking device is generally constituted by a braking device provided on each wheel axle of the vehicle. However, since the vehicle can be decelerated by the motor of the driving device, etc., the braking force is not supplied to all the required braking force by the braking device, but is applied to other devices capable of decelerating the vehicle. It may be configured to distribute.

  The parking support control unit 14 controls the steering control unit 16, the driving force control unit 17, and the braking force control based on various types of information acquired from the parking support start determination unit 11, the vehicle state detection unit 12, and the obstacle detection unit 13. By controlling the unit 18, parking assist control for controlling the vehicle to park in the parking space is performed.

  The emergency brake control unit 15 controls the driving force control unit 17 based on various types of information acquired from the parking support start determination unit 11, the vehicle state detection unit 12, and the obstacle detection unit 13, so that the emergency braking control unit 15 can control the vehicle. Emergency brake control is performed to decelerate the vehicle so that the distance to the obstacle does not become smaller than a predetermined margin distance.

  The parking assist control unit 14 and the emergency brake control unit 15 may be provided with the respective functions as applications on a single controller, or may be provided with the respective functions on separate controllers and each may be required. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which various signals are exchanged using a CAN (Control Area Network). Whether the parking assist controller 14 and the emergency brake controller 15 are mounted on a single controller or on separate controllers does not affect the effects of the present invention.

  Although FIG. 1 shows a vehicle control device including all of the above elements, for example, only the parking assist control unit 14 and the emergency brake control unit 15 constitute the vehicle control device, and the other parking assist start determination units 11, the vehicle state detection unit 12, the obstacle detection unit 13, the steering control unit 16, and the driving force control unit 17 may be configured as another device external to the vehicle control device.

  Next, details of the parking support control unit 14 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the parking support control unit 14 includes a parking support control state management unit 1401, a vehicle position estimation unit 1402, a parking section detection unit 1403, a parking support end determination unit 1404, a guidance route calculation unit 1405, and a target vehicle speed calculation. A parking assist target acceleration calculating unit 1407, a parking assist target deceleration calculating unit 1408, and a parking assist target steering wheel angle calculating unit 1409.

  The parking support control state management unit 1401 controls the parking support control based on a parking support start signal output by the parking support start determination unit 11 and a parking support end determination signal output by a parking support end determination unit 1404 described below. Manage modes. The control modes of the parking assist control are roughly divided into a “parking space detection mode” for detecting a space (parking space) in which the own vehicle can park, and guiding the own vehicle to the parking space detected in the parking space detection mode. There is a “guidance mode”. Actually, these two modes have detailed modes that are further subdivided according to the situation. However, since the difference between these detailed modes is less relevant to the present invention, the description here will be omitted. Is omitted. In addition, the control mode of the parking assist control may include an “exit mode” for exiting the parked vehicle. The delivery mode also has detailed modes that are subdivided according to the situation, but the difference between these detailed modes is not very relevant to the present invention, and a description thereof will be omitted. Further, the parking assist control state management unit 1401 outputs a parking control mode signal indicating a control mode of the parking assist control.

  The own vehicle position estimating unit 1402 estimates the position of the own vehicle (hereinafter, referred to as “own vehicle position”). In estimating the own vehicle position, a specific point is determined from information on the vehicle speed and the yaw rate included in the vehicle state signal output from the vehicle state detection unit 12 and the parking control mode signal output from the parking assistance control state management unit 1401. The reference vehicle position is calculated and output.

  The parking section detection unit 1403 detects a parking section where the host vehicle is parked, based on the information on the distance from the host vehicle to the obstacle output from the obstacle detection unit 13. Specifically, the parking section detection unit 1403 uses the ultrasonic sensor of the obstacle detection unit 13 provided on the side of the own vehicle while the own vehicle is running, and detects an obstacle such as another parked vehicle. Is detected, and a parking space having no obstacle and having a sufficient size for parking the own vehicle is detected as a parking section from the result. The parking section detection unit 1403 outputs parking section position information indicating the detected position of the parking section.

  In the present embodiment, the parking section detection unit 1403 detects the parking section using the ultrasonic sensor of the obstacle detection unit 13. However, the method by which the parking section detection unit 1403 detects the parking section is not described here. Not limited. For example, the parking section detection unit 1403 detects a parking frame drawn on a road surface from an image around the own vehicle taken by a surrounding monitoring camera mounted on the own vehicle, and detects the inside of the parking frame as a parking section. Is also good. In this case, the parking section detection unit 1403 may employ either the parking space detected by the ultrasonic sensor or the parking frame detected by the surrounding monitoring camera as the parking section. The reliability of the detection result of the parking space can be improved.

  The guidance route calculation unit 1405 includes parking section position information output by the parking section detection unit 1403, information on the own vehicle position output by the own vehicle position estimation unit 1402, and a parking control mode output by the parking assistance control state management unit 1401. Based on the signal, a guidance route for guiding the vehicle to the parking space is calculated. The guidance route calculation unit 1405 has a switching distance which is a minimum distance secured between the host vehicle and the obstacle during the switching operation. If the guidance route calculation unit 1405 determines that switching back is necessary to put the host vehicle into the parking space, the guidance route that brings the host vehicle close to the obstacle and switches back until the distance to the obstacle becomes the switching distance. Is calculated. This switching distance is preferably set to a distance of about 20 cm to 30 cm. The guidance route calculation unit 1405 outputs guidance route information indicating the calculated guidance route. The guidance route information includes information on the target curvature at each point on the guidance route including the current position of the own vehicle and the position of the target parking section, and also information on the target vehicle speed at each point.

  The parking assistance end determination unit 1404 includes parking section position information output by the parking section detection unit 1403, guidance route information output by the guidance route calculation unit 1405, the vehicle position output by the vehicle position estimation unit 1402, and parking. It is determined whether or not the parking support control has been completed based on the parking control mode signal output by the support control state management unit 1401. For example, when the control mode of the parking assist control is the guidance mode, the own vehicle position is the final point of the guidance route, and the deviation between the own vehicle position and the parking section is within a predetermined position error and angle error. Then, the parking support end determination unit 1404 determines that parking of the host vehicle has been completed, and outputs a parking support end determination signal indicating the end of the parking support control.

  When the parking support end determination unit 1404 outputs a parking support end determination signal, the parking support control state management unit 1401 changes the control mode of the parking support control to the end state. Further, in response to a parking support end determination signal output by the parking support end determination unit 1404, the parking brake of the own vehicle is operated, or the vehicle start controller of the own vehicle is stopped (so-called ignition is turned off). Alternatively, the host vehicle may be guided to a completely stopped state.

  The parking assist target handle angle calculation unit 1409 calculates the target curvature of the guidance route at each point on the guidance route included in the guidance route information output by the guidance route calculation unit 1405, and the vehicle output by the vehicle position estimation unit 1402. From the position, the current target steering wheel angle of the host vehicle is calculated. A conversion equation for obtaining the target steering wheel angle from the target curvature is expressed as Expression (1).

In the formula (1), G _RP is a tire steering angle and the gear ratio of the steering Kakuma with steering linkage, WheelBase the wheelbase, Ref_Curvature the target curvature, Ref_StrAng shows the target steering wheel angle. The parking assist target steering wheel angle calculation unit 1409 outputs information on the target steering wheel angle calculated based on Expression (1). The steering control unit 16 controls the steering of the host vehicle to the target steering wheel angle based on the target steering wheel angle calculated by the parking assist target steering wheel angle calculation unit 1409.

  The target vehicle speed calculation unit 1406 determines the current vehicle speed based on the target vehicle speed at each point on the guidance route included in the guidance route information output by the guidance route calculation unit 1405 and the own vehicle position output by the own vehicle position estimation unit 1402. The target vehicle speed of the own vehicle is calculated. Information on the target vehicle speed calculated by the target vehicle speed calculation unit 1406 is input to the parking support target acceleration calculation unit 1407 and the parking support target deceleration calculation unit 1408.

  The parking assistance target acceleration calculation unit 1407 compares the target vehicle speed calculated by the target vehicle speed calculation unit 1406 with the vehicle speed of the own vehicle included in the vehicle state signal output by the vehicle state detection unit 12, and determines the vehicle speed of the own vehicle. A target acceleration which is a target value of the acceleration for achieving the target vehicle speed is calculated. The driving force control unit 17 controls the driving device such that the acceleration of the vehicle becomes the target acceleration calculated by the parking assist target acceleration calculation unit 1407.

  On the other hand, the parking assist target deceleration calculation unit 1408 compares the target vehicle speed calculated by the target vehicle speed calculation unit 1406 with the vehicle speed of the own vehicle included in the vehicle state signal output by the vehicle state detection unit 12, and The target deceleration, which is the target value of the deceleration for setting the vehicle speed at the target vehicle speed, is calculated. The target deceleration calculated by the parking assist target deceleration calculation unit 1408 is input to the braking force control unit 18 via the target deceleration comparison selection unit 1505 in the emergency brake control unit 15 (the target deceleration comparison selection unit). The operation of 1505 will be described later). The braking force control unit 18 controls the braking device such that the deceleration of the vehicle becomes the target deceleration.

  Next, details of the emergency brake control unit 15 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the emergency brake control unit 15 includes a margin distance setting unit 1501, an emergency distance calculation unit 1502, a collision time calculation unit 1503, an emergency brake target deceleration calculation unit 1504, and a target deceleration comparison selection unit 1505. In.

  The extra distance setting unit 1501 sets an extra distance to be secured between the position where the vehicle is stopped by the emergency brake control and the obstacle, and the extra distance setting unit 1501 controls the parking assistance control of the parking assistance control unit 14. The set value of the margin distance is changed based on the parking control mode signal output by the state management unit 1401. That is, the margin distance setting unit 1501 changes the value of the margin distance between when the parking support control by the parking support control unit 14 is being performed and when it is not.

  Specifically, when the parking assist control is not performed, the spare distance is set to about 30 cm to 50 cm used in general emergency brake control, and when the parking assist control is performed, the spare distance is set. Is set to about 10 cm, which is equal to or less than the switching distance (20 cm to 30 cm) held by the guidance route calculation unit 1405.

  The emergency distance calculation unit 1502 calculates the emergency distance from the vehicle speed of the host vehicle included in the vehicle state signal output by the vehicle state detection unit 12 and the margin distance set in the margin distance setting unit 1501. The emergency distance is defined as the distance from an obstacle where it is necessary to start applying an emergency brake to stop the vehicle in front of the obstacle. In the emergency brake control, the collision with the obstacle is avoided by starting the braking at a timing when the distance to the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 13 is smaller than the emergency distance. The emergency distance can be calculated using the following equations (2) to (4).

  In Equation (2), Emergency_Distance indicates an emergency distance, Response_Distance indicates a response delay distance, Deceleration_Distance indicates a braking distance, and Margin_Distance indicates a margin distance. In Equation (3), Vehicle_Speed indicates a vehicle speed, and Response_TIME indicates a response time. In Expression (4), Est_Deceleration indicates the assumed deceleration.

  As mentioned earlier, the emergency distance is the distance from an obstacle where it is necessary to start braking with an emergency brake. The response delay distance is a distance that the own vehicle approaches the obstacle between the time when the obstacle detection unit 13 detects the obstacle and the time when the braking force control unit 18 starts to apply the emergency brake. As shown, it is obtained by multiplying the vehicle speed of the own vehicle by the response time. The response time is the total time required from the time when the obstacle detection unit 13 detects an obstacle to the time when the braking force control unit 18 starts to apply the emergency brake through the processing in the emergency brake control unit 15 and is a constant. Is stored in advance in the emergency distance calculation unit 1502.

  The braking distance is defined as the distance that the vehicle travels from when the emergency brake is applied to when the vehicle stops in front of the obstacle, and as shown in Expression (4), the estimated deceleration is calculated from the square of the current vehicle speed of the vehicle. It is obtained by dividing twice. The assumed deceleration is an effective value of the deceleration when the vehicle decelerates when the emergency brake is operated, and can be set when the emergency brake target deceleration calculation unit 1504 is designed. It is stored in advance. As the margin distance, the value of the margin distance set in the margin distance setting unit 1501 is used.

  The collision time calculation unit 1503 calculates and outputs a collision time from the vehicle speed included in the vehicle state signal output by the vehicle state detection unit 12 and the distance from the own vehicle to the obstacle output by the obstacle detection unit 13. . The collision time is defined as the time until the host vehicle collides with the obstacle, assuming that the host vehicle approaches the obstacle while maintaining the current vehicle speed. In the emergency brake control, the necessity of the emergency brake and the deceleration required for the emergency brake are determined based on the collision time. When it is determined that it is necessary to operate the emergency brake, the target vehicle is prevented from colliding with an obstacle by setting the target deceleration according to the collision time. The collision time can be calculated using equation (5).

  In Expression (5), TTC indicates a collision time, Object_Distance indicates a distance to an obstacle, and Vehicle_Speed indicates a vehicle speed of the own vehicle. When the obstacle detection unit 13 has detected a plurality of obstacles, the own vehicle is closest to the own object among the plurality of obstacles that may contact the own vehicle as the distance Object_Distance to the obstacle. Use the distance to the obstacle.

  When the vehicle speed is 0 km / h, the collision time cannot be calculated by equation (5). Therefore, only when the vehicle speed is 0 km / h, the maximum value that can be set for the collision time may be output as the collision time TTC. More specifically, when the vehicle speed is 0 km / h, the spare distance setting unit 1501 sets the target deceleration to 0 [G] (Non Operation) in the emergency brake target deceleration calculation unit 1504 described below. The value of the collision time is output as the collision time TTC.

  The emergency brake target deceleration calculation unit 1504 calculates the emergency distance calculated by the emergency distance calculation unit 1502, the collision time calculated by the collision time calculation unit 1503, and the distance from the own vehicle to the obstacle output from the obstacle detection unit 13. From the distance, the target deceleration when the emergency brake is applied is calculated.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method of calculating the target deceleration in the emergency brake target deceleration calculation unit 1504. The target deceleration may be calculated based on the relationship between the distance from the host vehicle to the obstacle and the emergency distance and the collision time, as shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 2, when the distance from the own vehicle to the obstacle is shorter than the emergency distance and the collision time TTC is 0.7 seconds or less, the target deceleration is set to 0.8 [G], and the own vehicle When the distance from the obstacle to the obstacle is shorter than the emergency distance and the collision time TTC is in the range of 0.7 to 1.4 seconds, the target deceleration is set to 0.4 [G]. In other cases, that is, when the distance from the host vehicle to the obstacle is longer than the emergency distance or when the collision time TTC is longer than 1.4 seconds, the host vehicle must be forcibly decelerated. Is determined not to exist, and the target deceleration is set to 0 [G].

  FIG. 2 merely shows an example of a method of calculating the target deceleration, and the target deceleration may be calculated by an arbitrary method. The numerical values of the target deceleration shown in FIG. 2 are merely typical values in the emergency brake control, and the target deceleration is not limited to those values. The value of the target deceleration may be set in accordance with vehicle characteristics such as the weight and the braking capacity of the host vehicle and control characteristics required for emergency braking.

  The target deceleration comparison and selection unit 1505 includes a target deceleration for the purpose of parking support control calculated by the parking support target deceleration calculation unit 1408 of the parking support control unit 14 and an emergency brake target deceleration calculation by the emergency brake control unit 15. The target deceleration calculated by the unit 1504 is compared with the target deceleration for the purpose of emergency brake control, and the larger of the two values is set as the final target deceleration and input to the braking force controller 18. The braking force control unit 18 controls the braking device such that the deceleration of the own vehicle becomes the final target deceleration set by the target deceleration comparison and selection unit 1505. As a result, the braking force control unit 18 can execute both deceleration control for parking assistance and deceleration control (emergency brake control) for avoiding the vehicle from contacting an obstacle.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the spare distance setting unit 1501 of the emergency brake control unit 15 determines whether the parking assistance control by the parking assistance control unit 14 is being performed or not. , Change the value of the margin distance. That is, the spare distance setting unit 1501 sets the spare distance to about 30 cm to 50 cm used in general emergency brake control when the parking support control is not performed, and when the parking support control is performed. Sets the margin distance to about 10 cm, which is equal to or less than the return distance (20 cm to 30 cm) held by the guidance route calculation unit 1405.

  As described above, by setting the margin distance when the parking support control is performed to be equal to or smaller than the turning distance, the emergency brake control unit 15 is unnecessary when the parking support control unit 14 performs the turning operation of the vehicle. Is prevented from activating the emergency brake. Therefore, the parking assist control unit 14 can perform the switching operation while bringing the own vehicle sufficiently close to the obstacle, thereby enabling quick parking with a reduced number of switching operations. In addition, there is an effect that the vehicle can be stopped in a narrower parking space.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, the braking control and the drive control of the own vehicle in the parking assist control are automated, and an erroneous operation in which the driver accidentally depresses the accelerator is unlikely to occur. Therefore, even if the margin when the parking assist control is performed is reduced to about 10 cm, the effect of the emergency brake control for avoiding contact with an obstacle can be sufficiently obtained. The numerical values of the margin distance and the numerical value of the return distance shown above are only examples, and do not limit the values.

  Further, in the above example, the margin distance setting unit 1501 has a configuration in which only the two values of the margin distance are switched according to whether or not the parking assistance control is performed. The value of the margin distance may be changed for each control mode. For example, when the control mode of the parking assist control is the parking space detection mode, the spare distance is held at a normal value (about 30 cm to 50 cm, which is the same as the spare distance in general emergency braking), and then the guidance mode is set. After switching, it is conceivable to set the margin distance to be equal to or less than the return distance. Further, even when the control mode of the parking assist control is the exit mode, the margin distance may be set to be less than or equal to the return distance so that the vehicle can be exited quickly. Further, the margin distance may be changed for each detailed mode in which the parking space detection mode, the guidance mode, and the exit mode are further subdivided according to the situation.

  The timing at which the margin distance setting unit 1501 changes the margin distance does not necessarily need to be at the start and end of the parking support control. For example, after the parking assist control is started, the margin distance may be switched to a value equal to or less than the return distance immediately before the distance between the host vehicle and the obstacle approaches the return distance.

  Further, the margin distance setting unit 1501 may set the margin distance in consideration of the vehicle speed of the own vehicle. For example, the margin distance may be reduced only when the parking assist control is being performed and the vehicle speed of the host vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold. Conversely, even when the parking assist control is being performed, if the vehicle speed of the host vehicle is high, the spare distance should be maintained at a normal value, giving priority to preventing contact with an obstacle. It may be. Normally, when the parking assist control is being performed, particularly when the control mode of the parking assist control is the guidance mode or the parking mode, the vehicle speed is limited, but the vehicle speed is too high due to the influence of the road surface gradient, the weight of the vehicle, and the like. In some cases, this is effective.

  3 and 4 are diagrams each showing an example of a hardware configuration of the vehicle control device. The emergency brake control unit 15 and the steering control unit 16 of the vehicle control device illustrated in FIG. 1 are realized by, for example, the processing circuit 50 illustrated in FIG. That is, the processing circuit 50 controls the parking assistance control unit 14 that performs the parking assistance control that controls the own vehicle to park in the parking section, and the distance between the own vehicle and the obstacle is greater than a predetermined margin distance. An emergency brake control unit (15) that decelerates the host vehicle so as not to become small and changes the value of the margin distance between when the parking assist control is performed and when it is not performed. Dedicated hardware may be applied to the processing circuit 50, or a processor (Central Processing Unit, central processing unit, processing device, arithmetic unit, microprocessor, microcomputer, Digital, Signal Processor) may be applied.

  When the processing circuit 50 is dedicated hardware, the processing circuit 50 includes, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, or a combination thereof. I do. Each of the functions of each element of the vehicle control device may be realized by a plurality of processing circuits, or the functions may be collectively realized by one processing circuit.

  FIG. 4 shows a hardware configuration of the vehicle control device when the processing circuit 50 is configured using a processor. In this case, the function of each element of the vehicle control device is realized by a combination of software and the like (software, firmware, or software and firmware). Software and the like are described as programs and stored in the memory 52. The processor 51 as the processing circuit 50 reads out and executes a program stored in the memory 52, thereby realizing the function of each unit. That is, the vehicle control device, when executed by the processing circuit 50, controls the vehicle to be parked in the parking space, and determines that the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle is greater than a predetermined margin distance. As a result, the process of decelerating the own vehicle so that the vehicle speed does not become smaller and the process of changing the value of the margin distance between when the parking assistance control is performed and when it is not performed are executed. A memory 52 for storing programs is provided. In other words, it can be said that this program causes a computer to execute the procedure and method of operation of each element of the vehicle control device.

  Here, the memory 52 includes a nonvolatile memory such as a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a flash memory, an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), and an electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM). Alternatively, a volatile semiconductor memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a compact disk, a mini disk, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), and a drive device thereof are applicable.

  The configuration in which the function of each element of the vehicle control device is realized by one of hardware and software has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration in which some elements of the vehicle control device are realized by dedicated hardware and another part of the elements are realized by software or the like may be used. For example, for some elements, the function is realized by a processing circuit 50 as dedicated hardware, and for some other elements, the processing circuit 50 as a processor 51 reads a program stored in a memory 52 to read a program stored in a memory 52. By executing the function, the function can be realized.

  As described above, the vehicle control device can realize each of the above functions by hardware, software, or the like, or a combination thereof.

<Embodiment 2>
As an embodiment of parking assistance, there are a case where the driver parks while monitoring the operation of the vehicle from outside the vehicle, and a case where the driver parks while monitoring the operation of the vehicle while sitting in the driver's seat. The margin required for the emergency braking function in the embodiment is considered to be different. Therefore, in a second embodiment, a vehicle control device that changes the margin distance according to the position of the driver is proposed.

  FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle control device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. This vehicle control device has a configuration in which a parking assistance remote operation unit 19 and a driver position detection unit 20 are added to the configuration of FIG.

  The driver position detector 20 detects the position of the driver. The driver position detection unit 20 only needs to be able to determine at least whether or not the driver is sitting in the driver's seat, and can be configured by, for example, a seating sensor attached to the driver's seat of the own vehicle.

  The parking assistance remote operation unit 19 allows the user to perform an operation related to parking assistance (for example, switching between moving and stopping the own vehicle) on the vehicle control device from a place other than the driver's seat such as outside the vehicle. This is a so-called remote control device. The parking assistance remote operation unit 19 can be configured using, for example, a keyless entry system that locks and unlocks the vehicle. That is, the parking assistance remote operation unit 19 can be configured by adding an operation button for inputting an operation related to parking assistance to the portable device (key) of the keyless entry system.

  In the second embodiment, the spare distance setting unit 1501 of the emergency brake control unit 15 considers not only whether the parking support control is being performed by the parking support control unit 14 but also whether the driver is in the driver's seat. , Change the value of the margin for emergency brake control. For example, when the parking assist control is being performed and the driver is sitting in the driver's seat, the spare distance setting unit 1501 decreases the value of the spare distance as in the first embodiment. If the driver is absent from the driver's seat even when the assist control is being performed, the extra distance setting unit 1501 sets the extra distance equal to or greater than a normal value (a value when the parking assistance control is not performed). It is conceivable to set the value to

  When the driver is seated in the driver's seat, the driver can depress the brake pedal and stop the vehicle without relying on emergency brake control even if the vehicle approaches an obstacle during parking assistance control. There are many. Even when the driver is absent from the driver's seat, the driver can operate the parking assistance remote operation unit 19 to stop the vehicle. However, since the operation of the parking assistance remote operation unit 19 is not an intuitive driving operation, Driver reaction time is likely to be delayed. Therefore, when the driver is absent from the driver's seat as in the present embodiment, it is preferable to set a longer allowance to facilitate emergency brake control.

  Also, in a situation where the driver is operating the own vehicle related to the parking assist control using the parking assist remote operation unit 19 from outside the own vehicle, the driver can surely see the entire periphery of the own vehicle. Not exclusively. Therefore, in such a situation, there is also an aspect that it is preferable to set the margin distance longer than when the driver monitors the surroundings from the driver's seat, so that the emergency brake control is easily performed.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, the margin distance is changed according to the position of the driver (whether or not the driver is in the driver's seat), and the driver uses the parking assistance remote operation unit 19 from outside the vehicle to control the vehicle. When performing remote control, emergency braking control is more easily performed than when the driver is in the driver's seat. Thereby, even when operating using the parking assistance remote operation unit 19, it is possible to more reliably prevent the vehicle from contacting an obstacle.

  In the above description, the driver position detector 20 detects the position of the driver using the seating sensor attached to the driver's seat of the vehicle. However, the method of detecting the position of the driver is optional. Method is good.

  For example, even if the driver position detection unit 20 detects the position of the driver having the parking assistance remote operation unit 19 by detecting the position of the parking assistance remote operation unit 19 by communicating with the parking assistance remote operation unit 19. Good. In this case, the allowance distance setting unit 1501 can individually set the allowance distance in each direction of the own vehicle, and changes the value of the allowance distance in each direction of the own vehicle based on the positional relationship between the driver and the own vehicle. May be. That is, when the own vehicle moves in a direction that can be seen by the driver, the allowance distance should be increased, and when the own vehicle moves in a direction that cannot be seen by the driver, the allowance distance should be shortened. For example, when the driver is in front of the own vehicle, the spare distance when the own vehicle moves forward is set shorter than the normal value, and the spare distance when the own vehicle moves backward is equal to or greater than the normal value. Set to a value. This makes it possible to reduce the number of turns by approaching obstacles in places that can be seen by the driver, while ensuring that contact with obstacles can be avoided more reliably in places that are difficult to see. Can be increased.

  Further, in the present embodiment, an example has been described in which the parking assistance remote operation unit 19 is realized using a keyless entry system, but the configuration of the parking assistance remote operation unit 19 may be arbitrary. In recent years, in addition to the keyless entry system, a system capable of performing an operation related to parking assistance using a smartphone owned by a driver has been proposed, and even if the parking assistance remote operation unit 19 is also configured by a smartphone. Good.

<Embodiment 3>
FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle control device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. This vehicle control device has a configuration in which an access permission button 19a is added to the parking assist remote operation unit 19 in the configuration of FIG. When the user presses the approach permission button 19a, an approach permission signal for permitting the vehicle to approach the obstacle is output from the parking support remote operation unit 19, and the parking support control state management unit 1401 of the parking support control unit 14 Are input to the margin distance setting unit 1501 of the emergency brake control unit 15, respectively. In the third embodiment, as the control mode of the parking assist control, an “approaching permission mode”, which is a guidance mode in which the return distance is set shorter than that of the normal guidance mode, is introduced.

  When the parking support control state management unit 1401 of the parking support control unit 14 receives the approach permission signal from the parking support remote operation unit 19 when the parking support control is performed, the parking support control control mode is changed from the normal guidance mode. The mode is changed to the approach permission mode, and a parking control mode signal indicating this is output. The operation of the parking assist control unit 14 in the approach permission mode is basically the same as in the normal guidance mode. However, the guidance route calculation unit 1405 changes the return distance from the first value that is the value in the normal guidance mode to a second value that is smaller than the first value, and then guides the host vehicle to the parking space. Is calculated.

  On the other hand, the margin setting unit 1501 of the emergency brake control unit 15 receives the approach permission signal from the parking assistance remote operation unit 19 when the parking assistance control is performed, and calculates the margin of emergency braking control by the guidance route calculation unit. The value 1405 is set to a value equal to or less than the second value of the return distance set. This prevents the emergency brake control unit 15 from unnecessarily activating the emergency brake when the parking assist control unit 14 performs the turning operation of the vehicle.

  As described above, in the third embodiment, when the user presses the approach permission button 19a of the parking assist remote operation unit 19, the values of the return distance of the parking assist control and the margin distance of the emergency brake control are made smaller than before pressing. You. Thereby, when the parking assist control is performed, the switching operation can be performed by bringing the own vehicle closer to the obstacle. Therefore, even when the driver performs the operation related to the parking support control of the own vehicle from outside the cabin, the driver can press the approach permission button 19a to reduce the number of times of turning back and quickly park the vehicle. The vehicle can be stopped in the parking space.

  In the present invention, each embodiment can be freely combined, or each embodiment can be appropriately modified or omitted within the scope of the invention.

  11 parking support start determination unit, 12 vehicle state detection unit, 13 obstacle detection unit, 14 parking support control unit, 15 emergency brake control unit, 16 steering control unit, 17 driving force control unit, 18 braking force control unit, 19 parking Support remote operation unit, 19a approach permission button, 20 driver position detection unit, 1401 parking support control state management unit, 1402 own vehicle position estimation unit, 1403 parking section detection unit, 1404 parking support end determination unit, 1405 guidance route calculation unit, 1406 target vehicle speed calculation unit, 1407 parking support target acceleration calculation unit, 1408 parking support target deceleration calculation unit, 1409 parking support target steering wheel angle calculation unit, 1501 extra distance setting unit, 1502 emergency distance calculation unit, 1503 collision time calculation unit, 1504 Emergency brake target deceleration calculation unit, 1505 Target deceleration Compare the selection unit.

Claims (2)

A parking assistance control unit that performs parking assistance control that controls the vehicle to park the vehicle in a parking space;
A brake control unit that decelerates the vehicle so that the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle is not smaller than a predetermined margin distance,
A driver detection unit that detects a driver of the vehicle ;
A parking assistance remote operation unit capable of performing an operation related to parking assistance of the vehicle from a place other than the driver's seat of the vehicle,
With
In the parking assist control, when performing the switching operation of the vehicle, a switching distance that is a minimum distance between the vehicle and an obstacle is defined,
The brake control unit determines the value of the margin distance depending on whether the parking assist control unit controls the vehicle,
The driver detection unit detects a position of the parking assistance remote operation unit detected by communication with the parking assistance remote operation unit as a position of the driver,
The brake control unit includes:
(A) when the parking assist control unit is controlling the vehicle, and the driver detection unit detects a driver in a driver's seat of the vehicle, the margin distance is set to be equal to or less than the return distance,
(B) when the parking assist control unit controls the vehicle and the driver detection unit does not detect a driver in the driver's seat of the vehicle, the margin distance is not determined to be equal to or less than the return distance. Vehicle control device. A first step of controlling the vehicle to park the vehicle in a parking stall;
A second step of decelerating the vehicle so that the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle does not become smaller than a predetermined margin distance;
A third step of detecting a driver of the vehicle;
In the first step, a return distance, which is a minimum distance between the vehicle and an obstacle when performing the return operation of the vehicle, is defined,
In the second step, the value of the margin distance is determined according to whether or not the control of the vehicle in the first step is performed,
In the third step, a position of a parking assistance remote operation unit capable of performing an operation related to parking assistance of the vehicle from a place other than the driver's seat of the vehicle is detected by communication with the parking assistance remote operation unit. Detecting the detected position of the parking assistance remote operation unit as the position of the driver,
In the second step,
(A) when the control of the vehicle in the first step is being performed, and when the driver is detected in the driver's seat of the vehicle in the third step, the margin distance is determined to be less than or equal to the return distance;
(B) when the control of the vehicle in the first step is being performed and the driver is not detected in the driver's seat of the vehicle in the third step, the margin distance is set to be equal to or less than the return distance. A vehicle control method characterized by not being determined.

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