JP6993292B2 - Vehicle control device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle control device that controls a vehicle that can switch between a manual driving mode and an automatic driving mode.

As a device of this type, conventionally, a device in which a driver starts automatic operation by turning on the automatic operation switch and cancels automatic operation by turning off the automatic operation switch to shift to manual operation. It is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-290680

However, for example, if the automatic operation is switched to the manual operation in a state where the transmission is out of order, there is a possibility that the driving operation of the vehicle intended by the driver cannot be realized, which makes the driver feel uncomfortable.

One aspect of the present invention is a vehicle control device for controlling a vehicle configured so that the operation mode can be switched between a manual operation mode for traveling by manual operation and an automatic operation mode for traveling by automatic operation. The actuator control unit that controls the actuator used in the mounted transmission and the actuator control unit operate the actuator before switching from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode, and based on the operation result, whether or not the transmission has failed is checked. A failure determination unit for determining, an output unit for outputting a command prohibiting switching to the automatic driving mode when the transmission is determined to be defective by the failure determination unit, and a traveling mode along the target route of the vehicle. It is provided with a traveling mode estimation unit for estimating . The failure determination unit determines whether or not a part of the elements of the transmission for realizing the traveling in the driving mode estimated by the traveling mode estimation unit has a failure among all the elements of the transmission, and the output unit determines whether or not there is a failure. If it is determined by the failure determination unit that some elements of the transmission have not failed, a command to allow switching to the automatic operation mode is issued even if it is determined that other elements of the transmission have failed. Output.

According to the present invention, switching to the automatic operation mode is prohibited at the time of determining the failure of the transmission, so that the driver feels uncomfortable due to the failure of the transmission when switching from the automatic operation to the manual operation. Can be prevented.

The figure which shows the schematic structure of the traveling system of the self-driving vehicle to which the vehicle control device which concerns on embodiment of this invention is applied. FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing an overall configuration of an autonomous driving vehicle system that controls an autonomous driving vehicle of FIG. 1. The block diagram which shows the main part structure of the vehicle control device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. A time chart showing an example of active diagnosis performed by the vehicle control device of FIG. The flowchart which shows an example of the process executed by the controller of FIG. A time chart showing a modified example of FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. The vehicle control device according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied to a vehicle having an automatic driving function (automatic driving vehicle). First, the configuration of the self-driving vehicle will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a traveling drive system of an autonomous driving vehicle 100 (sometimes referred to simply as a vehicle) to which the vehicle control device according to the present embodiment is applied. The vehicle 100 can travel not only in an automatic driving mode that does not require a driver's driving operation, but also in a manual driving mode by the driver's driving operation.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 100 has an engine 1 and a transmission 2. The engine 1 mixes the intake air supplied through the throttle valve 11 and the fuel injected from the injector 12 at an appropriate ratio, ignites them with a spark plug or the like and burns them, thereby generating rotational power. An engine (eg a gasoline engine). In addition, various engines such as a diesel engine can be used instead of the gasoline engine. The amount of intake air is adjusted by the throttle valve 11, and the opening degree of the throttle valve 11 is changed by driving the throttle actuator 13 operated by an electric signal. The opening degree of the throttle valve 11 and the fuel injection amount (injection timing, injection time) from the injector 12 are controlled by the controller 40 (FIG. 2).

The transmission 2 is an automatic transmission provided in the power transmission path between the engine 1 and the drive wheels 3, and shifts the rotation from the engine 1 and converts the torque from the engine 1 to output. The rotation shifted by the transmission 2 is transmitted to the drive wheels 3, whereby the vehicle 100 travels. In addition, instead of the engine 1, or in addition to the engine 1, a traveling motor as a drive source may be provided to form the vehicle 100 as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle.

The transmission 2 is a stepped transmission in which the gear ratio can be changed stepwise according to, for example, a plurality of gears (for example, 6 gears). A continuously variable transmission whose gear ratio can be changed steplessly can also be used as the transmission 2. Although not shown, the power from the engine 1 may be input to the transmission 2 via the torque converter. The transmission 2 is provided with an engaging mechanism 21 such as a dog clutch or a friction clutch, and the hydraulic control device 22 controls the flow of oil from the hydraulic source to the engaging mechanism 21 to target the transmission stage of the transmission 2. It can be changed to a shift stage. The target shift stage is determined according to the vehicle speed and the required driving force according to a predetermined shift map. The hydraulic control device 22 has a valve mechanism 23 for a transmission such as a solenoid valve operated by an electric signal, and changes the flow of pressure oil to the engagement mechanism 21 according to the operation of the valve mechanism 23. An appropriate shift stage can be set. The valve mechanism 23 constitutes a speed change actuator.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing a basic overall configuration of an autonomous driving vehicle system 101 that controls the autonomous driving vehicle 100 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the automatic driving vehicle system 101 includes a controller 40, an external sensor group 31 electrically connected to the controller 40, an internal sensor group 32, an input / output device 33, and a GPS receiver 34. It mainly has a map database 35, a navigation device 36, a communication unit 37, and a traveling actuator AC.

The external sensor group 31 is a general term for a plurality of sensors that detect an external situation, which is peripheral information of the vehicle 100. For example, the external sensor group 31 includes a rider that measures scattered light with respect to omnidirectional irradiation light of the vehicle 100 to measure the distance from the vehicle 100 to surrounding obstacles, and a vehicle that detects reflected waves by irradiating electromagnetic waves. A radar that detects other vehicles and obstacles around the 100, a camera mounted on the vehicle 100 that has an image sensor such as a CCD or CMOS and captures the surroundings (front, rear, and sides) of the own vehicle. included.

The internal sensor group 32 is a general term for a plurality of sensors that detect the traveling state of the vehicle 100. For example, the internal sensor group 32 includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100, an acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration in the front-rear direction and the acceleration in the left-right direction (lateral acceleration) of the vehicle 100, and an engine that detects the rotation speed of the engine 1. A rotation speed sensor, a yaw rate sensor for detecting the rotation angle speed around the vertical axis of the center of gravity of the vehicle 100, a throttle opening degree sensor for detecting the opening degree (throttle opening degree) of the throttle valve 11 and the like are included. The internal sensor group 32 also includes sensors that detect the driver's driving operation in the manual driving mode, for example, the accelerator pedal operation, the brake pedal operation, the steering operation, and the like.

The input / output device 33 is a general term for devices for which commands are input from the driver and information is output to the driver. For example, the input / output device 33 includes various switches for the driver to input various commands by operating an operation member, a microphone for the driver to input commands by voice, a display unit for providing information to the driver via a display image, and voice to the driver. Includes speakers and the like that provide information in. The various switches include a manual automatic changeover switch 33a that commands either an automatic operation mode or a manual operation mode.

The manual automatic changeover switch 33a is configured as a switch that can be manually operated by the driver, for example, and is instructed to switch to an automatic operation mode in which the automatic operation function is enabled or a manual operation mode in which the automatic operation function is disabled, depending on the switch operation. Is output. Regardless of the operation of the manual automatic changeover switch 33a, even when a predetermined running condition is satisfied, a changeover from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode or a changeover from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode is instructed. That is, by automatically switching the manual automatic changeover switch 33a, the mode changeover may be performed automatically instead of manually.

The GPS receiver 34 receives positioning signals from a plurality of GPS satellites, thereby measuring the absolute position (latitude, longitude, etc.) of the vehicle 100.

The map database 35 is a device for storing general map information used in the navigation device 36, and is composed of, for example, a hard disk. Map information includes road position information, road shape (curvature, etc.) information, and intersection and branch point position information. The map information stored in the map database 35 is different from the highly accurate map information stored in the storage unit 42 of the controller 40.

The navigation device 36 is a device that searches for a target route on the road to the destination input by the driver and provides guidance along the target route. The input of the destination and the guidance along the target route are performed via the input / output device 33. It is also possible to automatically set the destination without going through the input / output device 33. The target route is calculated based on the current position of the own vehicle measured by the GPS receiver 34 and the map information stored in the map database 35.

The communication unit 37 communicates with various servers (not shown) via a network including a wireless communication network such as an Internet line, and acquires map information, traffic information, and the like from the server periodically or at an arbitrary timing. The acquired map information is output to the map database 35 and the storage unit 42, and the map information is updated. The acquired traffic information includes traffic congestion information and signal information such as the remaining time until the signal changes from red to blue.

The actuator AC is a traveling actuator for operating various devices related to the traveling operation of the vehicle 100. The actuator AC includes a throttle actuator 13 that adjusts the opening degree (throttle opening degree) of the throttle valve 11 of the engine 1, and a speed change that controls the flow of oil to the engaging mechanism 21 to change the shift stage of the transmission 2. Actuators for braking, actuators for braking that operate a braking device, steering actuators that drive a steering device, and the like are included.

The controller 40 is composed of an electronic control unit (ECU). A plurality of ECUs having different functions, such as an engine control ECU and a transmission control ECU, can be separately provided, but in FIG. 2, the controller 40 is shown as a set of these ECUs for convenience. The controller 40 includes a computer having a calculation unit 41 such as a CPU that mainly performs processing related to automatic operation, a storage unit 42 such as a ROM, RAM, and a hard disk, and other peripheral circuits (not shown).

The storage unit 42 stores high-precision detailed map information including information on the center position of the lane and information on the boundary of the lane position. More specifically, as map information, road information, traffic regulation information, address information, facility information, telephone number information and the like are stored. Road information includes information indicating the type of road such as highways, toll roads, and national roads, the number of lanes of the road, the width of each lane, the slope of the road, the three-dimensional coordinate position of the road, the curvature of the curve of the lane, and the lane. Information such as the positions of confluence points and branch points, road signs, etc. is included. Traffic regulation information includes information that lane driving is restricted or closed due to construction work or the like. The storage unit 42 also stores information such as a shift map (shift diagram) that serves as a reference for shifting operations, various control programs, and threshold values used in the programs.

The calculation unit 41 has a vehicle position recognition unit 43, an outside world recognition unit 44, an action plan generation unit 45, and a travel control unit 46 as functional configurations related to automatic driving.

The own vehicle position recognition unit 43 recognizes the position of the vehicle 100 (own vehicle position) on the map based on the position information of the vehicle 100 received by the GPS receiver 34 and the map information of the map database 35. The own vehicle position may be recognized by using the map information (information such as the shape of the building) stored in the storage unit 42 and the peripheral information of the vehicle 100 detected by the external sensor group 31. Can be recognized with high accuracy. When the position of the own vehicle can be measured by a sensor installed on the road or outside the side of the road, the position of the own vehicle can be recognized with high accuracy by communicating with the sensor via the communication unit 37. can.

The outside world recognition unit 44 recognizes the external situation around the vehicle 100 based on the signals from the external sensor group 31 such as the rider, the radar, and the camera. For example, the position, speed, and acceleration of peripheral vehicles (front and rear vehicles) traveling around the vehicle 100, the position of peripheral vehicles stopped or parked around the vehicle 100, and the position and state of other objects. recognize. Other objects include signs, traffic lights, road boundaries and stop lines, buildings, guardrails, utility poles, signs, pedestrians, bicycles and the like. The state of other objects includes the color of the traffic light (red, blue, yellow), the speed and orientation of pedestrians and bicycles, and so on.

The action plan generation unit 45 is currently based on, for example, the target route calculated by the navigation device 36, the vehicle position recognized by the vehicle position recognition unit 43, and the external situation recognized by the outside world recognition unit 44. A traveling track (target track) of the vehicle 100 from to a predetermined time ahead is generated. When there are multiple orbits that are candidates for the target orbit on the target route, the action plan generation unit 45 selects the optimum orbit from among them that meets the criteria such as observing laws and regulations and driving efficiently and safely. Then, the selected orbit is set as the target orbit. Then, the action plan generation unit 45 generates an action plan according to the generated target trajectory.

In the action plan, the travel plan data set every unit time Δt (for example, 0.1 second) from the present time to a predetermined time T (for example, 5 seconds) ahead, that is, the time for each unit time Δt is associated with the action plan. The travel plan data to be set is included. The travel plan data includes the position data of the vehicle 100 and the vehicle state data for each unit time Δt. The position data is, for example, data of a target point indicating a two-dimensional coordinate position on a road, and the vehicle state data is vehicle speed data indicating a vehicle speed, direction data indicating the direction of the vehicle 100, and the like. The travel plan is updated every unit time Δt.

The action plan generation unit 45 generates a target trajectory by connecting position data for each unit time Δt from the current time to a predetermined time T ahead in chronological order. At this time, the acceleration (target acceleration) for each unit time Δt is calculated based on the vehicle speed (target vehicle speed) at each target point for each unit time Δt on the target track. That is, the action plan generation unit 45 calculates the target vehicle speed and the target acceleration. The target acceleration may be calculated by the traveling control unit 46.

The travel control unit 46 controls the actuator AC according to the operation mode (automatic operation mode, manual operation mode). For example, in the automatic driving mode, the travel control unit 46 controls each actuator AC so that the vehicle 100 travels along the target track 103 generated by the action plan generation unit 45. That is, the throttle actuator 13, the speed change actuator, the brake actuator, the steering actuator, and the like are controlled so that the vehicle 100 passes the target point P for each unit time Δt.

More specifically, the travel control unit 46 is a required drive for obtaining a target acceleration for each unit time Δt calculated by the action plan generation unit 45 in consideration of the travel resistance determined by the road gradient or the like in the automatic driving mode. Calculate the force. Then, for example, the actuator AC is feedback-controlled so that the actual acceleration detected by the internal sensor group 32 becomes the target acceleration. That is, the actuator AC is controlled so that the own vehicle travels at the target vehicle speed and the target acceleration. In the manual operation mode, the travel control unit 46 controls each actuator AC in response to a travel command (accelerator opening degree, etc.) from the driver acquired by the internal sensor group 32.

By the way, if a failure occurs in the transmission 2 while traveling in the manual operation mode, it is preferable to prohibit or limit the switching to the automatic operation mode. That is, in the automatic driving mode, since the driver does not drive the vehicle 100 by himself / herself, even if the transmission 2 is switched to the automatic driving mode in a state where the transmission 2 has failed, there is a possibility that the failure will not be noticed. Therefore, when the manual automatic changeover switch 33a is operated to switch from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode in a state where the transmission 2 has failed, the intended behavior of the driver and the actual behavior of the vehicle 100 are different, and the driver has a different behavior. I feel uncomfortable. For example, even though the accelerator pedal is depressed in the manual operation mode in an attempt to overtake the vehicle in front, the transmission 2 does not downshift to a desired shift stage according to the driver's operation, and a sufficient feeling of acceleration is obtained. It may not be possible. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the vehicle control device is configured as follows.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of the vehicle control device 50 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle control device 50 controls the traveling operation of the vehicle 100, and constitutes a part of the automatic driving vehicle system 101 of FIG. The vehicle control device 50 determines whether or not all the elements of the transmission 2 such as the valve mechanism 23 in the hydraulic control device 22 that controls the flow of the pressure oil to the engagement mechanism 21 are out of order. As an example of the failure of the machine 2, it is assumed that an abnormality such as sticking occurs in the valve mechanism 23.

As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle control device 50 includes a controller 40, a manual automatic changeover switch 33a connected to the controller 40, a pressure sensor 32a, a parking actuator 24, a speed change actuator 25, and a display 33b. And have. The display 33b is a display device that displays failure information, and constitutes a part of the input / output device 33.

The pressure sensor 32a is a detector that detects a change in hydraulic pressure according to the operation of the valve mechanism 23 of the transmission 2, and constitutes a part of the internal sensor group 32. The hydraulic pressure detected by the pressure sensor 32a falls within a predetermined range corresponding to the in-gear command of the shift stage when the valve mechanism 23 is operating normally. On the other hand, if an abnormality such as sticking occurs in the valve mechanism 23, the hydraulic pressure deviates from the predetermined range. Although a plurality of pressure sensors 32a are provided corresponding to the shift gears, FIG. 3 shows a single pressure sensor 32a corresponding to a predetermined shift gear.

The parking actuator 24 is an actuator (for example, an electric motor) that activates and releases the parking lock provided in the parking device. The parking device has, for example, a parking shaft attached to a transmission case and a parking pole swingably supported by the parking shaft and driven by a parking actuator 24. The parking lock is activated by engaging the claw portion of the parking pole with the parking gear by driving the parking actuator 24. The rotation of the drive wheel 3 is prevented by the operation of the parking lock. On the other hand, when the operation of the parking lock is released, the drive wheels 3 can rotate. The speed change actuator 25 is composed of a valve mechanism 23 and the like.

The controller 40 has an actuator control unit 51, a traveling mode estimation unit 52, a failure determination unit 53, and an output unit 54 as functional configurations.

When the switch to the automatic operation mode is commanded by the operation of the manual automatic changeover switch 33a in the manual operation mode, the actuator control unit 51 performs an active diagnosis for determining whether or not the transmission 2 has a failure. In the active diagnosis, the transmission 2 is controlled to be in the same state as when the vehicle is running while the vehicle 100 is stopped, and the presence or absence of a failure is determined. Therefore, when the manual automatic changeover switch 33a is operated when the vehicle is stopped, the actuator control unit 51 first outputs a control signal to the parking actuator 24 to keep the vehicle 100 in the stopped state.

When the manual automatic changeover switch 33a is operated during traveling, the vehicle 100 stands by until it reaches a predetermined stop state. A predetermined stop state is a state in which the vehicle is stopped for a predetermined time (for example, about several seconds) required for active diagnosis, and a temporary stop at an intersection or a state of waiting for a signal within a predetermined time is excluded from the predetermined stop state. Will be done. The state immediately after the engine is started and before the vehicle 100 starts traveling is included in the predetermined stopped state.

In the active diagnosis, the actuator control unit 51 outputs a control signal to the speed change actuator 25 while the parking lock is activated, and executes in-gear operation of all the speed change stages of the transmission 2, for example. FIG. 4 is a time chart showing an example of active diagnosis. As shown in FIG. 4, when the switch to the automatic operation mode is commanded at the time point t1 in the predetermined stopped state, the actuator control unit 51 operates (turns on) the parking lock. Next, the actuator control unit 51 outputs an in-gear command for all shift stages. In particular, from the time point t2 to the time point t3, the actuator control unit 51 outputs (on) an in-gear command of a predetermined shift stage.

At this time, if the transmission 2 is normal, the output of the pressure sensor 32a rises from, for example, 0 to a predetermined value P1 as shown by the solid line in FIG. On the other hand, when the valve mechanism 23 is stuck or the like and normal shifting operation is not performed, the output of the pressure sensor 32a remains 0 as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 4, for example. When the output of the pressure sensor 32a rises to a predetermined value P1 by driving the speed change actuator 25, the traveling driving force normally increases as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 4, but the parking lock is activated. Therefore, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 4, the traveling driving force remains 0. When the active diagnosis for all the shift stages is completed at the time point t4, the actuator control unit 51 outputs a control signal to the parking actuator 24 and releases (turns off) the parking lock.

The traveling mode estimation unit 52 estimates the traveling mode of the vehicle 100 along the target route calculated by the navigation device 36. For example, when the target route includes an expressway, it is determined that the vehicle 100 travels at a predetermined vehicle speed or higher in the section of the expressway. The traveling mode estimation unit 52 also estimates whether or not there is a point on the target route that can be in a predetermined stopped state.

After the active diagnosis, the failure determination unit 53 determines whether or not the transmission 2 has a failure, that is, whether or not automatic driving is possible, based on the signal from the pressure sensor 32a. Further, when it is determined that a part of the transmission 2 is out of order, the failure determination unit 53 determines whether or not the failure portion does not hinder the running of the vehicle 100. That is, when a part of the transmission 2 is out of order, the traveling control unit 46 (FIG. 2) limits the traveling such as torque limitation, maximum speed limitation, and shift stage limitation, so that the failed portion is not used. In this state, the vehicle 100 is automatically driven (limited automatic driving). In other words, the travel control unit 46 automatically drives the vehicle 100 by fail-safe control. Therefore, the failure determination unit 53 determines whether or not the vehicle 100 can travel on the target route by the limited automatic driving based on the travel mode estimated by the travel mode estimation unit 52. For example, when a highway is included in the target route and the vehicle cannot be driven at high speed due to a failure of the transmission 2, the failure determination unit 53 determines that the limited automatic driving is impossible.

Switching to the automatic operation mode was commanded by the operation of the manual automatic changeover switch 33a, and the active diagnosis was started, but when the running in the manual operation was started before the active diagnosis was completed, that is, one of the transmissions 2. When only the active diagnosis of the element of the unit is performed, the failure determination unit 53 identifies the undiagnosed element. Then, based on the driving mode estimated by the driving mode estimation unit 52, it is determined whether or not the vehicle 100 can travel on the target route by automatic driving without using the undiagnosed element. For example, when the undiagnosed element is an element related to reverse driving and the reverse driving is not included in the target route, it is determined that the vehicle can be driven by automatic driving.

The output unit 54 outputs a determination result by the failure determination unit 53, that is, a command of any of automatic driving driving permission, automatic driving driving prohibition, and limited automatic driving driving permission to the traveling control unit 46. When the output unit 54 outputs a command for permitting automatic driving, the driving control unit 46 switches the driving mode to the automatic driving mode, and thereafter controls the actuator AC in the automatic driving mode. When the output unit 54 outputs a command for prohibiting automatic driving, the traveling control unit 46 prohibits switching to the automatic driving mode and continues driving in the manual driving mode. When the output unit 54 outputs a command to permit automatic driving with limitation, the driving control unit 46 switches to the automatic driving mode, and is in the automatic driving mode under the driving restrictions such as torque limit, maximum speed limit, and shift stage limit. Controls the actuator AC.

Further, the output unit 54 outputs the determination result by the failure determination unit 53 to the display 33b. As a result, the display 33b indicates that switching to the automatic operation mode is prohibited or restricted. Therefore, the driver can easily recognize whether or not the switching to the automatic operation mode has been performed without any problem.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by the CPU of the controller 40 of FIG. 3 according to a program stored in the storage unit 42 in advance. The process shown in this flowchart is started, for example, in the manual operation mode, and is repeated at a predetermined cycle.

First, in step S1, it is determined whether or not automatic operation is requested based on the signal from the manual automatic changeover switch 33a. If it is denied in step S1, the process proceeds to step S2, and a manual driving driving command is output to the traveling control unit 46. On the other hand, if affirmed in step S1, the process proceeds to step S3, and it is determined whether or not it is possible to put the vehicle 100 in a predetermined stopped state immediately after the engine is started or the like. If affirmed in step S3, the process proceeds to step S4, a control signal is output to the parking actuator 24, the parking lock is activated, and a control signal is output to the speed change actuator 25. Diagnose the presence or absence, that is, perform active diagnosis.

Then, in step S5, it is determined whether or not the active diagnosis is completed. That is, it is determined whether or not the failure diagnosis for all the elements of the transmission 2 is completed. If it is affirmed in step S5, the process proceeds to step S6, and if it is denied, the process returns to step S3. In step S6, as a result of the active diagnosis, it is determined whether or not all the elements of the transmission 2 are normal. If affirmed in step S6, the process proceeds to step S7, and an automatic driving permission command is output.

If it is denied in step S6, the process proceeds to step S8, and whether or not traveling with restricted use of elements determined to be abnormal, that is, restricted traveling such as torque limit, maximum speed limit, and shift speed limit is possible on the target route. Is determined. If affirmed in step S8, the process proceeds to step S9, and if denied, the process proceeds to step S12. In step S9, a permission command for limited automatic driving is output. On the other hand, in step S12, a prohibition command for automatic driving is output.

If it is denied in step S3, the process proceeds to step S10, and it is determined whether or not there is a plan to use an undiagnosed element for which active diagnosis has not been completed on the target route. If it is denied in step S10, the process proceeds to step S7, and if it is affirmed, the process proceeds to step S11. In step S11, it is determined whether or not active diagnosis of an undiagnosed element is possible on the target route, that is, whether or not it is possible to make a predetermined stop state (step S3). If affirmed in step S11, the process proceeds to step S7, and if denied, the process proceeds to step S12.

The operation of the vehicle control device 50 according to the present embodiment will be described more specifically. When switching to the automatic driving mode is commanded by operating the manual automatic switching switch 33a in the manual driving mode, active diagnosis is executed if the vehicle 100 is in the stopped state (step S4). In this case, with the parking lock activated, a control signal is output to the speed change actuator 25, and the elements of the transmission 2 are operated in the same manner as during traveling. As a result of the active diagnosis, when it is determined that all the elements of the transmission 2 are normal, the automatic driving is permitted and the mode is switched to the automatic driving mode (step S7).

That is, in the present embodiment, even if the switch to the automatic operation mode is instructed by the driver's operation, the automatic operation mode is not immediately switched, and as a result of the active diagnosis, all the elements of the transmission 2 are determined to be normal. Then, the operation mode is switched to the automatic operation mode. As a result, the vehicle 100 travels in the automatic driving mode when the transmission 2 is in the normal state. Therefore, after that, when the automatic operation mode is switched to the manual operation mode by the operation of the manual automatic changeover switch 33a, the transmission 2 operates normally, so that the driver does not feel uncomfortable with the behavior of the transmission 2. be able to.

When it is determined that some elements of the transmission 2 are abnormal, the vehicle 100 can travel by limiting the use of some elements by fail-safe control. In this case, if there is no problem in traveling by fail-safe control on the target route, traveling in limited automatic driving is permitted (step S9). For example, the vehicle 100 runs in the automatic driving mode while limiting the torque, the maximum speed, the speed change stage, and the like. Therefore, even if there is an abnormality in some elements of the transmission 2, automatic driving is possible.

Even when the vehicle 100 travels after the active diagnosis is started in the stopped state and before the active diagnosis is completed, the automatic driving mode may be switched to. For example, if the undiagnosed element is an element that performs the in-gear operation of the reverse stage and there is no plan for reverse travel on the target route, the operation is switched to automatic operation (step S10 → step S7). That is, in this case, it is unclear whether the element related to the in-gear in the reverse stage is normal or abnormal, but since there is no plan to drive backward on the target route, it is possible to drive in the automatic driving mode without any problem.

Further, the undiagnosed element is an element that performs the in-gear operation of the reverse stage, and even when the vehicle is scheduled to travel backward, it is possible to make a predetermined stop state on the target route before traveling backward. In this case, active diagnosis of undiagnosed elements is performed after traveling by automatic driving (step S4). In this case, if the active diagnosis is performed and there is an abnormality, driving in the automatic driving mode is prohibited (step S12).

According to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The vehicle control device 50 controls the vehicle 100 so that the driving mode can be switched between a manual driving mode in which the vehicle is driven by manual driving and an automatic driving mode in which the vehicle is driven by automatic driving. The vehicle control device 50 includes an actuator control unit 51 that controls a speed change actuator 25 such as a valve mechanism 23 used in the transmission 2 mounted on the vehicle 100, and an actuator before switching from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode. The control unit 51 operates the speed change actuator 25, and the failure determination unit 53 determines whether or not the transmission 2 has failed based on the operation result, and the failure determination unit 53 determines that the transmission 2 has failed. And an output unit 54 that outputs a command prohibiting switching to the automatic operation mode (FIG. 3).

As a result, switching to the automatic operation mode is performed on the premise that the transmission 2 is normal. Therefore, when the automatic operation mode is switched to the manual operation mode, the driver feels uncomfortable due to the failure of the transmission 2. For example, it is possible to prevent a feeling of strangeness such as not being able to obtain a desired feeling of acceleration.

(2) The speed change actuator 25 includes an actuator that operates during traveling, that is, an in-gear actuator, and the actuator control unit 51 activates the parking lock when the failure determination unit 53 determines the presence or absence of a failure. The in-gear actuator is operated with the vehicle stopped. As a result, the transmission 2 can be actually operated to perform active diagnosis while the vehicle 100 is kept in the stopped state.

(3) The vehicle control device 50 further includes a traveling mode estimation unit 52 that estimates the traveling mode of the vehicle 100 along the target route (FIG. 3). The failure determination unit 53 determines whether or not a part of the elements of the transmission 2 for realizing the traveling in the traveling mode estimated by the traveling mode estimation unit 52 has a failure among all the elements of the transmission 2. When the failure determination unit 53 determines that some elements of the transmission have not failed, the output unit 54 determines that another element of the transmission 2 (for example, an element for reverse traveling) has failed. Even if it is determined, a command to allow switching to the automatic operation mode is output. As a result, automatic operation can be performed even when all the elements of the transmission 2 have not failed.

The above embodiment can be changed to various forms. Hereinafter, a modified example will be described. In the above embodiment, the parking lock is activated to stop the vehicle 100 when the active diagnosis of the transmission 2 is performed, but the in-gear command of the pair of clutches may be issued at the same time. FIG. 6 is a time chart showing an example of such an operation. In FIG. 6, in the stopped state of the vehicle 100, after the switch to the automatic operation mode is commanded at the time point t5, the in-gear command (first) is given to both the first clutch and the second clutch included in the transmission 2 at the time point t6. The in-gear command and the second in-gear command) are output at the same time, the clutch is in the co-engaged state, and the traveling driving force of the vehicle 100 is set to 0. At this time, if the transmission 2 is normal, the output of the pressure sensor 32a for the first clutch (first sensor output) and the output of the pressure sensor 32a for the second clutch (second sensor output) are, for example, predetermined. It rises to the values P2 and P3. On the other hand, if the transmission 2 is abnormal, for example, the sensor output becomes 0. After that, when the in-gear command of the second clutch is turned off at the time point t7, the clutch is no longer in the co-engagement state. At this time, normally, the traveling driving force increases as shown by the dotted line, but since the parking lock is activated, the traveling driving force remains 0 as shown by the solid line in FIG.

In the above embodiment, when the failure determination unit 53 determines the presence or absence of a failure, the parking brake is automatically operated to operate the speed change actuator 25 as a traveling actuator that operates during traveling. The brake may be automatically activated to operate the traveling actuator. In the above embodiment, the presence or absence of a failure of the transmission 2 is determined based on the signal of the pressure sensor 32a when the speed change actuator 25 is operated by the actuator control unit 51, but the rotation speed sensor, the temperature sensor, etc. The presence or absence of a failure of the transmission 2 may be determined based on other sensor signals, and the configuration of the failure determination unit is not limited to that described above.

In the above embodiment, when the failure determination unit 53 determines that the transmission 2 has failed, the output unit 54 not only prohibits switching from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode, but also enables restricted driving. At some point, it was allowed to run in limited automatic driving, but at least as long as it outputs a command prohibiting switching to the automatic driving mode, the configuration of the output unit may be anything. In the above embodiment, among all the elements of the transmission 2, some elements of the transmission 2 (for example, elements related to forward traveling) for realizing traveling in the traveling mode estimated by the traveling mode estimation unit 52. The output unit 54 determines whether or not there is a failure, and when the failure determination unit 53 determines that some elements of the transmission 2 have not failed, the output unit 54 determines that other elements of the transmission 2 (for example, elements related to reverse traveling). ) Is determined to be out of order, but a command to allow switching to the automatic operation mode is output, but unless it is determined that all the elements of the transmission 2 are normal, the driving mode is taken into consideration. It is also possible to prohibit running in the automatic driving mode without doing so.

The above description is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications as long as the features of the present invention are not impaired. It is also possible to arbitrarily combine one or a plurality of the above-described embodiments and the modified examples, and it is also possible to combine the modified examples.

2 transmission, 24 parking actuator, 25 speed change actuator, 50 vehicle control device, 51 actuator control unit, 52 driving mode estimation unit, 53 failure determination unit, 54 output unit, 100 autonomous driving vehicle

Claims (2)

It is a vehicle control device that controls a vehicle configured to be able to switch between a manual driving mode for driving manually and an automatic driving mode for driving automatically.
An actuator control unit that controls an actuator used in the transmission mounted on the vehicle, and an actuator control unit.
Before switching from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode, the actuator control unit operates the actuator, and the failure determination unit determines whether or not the transmission has a failure based on the operation result.
When the failure determination unit determines that the transmission is out of order, an output unit that outputs a command prohibiting switching to the automatic operation mode, and an output unit.
A traveling mode estimation unit for estimating a traveling mode along a target route of the vehicle is provided .
The failure determination unit determines whether or not a part of the elements of the transmission for realizing the traveling in the traveling mode estimated by the traveling mode estimation unit has a failure among all the elements of the transmission.
When the failure determination unit determines that some of the elements of the transmission have not failed, the output unit automatically operates even if it is determined that the other elements of the transmission have failed. A vehicle control device characterized by outputting a command permitting switching to a mode . In the vehicle control device according to claim 1,
The actuator has a traveling actuator that operates during traveling.
The actuator control unit is a vehicle control device, characterized in that, when the failure determination unit determines the presence or absence of a failure, the traveling actuator is operated with the vehicle stopped.

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