JP7006041B2 - Vehicle control device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle control device that estimates what a user wants to achieve using a vehicle and controls in-vehicle equipment mounted on the vehicle based on the estimation result.

For example, in Patent Document 1, when a user inputs a destination and a public transportation usage schedule to an in-vehicle device via a user input unit, the amount and timing of provision of information on public transportation are appropriate. The information providing system for vehicles is disclosed.

The public transportation schedule is user information indicating the user's travel schedule by public transportation, which indicates when and when the train / flight is scheduled to be boarded / boarded from any station or airport. .. Further, in the vehicle information providing system of Patent Document 1, the importance of the public transportation usage schedule is input and set by the user as one parameter included in the public transportation usage schedule.

Then, the system of Patent Document 1 is a flight scheduled to be used by the user, sequentially based on the traffic conditions, and further considering the average travel time from parking at the station / airport to boarding / boarding and the spare time set by the user. Determine if you can arrive at the station / airport in time for boarding / boarding. In this determination, if it is determined that the station / airport cannot be reached in time for the scheduled flight, the system determines whether or not the importance of the public transportation schedule is at or above a predetermined level. If the importance is above a certain level and the user must take the scheduled flight, the system will determine whether the scheduled flight will be in time by reducing the spare time at the station / airport. judge. If it is determined that the spare time is reduced to meet the departure time of the scheduled flight, the system proposes to the user to correct the spare time. If the spare time is not modified, the system will search for other available public transport and, if present, suggest that public transport to the user.

As described above, in the system of Patent Document 1, if the public transportation usage schedule input by the user cannot be changed due to the lack of a schedule, the information regarding the schedule is not provided at the time when it is determined that the schedule cannot be changed. It will be abandoned and only guidance on other means of transportation will be provided.

Patent No. 4737011

Conventionally, as in the system of Patent Document 1 described above, in order to cause the system to perform a desired operation (such as providing information on public transportation in the system of Patent Document 1), the user himself / herself inputs necessary data. It was necessary to select the necessary functions. Such an operation tends to be complicated, and the user may have trouble in inputting necessary data and selecting a function, or a user who is unfamiliar with the operation may not be able to finally perform the desired operation. There is.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and is a vehicle control capable of performing control corresponding to a user's desire to be realized by using a vehicle with in-vehicle equipment with as little effort as possible. The purpose is to provide the device.

In order to achieve the above object, the vehicle control device according to the present invention is
An estimation unit (S100) that estimates that the user who uses the vehicle wants to realize using the vehicle, and
A control purpose setting unit that sets a control purpose that serves as a guideline when controlling in-vehicle equipment so as to correspond to the user's desire to be realized based on the user's desire estimated by the estimation unit (
S110, S120) and
It is equipped with a control unit (10 to 22) that controls in -vehicle equipment with control contents according to the control purpose set by the control purpose setting unit.
The control purpose setting unit replaces what the user wants to achieve estimated by the estimation unit with the provided value that can be provided on the vehicle side, and sets the control purpose according to the replaced provided value.
The value provided includes at least one of the movement value and the space value, and the movement value is at least one of the route on which the vehicle travels, the driving characteristics of the vehicle, the safety of the vehicle, the riding comfort of the vehicle, and the automatic driving of the vehicle. The spatial value is configured to include the value for at least one of the vehicle's interior environment, the occupant's perceived temperature, the outside air taken into the vehicle's interior, and the sound in the vehicle's interior .

As described above, the vehicle control device according to the present invention is based on the user's desire to be realized estimated by the estimation unit, and is a control object that serves as a guideline when controlling the in-vehicle equipment so as to correspond to the realization. It has a control purpose setting unit for setting. The control unit controls the in-vehicle equipment according to the control content set by the control purpose setting unit. Therefore, the user can make the in-vehicle equipment perform the control corresponding to what he / she wants to realize by using the vehicle without requiring any operation or by the minimum necessary operation.

The reference numbers in parentheses are merely examples of the correspondence with the specific configuration in the embodiment described later in order to facilitate the understanding of the present invention, and limit the scope of the present invention in any way. Not intended.

Further, the technical features described in each claim of the claims other than the above-mentioned features will be clarified from the description of the embodiment described later and the attached drawings.

It is a functional block diagram which showed an example of the various functions which a vehicle control device has in order to control various in-vehicle equipment mounted on a vehicle. It is a figure which shows an example of the correspondence between what the user wants to realize by using a vehicle, and the movement value and the space value which are the provided value which can be provided by the vehicle side. It is a figure which shows an example of the association between the individual movement value and the control target of each in-vehicle equipment for realizing each movement value. It is a figure which shows an example of the association between each space value, and the control target of each in-vehicle equipment to realize each space value. A process of converting what the user wants to achieve in the integrated control unit into the control purpose of each in-vehicle equipment through the provided value that can be provided on the vehicle side, and instructing the control purpose to the corresponding control unit. It is a flowchart which shows.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the vehicle control device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the embodiment described below, in addition to the normal manual driving function, a vehicle control device for controlling various in-vehicle equipment mounted on the vehicle, which can execute an advanced driving support function and an automatic driving function. However, an example to which the present invention is applied will be described. However, the vehicle control device according to the present invention may be applied to a vehicle control device capable of executing only a manual driving function and an advanced driving support function, or a vehicle control device capable of executing only a manual driving function and an automatic driving function. good.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing an example of various functions possessed by the vehicle control device 100 in order to control various in-vehicle equipments 23 to 31 in the above-mentioned vehicle. However, FIG. 1 does not show all the functions of the vehicle control device 100. This is because, for convenience of explanation, FIG. 1 shows only one example of the configuration necessary for explaining the features of the vehicle control device 100 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in the example of FIG. 1, the vehicle control device 100 is divided into a plurality of logical blocks (functional blocks) 10 to 22 in advance according to a control function, and a connection relationship between the plurality of logical blocks 10 to 22 is defined. It is composed by doing. That is, in the vehicle control device 100, the logical structure for controlling various in-vehicle equipments 23 to 31 is defined by the connection relationship between the logical blocks 10 to 22 and the logical blocks 10 to 22. Then, the vehicle control device 100 controls various in-vehicle equipments 23 to 31 by the plurality of logical blocks 10 to 22 operating in cooperation with each other according to the defined connection relationship.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, each logic block 10 to 22 has at least one, usually a large number of control blocks. Each of the logic blocks 10 to 22 exerts its respective function (role) by appropriately combining the arithmetic processing in the many control blocks.

For example, the engine control unit 14 as a logical block inputs sensor signals from various sensors in order to detect the operating state of the engine 23, and converts the control block into a signal that can be handled in the engine control unit 14. Has. In addition, the current generated torque is calculated from the operating state of the engine grasped from the sensor signal, and if there is a difference from the command torque instructed by the upper logic block (powertrain control unit 11), the difference is eliminated. It has a control block for calculating the target engine operating state for the purpose. Further, it has a control block for calculating the fuel injection amount, the fuel injection timing, and the ignition timing for achieving the target engine operating state. In addition, for example, it also has a control block that executes temperature control of the engine 23 according to the heat generation temperature of the engine 23. However, these are merely examples, and the engine control unit 14 may have a control block that performs other arithmetic processing necessary for exerting its function. Further, the control blocks in the engine control unit 14, including the illustrated control blocks, can be appropriately integrated or, conversely, subdivided.

The vehicle control device 100 is actually embodied by mounting each logic block 10 to 22 as a program or a database in an electronic control unit (ECU). At this time, the number of electronic control devices that mount each of the logical blocks 10 to 22 is arbitrary as long as the connection relationship between the logical blocks can be maintained. That is, a part or all of the plurality of logic blocks 10 to 22 may be mounted on a common electronic control device. On the other hand, when each of the logical blocks 10 to 22 is distributed and mounted on a plurality of electronic control devices, the plurality of electronic control devices provide individual communication lines so that the connection relationship of the logical blocks 10 to 22 can be maintained. It is necessary that the electronic control devices are connected via a common network, and the desired electronic control devices that follow the connection relationship are configured to be communicable with each other.

Next, as various functions of the vehicle control device 100 in order to control various in-vehicle equipments 23 to 31 to be controlled by the vehicle control device 100 exemplified in FIG. 1 and those in-vehicle equipments 23 to 31. The connection relationship between the logical blocks 10 to 22 and the logical blocks 10 to 22 will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle has an engine 23 as a traveling drive source. The engine 23 may be either a gasoline engine or a diesel engine. The drive torque generated by the engine 23 is transmitted to the drive wheels via the transmission 24. The transmission 24 has a plurality of gears and is automatically switched to the gears according to the traveling speed and the traveling load of the vehicle. The suspension 25 is provided between each wheel of the vehicle and the vehicle body, and the damping force can be switched in a plurality of stages. The brake 26 can generate a braking force by using, for example, hydraulic pressure or an electric motor, regardless of the operation of the brake pedal by the driver. The electric power steering (EPS) 27 assists the steering force when the driver steers the steering wheel by an electric motor, and steers the vehicle by rotationally driving the steering shaft regardless of the steering operation by the driver. The steering angle of the wheel can be controlled.

The navigation 28 displays the position of the vehicle on the map on the display based on the current position of the vehicle detected by the current position detection unit (not shown) and the stored map database, and when the destination is set, the navigation 28 displays the destination. It sets and guides the driving route to. The air conditioner 29 air-conditions the interior of the vehicle by using a known refrigerating cycle and a heater using the cooling water of the engine 23. The seat air conditioner 30 directly provides a cooling / heating effect to a user seated on the seat by blowing cold air from a plurality of ventilation holes provided on the seat surface or heating with a heater embedded inside the seat. It is something to do. The AV device 31 is a CD, a DVD, a music player, a TV, a radio, or the like.

The vehicle control device 100 has an integrated control unit 10 as one of the logic blocks 10 to 22 for controlling the above-mentioned vehicle-mounted equipment 23 to 31. The integrated control unit 10 inputs signals from various operation sensors such as an accelerator sensor, a brake sensor, and a steering sensor that detect information on driving operations by the driver. The operation sensor also includes operation switches for operating the navigation 28, the air conditioner 29, and the like, and the integrated control unit 10 also inputs signals from those operation switches.

Further, the integrated control unit 10 includes, for example, a microphone for inputting a user's voice. In addition, the integrated control unit 10 includes an environment sensor that acquires information about the external environment in which the vehicle is placed (for example, a radar device that detects a preceding vehicle or an obstacle, a camera that acquires an image of the surroundings of the vehicle, or the like. ) And the map of the area to which the vehicle belongs from the map database.

The integrated control unit 10 estimates that the user wants to realize using the vehicle based on the user's voice input from the microphone. For example, the integrated control unit 10 can obtain various information from the user through a dialogue with the user, such as asking some questions from the speaker to the user and detecting the user's response to the question with a microphone. Then, the integrated control unit 10 can estimate that the user wants to realize using the vehicle based on the obtained information. Alternatively, the integrated control unit 10 may simply detect the voice spoken by the user with the microphone and estimate from the keywords included in the voice input to the microphone that the user wants to realize using the vehicle. ..

As shown in Fig. 2, for example, the user wants to realize by using a car, "I want to enjoy driving", "I want to arrive at the destination on schedule", "I want to drive safely", and "I want to arrive as soon as possible". , "I want to relax," "I want to enjoy conversations with passengers," and "I want to enjoy the scenery." It should be noted that what the user wants to achieve by using a car is not limited to the example shown in FIG.

Candidates for what the user wants to achieve using the vehicle are stored in advance in the storage unit of the integrated control unit 10. From the candidates, the integrated control unit 10 can estimate what the most probable user wants to realize based on the information obtained from the user through dialogue, the keywords included in the user's voice, and the like. Alternatively, the integrated control unit 10 presents candidates for what the user wants to realize on the display as a menu, and when any candidate is selected by the user from the presented menu, the selected candidate is selected by the user. May be presumed to be achieved using a vehicle.

In order to replace what the user wants to realize with the provided value that can be provided on the vehicle side, the integrated control unit 10 also stores the provided value to be replaced in association with each candidate of the above-mentioned user's desired to be realized. ing. The value provided by the vehicle includes at least one of the movement value and the space value.

For example, in the example shown in FIG. 2, in response to the user's needs of "want to enjoy driving", "running at will" and "running fun route guidance" are stored in association with each other as movement values. As the spatial value, "listening to the exhaust note" is stored in association with it. In addition, for the user's needs of "want to arrive at the destination on schedule", the movement value of "operation as planned" and "flexible route correction" is stored in association with each other, and "comfortable room". The spatial value with "environment" is stored in association with it. For the user's needs of "want to drive safely", the movement value of "safety priority" is stored in association with it, and the space value of "comfortable indoor environment" is stored in association with it. For the needs of users who want to arrive as soon as possible, the travel value of "agile driving" and "time priority route guidance" is stored in association with each other, and the space value of "comfortable indoor environment" is stored. It is stored in association with each other. For the user's needs of "want to relax", the movement value of "ride comfort priority" is stored in association with it, and the space value of "keeping the sensible temperature comfortable" and "taking in fresh outside air". Are associated and stored. For the user's needs of "enjoying conversation with passengers", the movement value with "autonomous driving" is stored in association with it, and the space value with "comfortable and quiet indoor environment" is associated with it. Is remembered. For the user's needs of "want to enjoy the scenery", the movement value with "scenic route guidance" is stored in association with it, and the space value with "comfortable indoor environment" is stored in association with it. To.

In this way, the value provided on the vehicle side is abstract, so even if the user's needs are abstract, the abstract user's needs can be realized on the vehicle side. It can be replaced with the value provided.

Further, the provided value that can be provided on the vehicle side is converted into the control purpose of each in-vehicle equipment for realizing the moving value or the space value according to the moving value and the space value. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the storage unit of the integrated control unit 10 stores the control targets of the in-vehicle equipment for realizing the individual movement values in relation to the individual movement values.

In this embodiment, in addition to the individual in-vehicle equipment, the functions realized by the plurality of in-vehicle equipment are also positioned as one in-vehicle equipment. Specifically, the driving support function and the automatic driving function are also positioned as one in-vehicle equipment. The driving support function is realized by, for example, at least the engine 23, the brake 26, and the EPS 27, and their control units. For example, the driving support function reduces the output of the engine 23 and activates the brake 26 when it is determined that there is a danger of collision with the vehicle in front based on the distance to the vehicle in front and the relative speed detected by the environment sensor. It helps to avoid a collision with a vehicle in front. In addition, the driving support function grasps the relative positional relationship between the vehicle and the white line by a camera as an environment sensor, and operates the EPS 27 so as not to go out of the lane in which the vehicle is traveling. Further, the driving support function may include functions such as so-called ABS, TRC, and VDC. The automatic driving function is realized by, for example, a navigation 28 and a control unit thereof in addition to the engine 23, the transmission 24, the suspension 25, the brake 26 and the EPS 27, which are at least in-vehicle equipment related to the running of the vehicle. For example, the autonomous driving function avoids contact with other vehicles and guardrails on the route to reach the set destination based on the surrounding traffic environment detected by the environment sensor and the map data acquired from the map database. At the same time, the vehicle is automatically driven at an appropriate speed.

Next, an example of a control target of each in-vehicle equipment stored in association with each movement value will be described with reference to FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 3, "route proposal / guidance including high speed and winding" is associated with the movement value of "running at will" and "running fun route guidance" as the control purpose of the navigation 28. It is remembered. Therefore, when the navigation 28 operates under the above-mentioned control purpose, when the navigation 28 is instructed to search for a destination or a route, the user can receive the provision of route guidance suitable for enjoying the running. .. Further, "high responsiveness to accelerator operation" is stored as a control purpose of the engine 23. Therefore, by controlling the engine 23 under the above control purpose, the responsiveness of the change in the engine speed to the accelerator operation of the user is improved. As a result, the user can change the traveling speed of the vehicle as desired. Further, "increased engine speed at the time of speed increase" and "reduced shift change time" are stored as control purposes of the transmission 24. Therefore, by controlling the transmission 24 under the above control purpose, it becomes possible to rotate the engine to a higher rotation speed at the time of acceleration, and the time at the time of shift change is relatively shortened. As a result, the user can experience a stronger acceleration. Further, "hardening damping force" is stored for the purpose of controlling the suspension 25. Therefore, by controlling the suspension 25 under the above control purpose, the damping force of the suspension 25 is controlled to be relatively stiff. As a result, the posture of the vehicle can be stabilized even if the user repeatedly changes the speed of the vehicle. Further, "delayed intervention timing" is stored as the control purpose of the driving support function, and "stop" is stored as the control purpose of the automatic driving function. Therefore, by controlling the driving support function under the above control purpose, it becomes difficult for the user to perform an operation unintended. As a result, the user can drive the vehicle according to his / her own driving operation.

By the operation and control of the individual in-vehicle equipment as described above, the user can fully enjoy the driving of the vehicle. Although not shown in FIG. 3, further, for the control purpose of EPS 27, it may be determined to reduce the steering assist force and increase the turning angle of the tire with respect to the steering angle.

Further, in the example shown in FIG. 3, for the movement value of "operation as planned" and "flexible route correction", "operation schedule presentation to the destination" and "according to the occurrence of traffic congestion" are used as control purposes of the navigation 28. "Route correction" is associated and stored. Therefore, when the navigation 28 operates under the above-mentioned control purpose, it is possible to present the user with an operation schedule including the scheduled passage time of a major transit point on the route in addition to the scheduled arrival time to the destination. Therefore, the user can confirm that the vehicle is traveling toward the destination as scheduled, and can give the user a sense of security. Further, when a traffic jam occurs on the route, the navigation 28 flexibly corrects the route, so that it is possible to suppress delay from the scheduled operation schedule as much as possible. Further, "operation OR stop (user selection) is stored for the purpose of controlling the automatic operation function. Therefore, the user can select either manual operation or automatic operation.

Further, in the example shown in FIG. 3, "route proposal / guidance through the main road" is stored in association with the movement value of "safety priority" for the control purpose of the navigation 28. Therefore, when using the route guidance function by the navigation 28, the user should travel on a route with a low possibility of an accident because the route including a narrow road or a road in a densely populated residential area is not guided. Can be done. Then, "low responsiveness to accelerator operation" is stored in association with the control purpose of the engine 23, and "decrease in engine speed at the time of speed increase" is stored as the control purpose of the transmission 24. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the engine rotation speed from changing or the engine rotation speed from increasing significantly in response to the user's accelerator operation, thereby improving the safety when the vehicle is running. be able to. Further, "operation OR stop (user selection) is stored for the control purpose of the automatic driving system. Therefore, the user can also select automatic driving.

Further, in the example shown in FIG. 3, "time priority route proposal / guidance" is stored in association with the movement value of "agile driving" and "time priority route guidance" for the control purpose of the navigation 28. Therefore, the user can receive the proposal of the route that can reach the destination in the shortest time and the guidance thereof. Then, "high responsiveness to accelerator operation" is memorized as the control purpose of the engine 23, "increase in engine speed at the time of speed increase" and "reduction of shift change time" are memorized as the control purpose of the transmission 24, and the suspension 25 is stored. "Harder damping force" is stored for the purpose of control. Therefore, the user can quickly increase the speed of the vehicle, and even in such a case, the posture of the vehicle can be stabilized.

Further, in the example shown in FIG. 3, "route proposal / guidance with few curves" is stored in association with the movement value of "ride comfort priority" as the control purpose of the navigation 28. Therefore, the user can suppress the rolling of the vehicle by traveling according to the guided route. Then, "low responsiveness to accelerator operation" is stored as the control purpose of the engine 23, "decrease in engine speed at the time of speed increase" is stored as the control purpose of the transmission 24, and "damping force is soft" as the control purpose of the suspension 25. "Me" is remembered. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the change in the speed of the vehicle and to make it difficult for the vibration due to the unevenness of the road surface to be transmitted to the vehicle body.

Further, in the example shown in FIG. 3, "operation" is stored in association with the movement value of "automatic driving" for the purpose of controlling the automatic driving function. Therefore, the user can leave the driving of the car to the automatic driving function and enjoy the conversation with the passenger without hesitation.

Further, in the example shown in FIG. 3, "scenic route proposal / guidance" is stored in association with the movement value of "scenic route guidance" as a control purpose of the navigation 28. Therefore, the user can receive a proposal for a scenic route and its guidance. Further, "operation OR stop (user selection) is stored for the control purpose of the automatic driving system. Therefore, the user can also select automatic driving.

Next, an example of a control target of each in-vehicle equipment stored in association with each space value will be described with reference to FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 4, "air volume suppression" is associated and stored as the control purpose of the air conditioner 29 with respect to the space value of "listening to the exhaust note", and "ventilation suppression" is associated and stored as the control purpose of the seat air conditioner 30. And "stop" is associated and stored as the control purpose of the AV device 31. Therefore, the user can easily hear the change in the exhaust sound (exhaust note) due to the change in the engine speed.

Further, in the example shown in FIG. 4, "normal" is associated and stored as the control purpose of the air conditioner 29 with respect to the space value of the "comfortable indoor environment", and "normal" is associated with the control purpose of the seat air conditioner 30. It is remembered. Therefore, for example, the air conditioner 29 or the like is controlled so that the temperature inside the vehicle becomes the set target temperature, and the interior of the vehicle is maintained in a comfortable environment. Further, "operation OR stop (user selection) is stored for the control purpose of the AV device 31. Therefore, the user can operate or stop the AV device according to his / her preference.

Further, in the example shown in FIG. 4, the space values of "keeping the sensible temperature comfortable" and "taking in fresh outside air" are compared with "air conditioning control based on the user surface temperature" and "outside air" as the control purpose of the air conditioner 29. "Introduction priority" is associated and stored. Therefore, the user can be provided with a relaxing indoor environment regardless of external environmental factors such as sunlight irradiation. Further, in the case of an environment where clean outside air can be taken in, the outside air is introduced into the room, so that the user can receive the provision of fresh air.

Further, in the example shown in FIG. 4, "individual air conditioning control based on the surface temperature of each user" and "air volume suppression" are associated with the space value of "comfortable and quiet indoor environment" as the control purpose of the air conditioner 29. It is stored, and "ventilation suppression" is associated and stored as the control purpose of the seat air conditioner 30. Therefore, even if a plurality of people get on the vehicle, each user can receive a comfortable indoor environment regardless of external environmental factors. Further, since the air volume of the air conditioner 29 is suppressed and the ventilation of the seat air conditioner 30 is also suppressed, a relatively quiet indoor environment can be obtained. Further, since "stop OR volume reduction" is stored in association with the control purpose of the AV device 31, it can contribute to the realization of a quieter indoor environment.

The control purpose of each in-vehicle equipment associated with the movement value and the space value shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is merely an example, and if it contributes to the realization of each value, other control purposes may be used. It may be related.

The integrated control unit 10 estimates what the user wants to achieve using the vehicle by the method as described above, and realizes the estimated user's desire through the provided value that can be provided on the vehicle side. Replace with the control purpose of. The control purpose of each vehicle-mounted equipment set by the integrated control unit 10 is output to any one of the powertrain control unit 11, the chassis control unit 12, and the vehicle interior control unit 13 that supervises the control of the corresponding vehicle-mounted equipment.

Further, when the vehicle is manually driven, the integrated control unit 10 calculates the target vehicle behavior based on the driving operation by the driver grasped by the input signal from the operation sensor, and is based on the target vehicle behavior. Then, the target acceleration (deceleration) in the front-rear direction is calculated, and the target acceleration in the left-right direction is calculated. The calculated target acceleration (deceleration) in the front-rear direction is output to the power train control unit 11 and the chassis control unit 12, and the target acceleration in the left-right direction is output to the chassis control unit 12.

When the integrated control unit 10 calculates the target vehicle behavior, if a control purpose is set to increase or decrease the responsiveness to the accelerator operation, for example, a sensor that detects the opening degree of the accelerator pedal. The sampling interval of the detection signal may be changed, or the accelerator pedal opening may be predicted from the acceleration of change in the opening of the accelerator pedal. Further, when the control purpose of increasing the engine speed at the time of speed increase or the control purpose of shortening the shift change time is set, the power train control unit 11 may be notified to that effect. Further, the integrated control unit 10 outputs a sensor signal from the operation sensor to the power train control unit 11 and the chassis control unit 12 together with a manual operation instruction, and the power train control unit 11 and the chassis control unit 12 target. The vehicle behavior may be calculated, and the target acceleration in the front-rear direction and the target acceleration in the left-right direction may be calculated based on the target vehicle behavior. In addition, when calculating the target vehicle behavior based on the driving operation by the driver, if it is predicted that the behavior of the vehicle will become unstable if the driving operation by the driver is reflected as it is, the behavior of the vehicle will be changed. The target vehicle behavior may be calculated within a stable range.

The integrated control unit 10 determines whether or not the driving support function needs to be executed based on the detection result by the environment sensor. At this time, if the control purpose of the driving support function is set to be late or early, the integrated control unit 10 determines whether or not the driving support function needs to be executed according to the intervention timing. To change. When the integrated control unit 10 determines that it is necessary to execute the driving support function, the integrated control unit 10 instructs the power train control unit 11 and the chassis control unit 12 to exert the necessary driving support function.

Further, regarding the automatic operation function, the integrated control unit 10 determines whether to operate or stop the automatic operation function. When the integrated control unit 10 determines that the automatic driving function needs to be activated, the integrated control unit 10 determines a target driving line based on the information on the external environment from the environment sensor and the map information from the map database. At the same time, control targets for automatic driving such as the target speed when traveling on the traveling line are set. Then, based on the control target for automatic driving, the target acceleration (deceleration) in the front-rear direction is calculated, and the target acceleration and the target steering angle in the left-right direction are calculated. The target acceleration in the front-rear direction, the target acceleration in the left-right direction, and the target steering angle determined in this way are output to the power train control unit 11 and the chassis control unit 12.

Further, the integrated control unit 10 sets a control target such as a target vehicle interior temperature based on the signal from the operation switch, and outputs the control target to the vehicle interior control unit 13. Further, when the above-mentioned driving support function or automatic driving function is activated, the integrated control unit 10 may output display data for displaying the control status on the display to the vehicle interior control unit 13.

When a positive acceleration is given as the target acceleration in the front-rear direction, the power train control unit 11 calculates and outputs the target engine torque to the engine control unit 14, and also causes the transmission control unit 15 to run the vehicle. The target shift stage corresponding to the speed and running load is calculated and output. On the other hand, when a negative acceleration (that is, deceleration) is given as the target acceleration in the front-rear direction, the power train control unit 11 instructs the engine control unit 14 to cut fuel or the transmission control unit 15. And instruct to switch to the lower speed shift stage.

The engine control unit 14 controls the operating state of the engine 23 by adjusting the throttle valve opening degree, the fuel supply amount, and the like so that the engine 23 generates the target engine torque based on the information such as the engine rotation speed. The transmission control unit 15 controls the transmission 24 so as to reach the designated target shift stage. When the transmission control unit 15 is instructed to shorten the shift change time, the transmission control unit 15 controls the transmission 24 so that the shift change is completed in a shorter time than usual.

The chassis control unit 12 instructs the suspension control unit 16 to determine the hardness of the target damping force. At this time, the chassis control unit 12 may instruct the suspension control unit 16 to adjust the damping force according to the control purpose of the suspension 25 given by the integrated control unit 10.

Further, when a negative acceleration is given as a target acceleration in the front-rear direction, the chassis control unit 12 calculates a target brake braking torque for realizing the negative acceleration and outputs the target brake braking torque to the brake control unit 17. Further, when the target acceleration in the left-right direction is given, the chassis control unit 12 calculates a target assist torque according to the target acceleration in the left-right direction and gives it to the EPS control unit 18. Further, when the chassis control unit 12 executes automatic operation, the chassis control unit 12 calculates a target torque for matching the steering angle with the target steering angle according to the target acceleration in the left-right direction, and causes the EPS control unit 18 to calculate the target torque. give.

When the hardness of the target damping force is instructed, the suspension control unit 16 controls the hardness of the damping force of the suspension 25 to the instructed hardness. Further, when the suspension control unit 16 is instructed to adjust the damping force, the suspension 25 is within the instructed adjustment range according to the front-rear direction acceleration, the left-right direction acceleration, and the vertical direction acceleration acting on the vehicle. Controls the damping force of.

The brake control unit 17 controls the brake hydraulic pressure so that the brake 26 generates the target brake braking torque based on information such as the wheel speed of each of the four wheels and the hydraulic pressure of each of the brakes of the four wheels. The EPS control unit 18 controls the EPS 27 so that the torque generated by the EPS 27 becomes the target assist torque or the target torque based on the information such as the drive current of the electric motor.

The vehicle interior control unit 13 outputs the destination given by the integrated control unit 10 or the like to the navigation control unit 19. At this time, if a control purpose that characterizes the route to be searched is set, the control purpose is also output to the navigation control unit 19. Further, the vehicle interior control unit 13 has a control target such as a target vehicle interior temperature given by the integrated control unit 10 and an actual vehicle interior environment detected by various sensors (for example, an occupant detection signal, a vehicle interior / outside). (Environment detected by the temperature detection signal, the amount of solar radiation detection signal, the detection signal of the infrared sensor that detects the surface temperature of each user, etc.) are output to the air conditioner control unit 20 and the seat air conditioner control unit 21. At this time, if a control purpose such as air volume suppression is set, the control purpose is also output to the corresponding control units 20 and 21. Further, the vehicle interior control unit 13 outputs the operation signal of the AV device 31 by the user given by the integrated control unit 10 to the AV device control unit 22. At this time, if a control purpose such as stop or volume reduction is set, the control purpose is output to the AV device control unit 22.

The navigation control unit 19 searches for an appropriate route according to a given destination and control purpose, and displays it on the display. When the user instructs to start guidance, route guidance based on the searched route is started. Further, when the navigation control unit 19 acquires the traffic congestion information from the outside, the navigation control unit 19 resets the route as necessary.

The air conditioner control unit 20 rotates the fan of the air conditioner 29 in order to match the vehicle interior environment with the control target based on the control target such as the target vehicle interior temperature and the actual vehicle interior environment detected by various sensors. By controlling the number and the opening of the air mix door, the temperature and humidity inside the vehicle interior are controlled so as to approach the target state. When a control purpose is given, the air volume is suppressed or air conditioning control based on the user's surface temperature is executed according to the control purpose. Similarly, the seat air-conditioning control unit 21 also controls the ventilation amount and the heating amount by the heater in order to match the vehicle interior environment with the control target based on the control target such as the target vehicle interior temperature and the vehicle interior environment. When a control purpose is given, the seat air-conditioning control unit 21 suppresses the ventilation amount according to the control purpose.

The AV device control unit 22 executes source switching, channel switching, volume adjustment, sound quality adjustment, and the like according to the input operation signal. When a control purpose such as stopping or lowering the volume is set, the AV device control unit 22 stops the operation of the AV device or lowers the volume according to the control purpose.

Next, what the user wants to achieve, which is executed by the integrated control unit 10, is converted into the control purpose of each in-vehicle equipment through the provided value that can be provided on the vehicle side, and the control purpose is changed to the corresponding control unit. The process instructed in the above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, in the first step S100, the integrated control unit 10 estimates that the user wants to realize using the vehicle based on the information obtained from the user by a method such as dialogue with the user. As described above, the candidates for what the user wants to realize are stored in advance in the storage unit of the integrated control unit 10. The integrated control unit 10 estimates the most probable candidate from the stored candidates based on the information obtained from the user.

In step S110, the estimated user's desire to be realized is replaced with the movement value and space value that can be provided on the vehicle side. As described above, the storage unit of the integrated control unit 10 stores the movement value and the spatial value to be replaced in association with each candidate of what the user wants to realize. In step S110, the movement value and the space value associated with the estimated user's desire to be realized are read out from the storage unit to replace the movement value and the space value.

In step S120, based on the replaced movement value and space value, the control purpose of each in-vehicle equipment for providing the movement value and space value is determined. As described above, the control purpose of each in-vehicle device is also stored in the storage unit of the integrated control unit 10 in association with each movement value and each space value. Therefore, the control purpose of each in-vehicle equipment can be determined by extracting the control purpose of each in-vehicle equipment stored in the storage unit in relation to the replaced movement value and space value.

In the following step S130, the user is notified of the moving value and the spatial value to be provided on the vehicle side, which are replaced in the step S110. At this time, in addition to or instead of notifying the movement value and the space value, the control purpose of each in-vehicle equipment may be notified to the user. If it is determined in step S140 that the user's consent has been obtained for the notification, the process proceeds to step S150. In step S150, the integrated control unit 10 instructs the corresponding control unit to control each in-vehicle equipment according to the determined control purpose. As described above, in the present embodiment, the user is confirmed before performing the control according to the control purpose of each in-vehicle equipment, which is determined based on the estimation result of what the user wants to realize. It is possible to prevent control of each in-vehicle equipment that does not meet the needs.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S140 that the consent of the user has not been obtained, the process from step S100 is repeated. In this case, in step S100, a candidate different from the previous candidate is estimated as what the user wants to realize. Further, if the user's consent is not obtained even after repeating the predetermined number of times, the estimation of what the user wants to achieve may be stopped and all the in-vehicle equipment may be controlled as usual.

In step S160, for example, various information is acquired from the user by the same method as in step S100, and based on the acquired information, it is determined whether or not what the user wants to realize has changed. If it is determined that what the user wants to achieve has not changed, the process returns to step S150. On the other hand, when it is determined that what the user wants to realize has changed, the process from step S100 is executed again.

Although the above-described embodiment is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment and can be variously modified and implemented without departing from the gist of the present invention. be.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the user estimates what he / she wants to achieve, replaces the estimation result with the moving value and the spatial value, and further controls the control purpose of each in-vehicle equipment to provide the replaced moving value and the spatial value. The control purpose of each in-vehicle equipment was determined by the procedure of determining. However, the movement value and the space value may be omitted because they merely intervene in determining the control purpose of each in-vehicle equipment because the user wants to realize them. That is, the storage unit of the integrated control unit 10 may store the control purpose of each in-vehicle device in association with each candidate of what the user wants to realize.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the moving value and the spatial value are used as the provided value that can be provided on the vehicle side has been described. However, as the provided value that can be provided on the vehicle side, only one of the moving value and the spatial value may be used.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, it is estimated that the user wants to realize by acquiring various information from the user by a method such as dialogue with the user. As another method, for example, the integrated control unit 10 has a communication unit that communicates with the mobile terminal held by the user, and the user is based on the information (schedule information, etc.) stored in the mobile terminal acquired by the communication unit. It is also possible to estimate what one wants to achieve using a vehicle.

10: Integrated control unit, 11: Powertrain control unit, 12: Chassis control unit, 13: Vehicle interior control unit, 14: Engine control unit, 15: Transmission control unit, 16: Suspension control unit, 17: Brake control unit, 18: EPS control unit, 19: Navigation control unit, 20: Air conditioner control unit, 21: Seat air conditioner control unit, 22: AV equipment control unit, 23: Engine, 24: Transmission, 25: Suspension, 26: Brake, 27: Electric power steering, 28: Navigation, 29: Air conditioner, 30: Seat air conditioner, 31: AV equipment, 100: Vehicle control device

Claims (6)

An estimation unit (S100) that estimates that the user who uses the vehicle wants to realize using the vehicle, and
Based on the user's desire to be realized estimated by the estimation unit, the control purpose setting unit (S110, S120) for setting a control purpose as a guideline when controlling the in-vehicle equipment so as to correspond to the desired realization. ,
The control unit (10 to 22) for controlling the in-vehicle equipment is provided with the control content according to the control purpose set by the control purpose setting unit .
The control purpose setting unit replaces what the user wants to achieve estimated by the estimation unit with the provided value that can be provided on the vehicle side, and sets the control purpose according to the replaced provided value.
The provided value includes at least one of a movement value and a space value, and the movement value is at least the route on which the vehicle travels, the driving characteristics of the vehicle, the safety of the vehicle, the riding comfort of the vehicle, and the automatic driving of the vehicle. A vehicle control device including a value relating to one, wherein the spatial value includes a value relating to at least one of the vehicle interior environment, the occupant's perceived temperature, the intake of outside air into the vehicle interior, and the sound in the vehicle interior . A notification unit (S130) for notifying the user of the provided value and / or the control purpose is provided.
When the user consents to the provided value and / or the control purpose notified by the notification unit, the equipment control unit has the control content according to the control purpose of the in-vehicle equipment. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein control is started. The estimation unit has an input unit for inputting a user's voice, and according to claim 1 or 2 , it is estimated that the user wants to realize using a vehicle from keywords included in the voice input to the input unit. Vehicle control device. The estimation unit has a presentation unit that presents a candidate of what the user wants to realize as a menu to the user, and when any candidate is selected from the menu presented by the presentation unit to the user. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein it is estimated that the user wants to realize the selected candidate by using the vehicle. The estimation unit has a dialogue unit that interacts with the user, and according to claim 1 or 2 , it is estimated that the user wants to realize using a vehicle based on the information obtained from the user through the dialogue with the user. Vehicle control device. The estimation unit has a communication unit that communicates with a mobile terminal held by the user, and estimates that the user wants to realize using a vehicle based on the information stored in the mobile terminal acquired by the communication unit. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2 .

Images