JP7035679B2 - Vehicle driving support system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to, for example, the optimum speed of a vehicle set according to various driving scenes such as general roads and urban areas, the intermediate speed (acceleration, deceleration), the optimum speed, and the intermediate speed of the vehicle scheduled to reach the optimum speed. The present invention relates to a technique for notifying the driver of these items so that the driver can instantly grasp (recognize) the time required to reach the speed.

Conventionally, for example, as shown in Patent Document 1, there is known a technique of displaying a difference in position between a pointer indicating an own vehicle speed and a pointer indicating a set vehicle speed as a vehicle speed range in which auto-cruise control is possible. Auto-cruise control refers to inter-vehicle distance control for driving the own vehicle to follow the preceding vehicle and constant-speed driving control for driving at a set vehicle speed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-118263

By the way, in recent years, in the case of automatic driving or accelerator pedalless driving, the optimum speed of the vehicle is set according to various driving scenes such as highways, general roads, other urban areas and suburbs, and information on the optimum speed (for example, optimum). There is a need for a technology that notifies the driver so that the driver can instantly grasp (recognize) the intermediate speed (acceleration, deceleration), optimum speed, and time required to reach the intermediate speed of the vehicle scheduled to reach the speed. Has been done.

However, the technique of Patent Document 1 described above is specialized in displaying information on a vehicle speed used in a specific driving scene (for example, a highway) capable of auto-cruise control to a user (for example, a driver). It is not possible to meet the above request.

An object of the present invention is to reach the optimum speed of the vehicle set according to various driving scenes, the intermediate speed (acceleration, deceleration) of the vehicle scheduled to reach the optimum speed, the optimum speed and the intermediate speed. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a technique for notifying the driver of these items so that the driver can instantly grasp (recognize) the required time.

In order to achieve such an object, the vehicle driving support system of the present invention has a current speed notification unit, an optimum speed notification unit, an intermediate speed notification unit, and a required time notification unit. The optimum speed, intermediate speed, and required time are notified to the driver by a digital display, an analog display, or a combination of both displays.

According to the present invention, the optimum speed of the vehicle set according to various driving scenes, the intermediate speed (acceleration, deceleration) of the vehicle scheduled to reach the optimum speed, the optimum speed and the intermediate speed are reached. It is possible to realize a technique for notifying the driver so that the driver can instantly grasp (recognize) these items regarding the required time.

The block diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle driving support system which concerns on one Embodiment. The figure which shows the specification of the notification unit which notified the information about the vehicle speed control. The figure which shows the other specifications of the notification unit which was informed about the vehicle speed control. The chart which shows the control flow of the vehicle driving support system which concerns on one Embodiment. A chart diagram showing a notification flow of information related to vehicle speed control.

"One embodiment"
The vehicle driving support system of the present embodiment includes devices, methods, hardware, and software for controlling the vehicle speed (for example, start control, acceleration control, running control) without relying on the accelerator operation of the driver. It is a comprehensive technology. In this technology, vehicle brake control and vehicle speed control (start / acceleration / driving control) may be performed by operating the brake pedal, or may be automatically performed on the vehicle side without performing any brake operation or accelerator operation. It may be a fully automatic operation.

Vehicles applicable to the technology include, for example, vehicles that are not equipped with an accelerator pedal (that is, vehicles without an accelerator pedal), or vehicles that are equipped with an accelerator pedal but are not subject to preset conditions. It is possible to assume a vehicle in which the operation of the accelerator pedal is invalid. Hereinafter, these vehicles are collectively referred to as an accelerator pedalless vehicle.

The accelerator pedalless vehicle includes, for example, a private passenger car, a commercial vehicle such as a truck or a bus, and there is no particular limitation on its use or vehicle type. In this case, the drive device (power unit) of the vehicle may be an internal combustion engine (engine), an electric motor, or both of them.

Further, in the vehicle driving support system of the present embodiment, the acceleration control and acceleration include not only the acceleration control and acceleration when increasing the vehicle speed (that is, positive acceleration) but also the acceleration control and acceleration when decreasing the vehicle speed (that is, negative acceleration). It is defined as a concept including acceleration). Therefore, in the following description, when the term "acceleration control" is used, it means that both the acceleration control for increasing the vehicle speed and the deceleration (braking) control for decreasing the vehicle speed are included.

"Configuration of vehicle driving support system 1"
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the vehicle driving support system 1 includes a detection unit 2, a control unit 3, and a notification unit 43. The detection unit 2 is controlled by the control unit 3 to detect the driving condition and surrounding conditions of the vehicle required for vehicle speed control, the posture condition of the driver described later, and the like. The detection unit 2 and the control unit 3 are connected to each other via wire or wireless, and the detection unit 2 outputs the detection result to the control unit 3.

According to the vehicle driving support system 1, the detection unit 2 and the control unit 3 cooperate with each other to, for example, a power unit 41 such as a motor or an engine, a brake unit 42 such as an inverter or a motor, and information on the above-mentioned vehicle speed control. The notification unit 43 for notifying the driver is driven and controlled. The configurations of these units 41, 42, 43 and the configurations of the detection unit 2 and the control unit 3 described later are merely examples, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

"Detector 2"
The detection unit 2 is composed of various in-vehicle sensors (for example, a white line recognition camera, a front monitor camera, a rear monitor camera, a corner monitor camera, etc.) for detecting a driving scene when the vehicle is traveling. For example, it has a vehicle information detection unit 21 and a vehicle peripheral situation detection unit 22.

The vehicle information detection unit 21 detects the traveling status of the vehicle and outputs the detection result (for example, traveling status information) to the control unit 3. As the traveling condition of the vehicle, for example, the starting speed, the acceleration, the traveling speed, the stepping angle and the loosening angle of the brake pedal, the steering angle of the steering, and the like are assumed. A sensing device (for example, a speed / acceleration sensor, a brake pressure sensor, etc.) capable of detecting such a traveling condition is applied to the vehicle information detection unit 21.

The vehicle peripheral situation detection unit 22 detects the peripheral situation of the vehicle and outputs the detection result (for example, peripheral situation information) to the control unit 3. As the surrounding conditions of the vehicle, for example, road conditions, environmental conditions near the current location of the vehicle, and the like are assumed. A high-quality camera, radar, sonar, locator, etc. capable of detecting such a peripheral condition are applied to the vehicle peripheral condition detection unit 22.

Here, the camera is a CCD camera, a CMOS camera, or the like, and the surrounding conditions of the vehicle, such as a driving road (road width, driving lane marking, guard rail, road surface condition, etc.), a road sign, a road sign, a traffic light, a pedestrian, etc. Images of vehicles (movies and still images) are captured.

Radars and sonars send electromagnetic waves (infrared rays, millimeter waves), ultrasonic waves, etc. around the vehicle and receive the reflected waves reflected by the object. As a result, radar and sonar measure the existence of the object and the distance to the object. Objects are pedestrians near the vehicle, other vehicles, guardrails, side walls, and the like.

The locator is equipped with, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver, an inertial sensor, and map data, and positions the own vehicle by combining the positioning signal received by the GNSS receiver from an artificial satellite and the measurement result of the inertial sensor. .. Then, the measured data and the map data are matched, and the current position of the own vehicle is specified on the map. Thus, information on the current position of the own vehicle, for example, information on parking lots, streets, arterial roads, highways, etc. is acquired.

"Control unit 3"
Based on the detection result of the detection unit 2 described above, the control unit 3 controls the vehicle speed (that is, start control, acceleration control, driving control) for assisting the driver without operating the accelerator pedal. Do it automatically. Thus, the control unit 3 sets the optimum speed and the optimum acceleration of the vehicle, and causes the vehicle to travel according to the set optimum speed and the optimum acceleration.

The control unit 3 can be configured by an in-vehicle ECU (Electronic Control Unit), for example, an arithmetic processing unit 31, a detection unit control unit 32, a traveling scene determination unit 33, and an optimum speed. It has an acceleration setting unit 34 and a travel control unit 35.

The arithmetic processing unit 31 includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM in which various driving support programs for executing the vehicle driving support system 1 are stored, and the like. For example, when executing the driving support described later (that is, vehicle running control based on the optimum speed / acceleration, notification mode to the notification unit 43), the driving support program stored in the ROM is executed by the CPU with the RAM as the work area. To.

The detection unit control unit 32 controls the operation of the detection unit 2 (vehicle information detection unit 21, vehicle peripheral situation detection unit 22) described above. As a result, the above information in each of the detection units 21 and 22 is output from the detection unit control unit 32 to the travel scene determination unit 33, the optimum speed / acceleration setting unit 34, and the travel control unit 35 via the arithmetic processing unit 31. To.

The traveling scene determination unit 33 is based on the detection results (for example, driving status information, peripheral status information) detected by the detection unit 2 (vehicle information detection unit 21, vehicle peripheral situation detection unit 22) described above, and the vehicle travels. The scene is determined, and the determination result is supplied to the optimum speed / acceleration setting unit 34. As the driving scene, various driving scenes such as highways, general roads, other urban areas and suburbs are assumed.

The optimum speed / acceleration setting unit 34 controls the traveling state of the vehicle based on the traveling scene determined by the traveling scene determination unit 33. For example, the optimum speed (optimum speed) is set according to the above-mentioned driving scene, the optimum acceleration (optimum acceleration) for reaching the set optimum speed is set, and the vehicle is set according to the optimum speed or the optimum acceleration. Control the running condition.

Further, the optimum speed / acceleration setting unit 34 is based on, for example, the legal speed of the traveling path, the driving speed of the parking lot, and the traveling situation information and the surrounding situation information detected (acquired) by the detection unit 2. Calculates the optimum speed and acceleration according to. For example, when the traveling road is congested, the optimum speed is set to a speed lower than the legal speed according to the vehicle speeds of the preceding vehicle and the following vehicle on the traveling road. When overtaking other vehicles, the optimum speed is set at a speed that exceeds the legal speed. Thus, the optimum speed / acceleration setting unit 34 outputs the set optimum speed / acceleration to the traveling control unit 35.

The travel control unit 35 controls the travel state of the vehicle based on the set optimum speed / acceleration. At this time, the travel control unit 35 controls the operation of the power unit 41 and the brake unit 42. For example, the travel control unit 35 accelerates the vehicle at the optimum acceleration by increasing the output of the power unit 41. After reaching the optimum speed, the output of the power unit 41 is controlled so as to maintain the optimum speed.

At the same time, the travel control unit 35 controls the operation of the notification unit 43. Thus, the information regarding the vehicle speed control set according to the traveling scene is notified to the driver via the notification unit 43. The notification unit 43 has a function as an output device of the travel control unit 35, and for example, a notification light is turned on or blinks, a car navigation monitor (display), and an analog (or digital) speed meter are arranged. An instrument panel (that is, an instrument panel), a speaker that gives voice information about vehicle speed control, and the like are assumed.

"Function of notification unit 43"
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 3, the notification unit 43 has a current speed notification unit, an optimum speed notification unit P1, an intermediate speed notification unit P2, and a required time notification unit P3. As the current speed notification unit, a meter needle 6 described later is applied to notify the current speed of the vehicle. The optimum speed notification unit P1 notifies the optimum speed of the vehicle set according to the above-mentioned traveling scene. The intermediate speed notification unit P2 notifies the intermediate speed of the vehicle scheduled from the current speed to the optimum speed. The required time notification unit P3 notifies the required time required to reach the optimum speed and the intermediate speed from the current speed. Then, the current speed, the optimum speed, the intermediate speed and the required time are notified to the driver by a digital display, an analog display, or a combination of both displays.

As an example in FIGS. 2 to 3, the notification unit 43 is incorporated in an analog speed meter 5 in front of the driver's seat, and information regarding vehicle speed control set according to a driving scene is transmitted to the driver via the speed meter 5. Will be notified to. Here, it is assumed that the vehicle speed is controlled to move the vehicle forward in the drive range D. In this case, the optimum speed, the intermediate speed, and the required time are selectively or collectively displayed in the portion of the speed meter 5 that avoids the speed scale 5a.

For example, in the specification of FIG. 2, the optimum speed is set to 60 km / h (60 km / h), and the maximum speed is notified to the driver by causing the corresponding speed scale 5b to emit light. In this case, the driver is notified of the intermediate speed by the fact that the meter needle 6 (that is, the above-mentioned current speed notification unit) indicating the current speed points to the current speed of 10 km / h (10 km / h). Further, the time required to reach the optimum speed is notified to the driver by displaying it as 10 seconds (10 s) in the center of the speed meter 5.

For example, in the specification of FIG. 3, the optimum speed is set to 60 km / h (60 km / h), and the maximum speed is notified to the driver by displaying it as 60 km / h in the center of the speed meter 5. Regarding the intermediate speed, the intermediate speed 5 seconds after the current time (for example, zero km / h) is set to 30 km / h (30 km / h), and the intermediate speed 10 seconds later is set to 50 km / h (50 km / h). Is displayed on the lower side of the speed meter 5, so that the driver is notified.

In this case, for each intermediate speed, the corresponding speed scale may be pointed to by the meter needles 8 and 9. That is, the meter needle 8 indicates that the intermediate speed is 30 km / h (30 km / h), and the meter needle 9 indicates that the intermediate speed is 50 km / h (50 km / h). The meter needle 6 (current speed notification unit) indicating the current speed indicates a vehicle stop (vehicle speed zero) state.

In such a configuration, it is preferable that the meter needles 8 and 9 have a display form different from that of the meter needle 6 as the current speed notification unit. For example, the meter needles 8 and 9 are displayed semi-transparently or blinking. As a result, the meter needle 6 and the meter needles 8 and 9 are visually and clearly distinguished from each other.

Here, in the specifications of FIGS. 2 to 3, when the in-vehicle speaker 7 that can be used as the notification unit 43 is mounted on both sides of the speed meter 5, the optimum speed, the intermediate speed, and the required time are emitted from the speaker 7. The driver may be notified by the voice.

Further, the notification unit 43 in the specifications of FIGS. 2 to 3 may be incorporated in a head-up display (not shown) provided at a position easily visible to the driver. Thus, the optimum speed, intermediate speed, and required time are selectively or collectively displayed on the head-up display.

"Action of vehicle driving support system 1"
FIG. 4 shows a control flow of vehicle speed (acceleration) control performed in the vehicle driving support system 1. First, when performing acceleration control of the vehicle, the detection unit 2 executes a preset detection procedure.

That is, the detection unit control unit 32 controls the operations of the vehicle information detection unit 21 and the vehicle peripheral situation detection unit 22. As a result, the vehicle information detection unit 21 acquires the above-mentioned traveling situation information (S101), and the vehicle peripheral situation detection unit 22 acquires the above-mentioned surrounding situation information (S102).

Next, the control unit 3 sets the optimum speed and the optimum acceleration according to the traveling scene of the vehicle, and performs traveling processing based on the setting (S103). The process S103 is processed by the travel scene determination unit 33, the optimum speed / acceleration setting unit 34, and the travel control unit 35.

That is, the traveling scene determination unit 33 determines the traveling scene assumed at the present time and beyond based on the above-mentioned traveling situation information and surrounding situation information (S104).

Subsequently, the optimum speed / acceleration setting unit 34 sets the optimum speed of the vehicle according to the traveling scene, and also sets the optimum acceleration for achieving the set optimum speed (S105).

Here, when the traveling scene determined by the traveling scene determination unit 33 is, for example, a general road, the optimum speed / acceleration setting unit 34 sets the optimum speed and the optimum acceleration of the vehicle according to the general road. Further, when the traveling scene determined by the traveling scene determination unit 33 is, for example, an urban area, the optimum speed / acceleration setting unit 34 sets the optimum speed and the optimum acceleration of the vehicle according to the urban area.

It should be noted that these traveling scenes are accumulated each time the vehicle travels repeatedly, and the optimum speed / acceleration according to the traveling scene is updated as appropriate. As a result, the map showing the relationship between the traveling scene and the optimum speed / acceleration is always stored as the latest data in, for example, the arithmetic processing unit 31ROM.

When the optimum speed and the optimum acceleration are set, the travel control unit 35 causes the vehicle to travel at the set optimum speed and the optimum acceleration (S106). At this time, the travel control unit 35 controls the output of the power unit 41 of the vehicle to accelerate the vehicle to the optimum speed based on the optimum acceleration. After reaching the optimum speed, the output of the power unit 41 is controlled so as to maintain the optimum speed, and the vehicle is driven.

As described above, while the traveling control of the vehicle based on the optimum speed and the optimum acceleration is being performed, the traveling control unit 35 controls the operation of the notification unit 43 in synchronization with this, and is set according to the above-mentioned traveling scene. Notify the driver of information regarding vehicle speed control (S106). FIG. 5 shows a notification flow of information related to vehicle speed control (S201 to S205), and the notification flow is performed by the optimum speed / acceleration setting unit 34 and the traveling control unit 35 cooperating with each other.

That is, whether or not the speed difference between the current speed of the vehicle and the optimum speed is within a preset threshold in a state where the current speed (vehicle speed) of the vehicle is always displayed by the above-mentioned current speed notification unit (meter needle 6). It is determined (S201). The threshold value can be arbitrarily set according to the driving scene, such as 5 km / h (5 km / h) and 3 km / h (3 km / h), and is not particularly limited.

Here, if the above speed difference is not within the threshold value, it is necessary to accelerate the vehicle to the set optimum speed. Therefore, the intermediate speed of the vehicle scheduled to reach the optimum speed is calculated and set (S202). In FIG. 3, as an example, the intermediate speed 5 seconds after the present time (that is, zero km / h) is set to 30 km / h (30 km / h), and the intermediate speed 10 seconds later is set to 50 km / h (50 km / h). There is.

At this time, the notification unit 43 is controlled by the traveling control unit 35, and as a result, the notification is turned on, and the optimum speed (60 km / h) and the intermediate speed (30 km / h, 50 km / h) are displayed on the speed meter 5. (S203).

In this case, the time required to reach the optimum speed and the intermediate speed is not directly displayed on the speed meter 5. However, the driver can arbitrarily set the timing for displaying the intermediate speed (30 km / h, 50 km / h). Therefore, it is not necessary to particularly display the time required to reach the displayed intermediate speed (30 km / h, 50 km / h).

At the same time, the travel control unit 35 controls the output of the power unit 41 of the vehicle to accelerate the vehicle to the optimum speed based on the optimum acceleration. Thus, the traveling control of the vehicle based on the optimum speed and the optimum acceleration is performed (S204).

After that, when the speed difference between the current speed and the optimum speed of the vehicle is within a preset threshold value (S201), the travel control unit 35 controls the notification unit 43, and as a result, the current speed and the optimum speed are notified. It is turned on (in other words, the intermediate speed and the required time are notified OFF) (S205), and the speed meter 5 displays only the optimum speed together with the current speed, and the intermediate speed and the required time are not displayed. At this time, the current speed and the optimum speed are notified to the driver, and the intermediate speed and the required time are not notified to the driver.

As described above, the notification flow of information regarding vehicle speed control (S201 to S205) is repeated every time the traveling scene is updated, and the driver is notified. In a situation where the driving scene is frequently updated in a short time, the information notified via the notification unit 43 also changes frequently in a short time, which may be annoying to the driver. When such a situation is predicted, the traveling control unit 35 may select the information to be notified.

"Effect of vehicle driving support system 1"
According to the present embodiment, the optimum speed of the vehicle set according to various driving scenes, the intermediate speed (acceleration, deceleration) of the vehicle scheduled to reach the optimum speed, the optimum speed and the intermediate speed are reached. It is possible to notify the driver so that the driver can instantly grasp (recognize) these three items regarding the required time required for the operation.

For example, in the specifications of FIG. 2, the maximum speed causes the corresponding speed scale 5b to emit light, the intermediate speed points to 10 km / h (10 km / h) with the meter needle 6, and the required time is in the center of the speed meter 5. It is displayed as 10 seconds (10s). Further, for example, in the specification of FIG. 3, the maximum speed is displayed as 60 km / h in the center of the speed meter 5, and the intermediate speed indicates the speed for each required time with the meter hands 8 and 9. As a result, the driver can instantly grasp (recognize) the three items. In this case, the same effect as described above can be obtained by notifying the driver of the optimum speed, the intermediate speed, and the required time by the voice emitted from the speaker 7.

Here, the meter needles 8 and 9 have a display form different from that of the meter needle 6 as the current speed notification unit. Thereby, the meter needle 6 and the meter needles 8 and 9 can be visually and clearly distinguished from each other. As a result, it is possible to improve the instantaneous grasp (recognition) property of the driver.

According to the present embodiment, when the speed difference between the current speed and the optimum speed of the vehicle is within a preset threshold value, only the current speed and the optimum speed are displayed on the speedometer 5, and the intermediate speed and the required time are displayed. Hide. If there is no speed difference between the current speed and the optimum speed, there is almost no intermediate speed and required time, and the respective displays overlap, which can be annoying to the driver. Therefore, by not displaying the intermediate speed and the required time, the notification mode can be set so that the driver can easily understand and instantly grasp (recognize) the speed.

"Transformation example"
In the above-described embodiment, it is assumed that the notification unit 43 is incorporated in the analog speed meter 5 in front of the driver's seat. Instead, the notification unit 43 is incorporated in the digital speed meter 5 in front of the driver's seat. However, the specifications are also included in the technical scope of the present invention, and the same effects as described above can be realized.

1 ... Vehicle driving support system, 2 ... Detection unit, 3 ... Control unit,
6 ... Current speed notification unit (meter needle), P1 ... Optimal speed notification unit, P2 ... Intermediate speed notification unit,
P3 ... Time required notification unit.

Claims (9)

It is a vehicle driving support system that is applied to a vehicle in which vehicle speed control is performed according to a driving scene and is provided with a notification unit that notifies the driver of information related to the vehicle speed control.
The notification unit is
The current speed notification unit that notifies the current speed of the vehicle,
An optimum speed notification unit that notifies the optimum speed of the vehicle set according to the driving scene,
An intermediate speed notification unit that notifies the intermediate speed of the vehicle scheduled to reach the optimum speed from the current speed, and
It has a required time notification unit for notifying the required time required to reach the optimum speed and the intermediate speed from the current speed.
A vehicle driving support system in which the current speed, the optimum speed, the intermediate speed, and the required time are notified to the driver by a digital display, an analog display, or a combination of both displays. The notification unit is built into the speed meter in front of the driver's seat where the speed scale is displayed in analog.
The vehicle driving support system according to claim 1, wherein the optimum speed, the intermediate speed, and the required time are displayed selectively or collectively in the speed meter separately from the speed scale. The notification unit is incorporated in the speed meter in front of the driver's seat where the speed scale is digitally displayed.
The vehicle driving support system according to claim 1, wherein the optimum speed, the intermediate speed, and the required time are displayed selectively or collectively in the speed meter separately from the speed scale. The notification unit is incorporated in a speed meter in front of the driver's seat with an analog or digital display of the speed scale.
The vehicle driving support system according to claim 1 , wherein the optimum speed is notified to the driver by causing the corresponding speed scale to emit light. The notification unit is incorporated in a speed meter in front of the driver's seat with an analog or digital display of the speed scale.
The vehicle driving support system according to claim 1 , wherein the intermediate speed is notified to the driver by pointing to the corresponding speed scale with a meter needle. The vehicle driving support system according to claim 5, wherein the meter needle at the intermediate speed is displayed as translucent or blinking. The notification unit is incorporated in a head-up display provided at a position easily visible to the driver.
The vehicle driving support system according to claim 1, wherein the optimum speed, the intermediate speed, and the required time are selectively or collectively displayed on the head-up display. The notification unit has a speaker mounted on the vehicle.
The vehicle driving support system according to claim 1, wherein the optimum speed, the intermediate speed, and the required time are notified to the driver by a voice emitted from the speaker. The vehicle operation according to claim 1, wherein when the speed difference between the current speed and the optimum speed is within a preset threshold value, the optimum speed is displayed together with the current speed, and the intermediate speed and the required time are not displayed. Support system.

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