JP7075880B2 - Self-driving vehicle system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an autonomous vehicle system.

Conventionally, there has been known a device that switches from an automatic driving mode to a manual driving mode when a driver override operation is detected while driving in the automatic driving mode (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The device described in Patent Document 1 switches to the manual operation mode when the driver operates the brake while traveling in the automatic operation mode.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-51441

By the way, while driving in the automatic driving mode, the driver takes a relatively free riding posture, so that there is a possibility that the brake operation is erroneously performed. In this case, if it is recognized that the override operation has been performed and the mode is switched to the manual operation mode as in the device described in Patent Document 1, an undesired result may be obtained.

One aspect of the present invention is an automatic driving vehicle system, in which a traveling actuator, a deceleration operation detection unit that detects a deceleration operation of the vehicle by the driver, and a deceleration operation detected by the deceleration operation detection unit are intended by the driver. The deceleration operation is detected by the intention matching estimation unit that estimates the degree of matching, the action plan generation unit that generates the action plan of the vehicle, and the deceleration operation detection unit, and the action plan is generated by the action plan generation unit. At that time, the degree of matching estimated by the position matching estimation unit, the first deceleration command value according to the action plan generated by the action plan generation unit, and the second operation by the driver detected by the deceleration operation detection unit. It is provided with a deceleration command value and an actuator control unit that controls a traveling actuator based on the deceleration command value . The actuator control unit controls the traveling actuator so as to generate a braking force corresponding to the second deceleration command value when the degree of matching estimated by the intention matching estimation unit is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, and the intention matching estimated value. When the degree of matching estimated by the unit is less than the predetermined value, when the first deceleration command value is larger than the second deceleration command value, the actuator is set so as to generate the braking force corresponding to the first deceleration command value. On the other hand, when the first deceleration command value is equal to or less than the second deceleration command value, the braking force corresponding to the second deceleration command value or the braking force corresponding to the deceleration command value smaller than the second deceleration command value is generated. To control the traveling actuator.

According to the present invention, when there is a possibility that the driver erroneously operates the brake while traveling in the automatic driving mode, the braking force can be applied in an appropriate manner.

The figure which shows the schematic structure of the traveling system of the autonomous driving vehicle to which the autonomous driving vehicle system which concerns on embodiment of this invention is applied. The block diagram schematically showing the whole structure of the autonomous driving vehicle system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of a braking control device included in the autonomous driving vehicle system of FIG. 2. The flowchart which shows an example of the process executed by the controller of FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. The autonomous driving vehicle system according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied to a vehicle having an automatic driving function (automated driving vehicle). FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a traveling system of an autonomous driving vehicle 200 (sometimes simply referred to as a vehicle or an own vehicle) to which the autonomous driving vehicle system according to the present embodiment is applied. The vehicle 200 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. In this embodiment, an operation mode that does not require all operations of accelerator operation, brake operation, and steering is referred to as an automatic operation mode. An operation mode other than the automatic operation mode may be called a non-automatic operation mode. Non-automatic operation modes include manual operation modes.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 200 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 the engine with a spark plug or the like, and burns the engine, 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 provided in the power transmission path between the engine 1 and the drive wheels 3, shifts the rotation from the engine 1, converts the torque from the engine 1, and outputs the torque. The rotation shifted by the transmission 2 is transmitted to the drive wheels 3, whereby the vehicle 200 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 200 as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. The vehicle 200 is decelerated and stopped by applying a braking force by the operation of the brake device 4. The brake device 4 is composed of, for example, a disc brake operated by hydraulic pressure.

The transmission 2 is, for example, a stepped transmission in which the gear ratio can be changed stepwise according to a plurality of 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 includes an engaging element 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 element 21 to change the transmission stage of the transmission 2. can do. The hydraulic control device 22 has a control valve driven by an electric signal, and an appropriate shift stage can be set by changing the flow of pressure oil to the engaging element 21 according to the drive of the control valve.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of the autonomous driving vehicle system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the autonomous driving vehicle system 100 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 200. For example, the external sensor group 31 includes a lidar that measures scattered light with respect to omnidirectional irradiation light of the vehicle 200 to measure the distance from the vehicle 200 to surrounding obstacles, and a vehicle that detects reflected waves by irradiating electromagnetic waves. Radars that detect other vehicles and obstacles around the 200, cameras mounted on the vehicle 200 that have imaging elements such as CCD and CMOS to capture the surroundings (front, rear, and sides) of the vehicle 200, etc. included. The detection signal by the external sensor group 31 is transmitted to the controller 40.

The internal sensor group 32 is a general term for a plurality of sensors that detect the traveling state of the vehicle 200 and the state inside the vehicle. For example, the internal sensor group 32 includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects the vehicle speed of the vehicle 200, 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 200, and an engine that detects the rotation speed of the engine 1. It includes a rotation speed sensor, a yaw rate sensor that detects the rotation angle speed around the vertical axis of the center of gravity of the vehicle 200, a throttle opening sensor that detects the opening degree (throttle opening degree) of the throttle valve 11, a camera that photographs the inside of the vehicle, and the like. The internal sensor group 32 also includes sensors that detect driver operation operations in the manual operation mode, such as accelerator pedal operation, brake pedal operation, and steering operation. The detection signal by the internal sensor group 32 is transmitted to the controller 40.

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. Various switches include a manual automatic changeover switch that commands either an automatic operation mode or a manual operation mode.

The manual automatic changeover switch is configured as a switch that can be manually operated by the driver, for example, and gives a command 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. Output. It is also possible to instruct switching from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode or switching from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode when a predetermined driving condition is satisfied, regardless of the operation of the manual automatic changeover switch. That is, by automatically switching the manual automatic changeover switch, the mode changeover can be performed automatically instead of manually. For example, in the automatic driving mode, when the driver's accelerator pedal, brake pedal, steering wheel, etc. are operated, that is, an override operation is performed, a switch to the manual driving mode is instructed.

The GPS receiver 34 receives positioning signals from a plurality of GPS satellites, thereby measuring the absolute position (latitude, longitude, etc.) of the vehicle 200. The signal from the GPS receiver 34 is transmitted to the controller 40.

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 location information of intersections and junctions. 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. The target route is calculated based on the current position of the vehicle 200 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 device for operating various devices related to the traveling operation of the vehicle 200. 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 shown in FIG. 1, and a shift stage of the transmission 2 that controls the flow of oil to the engaging element 21. This includes a speed change actuator, a brake actuator that controls the flow of brake hydraulic oil to the brake device 4 to operate the brake device 4, a steering actuator that drives the steering device, and the like.

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, 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 200 (own vehicle position) on the map based on the position information of the vehicle 200 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 200 detected by the external sensor group 31, thereby the own vehicle position. 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 200 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 200, the position of peripheral vehicles stopped or parked around the vehicle 200, 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, a target route calculated by the navigation device 36, a vehicle position recognized by the vehicle position recognition unit 43, and an external situation recognized by the outside world recognition unit 44. Generates a traveling track (target track) of the vehicle 200 from to a predetermined time ahead. 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.

The action plan is set in association with the travel plan data set for each unit time (for example, 0.1 second) from the present time to a predetermined time (for example, 5 seconds), that is, the time for each unit time. Includes travel plan data. The travel plan data includes the position data of the vehicle 200 and the vehicle state data for each unit time. 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 200, and the like. The travel plan is updated every unit time.

The action plan generation unit 45 generates a target trajectory by connecting the position data for each unit time from the present time to a predetermined time (for example, 5 seconds) in chronological order. At this time, the acceleration for each unit time (target acceleration) is calculated based on the vehicle speed (target vehicle speed) for each target point on the target track for each unit time. 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.

When the action plan generation unit 45 generates the target track, the action plan generation unit 45 first determines the traveling mode. Specifically, following driving to follow the vehicle in front, overtaking driving to overtake the vehicle in front, lane change driving to change the driving lane, lane keeping driving to maintain the lane so as not to deviate from the driving lane, constant speed driving, Determine the driving mode such as deceleration driving or acceleration driving. Then, a target track is generated based on the traveling mode. For example, when the travel mode is determined to be follow-up travel, the action plan generation unit 45 generates travel plan data including a target track so as to appropriately control the inter-vehicle distance to the vehicle in front according to the vehicle speed.

The travel control unit 46 controls each actuator AC so that the vehicle 200 travels along the target track generated by the action plan generation unit 45 in the automatic driving mode. 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 200 passes the target point for each unit time.

More specifically, the travel control unit 46 takes into consideration the travel resistance determined by the road gradient or the like in the automatic operation mode, and the required driving force for obtaining the target acceleration for each unit time calculated by the action plan generation unit 45. Is calculated. 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.

The controller 40 switches the operation mode in response to a changeover command from the input / output device 33 (manual automatic changeover switch). That is, the operation mode is switched according to the operation of the manual automatic changeover switch or without the operation of the manual automatic changeover switch. For example, when the accelerator pedal, brake pedal, steering wheel, etc. (these are called driving operation members) are operated while driving in the automatic driving mode, that is, when the driver performs an override operation, the manual automatic changeover switch is used. Switch the operation mode to the manual operation mode regardless of the operation.

The override operation is not a mere operation of the traveling operation member, but is, for example, an operation in which the operation amount of the traveling operation member becomes a predetermined value or more. When the override operation is performed, the operation mode is switched to the manual operation mode, and the travel control unit 46 drives the actuator AC in response to the operation of the travel operation member. For example, if a deceleration of a predetermined value or more is commanded by operating the brake pedal while traveling in the automatic operation mode, the mode is switched to the manual operation mode and the brake actuator is driven according to the operation of the brake pedal.

By the way, while traveling in the automatic driving mode, the driver takes a relatively free riding posture without operating the traveling operating member. Therefore, when the driver changes the riding posture, for example, to pick up an object near the driver's seat, there is a risk of accidentally operating the traveling operation member (for example, the brake pedal). In this case, when the autonomous driving vehicle system 100 determines that the override has been made by the driver and switches to the manual driving mode, the vehicle 200 suddenly brakes and the behavior becomes unstable. In order to prevent this, it is conceivable to determine whether or not the operation of the brake pedal is an erroneous operation, and if it is determined to be an erroneous operation, configure the automatic driving vehicle system 100 so as to invalidate the operation. however. In order to realize such a configuration, it is necessary to accurately estimate the driver's intention, so it is difficult to accurately determine whether or not the operation is erroneous. In consideration of the above, in the present embodiment, the autonomous driving vehicle system 100 is configured as follows.

The autonomous driving vehicle system 100 according to the present embodiment has a braking control device that controls the drive of the brake actuator when the vehicle travels in the automatic driving mode and the brake pedal is operated. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the braking control device 50.

As shown in FIG. 3, the controller 40 includes a manual automatic changeover switch 331, a distance detector 311, a vehicle speed sensor 321, a brake operation detector 322, a camera 323, a brake actuator 51, and a speaker 332. Is connected.

The manual automatic changeover switch 331 and the speaker 332 each form a part of the input / output device 33 of FIG. 2, the manual automatic changeover switch 331 outputs an operation mode changeover command to the controller 40, and the controller 40 outputs the operation mode changeover command to the speaker 332. A control signal is output. The distance detector 311 is composed of, for example, one of a rider, a radar, and a camera that is a part of the external sensor group 31 of FIG. 2, detects the distance between the vehicle 200 and the vehicle behind, and sends a detection signal to the controller 40. Output.

The brake operation detector 322 detects the amount of operation of the brake pedal by the driver and outputs a detection signal to the controller 40. The camera 323 is provided in front of the driver's seat toward the driver's face, constantly shoots a moving image (face image) of the driver's face, detects the pupil included in the face image, and detects the driver's line of sight. do. A plurality of cameras 323 may be provided, and the line of sight may be detected by the plurality of cameras 323. The brake operation detector 322 and the camera 323 together with the vehicle speed sensor 321 form a part of the internal sensor group 32 of FIG. The brake actuator 51 is composed of a control valve or the like that controls the flow of brake hydraulic oil to the hydraulic cylinder for driving the brake device 4, and the brake device 4 is operated by driving the control valve. The brake actuator 51 constitutes a part of the actuator AC of FIG.

The controller 40 has an action plan generation unit 45, a matching rate calculation unit 52, an approach degree detection unit 53, a brake control unit 461, and a notification control unit 54 as functional configurations. The brake control unit 461 constitutes a part of the travel control unit 46 of FIG.

When the brake operation of the driver is detected by the brake operation detector 322, the match rate calculation unit 52 calculates the degree to which the driver's intention for the brake operation matches (match rate α). The match rate α is 100% when the brake operation and the driver's intention are completely matched, that is, when it is determined that the brake operation is surely performed by the driver's intention. Therefore, it can be determined whether or not the brake operation is the intention of the driver according to the magnitude of the matching rate α. That is, it can be estimated that the higher the matching rate α, the higher the degree of matching of the driver's intention with respect to the braking operation, that is, the normal braking operation.

In calculating the match rate α, the match rate calculation unit 52 detects the direction of the driver's line of sight based on the image signal acquired by the camera 323, and calculates the match rate α according to the line-of-sight direction. For example, when the line-of-sight direction during the brake operation is forward, it is determined that the brake operation was performed by the intention of the driver who gazed at the front, and the matching rate α calculated in this case is, for example, 100%. On the other hand, when the driver's line of sight is not forward during the braking operation, the longer the time when the driver's line of sight is other than the front, the smaller the calculated matching rate α becomes.

The matching rate calculation unit 52 detects the riding posture of the driver based on the image signal of the camera 323, and calculates the matching rate α to a small value when the riding posture deviates greatly from the normal driving posture. You may. When the state in which the driver is gripping the steering wheel is detected by the camera 323 or the like, it is assumed that the driver has completed preparations for manual operation, and the matching rate α may be calculated to a large value. Even if the line of sight is other than the front, when the direction of the line of sight is a specific direction, such as the operation panel of an air conditioner in a car or the operation unit of a navigation device, the driver's line of sight is temporarily other than the front. It can be judged that it has become. In this case, the calculated matching rate α may be set to a larger value than when the line-of-sight direction is other than a specific direction. That is, the matching rate α may be calculated using various parameters that affect the driver's intention to operate the brake as well as whether or not the direction of the line of sight is directed forward.

The approach degree detection unit 53 detects the approach degree β of the rear vehicle to the vehicle 200. Specifically, the relative vehicle speed of the vehicle behind the vehicle 200 is calculated based on the signals from the vehicle speed sensor 321 and the distance detector 311, and the relative vehicle speed is used as a parameter representing the degree of approach β. For example, the vehicle speed of the rear vehicle is faster than the vehicle speed of the vehicle 200, and the larger the difference (relative vehicle speed), the larger the approach degree β. The approach degree detection unit 53 may detect the approach degree β in consideration of other parameters such as the road shape (degree of inclination and degree of curve).

When the brake operation is detected by the brake operation detector 322 in the automatic operation mode, the brake control unit 461 calculates the target braking force according to the matching rate α calculated by the matching rate calculating unit 52, and the braking force is the target. A control signal is output to the brake actuator 51 so as to be a braking force to control the operation of the brake device 4. Specifically, when the calculated match rate α is a predetermined value α1 (for example, 90%) or more, it is determined that the brake operation is a normal operation based on the driver's intention, and the brake operation detector 322 detects it. The brake actuator 51 is controlled according to the deceleration operation. The braking force generated by the braking device 4 in this case corresponds to the braking force in the manual operation mode, which is called the manual braking force Fd.

On the other hand, when the calculated matching rate α is less than the predetermined value α1, it is highly probable that the operation of the brake pedal of the driver is an erroneous operation, but it cannot be concluded that the operation is an erroneous operation. In this case, the brake control unit 461 calculates the braking force Fs (referred to as automatic braking force) in the automatic operation mode by using the target acceleration (target deceleration) calculated by the action plan generation unit 45. The automatic braking force Fs becomes larger than 0 when the target acceleration is negative, and becomes 0 when the target acceleration is not negative. Next, in the brake control unit 461, when the calculated automatic braking force Fs is larger than the manual braking force Fd (Fs> Fd), the braking device 4 generates the automatic braking force Fs with the automatic braking force Fs as the target braking force. The brake actuator 51 is controlled so as to do so.

On the other hand, when the matching rate α calculated by the matching rate calculation unit 52 is less than the predetermined value α1 and the automatic braking force Fs is equal to or less than the manual braking force Fd (Fs ≦ Fd), the brake control unit 461 Brake control is performed according to the approach degree β of the vehicle behind. In this case, the brake control unit 461 first determines whether or not the approach degree β detected by the approach degree detection unit 53 is equal to or higher than the predetermined value β1. This determination is whether or not it is possible to secure at least a predetermined inter-vehicle distance that can avoid a collision with the vehicle behind when the manual braking force Fd corresponding to the value detected by the brake operation detector 322 acts on the vehicle 200. The brake control unit 461 sets a predetermined value β1 according to the manual braking force Fd. For example, if the manual braking force Fd is large, the inter-vehicle distance is reduced even if the approach degree β is small. Therefore, the larger the manual braking force Fd is, the smaller the predetermined value β1 is set.

When the degree of approach β is a predetermined value β1 or more (β ≧ β1), if a braking force equivalent to the manual braking force Fd acts on the vehicle 200, there is a possibility that a sufficient inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 200 and the vehicle behind may not be secured. be. Therefore, the brake control unit 461 targets a braking force Fe that can secure a sufficient inter-vehicle distance from the vehicle behind according to the degree of approach β, that is, a braking force smaller than the manual braking force Fd (referred to as a suppression braking force). Calculated as braking force. The restraining braking force Fe becomes a smaller value as the degree of approach β becomes larger. Then, the brake control unit 461 controls the brake actuator 51 so that the brake device 4 generates the suppression braking force Fe.

In this case, the brake control unit 461 controls the brake actuator 51 so that the vehicle 200 is shocked by repeatedly operating and deactivating the brake. As a result, the driver can recognize the operating state of the brake device 4. Therefore, when the brake operation is erroneously operated, the erroneous operation can be immediately canceled. The vehicle 200 may be shocked by controlling the shift stage such as downshifting the transmission 2. That is, the driver may be notified of the brake operation state by controlling the transmission actuator.

On the other hand, when the degree of approach β is less than the predetermined value β1 (β <β1), even if the manual braking force Fd acts on the vehicle 200, a sufficient inter-vehicle distance from the vehicle behind can be secured. In this case, the brake control unit 461 determines whether or not the manual braking force Fd is equal to or greater than the predetermined value Fd1. When the manual braking force Fd is less than a predetermined value Fd1 (Fd <Fd1), the brake control unit 461 controls the brake actuator 51 so that the manual braking force Fd acts as the target braking force. On the other hand, when the manual braking force Fd is a predetermined value Fd1 or more (Fd ≧ Fd1), the brake control unit 461 gradually or gradually increases the braking force to the value of the manual braking force Fd. That is, the brake actuator 51 is controlled so that the braking force gradually increases. As a result, it is possible to prevent the behavior of the vehicle 200 from becoming unstable.

The notification control unit 54 outputs a control signal to the speaker 332 when the match rate α calculated by the match rate calculation unit 52 is less than the predetermined value α1 and the automatic braking force Fs is equal to or less than the manual braking force Fd. A voice (for example, an alarm sound) is output from the speaker 332. As a result, the driver can easily recognize the operating state of the brake device 4, and when the brake operation is an erroneous operation, the erroneous operation can be canceled. The notification control unit 54 may output a control signal to a monitor such as the navigation device 36 and notify the driver of the operating state of the brake device 4 via the display of the monitor.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by the CPU of the controller 40 of FIG. The process shown in this flowchart is started when the automatic operation mode is commanded by, for example, the manual automatic changeover switch 331, and is repeated at a predetermined cycle.

First, in step S1, the manual braking force Fd commanded by the operation of the driver's brake pedal is detected based on the signal from the brake operation detector 322. Then, in step S2, the direction of the driver's line of sight is detected based on the signal from the camera 323. Next, in step S3, it is determined whether or not the brake operation is performed and the line-of-sight direction is forward, that is, whether or not the brake operation is normal. More specifically, the degree of matching of the driver's intention to the brake operation (matching rate α) is calculated based on the line-of-sight direction, and it is determined whether or not the matching rate α is a predetermined value α1 or more. If affirmed in step S3, the process proceeds to step S4, the manual braking force Fd is calculated as the target braking force, a control signal is output to the brake actuator 51, and the manual braking force Fd is generated by the braking device 4.

On the other hand, if it is denied in step S3, the process proceeds to step S5, and the automatic braking force Fs commanded in the automatic operation mode is calculated using the target acceleration calculated by the action plan generation unit 45. When the action plan generated by the action plan generation unit is not decelerating, the automatic braking force Fs becomes 0. Next, in step S6, it is determined whether or not the automatic braking force Fs calculated in step S5 is larger than the manual braking force Fd detected in step S1. If affirmed in step S6, the process proceeds to step S7, the automatic braking force Fs is calculated as the target braking force, a control signal is output to the brake actuator 51, and the automatic braking force Fs is generated by the braking device 4.

On the other hand, if it is denied in step S6, the process proceeds to step S8, and the degree of approach β of the rear vehicle to the vehicle 200 is detected based on the signals from the distance detector 311 and the vehicle speed sensor 321. Next, in step S9, it is determined whether or not the degree of approach β is equal to or greater than the predetermined value β1. If it is denied in step S9, the process proceeds to step S10, and it is determined whether or not the manual braking force Fd is equal to or greater than the predetermined value Fd1. If affirmed in step S10, the process proceeds to step S11, and if denied, the process proceeds to step S4. In step S11, the manual braking force Fd is calculated as the target braking force, and a control signal is output to the brake actuator 51 so that the manual braking force Fd is generated by gradually increasing the braking force. Next, the process proceeds to step S12, the control signal is output to the speaker 332, and the sound is output from the speaker 332.

On the other hand, if affirmed in step S9, the process proceeds to step S13, and a sufficient inter-vehicle distance from the vehicle behind is secured according to the restraining braking force Fe that suppresses the braking force more than the manual braking force Fd, that is, the approach degree β. The suppression braking force Fe to be obtained is calculated. Next, in step S14, the suppression braking force Fe is calculated as the target braking force, a control signal is output to the brake actuator 51, the suppression braking force Fe is generated by the brake device 4, and the process proceeds to step S12.

An example of the operation of the autonomous driving vehicle system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described more specifically. When the driver performs a brake operation while driving in the automatic driving mode, if the line-of-sight direction is forward, it can be determined that the brake operation is normal by the driver's intention. Therefore, in this case, the manual braking force Fd corresponding to the braking operation is applied by the braking device 4 (step S4).

On the other hand, if the line-of-sight direction is other than the front, the brake operation may be an erroneous operation by the driver. In this case, when the automatic braking force Fs is larger than the manual braking force Fd, the automatic braking force Fs is prioritized and the automatic braking force Fs is applied (step S7). As a result, even if the braking operation is an erroneous operation, the braking force can be appropriately applied according to the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 200. On the other hand, when the automatic braking force Fs is equal to or less than the manual braking force Fd, the braking force is controlled as follows according to the approach degree β of the vehicle behind.

That is, when the degree of approach β of the rear vehicle is equal to or greater than the predetermined value β1, if the manual braking force Fd is applied, there is a possibility that a sufficient inter-vehicle distance between the rear vehicle and the vehicle 200 cannot be secured. Therefore, in this case, the restraining braking force Fe smaller than the manual braking force Fd is applied (step S14). At this time, the braking force Fe is applied so as to give a shock to the vehicle 200, and the sound is output from the speaker 332 (step S12). As a result, the driver can easily recognize the operating state of the brake device 4, and when the driver erroneously operates the brake pedal, the erroneous operation can be immediately canceled.

On the other hand, when the approach degree β of the rear vehicle is less than the predetermined value β1, if the manual braking force Fd is less than the predetermined value Fd1, the manual braking force Fd is immediately applied (step S4). On the other hand, if the manual braking force Fd is a predetermined value Fd1 or more, the braking force gradually increases (step S11). This makes it possible to prevent the behavior of the vehicle 200 from becoming unstable due to sudden braking. In this case as well, since the sound is output from the speaker 332, the driver can easily recognize the operating state of the brake device 4.

According to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The automatic driving vehicle system 100 according to the present embodiment includes a brake actuator 51, a brake operation detector 322 that detects the brake operation of the vehicle by the driver, and a driver for the brake operation detected by the brake operation detector 322. The matching rate calculation unit 52 that calculates the degree of matching of the intentions (matching rate α), the action plan generation unit 45 that generates the action plan of the vehicle 200, and the matching rate α calculated by the matching rate calculation unit 52 are predetermined. A brake control unit 461 that controls the brake actuator 51 according to the brake operation detected by the brake operation detector 322 when the value is α1 or more is provided (FIG. 3). When the matching rate α is less than the predetermined value α1, the brake control unit 461 sets the automatic brake command value (automatic braking force Fs) according to the action plan generated by the action plan generation unit 45 by the brake operation detector 322. If it is larger than the detected manual brake command value (manual brake force Fd), the brake actuator 51 is controlled according to the automatic brake command value, while when the automatic brake command value is equal to or less than the manual brake command value, the brake operation is performed. Controls the brake actuator 51 (FIG. 4).

As a result, when there is a high possibility that the brake operation is erroneous (α <α1), the larger of the automatic braking force Fs according to the action plan and the manual braking force Fd according to the braking operation is applied. To. Therefore, even when there is a high possibility of erroneous braking operation, the braking force can be applied in an appropriate manner.

(2) In the brake control unit 461, the match rate α calculated by the match rate calculation unit 52 is less than the predetermined value α1, and the automatic brake command value (automatic brake force Fs) is the manual brake command value (manual brake force Fd). ) When the brake operation detector 322 detects a brake operation in which the manual braking force Fd is equal to or greater than the predetermined value Fd1, the rate of increase in the braking force is less than the predetermined value Fd1 by the brake operation detector 322. The brake actuator 51 is controlled so as to be smaller than the rate of increase in the braking force when the braking operation that becomes the manual braking force Fd of the above is detected (FIG. 4). As a result, if the manual braking force Fb due to the braking operation is large in a state where the driver's line of sight is not forward and there is a high possibility that the driver is not in the driving posture, the braking force gradually increases to the manual braking force Fb. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the behavior of the vehicle 200 from becoming unstable.

(3) The autonomous driving vehicle system 100 further includes an approach degree detection unit 53 that detects the approach degree β of the rear vehicle (FIG. 3). In the brake control unit 461, the match rate α calculated by the match rate calculation unit 52 is less than the predetermined value α1, and the automatic brake command value (automatic brake force Fs) is equal to or less than the manual brake command value (manual brake force Fd). In a certain case, when the approach degree β of the rear vehicle detected by the approach degree detection unit 53 is a predetermined value β1 or more, the deceleration command value is made smaller than when the approach degree β is less than the predetermined value β1. As a result, the braking force (suppressing braking force Fe) applied when the degree of approach β of the rear vehicle is large is reduced, so that a sufficient inter-vehicle distance can be secured between the vehicle and the rear vehicle when the vehicle 200 is braked.

The above embodiment can be changed to various forms. Hereinafter, a modified example will be described. In the above embodiment, the brake control unit 461 as the actuator control unit controls the brake actuator 51 to apply the deceleration force, but the actuator control unit controls another traveling actuator to apply the deceleration force. You may try to do it. In the above embodiment, the deceleration operation of the vehicle 200 is detected by the brake operation detector 322, but the deceleration operation detection unit may have any configuration. In the above embodiment, the match rate calculation unit 52 calculates the match rate α as the degree to which the driver's intention for the brake operation matches, but if the degree to which the driver's intention for the deceleration operation matches is estimated. , The configuration of the intention matching estimation unit is not limited to this.

In the above embodiment, when the matching rate α of the driver's intention for the brake operation is less than the predetermined value α1, the automatic deceleration command value according to the action plan generated by the action plan generation unit 45, that is, the manual braking force Fd is set. The first deceleration command value indicating the magnitude of the corresponding first deceleration and the manual deceleration command value by the driver's operation detected by the brake operation detector 322, that is, the magnitude of the second deceleration corresponding to the automatic braking force Fs. Brake control is performed according to the magnitude of the second deceleration command value indicating the above, but at least as long as such brake control is performed, the configuration of the actuator control unit as the brake control unit 461 is arbitrary. good.

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.

4 Brake device, 40 controller, 45 action plan generator, 50 braking control device, 51 brake actuator, 52 match rate calculation unit, 53 approach degree detection unit, 100 autonomous vehicle system, 311 distance detector, 321 vehicle speed sensor, 322 Brake operation detector, 323 camera, 461 Brake control unit

Claims (3)

Actuator for traveling and
A deceleration operation detector that detects the deceleration operation of the vehicle by the driver,
An intention matching estimation unit that estimates the degree of matching of the driver's intention with respect to the deceleration operation detected by the deceleration operation detection unit, and
An action plan generator that generates a vehicle action plan,
When the deceleration operation is detected by the deceleration operation detection unit and the action plan is generated by the action plan generation unit, the degree of matching estimated by the position matching estimation unit and the action plan generation unit generate it. It is provided with an actuator control unit that controls the traveling actuator based on the first deceleration command value according to the action plan, the second deceleration command value by the driver's operation detected by the deceleration operation detection unit, and the traveling actuator. ,
The actuator control unit controls the traveling actuator so as to generate a braking force corresponding to the second deceleration command value when the degree of matching estimated by the intention matching estimation unit is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. When the degree of matching estimated by the intention matching estimation unit is less than the predetermined value, and the first deceleration command value is larger than the second deceleration command value , the brake corresponding to the first deceleration command value. While controlling the traveling actuator so as to generate a force, when the first deceleration command value is equal to or less than the second deceleration command value, the braking force corresponding to the second deceleration command value or the second deceleration command value. An automated driving vehicle system characterized in that the traveling actuator is controlled so as to generate a braking force corresponding to a deceleration command value smaller than that . In the autonomous driving vehicle system according to claim 1,
The actuator control unit detects the deceleration operation when the degree of matching estimated by the intention matching estimation unit is less than the predetermined value and the first deceleration command value is equal to or less than the second deceleration command value. The rate of increase in deceleration when a deceleration operation of a predetermined degree or more is detected by the unit is smaller than the rate of increase in deceleration when a deceleration operation of less than a predetermined degree is detected by the deceleration operation detection unit. An automated driving vehicle system characterized in that the traveling actuator is controlled so as to be. In the self-driving vehicle system according to claim 1 or 2.
Further equipped with an approach degree detection unit that detects the approach degree of the vehicle behind,
The actuator control unit detects the degree of approach when the degree of matching estimated by the intention matching estimation unit is less than the predetermined value and the first deceleration command value is equal to or less than the second deceleration command value. An automatic driving vehicle system characterized in that when the degree of approach of a rear vehicle detected by the unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the deceleration command value is made smaller than when the degree of approach of a rear vehicle is less than the predetermined value.

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