JP7243788B2 - Control device, manager, system, control method, program and vehicle - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle having a controller, manager, system, control method, program, and manager for controlling motion of the vehicle.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-100002 describes a vehicle control device that includes mediation means for mediating between a drive request to the engine based on a driver's operation and a drive request to the engine from a driving support system. The arbitration means described in Patent Document 1 performs arbitration after converting a target value of a drive request based on a driver's operation and a target value of a drive request based on a non-driver's operation into the same physical quantity. The arbitration means holds the target value before converting the physical quantity. The arbitration means calculates the target control amount of the engine using the held target value when it is necessary to inversely transform the selected target value into the original physical quantity as a result of the arbitration, thereby reducing the physical quantity. It avoids errors and loss of significant digits due to transformation and inverse transformation.

JP 2007-120352 A

In recent years, the number of driving support systems (driving support applications) installed in vehicles, such as automatic driving and automatic parking, is increasing. As the number of types of driving support systems increases, the number of drive requests for one actuator also increases.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a control device and the like that can easily perform arbitration processing of drive requests output from a driving support application.

One embodiment of the present invention is a control device mounted on a vehicle, comprising: a reception unit that receives a plurality of first requests from a driving assistance system; an arbitration unit that arbitrates the plurality of first requests; a calculation unit that calculates a second request that is a physical quantity different from the first request based on the results of arbitration by the unit; a distribution unit that distributes the second request to at least one of a plurality of actuator systems; an output unit for outputting to the system information indicating whether or not a function related to control of the actuator system can be used or a function limitation .

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the control apparatus etc. which can perform arbitration processing of the drive request|requirement output from the driving assistance system easily can be provided.

1 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle control system according to an embodiment; Detailed functional block diagram of the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment Diagram showing the format of the data set of request information output from the execution unit to the request arbitration unit Diagram showing the format of the result information data set output from the request arbitration unit to the execution unit A diagram showing a format of a data set of instruction information output from the request generator to the powertrain controller A diagram showing a format of a data set of instruction information output from the request generation unit to the steering control unit. A diagram showing a format of a data set of instruction information output from the request generation unit to the brake control unit. Sequence for explaining control processing in the vehicle control system according to the present embodiment Graph for explaining an example of longitudinal motion control of a vehicle

(overview)
An information processing apparatus according to the present invention mediates requests output to an actuator from each of a plurality of driving support applications. The information processing device receives one or both of a longitudinal motion control amount (requested acceleration) and a lateral motion control amount (at least one of a steering angle, a yaw rate, and a turning radius) from a plurality of driving support applications. , performs arbitration based on the received motion control amount. By accepting and arbitrating requests from a plurality of driving support applications based on predetermined information, the arbitration process can be easily performed, and an increase in the number of driving support applications can be easily handled.

(embodiment)
<Overall Configuration of Vehicle Control System>
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of the vehicle control system according to the embodiment.

The vehicle control system shown in FIG. , a powertrain control unit 10, a brake control unit 11, a steering control unit 12, and actuators 13a to 13d.

The execution units 1a to 1c execute driving support applications (hereinafter simply referred to as "applications") to perform vehicle driving support functions such as automatic driving, automatic parking, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, and collision mitigation braking. It is a device that realizes The execution units 1a to 1c are realized by a computer such as an ECU having a processor such as a CPU and a memory. The execution units 1a to 1c form a part of the driving support system together with applications that implement driving support functions. The plurality of execution units 1a to 1c implement different driving support functions and can operate simultaneously. In FIG. 1, three execution units 1a to 1c are shown to simplify the explanation, but the number of execution units that realize the driving support function is not limited, and two or less or four or more execution units are sometimes installed in vehicles. The execution units 1a to 1c output request information for requesting driving of the actuators 13a to 13d to the request arbitration unit 5, which will be described later.

Accelerator 2, brake 3 and steering 4 are input devices operated by the driver to control the motion of the vehicle. The amount of operation of the accelerator 2 (accelerator pedal) by the driver is detected by an accelerator pedal sensor (not shown), and is output to the request generator 6 as information for specifying the acceleration requested by the driver (hereinafter referred to as "driver-requested acceleration"). be done. Further, the amount of operation of the brake 3 (brake pedal) by the driver is detected by a brake pedal sensor (not shown) and output to the request generator 7 as information for specifying the driver-requested acceleration. The driver-requested acceleration input by operating the brake 3 is a negative acceleration that causes the vehicle to generate a braking force (however, acceleration in the traveling direction of the vehicle is assumed to be positive acceleration). The amount of steering 4 (steering wheel) operated by the driver is detected by a steering sensor (not shown), and specifies the amount of steering in the lateral direction of the vehicle requested by the driver (hereinafter referred to as "driver-requested lateral control amount"). It is output to the request generator 8 as information. The driver-requested acceleration input by operating the accelerator 2 or brake 3 and the driver-requested lateral control amount input by operating the steering wheel 4 are also output to a request arbitration unit 5, which will be described later, and sent to the application via the request arbitration unit 5. Notification is possible.

The request arbitration unit 5 receives request information transmitted from each application of the execution units 1a to 1c and arbitrates the received request information. The request information received from the application by the request arbitration unit 5 includes information for controlling the motion of the vehicle in the longitudinal direction and information for controlling the motion of the vehicle in the lateral direction. In this specification, the front-rear direction of the vehicle may be referred to as the "longitudinal direction". The information for controlling the longitudinal motion of the vehicle includes at least the acceleration requested by the application (hereinafter referred to as "requested acceleration"). The information for controlling the lateral motion of the vehicle includes at least one of the steering angle, yaw rate and turning radius (hereinafter referred to as "lateral control amount"). Details of the request information received from the application by the request arbitration unit 5 will be described later.

As the arbitration process, the request arbitration unit 5 selects one piece of request information from a plurality of received request information based on a predetermined selection criterion, or permits control based on a plurality of received request information. set a range. Further, the request arbitration unit 5 generates result information including the arbitration result, and transmits the generated result information to the execution units 1a to 1c. In addition, the request arbitration unit 5 determines the output values of various sensors mounted on the vehicle, and the operation states and availability of the actuators 13a to 13d notified from the power train control unit 10, the brake control unit 11, and the steering control unit 12, which will be described later. Based on the displayed information, information representing the current vehicle motion control state, information representing the motion control currently achievable by the vehicle, information representing the driver's operation amount, etc. are generated, and the generated various information is executed by the execution unit 1a. ~1c. The configuration of the request arbitration unit 5 and details of the arbitration process will be described later.

Further, the request arbitration unit 5 can distribute the vehicle control amount instructed by the application, which is included in the request information selected by the arbitration, to the power train control unit 10, the brake control unit 11, and the steering control unit 12. . For example, vehicle braking forces can be generated by both the powertrain and the braking system. The request arbitration unit 5 can distribute the braking force requested by the application to the power train and the braking device according to the requested responsiveness, the availability of the actuators 13a to 13c, and the like. In addition to the steering system, the lateral movement of the vehicle can also be realized by controlling the braking system of each wheel individually. The request arbitration unit 5 can also distribute the lateral control amount requested by the application to the braking device and the steering device according to the requested responsiveness, the availability of the actuators 13c and 13d, and the like.

The request generation unit 6 generates instruction information for causing the actuators 13a and 13b constituting the powertrain to generate driving force based on the driver-requested acceleration output from the accelerator 2 and the request information arbitrated by the request arbitration unit 5. to generate The request generator 6 outputs the generated instruction information to the power train controller 10 . Requests may be input to the request generator 6 from both the accelerator 2 and the request arbitration unit 5 . For example, it is conceivable that the driver operates the accelerator 2 during control by adaptive cruise control. The request generation unit 6 outputs requests from the accelerator 2 and the request mediation unit 5 to the power train control unit 10 .

Based on the driver-requested acceleration output from the brake 3 and the request information arbitrated by the request arbitration unit 5, the request generation unit 7 produces instruction information for causing the actuator 13c constituting the brake device to generate a braking force. do. The request generator 7 outputs the generated instruction information to the brake controller 11 . Requests may be input to the request generator 7 from both the brake 3 and the request arbitration unit 5 . For example, it is conceivable that the driver intentionally operates the brake 3 to avoid danger during automatic driving or automatic parking. When a request from the driver and a request from the request arbitration unit 5 are input at the same time, the request generation unit 7 selects one of the requests based on selection criteria prepared in advance. The selection criteria for selecting one of the request from the driver and the request from the request arbitration unit 5 are appropriately determined based on the magnitude and sign of the amount of control requested by the driver, the priority set for each application, and the like. can be set. The request generation unit 7 outputs requests from the brake 3 and the request arbitration unit 5 to the brake control unit 11 .

The request generation unit 8 causes the actuator 13d constituting the steering device to generate lateral motion of the vehicle based on the driver-requested lateral control amount output from the steering wheel 4 and the request information arbitrated by the request arbitration unit 5. Generates instruction information for The request generator 8 outputs the generated instruction information to the steering controller 12 . Drive requests may be input to the request generator 8 from both the steering 4 and the request arbitration unit 5 . For example, during lane-keeping assist control, the driver may intentionally operate the steering wheel 4 to laterally move or turn the vehicle in order to avoid danger or the like. When the drive request from the driver and the drive request from the request arbitration unit 5 are input at the same time, the request generation unit 8 selects one of the drive requests based on selection criteria prepared in advance. The selection criteria for selecting one of the request from the driver and the request from the request arbitration unit 5 are appropriately determined based on the magnitude and sign of the amount of control requested by the driver, the priority set for each application, and the like. can be set. When either the drive request from the driver or the drive request from the request arbitration unit 5 is selected, the request generation unit 8 notifies the request arbitration unit 5 of the selection result.

The vehicle motion control unit 9 directly instructs the powertrain control unit 10, the brake control unit 11, and the steering control unit 12 to control the actuators 13a to 13d without going through the request arbitration unit 5, thereby stabilizing the running of the vehicle. control sex integratively and autonomously. Controls performed by the vehicle motion control unit 9 include control for suppressing tire spinning and vehicle skidding by adjusting powertrain output and vehicle braking force, control for preventing tire locking during sudden braking, and braking. For example, control for generating a large braking force by detecting emergency braking from the depression amount and depression speed of . Since the vehicle stability control performed by the vehicle motion control unit 9 must be performed immediately when the running stability of the vehicle is impaired, the vehicle stability control is performed independently and preferentially of the requests from the driver and the requests from the execution units 1a to 1c. executed. The vehicle motion control unit 9 notifies the request arbitration unit 5 that the vehicle stabilization control is being executed while the vehicle stabilization control is being executed. In addition, the vehicle motion control unit 9 notifies the request arbitration unit 5 of information on motion control (availability) currently achievable by the actuators 13a to 13d during execution of vehicle stabilization control. Information about this availability is notified from the request arbitration unit 5 to the execution units 1a to 1c. While the vehicle motion control unit 9 is executing vehicle stabilization control, the actuators 13a-13d may not be able to fulfill the requests from the execution units 1a-1c. The vehicle motion control unit 9 notifies the execution units 1a to 1c of information on availability via the request arbitration unit 5, so that the processing being executed can be corrected in the driving support application.

The powertrain control unit 10 controls the operation of actuators 13a and 13b that constitute a powertrain (sometimes called a drivetrain) to generate the driving force requested by the request generation unit 6 or the vehicle motion control unit 9. generate. The powertrain control unit 10 is implemented by, for example, an engine control ECU, a hybrid control ECU, a transmission ECU, or the like, or a combination thereof, depending on the configuration of the powertrain. In FIG. 1, two actuators 13a and 13b are shown as objects controlled by the powertrain control unit 10 for simplification of explanation. There may be one or more depending on the powertrain configuration. Examples of the actuators 13a and 13b that make up the power train include an engine, a drive motor, a clutch, a transmission, a torque converter, and the like. In addition, the power train control unit 10 acquires information about the operating states of the actuators 13a and 13b based on the signals output from the actuators 13a and 13b or the values measured by the sensors. Examples of information related to the operating state of the actuator include information representing the availability of the actuator (information representing whether the actuator is out of order, information representing the degree of failure of the actuator), and the amount of driving force realized by the actuator. Information representing monitor values and the like are included. The powertrain control unit 10 notifies the request arbitration unit 5 of the obtained information about the operating states of the actuators 13a and 13b.

The brake control unit 11 generates the braking force requested by the request generation unit 7 or the vehicle motion control unit 9 by controlling the actuator 13c that operates the brake device provided for each wheel. An output value of a wheel speed sensor provided for each wheel is input to the brake control unit 11 via a zika line. Further, the brake control unit 11 acquires information about the operating state of the actuator 13c based on the signal output from the actuator 13c or the measured value by the sensor. The information about the operating state of the actuator 13c includes information indicating the above-mentioned availability, information indicating the monitored value of the braking force realized by the actuator 13c, and whether or not the temperature of the brake pad is overheating. Information unique to the actuator 13c, such as, can be exemplified. The brake control unit 11 notifies the request arbitration unit 5 of the obtained information about the operating state of the actuator 13c.

The steering control unit 12 controls the steering angle, that is, the direction of the tires connected via the rack and pinion mechanism, by controlling the actuator 13d provided in the electric power steering (EPS). The steering control unit 12 is implemented by, for example, a power steering control ECU. Further, the steering control unit 12 acquires information about the operating state of the actuator 13d based on the signal output from the actuator 13d or the measured value by the sensor. Examples of the information about the operating state of the actuator 13d include the above-mentioned information indicating the availability, information indicating the monitor value of the pinion angle (rudder angle), yaw rate, or radius of rotation realized by the actuator 13d. The steering control unit 12 notifies the request arbitration unit 5 of the obtained information about the operating state of the actuator 13d.

A drive request from any one of the request generation units 6 to 8 and a drive request from the vehicle motion control unit 9 may be simultaneously input to the powertrain control unit 10, the brake control unit 11, and the steering control unit 12. be. For example, when the powertrain control unit 10 is generating the driver-requested driving force and side-slipping of the wheels is detected, the vehicle motion control unit 9 controls the side-slipping of the vehicle by controlling the braking device of each wheel. and the output of the engine or drive motor. In this case, in order to suppress the sideslip by the vehicle motion control unit 9, the power train control unit 10, the brake control unit 11, and the steering control unit 12 give priority to the instructions from the vehicle motion control unit 9 and the actuators 13a to 13d. to control.

<Configuration of information processing device>
FIG. 2 is a detailed functional block diagram of the information processing device 20 according to the embodiment. The configuration of the information processing apparatus 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 together.

The information processing device 20 according to this embodiment includes the request arbitration unit 5, the request generation units 6 to 8, and the vehicle motion control unit 9 described above. The information processing device 20 has a function as a vehicle motion manager that manages the motion of the vehicle. In this embodiment, the information processing device 20 is provided in the same ECU (brake ECU) as the brake control unit 11, and can transmit and receive signals to and from the brake control unit 11 via wiring in the ECU. Further, the information processing device 20 includes the execution unit 1a
1c, the power train control unit 10 and the steering control unit 12 are communicably connected via an in-vehicle network such as CAN. When the information processing device 20 and the brake control unit 11 are provided in the same ECU as in the present embodiment, the transmission signal from the information processing device 20 to the brake control unit 11 does not flow on the in-vehicle network. However, it is not essential to provide the information processing device 20 and the brake control unit 11 in the same ECU. You can connect. Advantages of providing the information processing device 20 and the brake control unit 11 in the same ECU as in the present embodiment will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the request arbitration unit 5 includes a reception unit 21 , an arbitration unit 22 , an information acquisition unit 23 , and an arbitration result output unit 24 .

The receiving unit 21 receives request information for the actuators 13a to 13d from the applications executed by the execution units 1a to 1c. The request information is transmitted as a data set in a predetermined format to the in-vehicle network, for example, at regular intervals. This predefined format data set contains information representing the vehicle motion (longitudinal motion and/or lateral motion) required by the application. The reception unit 21 receives data frames transmitted from the execution units 1a to 1c and acquires data sets containing request information. The data set transmitted from each of the execution units 1a to 1c to the reception unit 21 may include both information representing the longitudinal motion of the vehicle and information representing the lateral motion of the vehicle, or any one of them. Only one may be included. Details of the data sets received by the reception unit 21 from the execution units 1a to 1c will be described later.

The arbitration unit 22 arbitrates request information based on the plurality of data sets received by the reception unit 21 . The arbitration unit 22 arbitrates the information representing the longitudinal motion of the vehicle included in the received data set and the information representing the lateral motion of the vehicle included in the received data set. As described above, the data set received by the reception unit 21 includes acceleration as information representing the longitudinal movement of the vehicle. The arbitration unit 22 arbitrates the request information regarding the motion of the vehicle in the longitudinal direction by comparing the magnitudes of the accelerations included in the plurality of received data sets. Further, the data set received by the reception unit 21 includes one of the steering angle, yaw rate, and turning radius (lateral control amount) as information representing the lateral motion of the vehicle. The arbitration unit 22 arbitrates the request information regarding the lateral motion of the vehicle by comparing the magnitudes of the lateral control amounts included in the plurality of received data sets. Details of the arbitration process by the arbitration unit 22 will be described later.

The information acquisition unit 23 acquires various information regarding the current motion control state of the vehicle, the operation state of the vehicle by the driver, and the like. For example, the information acquisition unit 23 can acquire from the accelerator 2, the brake 3, and the steering wheel 4 whether there is an operation, the acceleration requested by the driver, the amount of steering requested by the driver, and the like. Further, the information acquisition unit 23 can acquire from the vehicle motion control unit 9 information as to whether or not the vehicle stabilization control is being executed, the availability of the actuators 13a to 13d during execution of the vehicle stabilization control, and the like. can. The information acquisition unit 23 can also acquire, from the powertrain control unit 10, information regarding the operation states of the actuators 13a and 13b that constitute the powertrain, the required acceleration adopted in the powertrain control unit 10, and the like. Further, the information acquisition unit 23 can acquire, from the brake control unit 11 and the steering control unit 12, information regarding the operating state of the actuator 13c that constitutes the brake device and information regarding the operating state of the actuator 13d that constitutes the steering device. . Further, the information acquisition unit 23 can acquire acceleration, vehicle speed, wheel speed, etc., based on output data from various sensors mounted on the vehicle.

The arbitration result output unit 24 outputs result information reflecting the arbitration result by the arbitration unit 22 to the execution units 1a to 1a.
Send to 1c. The result information includes the acceleration selected by the powertrain control unit 10 and the vehicle lateral control amount (one of the steering angle, yaw rate, and turning radius) selected by the arbitration unit 22 in the arbitration process. Details of the data set of the result information generated and output by the arbitration result output unit 24 will be described later. Useful information includes the current vehicle motion control state, the vehicle motion control (availability) that can be realized at present, the operation state by the driver, the communication state of the execution units 1a to 1c and the request arbitration unit 5, etc. Also good. When the data set of the result information includes information such as the current vehicle motion control state, the currently realizable vehicle motion control, the operation state by the driver, the communication state, etc., applications executed by the execution units 1a to 1c can obtain the vehicle state, driver's request, etc. from the result information.

Request generation units 6-8 generate instruction information for driving actuators 13a-13d, respectively, based on the requested acceleration and the lateral control amount selected by arbitration unit 22, and use the generated instruction information as power It is transmitted to the train control unit 10 , the brake control unit 11 and the steering control unit 12 . The request generators 6 and 7 have a function of converting the requested acceleration selected by the arbitration section 22 and the driver requested acceleration into force, which is a physical quantity of the output of the power train and brake device. Demand generators 6 and 7 generate data sets of instruction information including converted forces. The details of the instruction information data set generated and output by each of the request generators 6 to 8 will be described later.

In the configuration of the information processing apparatus 20 of the present embodiment, the request generation units 6 to 8 correspond to a first output unit that outputs instruction information to the actuators 13a to 13d based on the arbitration result of the arbitration unit 22. , the arbitration result output unit 24 corresponds to a second output unit that outputs result information including the arbitration result by the arbitration unit 22 to the plurality of operation systems 1a to 1c.

In the information processing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment, various information acquired by the information acquisition unit 23 is fed back to the applications executed by the execution units 1a to 1c by the arbitration result output unit 24. FIG. Based on the result information obtained from the arbitration result output unit 24, the application can monitor the execution status of the control processing for providing the driving support function, and change or cancel the control processing as necessary. be able to. The information acquisition unit 23 provided in the request arbitration unit 5 collects various types of information, and the arbitration result output unit 24 feeds back the required information to the execution units 1a to 1c, thereby combining the information processing device 20 and the execution unit 1a. 1c can be suppressed.

Here, an advantage of providing the information processing device 20 and the brake control section 11 in the same ECU will be described.

Since the information processing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment receives request information in the same format from a plurality of execution units 1a to 1c, even if an execution unit for executing a new driving support application is added, the powertrain control unit 10 , there is an advantage that the control processing of the brake control unit 11 and the steering control unit 12 need not be changed. Such an information processing device 20 may be provided as an independent ECU, but there is an advantage that the cost can be suppressed by mounting it on an existing ECU. Here, a brake ECU for controlling the brake is mounted on any kind of vehicle. Therefore, if the information processing device 20 and the brake control unit 11 are mounted on the same brake ECU, any type of vehicle can be provided with the function of the information processing device 20 for arbitrating requests from a plurality of applications. can be done.

Regardless of the type of vehicle, there are ECUs that control the power train and ECUs that control the steering. Braking force cannot be generated. Also, the ECU that controls the power train can generate braking force through transmission or regeneration, but since friction brakes cannot be used, there is a limit to the braking force that can be generated. Therefore, from the viewpoint of ensuring safety in the event of a failure, it is more preferable to provide the information processing device 20 in the brake ECU among the existing ECUs.

In addition, when a failure such as communication interruption between ECUs occurs during automatic driving, the control to be performed to ensure safety differs according to the speed of the vehicle. For example, if the vehicle speed is 3 km/h or less when the failure occurs, it is preferable to apply the brakes immediately to stop the vehicle. Braking is dangerous and requires slowing down gradually before stopping the vehicle. A wheel speed sensor is indispensable for detecting the vehicle speed with high reliability, and the measured value of the wheel speed sensor is input to the brake ECU via the Zika line for brake control. Therefore, it is desirable to provide the information processing device 20 in the brake ECU also from the viewpoint of performing control for transitioning to a safe state according to the vehicle speed when a failure occurs. The measured values of the wheel speed sensors of the four wheels are directly input to the brake ECU through signal lines. Therefore, even if one of the wheel speed sensors fails, it is possible to estimate the vehicle speed based on the measured values of the remaining wheel speed sensors and perform brake control according to the vehicle speed.

<Request information data set>
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the format of a data set of request information output from the execution unit to the request arbitration unit. Details of the request information data set will be described below with reference to FIGS.

The format shown in FIG. 3 represents a data set of request information output to the reception unit 21 of the request arbitration unit 5 in order for the applications executed by the execution units 1a to 1c to request the actuators 13a to 13d to be driven. . A data set of request information includes a plurality of data items representing longitudinal motion of the vehicle (Longitudinal Interface (IF) package) and a plurality of data items representing lateral motion of the vehicle (Lateral Interface (IF) package). ) and a number of other data items relating to vehicle motion.

Further, in this embodiment, the plurality of data items representing the longitudinal motion of the vehicle include a plurality of data items representing the lower limit (longitudinal direction IF package (lower limit side)) and a plurality of data items representing the upper limit. (vertical direction IF package (upper limit side)). By providing a data item representing the upper limit value and a data item representing the lower limit value in the data set output by the execution units 1a to 1c, it is possible to set the range of motion control in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The data set shown in FIG. 3 is transmitted from the execution units 1a to 1c to the request arbitration unit 5 of the information processing device 20 via an in-vehicle network such as CAN. Each data item will be described below.

[1-1. Vertical direction IF package (lower limit side)]
Request vertical ID (lower limit) is a data item for designating an application identifier. The requested longitudinal ID (lower limit) is set with an identifier of an application that sets a value for the requested acceleration (lower limit), which will be described later.

Requested acceleration (lower limit) is a data item for designating the lower limit of acceleration requested by the application. The requested acceleration (lower limit) means the minimum acceleration that the application wants the vehicle to generate.

The brake permission flag (lower limit) is a data item for designating whether or not to permit the use of the brake to achieve the requested acceleration (lower limit). The brake permission flag (lower limit) can be set to either a value representing "permission" or a value representing "not permitted."

The shift priority request (lower limit) is a data item for designating how to perform shift control (shift change) to achieve the requested acceleration (lower limit). The shift priority request (lower limit) can be set to any one of a value representing "progress", a value representing "permission", and a value representing "not permitted". Here, the "eventual" shift control refers to the control of shifting according to a driving force shift line prepared in advance in order to achieve the required acceleration (lower limit). "Permitted" shift control means control for positively shifting (downshifting) in order to achieve the required acceleration (lower limit). Further, the "non-permissive" shift control is a control that prohibits shifting (downshifting) in order to achieve the required acceleration (lower limit) and fixes the gear at a specific gear stage.

The responsiveness request (lower limit) is a data item for designating the strength (responsiveness) of feedback control for achieving the requested acceleration (lower limit).

The accelerator override prohibition flag is a data item for designating whether or not to invalidate the accelerator pedal operation by the driver. The application can set the accelerator override inhibit flag to either a value representing "invalid" or a value representing "valid".

[1-2. Vertical direction IF package (upper limit side)]
Request vertical ID (upper limit) is a data item for designating an application identifier. The requested longitudinal ID (upper limit) is set with an identifier of an application that sets a value for the requested acceleration (upper limit), which will be described later.

Requested acceleration (upper limit) is a data item for designating the upper limit of acceleration requested by the application. Requested acceleration (upper limit) means the maximum acceleration that the application allows for the vehicle.

The brake permission flag (upper limit) is a data item for designating whether or not to permit the use of the brake to achieve the requested acceleration (upper limit). The brake permission flag (upper limit) can be set to either a value representing "permission" or a value representing "not permitted."

The shift priority request (upper limit) is a data item for designating how to perform shift control (shift change) to achieve the requested acceleration (upper limit). The shift priority request (upper limit) can be set to any one of a value representing "progress", a value representing "permission", and a value representing "not permitted". Here, the "eventual" shift control refers to the control of shifting according to a driving force shift line prepared in advance in order to achieve the required acceleration (upper limit). "Permitted" shift control means control for positively shifting (downshifting) in order to achieve the requested acceleration (upper limit). Further, "non-permissible" shift control means control to prohibit shift (shift down) and fix a specific gear in order to achieve the required acceleration (upper limit).

The responsiveness request (upper limit) is a data item for designating the strength (responsiveness) of feedback control for achieving the requested acceleration (upper limit).

[1-3. Lateral direction IF package]
The request side ID is a data item for designating an application identifier. The requested lateral ID is set with an identifier of an application that sets values for a requested steering angle/yaw rate/radius of rotation, which will be described later.

The requested steering angle/yaw rate/radius of rotation is a data item for designating the lateral motion control amount requested by the application. Any one of the requested steering angle, the requested yaw rate, and the requested turning radius can be set in the requested steering angle/yaw rate/turning radius. The required steering angle is the steering angle of the tires required to achieve the lateral motion of the vehicle calculated by the application. Also, the requested yaw rate is the rate of change of the yaw angle required to achieve the lateral motion of the vehicle calculated by the application. Also, the requested turning radius is the turning radius of the vehicle required to achieve the lateral motion of the vehicle calculated by the application. Which of the required steering angle, required yaw rate, and required turning radius is used as the lateral control amount of the vehicle in the application can be determined as appropriate according to the specifications of the vehicle. To unify the lateral control amount used in the entire vehicle so that it can be performed

The steering angle/yaw rate/rotating radius switching flag is a data item for designating the type of information set in the data items of the required steering angle/yaw rate/rotating radius. By using the steering angle/yaw rate/rotation radius switching flag, it is possible to specify the type of information set in the data items of the required steering angle/yaw rate/rotation radius, so that it can be used without increasing the number of data items. The type of information to be displayed can be flexibly changed according to the use of the vehicle.

The driver steering flag is a data item for designating whether or not the driver is steering. The application can set the driver steering flag to either a value representing "driver is steering" or a value representing "driver is not steering". The application may acquire information as to whether or not the driver is steering the vehicle based on the output value of a sensor provided on the steering wheel or an image of the driver captured by a camera.

The responsiveness request is a data item for specifying strength (responsiveness) of feedback control for achieving the requested steering angle/yaw rate/radius of rotation.

[1-4. Other data items]
Requested shift range is a data item for specifying the shift range requested by the application. The required shift ranges include "D (drive)", "N (neutral)", "R (reverse)", "P (parking)", "M (manual)", "S (sport drive)", etc. Can be set to any of the specified values.

The shift override disable flag is a data item for specifying whether to disable the shift operation by the driver. Either a value designating "invalid" or a value designating "valid" can be set in the shift override prohibition flag.

<Dataset of result information>
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the format of the result information data set output from the request arbitration unit 5 to the execution units 1a to 1c. Details of the result information data set will be described below with reference to FIGS.

The format shown in FIG. 4 represents a data set of result information output by the arbitration result output unit 24 of the request arbitration unit 5 to the execution units 1a to 1c. The data set of the result information includes a plurality of data items representing the post-arbitration result, a plurality of data items representing the current motion control state of the vehicle, a plurality of data items representing the currently achievable motion control of the vehicle, and a plurality of data items representing the operation state of the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal by the driver. The data set shown in FIG. 4 is transmitted from the request arbitration unit of the information processing device 20 to the execution units 1a to 1c via an in-vehicle network such as CAN. Each data item will be described below.

[2-1. Data item representing the result after arbitration]
The arbitration result_lateral ID is a data item for setting the identifier of the application that requested the lateral control amount (one of the requested steering angle, the requested yaw rate, and the requested turning radius) selected by the request arbitration unit 5 . The application can determine whether or not the lateral control amount requested by itself has been adopted, based on a comparison between the identification ID set in the arbitration result_lateral ID and its own identification ID.

The selected requested steering angle/yaw rate/rotating radius is a data item for setting the lateral control amount (one of the requested steering angle, the requested yaw rate, and the requested turning radius) selected by the request arbitration unit 5 .

The steering angle/yaw rate/rotating radius switching flag is a data item for designating the type of information set in the data items of the selection request steering angle/yaw rate/rotating radius.

The arbitration result_longitudinal ID is a data item for setting the identifier of the acceleration request source employed in the powertrain control unit 10 . The powertrain control unit 10 is supplied with instruction information including the longitudinal acceleration request selected by the request mediation unit 5 and the driver's requested acceleration based on the accelerator pedal operation. The powertrain control unit 10 selects one acceleration based on a comparison between the requested acceleration and the driver requested acceleration included in the received instruction information, and drives the actuators 13a and 13b based on the selected acceleration. When the requested acceleration from the application is selected in the powertrain control unit 10, the identifier of the application from which the requested acceleration is output is set in the arbitration result_longitudinal ID. On the other hand, when the driver-requested acceleration is selected in the power train control unit 10, a value that enables determination of the driver's request is set in the arbitration result_longitudinal ID. Each application can determine whether or not the requested vertical acceleration output by itself has been adopted, based on a comparison between the identification ID set in the arbitration result_longitudinal ID and its own identification ID.

Selected acceleration is a data item for setting the acceleration employed in powertrain control 10 .

The arbitration result_longitudinal ID and the selected acceleration can be set based on information notified from the powertrain control unit 10 to the request arbitration unit 5 (the information acquisition unit 23 in FIG. 2).

[2-2. Data item representing the current motion control state of the vehicle]
The estimated vehicle body acceleration is a data item for setting the vehicle body acceleration estimated from the output values of the sensors mounted on the vehicle. The estimated in-vehicle acceleration can be calculated based on the output of the acceleration sensor or the wheel speed sensor.

The estimated vehicle body acceleration invalid flag is a data item for setting a flag indicating whether or not the estimated vehicle body acceleration is an invalid value. If the output value of the acceleration sensor mounted on the vehicle is invalid due to a failure, etc., or if the output value of one or more wheel speed sensors mounted on each wheel is invalid due to a failure, etc., the estimated vehicle body acceleration invalid flag is set with a value indicating that the estimated vehicle body acceleration is "invalid". On the other hand, when all the output values of the acceleration sensor mounted on the vehicle and the wheel speed sensor mounted on each wheel are not invalid, the estimated vehicle acceleration invalid flag has a value indicating that the estimated vehicle acceleration is "not invalid". set.

The current shift range is a data item for setting the currently selected shift range. Currently, the shift ranges include "D (Drive)", "N (Neutral)", "R (Reverse)", "P (Parking)", "M (Manual)", "S (Sport Drive)", etc. Can be set to any of the specified values. The value to be set in the current shift range can be obtained from the actuator that controls the shift by the powertrain control unit 10 .

The brake control execution flag is a data item for setting a flag indicating whether or not brake control is being executed. The brake control in-execution flag can be set to either a value indicating that the brake control is being executed or a value indicating that the brake control is not being executed. The brake-executing flag can be set based on information representing the operating state of the brake acquired from the brake control unit (brake control ECU).

The stop holding state is a data item for setting the operation state or abnormal state of the control (brake hold control) that maintains the braking state by the brake until a predetermined condition is satisfied after the vehicle is stopped by the brake. The stop holding state includes a value that indicates that the brake hold control is "operating", a value that indicates that the brake hold control is "not operating", and a value that indicates an "abnormal state" that has occurred in the brake hold control. Configurable. The stop holding state can be set based on information indicating the operation state of the brake acquired from the brake control unit 11 .

[2-3. Data items representing currently feasible vehicle motion control]
The vehicle speed limit flag is a data item for setting information indicating whether or not there is a limit to the vehicle speed currently achievable by the vehicle. When one of the actuators 13a to 13d fails, information about the failure state is output from the failed actuator or a control unit (ECU) controlling it. The vehicle speed limiting flag is either information indicating that the vehicle speed limitation is "requested" or information indicating that the vehicle speed limitation is "not requested" based on the information regarding the failure state of the actuator. is set.

Vehicle speed limit is a data item for setting the upper limit of vehicle speed when speed limit is requested. The vehicle speed limit is set to a value calculated based on information relating to the failure state output from the failed actuator or a control unit (ECU) that controls it. The vehicle speed limit may be calculated by the request arbitration unit 5 based on the information about the failure state, or may be determined in advance according to the assumed failure state.

The braking system support level is a data item for setting information indicating whether or not functions related to brake control can be used, and function restrictions. The information to be set in the braking system support level may be generated in the request arbitration unit 5 based on the information on the failure state output from the actuator 13c constituting the brake device or the brake control unit 11 controlling the actuator 13c.

The drive system support level is a data item for setting information indicating availability of functions related to powertrain control and functional restrictions. The information to be set to the drive system support level is information representing the state of the actuators 13a and 13b output from the actuators 13a and 13b constituting the powertrain or the powertrain control unit 10 for controlling them (high temperature, etc.). It may be generated in the request arbitration unit 5 based on information representing a temporary state abnormality, failure, etc.).

The lateral control system support level is a data item for setting information indicating whether or not a function related to lateral motion control of the vehicle can be used and whether the function is restricted. In addition to controlling the lateral motion of the vehicle using the steering system, it is also possible to control it by individually adjusting the braking force applied to each wheel. Therefore, the lateral control system support level is set with composite information regarding the steering system and the braking system. The information to be set to the lateral control system support level is based on the information regarding the failure state output from the actuator 13d constituting the steering device, the steering control section 12, the actuator 13c constituting the braking device, and the brake control section 11, and is used for request arbitration. It may be generated in part 5.

The fully closed estimated ground acceleration is a data item for setting an estimated value of acceleration that the power train can output when the accelerator is fully closed. The fully closed estimated ground acceleration can be set based on information notified from the powertrain control unit 10 to the request arbitration unit 5 .

The full-throttle estimated ground acceleration is a data item for setting an estimated value of acceleration that the powertrain can output when the accelerator is fully opened. The fully closed estimated ground acceleration can be set based on information notified from the powertrain control unit 10 to the request arbitration unit 5 .

[2-4. Data item representing the operation state of the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal by the driver]
The accelerator pedal driver requested acceleration is a data item for setting the requested acceleration calculated based on the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal by the driver. The accelerator pedal driver requested acceleration can be set based on information sent from the powertrain control section 10 to the request arbitration section 5 .

The brake pedal driver requested acceleration is a data item for setting the requested acceleration calculated based on the amount of depression of the brake pedal by the driver. The requested acceleration set in the brake pedal driver requested acceleration is a value that does not include the acceleration requested by the autobrake function of the driving assistance application. The brake pedal driver requested acceleration can be set based on information notified from the brake control section 11 to the request arbitration section 5 .

<Instruction information data set (for powertrain control unit)>
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the format of the data set of instruction information output from the request generator 6 to the power train controller 10. As shown in FIG. Details of the data set of the indication information for the powertrain control will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 5 together.

The format shown in FIG. 5 represents a data set of instruction information output by the request generation unit 6 of the information processing device 20 to the powertrain control unit 10 . A data set for the powertrain control unit is generated by the request generation unit 6 and transmitted to the powertrain control unit 10 via an in-vehicle network such as CAN. Each data item will be described below.

The target driving force (upper limit) is a data item for designating the target driving force required to achieve the acceleration requested by the application (upper limit). As the target driving force (upper limit), a value obtained by converting the requested acceleration (upper limit) selected by the request arbitration unit 5 into a driving force is set.

Target vertical ID (upper limit) is a data item for setting the identifier of the application. The target longitudinal ID (upper limit) is set with the identifier of the application that outputs the requested acceleration (upper limit) selected by the arbitration of the request arbitration unit 5 .

The target acceleration (upper limit) is a data item for designating the requested acceleration (upper limit) of the application. The requested acceleration (upper limit) selected by the request arbitration unit 5 is set as the target acceleration (upper limit).

The target driving force (lower limit) is a data item for designating the target driving force required to achieve the required acceleration (lower limit) of the application. A value obtained by converting the requested acceleration (lower limit) selected by the arbitration of the request arbitration unit 5 into a driving force is set as the target driving force (lower limit).

Target vertical ID (lower limit) is a data item for setting the identifier of the application. The target vertical ID (lower limit) is set with the identifier of the application that outputs the requested acceleration (lower limit) selected by the arbitration of the request arbitration unit 5 .

The target acceleration (lower limit) is a data item for designating the requested acceleration (lower limit) of the application. The requested acceleration (lower limit) selected by the request arbitration unit 5 is set as the target acceleration (lower limit).

The accelerator override prohibition flag is a data item for designating whether or not to invalidate the accelerator pedal operation by the driver. As the accelerator override prohibition flag, the accelerator override prohibition flag included in the data set of the request information together with the requested acceleration (lower limit) selected by arbitration by the request arbitration unit 5 is set. The accelerator override prohibition flag is used by the powertrain control unit 10 to reject the driver's requested acceleration based on the accelerator pedal operation when the request from the application has a higher priority than the driver's accelerator pedal operation.

The shift priority flag (upper limit) is a data item for designating how to control the shift control (shift change) in order to achieve the target driving force (upper limit). The shift priority flag is set with the requested acceleration (upper limit) selected by the request arbitration unit 5 and the shift priority request (upper limit) included in the data set of the request information. Therefore, the shift priority flag (upper limit) is set to one of the values representing "eventuality", "allowed", and "disallowed", similarly to the shift priority request (upper limit). “Conditional” shift control refers to control in which shift is performed according to a drive force shift line prepared in advance in order to achieve a target drive force (upper limit). “Permitted” shift control means control for positively shifting (downshifting) in order to achieve the target driving force (upper limit). Further, the "non-permissive" shift control is a control that prohibits shifting (downshifting) and fixes a specific gear in order to achieve the target driving force (upper limit).

The shift priority flag (lower limit) is a data item for specifying how to control the shift control (shift change) in order to achieve the target driving force (lower limit). In the shift priority flag, the shift priority request (lower limit) included in the data set of the request information together with the requested acceleration (lower limit) selected by the arbitration of the request arbitration unit 5 are set. Therefore, the shift priority flag (lower limit) is set to one of a value representing "eventuality", a value representing "allowed", and a value representing "not permitted", similarly to the shift priority request (lower limit). “Conditional” shift control refers to control in which shift is performed according to a drive force shift line prepared in advance in order to achieve a target drive force (lower limit). The "allowed" shift control is a control that positively shifts (shifts down) in order to achieve the target drive force (lower limit). Further, the "non-permissive" shift control is a control that prohibits shifting (downshifting) and fixes a specific gear in order to achieve the target driving force (lower limit).

Further, a data item for notifying the power train control unit 10 of information regarding the reliability of communication may be provided.

<Instruction information data set (for steering control unit)>
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the format of the data set of instruction information output from the request generator 8 to the steering controller 12. As shown in FIG. In the following, details of the data set of indication information for the steering control will be described with joint reference to FIGS. 1 and 6. FIG.

The format shown in FIG. 6 represents a data set of instruction information output from the request generation unit 8 of the information processing device 20 to the steering control unit 12. The format shown in FIG. A data set for the steering control unit is generated by the request generating unit 8 and transmitted to the steering control unit 12 via an in-vehicle network such as CAN. Each data item will be described below.

Target horizontal ID is a data item for setting the identifier of the application. The identifier of the application that outputs the lateral control amount selected by the mediation of the request mediation unit 5 is set in the target lateral ID.

The target rudder angle/yaw rate/rotating radius are data items for designating target values for achieving the lateral control amount required by the application. One of the target steering angle, target yaw rate and target turning radius is set in the target steering angle/yaw rate/rotating radius. Also, the values of the requested steering angle/yaw rate/rotation radius included in the data set of the request information selected by the request arbitration unit 5 are set as the target steering angle/yaw rate/rotation radius.

The steering angle/yaw rate/rotating radius switching flag is a data item for specifying the type of information set in the data items of the target steering angle/yaw rate/rotating radius. The value of the steering angle/yaw rate/rotating radius switching flag included in the data set of the request information received by the request arbitration unit 5 is set in the steering angle/yaw rate/rotating radius switching flag.

The driver steering flag is a data item for designating whether or not the driver is steering. In the driver steering flag, the driver steering flag included in the data set of the request information together with the requested steering angle/yaw rate/rotating radius selected by the mediation of the request mediation unit 5 is set.

The responsiveness request is a data item for designating strength (responsiveness) of feedback control for achieving the target steering angle/yaw rate and turning radius. In the responsiveness request, the requested rudder angle/yaw rate/rotation radius selected by the request arbitration unit 5 and the responsiveness request value included in the data set of the request information are set.

<Instruction information data set (for brake control unit)>
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the format of the data set of instruction information output from the request generator 7 to the brake controller 11. As shown in FIG. Details of the dataset of the indication information for the brake control will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 7 together.

The format shown in FIG. 7 represents a data set of instruction information output by the request generation unit 7 of the information processing device 20 to the brake control unit 11 . The data set shown in FIG. 7 is generated by the request generator 7 . When the information processing device 20 is provided in an ECU different from the brake control unit 11, the data set shown in FIG. 7 is transmitted from the request generating unit 7 to the brake control unit 11 via an in-vehicle network such as CAN. Further, when the information processing device 20 and the brake control unit 11 are provided in the same ECU, the data set shown in FIG. Output to the control unit 11 .

The braking force generated by the braking device is the same physical quantity as the driving force generated by the powertrain, but in a different direction. Therefore, the data set output from the request generation unit 8 to the brake control unit 11 basically replaces the driving force in the data set output from the request generation unit 6 to the powertrain control unit 10 with the braking force. It is a thing. Each data item will be described below.

The target braking force (upper limit) is a data item for designating the target braking force required to achieve the requested acceleration (upper limit) of the application. As the target braking force (upper limit), a value obtained by converting the requested acceleration (upper limit) selected by the request arbitration unit 5 into a braking force is set.

Target vertical ID (upper limit) is a data item for setting the identifier of the application. The target vertical ID (upper limit) is the requested acceleration (upper limit) selected by the arbitration of the request arbitration unit 5.
is set to the identifier of the application that output the .

The target acceleration (upper limit) is a data item for designating the requested acceleration (upper limit) of the application. The requested acceleration (upper limit) selected by the request arbitration unit 5 is set as the target acceleration (upper limit).

The target braking force (lower limit) is a data item for designating the target braking force required to achieve the required acceleration (lower limit) of the application. The target braking force (lower limit) is set to a value obtained by converting the requested acceleration (lower limit) selected by the request arbitration unit 5 into a braking force.

Target vertical ID (lower limit) is a data item for setting the identifier of the application. The target vertical ID (lower limit) is set with the identifier of the application that outputs the requested acceleration (lower limit) selected by the arbitration of the request arbitration unit 5 .

The target acceleration (lower limit) is a data item for designating the requested acceleration (lower limit) of the application. The requested acceleration (lower limit) selected by the request arbitration unit 5 is set as the target acceleration (lower limit).

The shift priority flag (upper limit) is a data item for specifying how to control the shift control (shift change) to achieve the target braking force (upper limit). The shift priority flag is set with the requested acceleration (upper limit) selected by the request arbitration unit 5 and the shift priority request (upper limit) included in the data set of the request information. Therefore, the shift priority flag (upper limit) is set to one of the values representing "eventuality", "allowed", and "disallowed", similarly to the shift priority request (upper limit). “Conditional” shift control refers to control in which shift is performed according to a braking force shift line prepared in advance in order to achieve a target braking force (upper limit). "Permitted" shift control refers to control for positively shifting (downshifting) in order to achieve the target braking force (upper limit). Further, the "non-permissive" shift control is a control that prohibits shifting (downshifting) in order to achieve the target braking force (upper limit) and fixes it to a specific gear stage.

The shift priority flag (lower limit) is a data item for designating how to control the shift control (shift change) to achieve the target braking force (lower limit). In the shift priority flag, the shift priority request (lower limit) included in the data set of the request information together with the requested acceleration (lower limit) selected by the arbitration of the request arbitration unit 5 are set. Therefore, the shift priority flag (lower limit) is set to one of a value representing "eventuality", a value representing "allowed", and a value representing "not permitted", similarly to the shift priority request (lower limit). "Conditional" shift control refers to control in which shift is performed according to a braking force shift line prepared in advance in order to achieve a target braking force (lower limit). "Permitted" shift control refers to control for positively shifting (downshifting) in order to achieve the target braking force (lower limit). Further, the "non-permissive" shift control is a control that prohibits shifting (downshifting) in order to achieve the target braking force (lower limit) and fixes it to a specific gear stage.

A data item for notifying the brake control unit 11 of information regarding the reliability of communication may be further provided.

<Control processing in vehicle control system>
FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram for explaining control processing in the vehicle control system according to this embodiment. In the description of FIG. 8, the accelerator, brake, and steering are collectively referred to as "operation section", and the power train control section, brake control section, and steering control section are collectively referred to as "control section". Hereinafter, control performed in the vehicle control system will be described with reference to FIGS.

Step 1.1: When the operation units 2-4 are operated by the driver, the operation units 2-4 output the driver-requested acceleration and the driver-requested lateral control amount corresponding to the amount of operation to the request generators 6-8.

Step 1.2: When the operation units 2 to 4 are operated by the driver, the operation units 2 to 4 also output the driver-requested acceleration and the driver-requested lateral control amount output in step 1.1 to the request arbitration unit 5. .

Step 2.1: The application executed by the execution units 1a to 1c generates request information for requesting the actuators to perform the control necessary for executing the driving support function, and transmits the generated request information via the in-vehicle network. is sent to the request arbitration unit 5. More specifically, the application generates a data set in which required data items in the format shown in FIG. 3 are set with requested values, stores the generated data set in a data frame for communication, and sends it to the in-vehicle network. . The data items for which the application should set the requested values differ depending on the driving support function provided by the application. For example, in the case of an application that provides adaptive cruise control, by setting required values for both the vertical IF package (lower limit side) and the vertical IF package (upper limit side) shown in FIG. can specify the range of Also, for applications that provide lane keep assist, at least the lateral IF package shown in FIG. 3 should be set with the required values. In the case of applications such as automatic driving and automatic parking that provide functions to control both longitudinal and lateral movements of the vehicle, the longitudinal IF package (lower limit side) shown in FIG. A required value is set for each of the IF package (upper limit side) and the horizontal IF package. Other information shown in FIG. 3 is appropriately set according to the functions and controls provided by the application. The data items used in the arbitration performed by the request arbitration unit 5 are the required acceleration (lower limit), the required acceleration (upper limit), and the required lateral control amount (required steering angle/yaw rate/rotating radius). is set, arbitration processing can be performed.

Step 2.2: The request arbitration unit 5 arbitrates requests received from applications. In the request arbitration unit 5, first, the reception unit 21 receives a data set of request information transmitted from the plurality of execution units 1a to 1c. Next, the arbitration unit 22 performs arbitration processing based on the requested acceleration and the lateral control amount included in the received data set. The arbitration unit 22 arbitrates each of the vertical IF package (lower limit side), the vertical IF package (upper limit side), and the horizontal IF package shown in FIG. 3 as arbitration units. An example of the arbitration method will be described below.

Arbitration of the vertical direction IF package (lower limit side) is performed based on comparison of the requested acceleration (lower limit) included in each of the plurality of received data sets. For example, the arbitration unit 22 may select the minimum value of a plurality of required acceleration (lower limits) as the post-arbitration required acceleration (lower limit). The stopping unit 22 selects the vertical direction IF package (lower limit side) included in the data set of the same request information as the selected acceleration request (lower limit) as the arbitration result for the lower limit side of vertical motion.

Arbitration of the vertical direction IF package (upper limit side) is also performed based on comparison of the requested acceleration (upper limit) included in each of the plurality of received data sets. For example, the arbitration unit 22 may select the minimum value of a plurality of required acceleration (upper limit) values as the post-arbitration required acceleration (upper limit). The arbitration unit 22 selects the vertical direction IF package (upper limit side) included in the data set of the same request information as the selected acceleration request (upper limit) as the upper limit side arbitration result of the motion in the vertical direction.

Arbitration of the lateral direction IF package is performed based on comparison of the required steering angle/yaw rate/radius of rotation (lateral control amount) included in each of the plurality of received data sets. If there are no contradictory requests for the lateral control amount to be arbitrated, for example, the arbitration unit 22 may select the lateral control amount with the largest requested lateral control amount as the post-arbitration lateral control amount. Also, if there are conflicting requests, a request that satisfies a specific condition may be preferentially selected according to a predetermined rule.

Step 2.3: The arbitration unit 22 of the request arbitration unit 5 outputs the vertical IF packages (lower limit side) and (upper limit side) selected as the arbitration result to the request generation units 6 and 7, Then, the horizontal direction IF package is output to the request generator 8 .

Step 2.4: The request generation units 6-8 generate a data set of instruction information including control target values for driving the actuators 13a-13d based on the arbitration result by the arbitration unit 22. FIG.

The request generation unit 6 uses the vertical direction IF package (lower limit side) and (upper limit side) selected by the arbitration unit 22 (hereinafter collectively referred to as "selected vertical direction IF package") to generate a power train A data set of instruction information for the control section is generated (Fig. 5) Specifically, the request generation section 6 uses the requested acceleration (upper limit) and (lower limit) included in the selected vertical direction IF package as a force. and set the converted values to the target driving force (upper limit) and (lower limit) of the data set shown in Fig. 5. Further, the request generation unit 6 generates the request, which is included in the selected longitudinal IF package. The longitudinal ID (upper limit) and (lower limit), the requested acceleration (upper limit) and (lower limit), the accelerator override prohibition flag, the shift priority request (upper limit) and (lower limit) are converted to the target longitudinal ID (upper limit) of the data set shown in FIG. and (lower limit), target acceleration (upper limit) and (lower limit), accelerator override prohibition flag, shift priority flag (upper limit) and (lower limit), respectively. If either the vertical IF package (lower limit side) or (upper limit side) is not selected by the arbitration unit 22, the request generation unit 6 Generate a dataset containing only the indicated values corresponding to the information.

The request generation unit 7 uses the vertical direction IF package selected by the arbitration unit 22 to generate a data set ( FIG. 7 ) of instruction information for the brake control unit 11 . Specifically, the request generation unit 7 converts the required acceleration (upper limit) and (lower limit) included in the selected vertical direction IF package into forces, and converts the values after conversion into the data set shown in FIG. Set the target braking force (upper limit) and (lower limit). In addition, the request generation unit 7 generates the requested longitudinal ID (upper limit) and (lower limit), the requested acceleration (upper limit) and (lower limit), the shift priority request (upper limit) and (lower limit), which are included in the selected longitudinal direction IF package. are set to the target longitudinal ID (upper limit) and (lower limit), target acceleration (upper limit) and (lower limit), accelerator override prohibition flag, and shift priority flag (upper limit) and (lower limit) of the data set shown in FIG. Further, the request generating unit 6 sets a value to a communication invalid flag as necessary.

The request generation unit 8 uses the lateral direction IF package selected by the arbitration unit 22 to generate a data set (FIG. 6) of instruction information for the steering control unit 12 . Specifically, the request generation unit 8 generates the requested lateral ID, requested steering angle/yaw rate/rotation radius, steering angle/yaw rate/rotation radius switching flag, driver steering flag, response Performance targets are set in the target lateral ID, target steering angle/yaw rate/turning radius, steering angle/yaw rate/turning radius switching flag, driver steering flag, and responsiveness request of the data set shown in FIG.

Step 2.5: The request generators 6 to 8 output the data sets of the generated instruction information to the controllers 10 to 12, respectively. Further, when there is an input from the operation units 2-4, the request generation units 6-8 output the driver requests input from the operation units 2-4 together with the instruction information to the control units 10-12, respectively.

Step 2.6: The controllers 10-12 control the actuators 13a-13d based on the target values and driver requests contained in the instruction information received from the request generators 6-8. It should be noted that in the powertrain control unit 10, which of the target value and the driver's request included in the command information is adopted depends on the magnitude of the upper limit value and the lower limit value of each data item included in the command information and the driver's request, The powertrain control unit 10 can make a determination based on the override prohibition flag. An example of control processing of the driving force (acceleration) in the powertrain control unit 10 will be described later.

Step 2.7: The control units 10 to 12 output to the request arbitration unit 5 information about the operating states of the actuators 13a to 13d and the adopted control amount.

Step 2.8: The request arbitration unit 5 generates a dataset of result information (Fig. 4). In the request arbitration unit 5, the arbitration result output unit 24 outputs the requested lateral ID, the requested steering angle/yaw rate/rotation radius, and the steering angle/yaw rate/rotation radius switching flag included in the lateral direction IF package selected by the arbitration unit 22. are set in the arbitration result_lateral ID, selected steering angle/yaw rate/rotation radius, and steering angle/yaw rate/rotation radius switching flag of the data set shown in FIG. Further, the arbitration result output unit 24 obtains the arbitration result of the data set shown in FIG. Set the ID and selected acceleration. Furthermore, based on the various information acquired by the information acquisition unit 23, the arbitration result output unit 24 outputs the data set shown in FIG. "Information" and "Information representing the operating state of the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal by the driver" are set.

Step 2.9: The arbitration result output unit 24 outputs the generated result information to the execution units 1a to 1c.

Note that the above steps 1.1 to 1.2 and steps 2.1 to 2.9 are processes performed in parallel. Moreover, the above steps 2.1 to 2.9 are processes that are repeatedly executed at regular time intervals.

An example of vehicle driving force control performed by the powertrain control unit 10 based on the instruction information generated by the request generation unit 6 and the driver-requested acceleration will be described below with reference to FIG. The vehicle driving force control shown in FIG. 9 corresponds to the control executed by the power train control unit 10 in step 2.6 of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a graph for explaining an example of vertical motion control of the vehicle. In FIG. 9, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents driving force. The thick solid line shown in FIG. 9 represents the actual driving force output by the power train, which is the sum of the driving force in the traveling direction of the vehicle and the braking force in the direction opposite to the traveling direction.

In FIG. 9, the long dashed line parallel to the horizontal axis represents the upper limit and lower limit of the required driving force set based on the required acceleration from driving support applications such as automatic driving and cruise control. The powertrain control unit 10 is simultaneously input with the instruction information generated by the request generation unit 6 based on the result of mediation by the request mediation unit 5 and the driver-requested acceleration corresponding to the accelerator pedal operation. In the following description, it is assumed that the command information generated by the request generator 6 includes target values in both the target driving force (upper limit) and (lower limit) data items. As a first step, the powertrain control unit 10 compares the driver's requested driving force with the target driving force (lower limit) and selects a higher driving force. As a second step, the powertrain control unit 10 compares the driving force selected in the first step with the required driving force (upper limit) and selects a smaller driving force. The reason why the second step selects the smaller one of the required driving force selected in the first step and the target driving force (upper limit) is to control the vehicle more safely. The power train control unit 10 notifies the information acquisition unit 23 of the request arbitration unit 5 of information indicating the request source of the adopted required driving force.

Specifically, at time t0 shown in FIG. 9, the driver's requested driving force indicated by the short dashed line is less than the lower limit of the requested driving force set based on the request information from the application. In this case, the powertrain control unit 10 rejects the driver-requested driving force smaller than the lower limit of the application-required driving force, and causes the actuators 13a and 13b to output driving force corresponding to the lower limit of the application-required driving force.

At times t1 to t2 shown in FIG. 9, the driver's requested driving force is equal to or higher than the requested driving force (lower limit) set based on the request information from the application and is equal to or lower than the requested driving force (upper limit). The train control unit 10 causes the actuators 13a and 13b to output driving force corresponding to the driving force requested by the driver.

At time t3 shown in FIG. 9, the driver-requested driving force indicated by the short dashed line exceeds the requested driving force (upper limit) set based on the request information from the application. In this case, the power train control unit 10 and/or the brake control unit 11 controls part or all of the actuators 13a to 13c to provide a brake equal to the excessive driving force exceeding the required driving force (upper limit). By generating the power, the excessive driving force is offset and the real driving force is suppressed to the upper limit of the set required driving force.

In this manner, the power train control unit 10 and the brake control unit 11 can control the longitudinal movement of the vehicle based on the application requests and driver requests arbitrated by the request arbitration unit 5 .

<Effects, etc.>
As described above, the information processing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment includes the required acceleration as information representing the longitudinal motion of the vehicle, and the steering angle, yaw rate, and turning radius as information representing the lateral motion of the vehicle. A data set of request information including any of them is received, requests from a plurality of applications are arbitrated based on the received request information, and actuator drive instructions are given based on the arbitration result. The information processing device 20 performs arbitration based on predetermined information (requested acceleration and/or lateral control amount), so that even if the number of types of applications that realize the driving support function increases, conversion of the request value, etc. can be performed. Arbitration processing can be easily performed without performing. In addition, since the information to be received by the information processing device 20 is predetermined, even if the types of applications that realize the driving support function increase, the arbitration processing in the operation manager 20, the powertrain control unit 10, the brake control unit 11 and the steering control unit 12 need not be changed. When the requested acceleration is used as a data item used in the arbitration by the request arbitration unit 5, the driving support application does not need to consider information specific to each type of vehicle, such as vehicle mass and air resistance. Consider pure exercise to do. Further, when the application request is indicated by acceleration, it is relatively easy to convert the physical quantity into force. Therefore, by adopting the required acceleration as information representing the longitudinal motion of the vehicle, there is an advantage that the development of the driving support application can be facilitated. Further, the steering angle/yaw rate/radius of rotation used as information representing the lateral motion of the vehicle is commonly used by the application, the information processing device 20, the power train control unit 10, the brake control unit 11, and the steering control unit 12. and does not need to be converted to other control quantities. Therefore, by adopting the steering angle/yaw rate/radius of rotation as information representing the lateral movement of the vehicle, the mediation process can be facilitated.

Further, in the data set of request information received by the information processing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment, a data item ( A steering angle/yaw rate/rotation radius switching flag) is provided. By using this data item, one data item can be switched and used to represent one of a plurality of information types. It is possible to reduce the amount of data compared to assigning a data item to each of a plurality of information types.

Further, the data set of request information received by the information processing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment includes, as requested acceleration, an upper limit of requested acceleration and a lower limit of requested acceleration. When the data set of request information is configured in this way, it is possible to specify a range of accelerations requested by the application.

The information processing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment also includes a result information output unit 24 that outputs result information including the arbitration result to the requesting application. By feeding back the arbitration result to the application, the application can appropriately correct the control processing for realizing the driving support function. In this case, the result information output unit feeds back to the application, in addition to the arbitration result, result information including at least one of information representing the current vehicle motion control state and information representing currently achievable vehicle motion control. preferably. If at least one of the information representing the current state of vehicle motion control and the information representing currently achievable vehicle motion control is included in the result information, the application can perform the driving assistance function based on the current vehicle state. can be modified.

In addition, the information processing device 20 according to the present embodiment converts the requested acceleration arbitrated by the arbitration unit 22 of the request arbitration unit 5 into force, which is the unit of the output of the power train, and uses the instruction information including the force after the conversion. It includes request generators 6 and 7 that generate drive requests for the actuators 13a to 13c. By performing the necessary conversion processing by the request generation units 6 and 7, it becomes unnecessary to change the format of the request information received by the reception unit 21 of the request arbitration unit 5 and to convert physical quantities in the arbitration unit 22. FIG.

As described above, the embodiment has been described as an illustration of the technology in the present disclosure. To that end, the accompanying drawings and detailed description have been provided. Therefore, among the components described in the attached drawings and detailed description, there are not only components essential for solving the problem, but also components not essential for solving the problem in order to illustrate the above technology. can also be included. Therefore, it should not be immediately recognized that those non-essential components are essential just because they are described in the attached drawings and detailed description. In addition, since the above embodiments are intended to illustrate the technology in the present disclosure, various changes, replacements, additions, omissions, etc. can be made within the scope of the claims or equivalents thereof.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for a vehicle control device capable of controlling vehicle motion based on requests from a plurality of driving assistance applications.

1a-1c execution units 6-8 request generation unit 10 power train control unit 11 brake control unit 12 steering control unit 20 information processing device 21 reception unit 22 arbitration unit 23 information acquisition unit 24 arbitration result output unit

Claims (7)

A control device mounted on a vehicle,
a reception unit that receives a plurality of first requests from the driving support system;
an arbitration unit that arbitrates the plurality of first requests;
a calculation unit that calculates a second request, which is a physical quantity different from the first request, based on the arbitration result of the arbitration unit;
a distributor that distributes the second request to at least one of a plurality of actuator systems;
and an output unit configured to output to the driving support system information indicating whether or not a function related to control of the actuator system can be used or a functional limitation . A manager on board a vehicle,
a reception unit that receives a plurality of first requests from a plurality of ADAS applications;
an arbitration unit that arbitrates the plurality of first requests ;
a calculation unit that calculates a second request based on the arbitration result of the arbitration unit;
a distributor that distributes the second request to at least one of a plurality of actuator systems;
and an output section for outputting to the ADAS application internal states of the actuator systems, namely powertrain system, braking system and steering system. A manager on board a vehicle,
a reception unit that receives a plurality of first requests from a plurality of driving assistance applications;
an arbitration unit that arbitrates the plurality of first requests;
a calculation unit that calculates a second request based on the arbitration result of the arbitration unit;
a distributor that distributes the second request to at least one of a plurality of actuators;
and an output unit that outputs information representing availability or functional limitations of functions related to control of powertrain, brakes and steering including the actuators to the driving assistance application. A system comprising a manager mounted on a vehicle and a plurality of actuator systems, comprising:
Said manager
a reception unit that receives a plurality of first requests from a plurality of ADAS applications;
an arbitration unit that arbitrates the plurality of first requests ;
a calculation unit that calculates a second request based on the arbitration result of the arbitration unit;
a distributor that distributes the second request to at least one of the plurality of actuator systems;
and an output for outputting to the ADAS application the internal states of the actuator systems powertrain system, braking system and steering system. A control method executed by an electronic control unit mounted on a vehicle,
receiving and arbitrating multiple first requests from multiple ADAS applications;
calculating and distributing a second request to at least one of the plurality of actuator systems based on the arbitration results;
and outputting to the ADAS application the internal states of the actuator systems, namely a powertrain system, a braking system and a steering system. A program to be executed by a manager's computer installed in a vehicle,
receiving and arbitrating multiple first requests from multiple ADAS applications;
calculating and distributing a second request to at least one of the plurality of actuator systems based on the arbitration results;
and outputting to the ADAS application the internal states of the actuator systems, namely a powertrain system, a braking system and a steering system. A vehicle comprising a manager,
Said manager
a reception unit that receives a plurality of first requests from a plurality of ADAS applications;
an arbitration unit that arbitrates the plurality of first requests ;
a calculation unit that calculates a second request based on the arbitration result of the arbitration unit;
a distributor that distributes the second request to at least one of a plurality of actuator systems;
and an output section for outputting to the ADAS application the internal states of the actuator systems, namely a power train system, a braking system and a steering system.

Images