JP7287440B2 - vehicle controller - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle control device for starting a vehicle.

Conventionally, JP-A-2017-87784 is known as a technical document related to a device for starting a vehicle. In this publication, when a traffic jam is detected and the own vehicle is stopped, when the preceding vehicle starts moving and the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined distance, the own vehicle is caused to creep. A driving assistance system is shown.

JP 2017-87784 A

By the way, stop control is known that automatically stops the host vehicle when the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle becomes equal to or less than a stop threshold due to the stop of the preceding vehicle. It is conceivable that such stop control and start control of the vehicle may be used in combination. However, if stop control and start control are simply combined, for example, when the preceding vehicle repeats minute start (slight forward movement) and stop, the own vehicle may follow and repeat start and stop, and there is room for improvement. exists.

Therefore, in this technical field, it is desired to provide a vehicle control device that can appropriately start and stop the own vehicle according to the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle.

In order to solve the above-described problems, one aspect of the present invention is a vehicle control device that stops an own vehicle when the inter-vehicle distance between the stopped preceding vehicle and the own vehicle becomes equal to or less than a stop threshold, the preceding vehicle: and a start determination unit that determines whether or not the distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle becomes equal to or greater than a start threshold, which is a value larger than the stop threshold, when the host vehicle is stopped; When the start determination unit determines that the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle is greater than or equal to the start threshold value, the own vehicle is started, and after the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle have stopped, the start determination unit determines the distance between the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle. A vehicle control unit that maintains the stopped state of the own vehicle until it is determined that the distance between the two vehicles is equal to or greater than the start threshold, and a lighting signal of the traffic signal when the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle are stopped before the traffic signal and a traffic signal determination unit that determines whether or not is a passage permission signal, and when the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle are stopped before the traffic signal, in the adjacent lane whose traveling direction is the same as the traveling lane of the own vehicle, before the traffic signal and a other vehicle condition determination unit that determines whether or not a surrounding vehicle is running, and the start determination unit determines that the signal for turning on the signal is not a pass permission signal, the signal for turning on the signal by the signal determination unit. When the start threshold is set to a larger value than when the signal is determined to be a passage permission signal , and when the other vehicle condition determination unit determines that the surrounding vehicle is not running, the surrounding vehicle is running. The start threshold is set to a larger value than when it is determined that the vehicle is present .

According to the vehicle control device according to one aspect of the present invention, when the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle that is stopped and the own vehicle becomes equal to or less than the stop threshold, the own vehicle is stopped, and the preceding vehicle starts moving. until the distance between the vehicle and the host vehicle becomes equal to or greater than the start threshold, which is a value greater than the stop threshold. When the vehicle starts and stops minutely, it is suppressed that the own vehicle follows and starts and stops, and the start and stop of the own vehicle can be appropriately performed according to the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle.

In the vehicle control device according to one aspect of the present invention, when the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle are stopped before the traffic signal, the neighboring vehicle before the traffic signal in the adjacent lane that travels in the same direction as the traveling lane of the own vehicle. and the start determination unit determines whether the surrounding vehicle is running when the other vehicle state determination unit determines that the surrounding vehicle is not running. The start threshold may be set to a larger value than when it is determined that
According to this vehicle control device, in the case where the neighboring vehicle in front of the traffic signal is not traveling in the adjacent lane in which the own vehicle is traveling in the same traveling direction, compared to the case where the neighboring vehicle is traveling, Since there is a high possibility that the preceding vehicle will stop again in front of the traffic light after it starts, setting a large start threshold will appropriately prevent the own vehicle from following the slight start and stop of the preceding vehicle. can be done.

In the vehicle control device according to one aspect of the present invention, when the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle are stopped before the traffic signal, the oncoming vehicle before the traffic signal of the oncoming lane runs in the opposite lane of the traveling lane of the own vehicle. The start determining unit determines that the oncoming vehicle is running when the other vehicle condition determining unit determines that the oncoming vehicle is not running. The starting threshold value may be set to a larger value than in the case of .
According to this vehicle control device, when the oncoming vehicle in front of the traffic light is not running in the oncoming lane, compared to the case where the oncoming vehicle is running, the preceding vehicle that has started stops again in front of the traffic light. Since the possibility is high, by setting the start threshold to a large value, it is possible to appropriately suppress the subject vehicle from following minute starts and stops of the preceding vehicle.

As described above, according to the vehicle control device according to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to appropriately start and stop the own vehicle according to the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle.

1 is a block diagram showing a vehicle control device according to one embodiment; FIG. It is a top view which shows the situation where the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle have stopped at the time of an intersection. (a) It is a graph which shows the time change of the speed of a preceding vehicle, and the speed of the own vehicle. (b) It is a graph which shows the time change of the inter-vehicle distance of the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle. 4 is a flowchart showing start determination processing; It is a flow chart which shows start threshold value setting processing.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

A vehicle control device 100 shown in FIG. 1 is mounted in a vehicle (self-vehicle) such as a passenger car, and controls running of the self-vehicle. The vehicle control device 100 performs start control and stop control of the own vehicle based on the inter-vehicle distance between the own vehicle and a preceding vehicle traveling one ahead of the own vehicle. The start control and stop control of the host vehicle may be executed as part of the automatic driving function that automatically drives the vehicle.

[Configuration of vehicle control device]
The configuration of the vehicle control device 100 will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle control device 100 includes an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 10 that controls the running of the vehicle. The ECU 10 is an electronic control unit including a CPU [Central Processing Unit], a ROM [Read Only Memory], a RAM [Random Access Memory], and the like. In the ECU 10, programs stored in the ROM are loaded into the RAM and executed by the CPU to perform various vehicle controls. The ECU 10 may be composed of a plurality of electronic control units.

The ECU 10 is connected to the GPS receiver 1 , external sensor 2 , internal sensor 3 , map database 4 and actuator 5 .

The GPS receiver 1 measures the position of the vehicle (for example, the latitude and longitude of the vehicle) by receiving signals from three or more GPS satellites. The GPS receiver 1 transmits the measured positional information of the own vehicle to the ECU 10 .

The external sensor 2 is a detection device that detects the surrounding conditions of the vehicle. External sensor 2 includes at least one of a camera and a radar sensor.

A camera is imaging equipment that captures an image of the external situation of the own vehicle. The camera is provided behind the windshield of the vehicle. The camera transmits to the ECU 10 imaging information regarding the external situation of the own vehicle. The camera may be a monocular camera or a stereo camera. A stereo camera has two imaging units arranged to reproduce binocular parallax. The imaging information of the stereo camera also includes information in the depth direction.

A radar sensor is a detection device that uses radio waves (for example, millimeter waves) or light to detect obstacles around the vehicle. Radar sensors include, for example, millimeter wave radar or lidar [LIDAR: Light Detection and Ranging]. A radar sensor detects obstacles by transmitting radio waves or light around the vehicle and receiving radio waves or light reflected by the obstacles. The radar sensor transmits detected obstacle information to the ECU 10 . Obstacles include fixed obstacles such as guardrails and buildings, as well as moving obstacles such as pedestrians, bicycles, and other vehicles.

The internal sensor 3 is a detection device that detects the running state of the own vehicle. Internal sensors 3 include a vehicle speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a yaw rate sensor. A vehicle speed sensor is a detector that detects the speed of the host vehicle. As the vehicle speed sensor, for example, a wheel speed sensor that is provided for a wheel of the host vehicle or a drive shaft that rotates integrally with the wheel and detects the rotation speed of the wheel is used. The vehicle speed sensor transmits detected vehicle speed information (wheel speed information) to the ECU 10 .

The acceleration sensor is a detector that detects acceleration of the own vehicle. The acceleration sensor includes, for example, a longitudinal acceleration sensor that detects the longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle and a lateral acceleration sensor that detects the lateral acceleration of the vehicle. An acceleration sensor transmits the acceleration information of the own vehicle to ECU10, for example. The yaw rate sensor is a detector that detects the yaw rate (rotational angular velocity) around the vertical axis of the center of gravity of the vehicle. A gyro sensor, for example, can be used as the yaw rate sensor. The yaw rate sensor transmits the detected yaw rate information of the host vehicle to the ECU 10 .

The map database 4 is a database that stores map information. The map database 4 is formed, for example, in an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) mounted on the vehicle. The map information includes road position information (lane-by-lane position information), road shape information (for example, types of curves and straight sections, curvature, etc.), intersection and branch point position information, and the like. Further, the map information includes position information of traffic lights and information of lanes corresponding to the traffic lights.

The actuator 5 is a device used for controlling the own vehicle. Actuators 5 include at least drive actuators, brake actuators, and steering actuators. The drive actuator controls the amount of air supplied to the engine (throttle opening) according to a control signal from the ECU 10, thereby controlling the driving force of the host vehicle. When the own vehicle is a hybrid vehicle, in addition to the amount of air supplied to the engine, a control signal from the ECU 10 is input to the motor as the power source to control the driving force. When the own vehicle is an electric vehicle, a control signal from the ECU 10 is input to a motor as a power source to control the driving force. A motor as a power source in these cases constitutes the actuator 5 .

The brake actuator controls the brake system according to a control signal from the ECU 10 and controls the braking force applied to the wheels of the own vehicle. A hydraulic brake system, for example, can be used as the brake system. The steering actuator controls driving of an assist motor that controls steering torque in the electric power steering system according to a control signal from the ECU 10 . Thereby, the steering actuator controls the steering torque of the host vehicle.

Next, the functional configuration of the ECU 10 will be described. The ECU 10 has a vehicle position recognition section 11 , a stop determination section 12 , a traffic light determination section 13 , another vehicle condition determination section 14 , a start determination section 15 , a speed profile generation section 16 and a vehicle control section 17 .

The vehicle position recognition unit 11 recognizes the position of the own vehicle on the map based on the position information of the GPS reception unit 1 and the map information of the map database 4 . In addition, the vehicle position recognition unit 11 uses the position information of fixed obstacles such as utility poles included in the map information of the map database 4 and the detection results of the external sensor 2 to automatically detect the position of the vehicle by SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) technology. Recognize vehicle location. The vehicle position recognition unit 11 also recognizes the lane in which the own vehicle travels. In addition, the vehicle position recognition unit 11 may recognize the position of the own vehicle on the map by a well-known method.

The stop determination unit 12 determines whether or not the inter-vehicle distance between the stopped preceding vehicle and the own vehicle has become equal to or less than the stop threshold value Ds while the own vehicle is running. The stop threshold Ds is a preset value. The value of the stop threshold Ds may be changed according to the vehicle speed of the host vehicle and other parameters. The stop determination unit 12 can recognize the inter-vehicle distance between the stopped preceding vehicle and the own vehicle based on the detection result of the external sensor 2 .

The traffic signal determination unit 13 determines whether or not the lighting signal of the traffic signal is a passage permission signal when the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle are stopped before the traffic signal. Before the traffic light can be within a first distance from the traffic light or a reference point (stop line, intersection, etc.) corresponding to the reference of the traffic light. The first distance is a distance of a preset value. A passage permission signal is a signal (for example, a green light) that permits passage of a vehicle.

For example, the traffic light determination unit 13 determines the position information of the traffic lights included in the map information of the map database 4, the position of the own vehicle on the map recognized by the vehicle position recognition unit 11, the detection result of the external sensor 2, and the position of the internal sensor 3. Based on the detection result (detection result of the vehicle speed sensor), it is determined whether or not the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle are stopped before the traffic light.

When the traffic light determination unit 13 determines that the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle have stopped before the traffic light, the lighting signal of the traffic light is a passage permission signal based on the detection result of the external sensor 2 (the captured image of the camera). Determine whether or not there is The case where the lighting signal of the traffic light is not determined to be a passage permission signal means that the lighting state of the traffic light is a passage prohibition signal (e.g., red light) or a transition signal (e.g., yellow light), or the lighting state of the traffic light is unknown. is the case. A transition signal is a signal that lights up when a passage permission signal transitions to a passage prohibition signal. A transition signal is not required.

Note that the traffic light determination unit 13 may perform the above determination by acquiring information on the lighting signal of the traffic light by communicating with a wireless network (the Internet, an optical beacon, etc.) via the communication device of the own vehicle. good.

When the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle are stopped before the traffic signal, the other vehicle condition determination unit 14 determines whether the surrounding vehicle before the traffic signal is traveling in the adjacent lane in which the traveling direction of the own vehicle is the same. determine whether or not there is Adjacent lanes in the same traveling direction as the traveling lane of the own vehicle mean that when the traveling direction of the traveling lane of the own vehicle is straight ahead, the adjacent lanes dedicated to right turns are not included.

In the determination of the surrounding vehicle, "in front of the traffic signal" can be within a second distance from the traffic signal or a reference point (stop line, intersection, etc.) corresponding to the reference of the traffic signal. The second distance is a preset distance. The second distance may be the same as or different from the first distance, which serves as a reference for determining whether the host vehicle is stopped before the traffic signal.

The other vehicle condition determination unit 14 recognizes whether or not there is an adjacent lane having the same traveling direction as the driving lane based on the map information of the map database 4 and the position of the own vehicle on the map recognized by the vehicle position recognition unit 11. do. The other vehicle condition determination unit 14 determines whether or not a peripheral vehicle in front of the traffic light is traveling in an adjacent lane based on the detection result of the external sensor 2, the map information, and the position of the own vehicle on the map.

If there is no adjacent lane with the same traveling direction as the driving lane or if there is no surrounding vehicle on the adjacent lane, the other vehicle situation determination unit 14 determines that the surrounding vehicle in front of the traffic light is traveling in the adjacent lane. determine that it is not. The other vehicle condition determination unit 14 determines that the surrounding vehicle is not running when the vehicle speed of the surrounding vehicle is equal to or lower than a first predetermined value (for example, 3 km/h) even if the surrounding vehicle exists. may Further, when the vehicle speed of the surrounding vehicle is equal to or less than a second predetermined value (for example, 10 km/h) and the deceleration of the surrounding vehicle is equal to or more than the predetermined value, the other vehicle condition determination unit 14 determines that the surrounding vehicle is traveling. You may decide not to.

In addition, when the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle are stopped before the traffic signal, the other vehicle condition determination unit 14 determines whether the oncoming vehicle is traveling in the opposite lane of the traveling lane of the own vehicle before the traffic signal of the opposite lane. determine whether or not The other vehicle condition determination unit 14 can make the above determination based on the detection result of the external sensor 2, the map information, and the position of the own vehicle on the map.

The opposite lane of the travel lane of the host vehicle is a lane having a travel direction opposite to the travel direction of the travel lane of the host vehicle. Before the traffic light of the oncoming lane can be within a third distance from the traffic light of the oncoming lane or a reference point (stop line, intersection, etc.) corresponding to the reference of the traffic light. The third distance is a preset distance. The third distance may be the same distance as the first distance, or may be a different distance. Also, the third distance may be the same distance as the second distance, or may be a different distance.

In addition, when there is no oncoming lane of the traveling lane (including cases where the oncoming lane cannot be detected by the external sensor 2 in a tunnel or the like) or when there is no oncoming vehicle on the oncoming lane, It is determined that the oncoming vehicle in front of the signal is not running in the oncoming lane. The other vehicle condition determination unit 14 determines that the oncoming vehicle is not running when the vehicle speed of the oncoming vehicle is equal to or lower than a third predetermined value (eg, 3 km/h) even if there is an oncoming vehicle. may Further, when the vehicle speed of the oncoming vehicle is equal to or lower than a fourth predetermined value (for example, 10 km/h) and the deceleration of the oncoming vehicle is equal to or higher than the predetermined value, the other vehicle condition determination unit 14 determines that the oncoming vehicle is not traveling. You may decide not to.

The start determination unit 15 determines whether or not the preceding vehicle has started and the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle has become equal to or greater than the start threshold value Dth when the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle are stopped. The start threshold Dth is a threshold preset as a value greater than the stop threshold Ds. The value of the start threshold Dth may be changed as long as it is greater than the stop threshold Ds under the same conditions. The start determination unit 15 can make the above determination based on the detection result of the external sensor 2 .

The start determination unit 15 is not limited to the case where the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle are stopped in front of the traffic signal, but also when the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle are stopped due to a traffic jam on the road, a stop line without a traffic signal, or the like. For example, it is determined whether or not the inter-vehicle distance is equal to or greater than the start threshold.

Further, when the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle stop before the traffic signal and the traffic signal determination unit 13 does not determine that the lighting signal of the traffic signal is the passage permission signal, the departure determination unit 15 determines that the lighting signal of the traffic signal is the passage permission signal. The start threshold is set to a larger value than when it is determined that there is.

The start determination unit 15 determines that the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle stop before the traffic light, and the other vehicle condition determination unit 14 determines that the surrounding vehicle before the traffic light runs in an adjacent lane in which the direction of travel is the same as the lane in which the vehicle is traveling. When it is determined that the surrounding vehicle is not running, the start threshold is set to a larger value than when it is determined that the surrounding vehicle is running.

When there are a plurality of surrounding vehicles in the adjacent lane, the start determination unit 15 may set the start threshold based on the leading surrounding vehicle, which is the surrounding vehicle closest to the traffic signal. In this case, the other vehicle condition determination unit 14 determines whether or not the leading peripheral vehicle is running based on the detection result of the external sensor 2, the map information, and the position of the own vehicle on the map. The start determination unit 15 sets the start threshold to a larger value when it is determined that the surrounding leading vehicle is not traveling than when it is determined that the leading peripheral vehicle is traveling. At this time, it is not necessary to use the presence or absence of the running of the peripheral vehicle following the lead peripheral vehicle for setting the start threshold.

When there are a plurality of adjacent lanes having the same traveling direction as the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, the start determination unit 15 determines that the leading peripheral vehicles in each adjacent lane are not all traveling. The starting threshold value may be set to a larger value than when the vehicle is traveling on a platform.

In addition, the start determination unit 15 determines that the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle have stopped before the traffic signal, and the other vehicle condition determination unit 14 determines that the oncoming vehicle is running in the oncoming lane of the own vehicle's traveling lane before the traffic signal. When it is determined that there is no oncoming vehicle, the start threshold is set to a larger value than when it is determined that the oncoming vehicle is running.

When a plurality of oncoming vehicles are lined up in the oncoming lane, the start determination unit 15 may set the start threshold based on the leading oncoming vehicle, which is the oncoming vehicle closest to the traffic light in the oncoming lane. In this case, the other vehicle condition determination unit 14 determines whether or not the leading oncoming vehicle is running based on the detection result of the external sensor 2, the map information, and the position of the own vehicle on the map. When it is determined that the leading oncoming vehicle is not running, the start determining unit 15 sets the starting threshold to a larger value than when it is determined that the leading oncoming vehicle is running. At this time, it is not necessary to use the presence or absence of the oncoming vehicle following the leading oncoming vehicle for setting the start threshold.

When there are a plurality of oncoming lanes, the start determination unit 15 determines that when all the leading oncoming vehicles in each oncoming lane are not running, compared to when even one leading oncoming vehicle is running in each oncoming lane, the start determination unit 15 A large value may be used as the threshold value.

When the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle are stopped before the traffic light, the start determination unit 15 determines that the vehicle closest to the traffic light in the driving lane of the own vehicle is not the preceding vehicle (the preceding vehicle preceding the own vehicle). In this case, the starting threshold may be set based on the leading vehicle closest to the traffic light in the driving lane. In this case, the start determination unit 15 sets the start threshold to a larger value when it is determined that the leading vehicle is not running than when it is determined that the leading vehicle is running. Whether or not the leading vehicle is running can be recognized from the detection result of the external sensor 2 .

A speed profile generator 16 generates a speed profile of the host vehicle. A speed profile is a vehicle speed plan used to control the speed of the host vehicle. The speed profile includes a target vehicle speed according to the position of the host vehicle.

The generation of the velocity profile will be described in detail below. The speed profile generator 16 generates the surrounding environment of the own vehicle recognized from the detection result of the external sensor 2, the running state of the own vehicle recognized from the detection result of the internal sensor 3, the map information of the map database 4, the vehicle A speed profile is generated based on the position of the own vehicle on the map recognized by the position recognition unit 11 .

The speed profile generator 16 generates a preset upper limit speed, a speed limit at a speed limit point included in the map information, a curvature corresponding speed corresponding to the curvature of the lane in which the vehicle travels, and moving obstacles around the vehicle. It computes the obstacle situation speed according to the situation.

Specifically, the speed profile generator 16 sets the set maximum speed (for example, legal maximum speed) of the driving lane of the vehicle as the upper limit speed. Also, the speed profile generator 16 recognizes the speed limit at the speed limit point included in the map information based on the position of the vehicle on the map and the map information. A speed limit point is a point where speed is limited, such as a stop line or a pedestrian crossing sign. For example, the speed limit for a stop line may be 0 km/h and the speed limit for a crosswalk sign may be 20 km/h. The speed limit may be included in the map information, or may be stored in a database separate from the map database 4 (for example, a traffic rule map database).

The speed profile generation unit 16 calculates a curvature corresponding speed according to the curvature of the vehicle's driving lane based on the position of the vehicle on the map and the map information. As an example, the speed profile generator 16 uses a curvature-vehicle speed map in which the curvature and the vehicle speed are associated in advance to calculate the curvature-corresponding speed from the curvature.

The speed profile generator 16 calculates an obstacle situation speed corresponding to the situation of moving obstacles around the vehicle based on the surrounding environment of the own vehicle recognized from the detection result of the external sensor 2 . As an example, when the preceding vehicle is running, the speed profile generator 16 adopts the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle as the obstacle situation speed as the upper limit speed. In addition, the speed profile generator 16 can calculate the obstacle situation speed according to the situation of moving obstacles around the vehicle by various well-known methods.

The speed profile generator 16 sets a target vehicle speed equal to or lower than the minimum speed among upper limit speed, speed limit, curvature corresponding speed, and obstacle condition speed for each position set in advance along the driving lane. The set positions preset along the driving lane are positions set at regular intervals on the driving lane. The target vehicle speed can be, for example, the same value as the minimum speed. In the case of automatic driving, the set position can be set along a preset target route.

The speed profile generation unit 16 generates a speed profile by interpolating the target vehicle speed for each set position by preset smooth interpolation processing. For example, spline interpolation can be used for smooth interpolation processing.

The speed profile generation unit 16 generates a speed profile for starting and stopping the host vehicle. The speed profile at the time of starting is generated, for example, so that acceleration is faster than creep running due to creep torque. Note that the speed profile generation unit 16 is not limited to the speed profile generation method described above, and may adopt various well-known speed profile generation methods.

When the stop determination unit 12 determines that the inter-vehicle distance between the stopped preceding vehicle and the own vehicle is equal to or less than the stop threshold value Ds, the vehicle control unit 17 performs stop control of the own vehicle. The vehicle control unit 17 decelerates and stops the own vehicle by transmitting a control signal to the actuator 5 based on the speed profile.

When the start determination unit 15 determines that the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle is greater than or equal to the start threshold, the vehicle control unit 17 controls the start of the host vehicle. The vehicle control unit 17 starts the own vehicle by transmitting a control signal to the actuator 5 based on the speed profile. When the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle are stopped, the vehicle control unit 17 controls the vehicle control unit 17 until the start determination unit 15 determines that the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle is greater than or equal to the start threshold value Dth. remain stopped.

Here, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a situation in which the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle are stopped in the middle of an intersection. FIG. 2 shows the own vehicle M, the preceding vehicle Ns, the inter-vehicle distance L between the own vehicle M and the preceding vehicle Ns, the driving lane R1 in which the own vehicle M is traveling, the adjacent lane R2 adjacent to the driving lane R1, and the driving lane R1. Oncoming lanes R3 and R4, a traffic light TL1 in front of the host vehicle M, and a traffic light TL2 in the oncoming lane are shown. In FIG. 2, it is assumed that the lighting signals of traffic lights TL1 and TL2 are passage prohibition signals (for example, red lights).

In addition to the own vehicle M and the preceding vehicle Ns, the pre-preceding vehicle Na in front of the preceding vehicle Ns and the following vehicle Nb of the own vehicle M are stopped on the traveling lane R1. Peripheral vehicles Nr1 to Nr4 are stopped in the adjacent lane R2. An oncoming vehicle Nt is stopped in the oncoming lane R3. In FIG. 2, the pre-preceding vehicle Na is the leading vehicle closest to the traffic light TL1 on the traveling lane R1. The peripheral vehicle Nr1 is the leading peripheral vehicle closest to the traffic light TL1 on the adjacent lane R2. The oncoming vehicle Nt is the leading oncoming vehicle closest to the traffic light TL2 in the oncoming lane R3.

In the situation shown in FIG. 2, consider the case where the preceding vehicle Ns moves slightly forward and stops. Here, FIG. 3(a) is a graph showing temporal changes in the speed of the preceding vehicle Ns and the speed of the host vehicle M. FIG. The vertical axis of FIG. 3A is speed [km/h], and the horizontal axis is time [sec]. FIG. 3A shows the preceding vehicle speed Vn (chain line), the conventional vehicle speed Vp (broken line), and the current vehicle speed Vm (solid line). Conventionally, the case where the stop threshold value Ds determined by the stop determination unit 12 and the start threshold value Dth determined by the start determination unit 15 are the same will be described.

FIG. 3(b) is a graph showing changes in inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle Ns and the own vehicle M over time. The vertical axis of FIG. 3(b) is the inter-vehicle distance [m], and the horizontal axis is time [sec]. FIG. 3B shows the conventional inter-vehicle distance Lp (broken line) and the current inter-vehicle distance L (solid line). The vertical axis indicates the stop threshold Ds and the start threshold Dth.

Also, the horizontal axis indicates time points T1 to T7. Time T1 is the time when the preceding vehicle Ns has started. Time T2 is the time when the conventional own vehicle M starts following the preceding vehicle Ns. Time T3 is the time when the preceding vehicle Ns stops. Time T4 is the time at which the conventional host vehicle M stops following the preceding vehicle Ns. Time T5 is the time when the lighting signal of the traffic light TL1 is switched to the passage permission signal. Time T6 is the time when the preceding vehicle Ns has started. Time T7 is the time when the present vehicle M starts following the preceding vehicle Ns.

In the situation shown in FIG. 2, when the stop threshold value Ds and the start threshold value Dth are set to the same value as in the conventional art, the preceding vehicle Ns moves slightly forward and the inter-vehicle distance Lp between the preceding vehicle Ns and the own vehicle M becomes When the stop threshold value Ds is exceeded (see FIG. 3(b)), the own vehicle M immediately follows and starts. After that, as shown in FIG. 3(a), when the preceding vehicle Ns decelerates, the conventional own vehicle M also decelerates and stops, causing unnecessary starting and stopping of the own vehicle M.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), in the vehicle control device 100, the start threshold Dth is set to a value larger than the stop threshold Ds, so the preceding vehicle Ns moves slightly forward. Even if it stops, it is possible to prevent the current own vehicle M from starting and stopping following it. The operational effects of such a vehicle control device 100 will be described later in detail.

3(a) and 3(b), there is a time lag between when the inter-vehicle distance L between the preceding vehicle Ns and the own vehicle M falls below the stop threshold value Ds and when the own vehicle M starts decelerating. . In addition, in FIG. 3(b), the value of the start threshold value Dth is not changed due to the switching of the lighting signal of the traffic light TL1 to the passage permission signal.

[Start Determination Processing of Vehicle Control Device]

Next, a start determination process of the vehicle control device 100 according to one embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the starting process. The processing of the flowchart shown in FIG. 4 is executed when the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle are stopped. The processing of this flowchart is not limited to the case where the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle are stopped before the traffic light.

As shown in FIG. 4, the ECU 10 of the vehicle control device 100 determines in S10 whether the preceding vehicle has started and the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle has become equal to or greater than the start threshold value Dth. do. The start threshold Dth is a threshold preset as a value greater than the stop threshold Ds. If the ECU 10 does not determine that the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle has become equal to or greater than the start threshold value Dth (S10: NO), the current process ends. The ECU 10 repeats the process from S10 again after a certain period of time has elapsed. When the ECU 10 determines that the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle is equal to or greater than the start threshold value Dth (S10: YES), the ECU 10 proceeds to S12.

In S<b>12 , the ECU 10 causes the vehicle control unit 17 to control the start of the own vehicle. The vehicle control unit 17 starts the own vehicle by transmitting a control signal to the actuator 5 based on the speed profile generated in advance. After that, the ECU 10 terminates the current process.

Note that the speed profile may be generated when the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle stop, or when the start determining unit 15 determines that the inter-vehicle distance is greater than or equal to the start threshold value Dth.

[Start threshold setting process of vehicle control device]
Next, the start threshold setting process of the vehicle control device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the start threshold setting process. The process of the flowchart shown in FIG. 5 is executed, for example, when the own vehicle stops.

As shown in FIG. 5, in S20, the ECU 10 determines whether or not the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle are stopped before the traffic signal by the traffic signal determination unit 13 . The traffic light determination unit 13 uses the position information of the traffic light included in the map information of the map database 4, the position of the own vehicle on the map recognized by the vehicle position recognition unit 11, the detection result of the external sensor 2, and the detection result of the internal sensor 3 ( Based on the detection result of the vehicle speed sensor), it is possible to determine whether or not the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle are stopped before the traffic signal.

If the ECU 10 does not determine that the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle are stopped before the traffic signal (S20: NO), the current process ends. In this case, for example, an initial value is adopted as the starting threshold value Dth. When the ECU 10 determines that the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle have stopped before the traffic light (S20: YES), the process proceeds to S22.

In S<b>22 , the ECU 10 determines by the traffic light determination unit 13 whether or not the turn-on signal of the traffic light is a passage permission signal. The traffic light determination unit 13 can perform the above determination based on the detection result of the external sensor 2 (image captured by the camera). When the ECU 10 determines that the traffic signal lighting signal is the passage permission signal (S22: YES), the ECU 10 proceeds to S24. When the ECU 10 does not determine that the traffic signal lighting signal is the passage permission signal (S22: NO), the ECU 10 proceeds to S26.

In S24, the ECU 10 causes the start determination unit 15 to set the value of the start threshold Dth to D1. After that, the ECU 10 terminates the current process.

At S26, the ECU 10 determines, by means of the other vehicle condition determination section 14, whether or not a peripheral vehicle in front of the traffic light is traveling in an adjacent lane that is traveling in the same direction as the lane in which the vehicle is traveling. The other vehicle condition determination unit 14 can make the above determination based on the detection result of the external sensor 2, the map information, and the position of the own vehicle on the map. When the ECU 10 determines that the surrounding vehicle is running (S26: YES), the process proceeds to S32. When the ECU 10 does not determine that the surrounding vehicle is running (S26: NO), the process proceeds to S28.

In S28, the ECU 10 determines whether or not an oncoming vehicle is traveling in the oncoming lane of the vehicle in front of the traffic light in the oncoming lane using the other vehicle condition determination unit 14 . The other vehicle condition determination unit 14 can make the above determination based on the detection result of the external sensor 2, the map information, and the position of the own vehicle on the map. When it is determined that the oncoming vehicle is not running (S28: YES), the ECU 10 proceeds to S30. When it is determined that the oncoming vehicle is running (S28: NO), the ECU 10 proceeds to S24.

In S<b>30 , the ECU 10 causes the start determination unit 15 to set the value of the start threshold Dth to D<b>2 . D2 is a value greater than D1. After that, the ECU 10 terminates the current process.

In S32, the ECU 10 determines whether or not an oncoming vehicle is running in front of the traffic light in the oncoming lane in the oncoming lane of the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling, using the other vehicle condition determination unit 14 . S32 and S28 are the same determination processing. When it is determined that the oncoming vehicle is running (S32: NO), the ECU 10 proceeds to S30. When it is determined that the oncoming vehicle is not running (S32: YES), the ECU 10 proceeds to S34.

In S<b>34 , the ECU 10 causes the start determination unit 15 to set the value of the start threshold Dth to D<b>3 . D3 is a value greater than D2 and D1. After that, the ECU 10 terminates the current process.

In the flowchart shown in FIG. 5, the starting threshold value Dth is changed to three values D1 to D3, but it may be two values. When it is determined that neither the surrounding vehicle nor the oncoming vehicle is running, the vehicle control device 100 sets the value of the start threshold value Dth to D1, and determines that either the surrounding vehicle or the oncoming vehicle is running. If so, the value of the start threshold Dth may be set to D2.

[Action and effect of vehicle control device]
According to the vehicle control device 100 according to the embodiment described above, when the inter-vehicle distance L between the stopped preceding vehicle Ns and the host vehicle M becomes equal to or less than the stop threshold value Ds, the host vehicle M is stopped and the leading vehicle M is stopped. After the vehicle Ns starts, the vehicle M is kept stopped until the inter-vehicle distance L between the preceding vehicle Ns and the vehicle M becomes equal to or greater than the start threshold Dth, which is larger than the stop threshold Ds. Compared to the case where the starting threshold value Dth is the same value, when the preceding vehicle Ns slightly starts (slightly advances) and stops, the host vehicle M is prevented from following and starting and stopping. It is possible to properly start and stop the own vehicle M according to the inter-vehicle distance L between Ns and the own vehicle M.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), in the vehicle control device 100, even if the preceding vehicle Ns moves slightly forward, the inter-vehicle distance L between the preceding vehicle Ns and the host vehicle M does not reach the stop threshold. The stopped state is maintained without starting until the starting threshold value Dth, which is greater than Ds, is reached. As a result, it is possible to suppress unnecessary start and stop of the own vehicle M, so that the deterioration of the drivability of the own vehicle M can be reduced. In addition, according to the vehicle control device 100, it is possible to prevent the vehicle following the host vehicle M from unnecessarily starting and stopping due to the host vehicle M, thereby avoiding deterioration of the drivability of the following vehicle.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, in the vehicle control device 100, even if the preceding vehicle Ns moves slightly forward and stops, the own vehicle M does not follow the preceding vehicle Ns. L is maintained close to the start threshold Dth. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3(a), when the lighting state of the traffic light TL1 becomes the passage permission signal and the preceding vehicle Ns starts moving, the starting of the preceding vehicle Ns can be followed earlier than in the conventional case. It is possible to reduce the possibility that the vehicle M will cut in front of the vehicle M from the adjacent lane R2.

Further effects of the vehicle control device 100 will be described below. In addition, in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the value of the start threshold Dth is changed according to the determination result of the traffic light determination unit 13, and the start threshold Dth is changed according to the determination result of the other vehicle condition determination unit 14, which will be described below. does not reflect changes in the value of

In the vehicle control device 100, when the traffic signal determination unit 13 does not determine that the lighting signal of the traffic signal TL1 is the passage permission signal, the vehicle control device 100 is less likely to move ahead than when the lighting signal of the traffic signal TL1 is determined to be the passage permission signal. Since there is a high possibility that the vehicle Ns will stop again in front of the traffic light TL1, by setting the start threshold value Dth to a large value, it is possible to appropriately prevent the own vehicle M from following the slight start and stop of the preceding vehicle Ns. can do. On the other hand, according to the vehicle control device 100, when it is determined that the lighting signal of the traffic signal TL1 is the passage permission signal, it is highly likely that the preceding vehicle Ns that has started will pass the traffic signal TL1. By setting Dth to a small value, it is possible to realize a smooth start of the own vehicle M in accordance with the start of the preceding vehicle Ns.

In the vehicle control device 100, when the other vehicle state determination unit 14 determines that the surrounding vehicle Nr1 is not traveling in the adjacent lane R2 that is traveling in the same direction as the traveling lane R1 of the host vehicle M, the surrounding vehicle Nr1 is not traveling in front of the traffic light TL1. Compared to when the vehicle is running, there is a high possibility that the preceding vehicle Ns that has started will stop again in front of the traffic light TL1. It is possible to appropriately suppress the self-vehicle M from following.

In addition, in the vehicle control device 100, when the oncoming vehicle Nt in front of the traffic light TL1 is not running in the oncoming lane R3, compared with the case where the oncoming vehicle Nt is running, the preceding vehicle Ns that has started is at the traffic signal. Since there is a high possibility that the vehicle will stop again in front of the vehicle, setting the start threshold value Dth to a large value can appropriately suppress the own vehicle M from following the slight start and stop of the preceding vehicle Ns.

In the vehicle control device 100, when the leading vehicle Na closest to the traffic light TL1 is not running in the driving lane R1, the preceding vehicle Ns that has started is in front of the traffic light compared to the case where the leading vehicle Na is running. Since there is a high possibility that the vehicle will stop again, by setting the start threshold Dth to a large value, it is possible to appropriately suppress the host vehicle M from following minute starts and stops of the preceding vehicle Ns.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The present invention can be embodied in various forms with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, including the embodiment described above.

The vehicle control device 100 does not necessarily need to include the traffic light determination unit 13, and does not need to change the start threshold value Dth according to the lighting state of the traffic light. In this case, the map information does not need to include the position information of the traffic lights and the information of the lanes corresponding to the traffic lights.

The vehicle control device 100 does not necessarily have the other vehicle condition determination unit 14, and does not need to change the start threshold value Dth depending on the presence or absence of traveling of a surrounding vehicle, an oncoming vehicle, or a leading vehicle (leading vehicle in the driving lane of the own vehicle).

Alternatively, the vehicle control device 100 may change the starting threshold value Dth using at least one of the surrounding vehicle, the oncoming vehicle, and the leading vehicle. In this case, the other vehicle condition determination unit 14 may determine whether or not at least one of the surrounding vehicle, the oncoming vehicle, and the leading vehicle is running. The other vehicle condition determination unit 14 determines whether or not at least one of the surrounding vehicles, the oncoming vehicle, and the leading vehicle is running by acquiring information about each vehicle through vehicle-to-vehicle communication, not limited to the detection result of the external sensor 2. You may

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 GPS receiver 2 external sensor 3 internal sensor 4 map database 5 actuator 10 ECU 11 vehicle position recognition unit 12 stop determination unit 13 traffic light determination unit 14 Other vehicle condition determination unit 15 Start determination unit 16 Speed profile generation unit 17 Vehicle control unit 100 Vehicle control device.

Claims (2)

A vehicle control device for stopping the own vehicle when the inter-vehicle distance between the stopped preceding vehicle and the own vehicle becomes equal to or less than a stop threshold,
When the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle are stopped, whether the preceding vehicle starts and the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle becomes equal to or greater than the start threshold, which is a value larger than the stop threshold. A start determination unit that determines
When the start determination unit determines that the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle is equal to or greater than the start threshold value, the own vehicle is started, and the start is made after the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle stop. a vehicle control unit that maintains the host vehicle in a stopped state until a determination unit determines that the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle is equal to or greater than the start threshold;
a traffic signal determination unit that determines whether or not the lighting signal of the traffic signal is a passage permission signal when the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle are stopped in front of the traffic signal;
When the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle are stopped in front of the traffic signal, it is determined whether or not the surrounding vehicle in front of the traffic signal is traveling in an adjacent lane in which the traveling direction of the own vehicle is the same. another vehicle situation determination unit for determining;
with
When the signal on the traffic light is not determined to be the pass permission signal, the start determination unit determines that the signal on the signal is the pass permission signal, compared with the case where the signal on the signal is the pass permission signal. While setting the start threshold to a large value,
A vehicle control device, wherein when the other vehicle condition determination unit determines that the surrounding vehicle is not running, the start threshold is set to a larger value than when it is determined that the surrounding vehicle is running. . Determining whether or not an oncoming vehicle is traveling in the oncoming lane before the traffic signal in the opposite lane when the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle are stopped in front of the traffic signal. further comprising a vehicle condition determination unit,
When the other vehicle condition determination unit determines that the oncoming vehicle is not running, the start determination unit sets the start threshold to a larger value than when it is determined that the oncoming vehicle is running. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein:

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