JP7368788B2 - Vehicle control device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle control device.

One conventionally known vehicle control device detects objects (three-dimensional objects, white lines, etc.) that exist around the vehicle, and executes collision avoidance control that notifies the driver of information regarding the object (for example, , see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-148892

By the way, the driving ability of each driver differs from person to person. For example, people who are in poor physical condition or who are elderly may have lower driving and/or cognitive abilities. In this way, when a driver's driving ability and/or cognitive ability is low, even if information about an object is reported to the driver, the driver immediately takes driving maneuvers to avoid a collision with the object. It's difficult.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems. That is, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device that can change the conditions for executing collision avoidance control in consideration of the driver's characteristics (for example, driving ability, cognitive ability, judgment ability, etc.). It is to provide.

The vehicle control device of the present invention includes:
a sensor (50) that acquires vehicle surrounding information that is information about the surrounding situation of the vehicle;
Determining whether a predetermined execution condition is satisfied based on the vehicle surrounding information, and if it is determined that the execution condition is satisfied, preventing the vehicle from approaching an object existing around the vehicle. a control device (10) that executes collision avoidance control for;
Equipped with
The control device is configured to determine whether the driver is a first user or a second user based on characteristic information representing characteristics of the driver of the vehicle (step 203). There is. Here, the first user represents a driver who can be considered to perform driving operations in a normal reaction time according to the collision avoidance control, and the second user represents the driver who performs the driving operation according to the collision avoidance control in a normal reaction time. Represents a driver who can be considered to perform driving operations with a longer reaction time than the first user.
Further, when the control device determines that the driver is the second user (step 203: No), the control device changes the execution condition of the collision avoidance control to determine that the driver is the first user. The conditions are changed to such that the collision avoidance control is executed at an earlier timing than in the case where the collision avoidance control is executed (step 205).
It is configured as follows.

According to this configuration, when it is determined that the driver is the second user, collision avoidance control is executed at an earlier timing than when the driver is the first user. Even if the driver's driving ability and/or cognitive ability is low, the driver can recognize the existence of objects around the vehicle at an early timing. This allows the driver to perform a driving operation to avoid the object with plenty of time to spare.

In the above description, in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, the names and/or symbols used in the embodiments are added in parentheses to the structures of the invention corresponding to the embodiments to be described later. However, each component of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments defined by the above names and/or symbols.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart showing a "threshold value setting routine" executed by the CPU of the PCS/ECU. It is a flowchart showing a "collision avoidance control execution routine" executed by the CPU of the PCS/ECU. It is a flow chart showing a "threshold value setting routine" executed by the CPU of the PCS/ECU according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

<First embodiment>
As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle control device includes a PCS (Pre-Crash Safety) ECU 10, an engine ECU 20, a brake ECU 30, and an SBW (Shift-by-Wire) ECU 40.

In this specification, "ECU" means an electric control unit. The ECU includes a microcomputer including a CPU, RAM, ROM, interface (I/F), nonvolatile memory, and the like. For example, the PCS/ECU 10 includes a microcomputer including a CPU 10a, a RAM 10b, a ROM 10c, an (I/F) 10d, a nonvolatile memory 10e, and the like. The CPU implements various functions described below by executing instructions stored in the ROM.

The PCS/ECU 10 is connected to an engine ECU 20, a brake ECU 30, and a SBW/ECU 40 via a CAN (Controller Area Network) 90. These ECUs are configured to be able to mutually transmit and receive information via the CAN 90. Therefore, the detected value of the sensor connected to a specific ECU is also transmitted to other ECUs.

The engine ECU 20 is connected to an engine state quantity sensor (not shown) including an accelerator pedal operation quantity sensor 21 and an engine actuator 22 . The accelerator pedal operation amount sensor 21 detects the operation amount of the accelerator pedal 25 (accelerator opening [%]) and generates a signal representing the accelerator pedal operation amount AP.

The engine ECU 20 drives the engine actuator 22 based on the accelerator pedal operation amount AP and the operating state quantity (for example, engine rotational speed) detected by another engine state quantity sensor. Thereby, the engine ECU 20 can change the torque generated by the engine 23 (engine generated torque). The engine generated torque is transmitted to the drive wheels via the transmission 24. Therefore, engine ECU 20 can control the driving force of the vehicle by controlling engine actuator 22. Note that the vehicle may include an electric motor as a vehicle drive source instead of or in addition to the engine 23.

The brake ECU 30 is connected to a brake pedal force sensor 31 and a hydraulic circuit 32. The brake pedal force sensor 31 generates a signal representing the depression force (or depression pressure) Pf of the brake pedal 33 by the driver. The brake pedal force sensor 31 may be any other sensor as long as it can determine the strength with which the driver is pressing the brake pedal 33. For example, instead of the brake pedal force sensor 31, a master cylinder pressure sensor that detects the pressure of the master cylinder 34 may be used.

The hydraulic circuit 32 includes a reservoir, an oil pump, various valve devices, etc. (not shown), and functions as a brake actuator. The hydraulic circuit 32 is provided between the master cylinder 34 and the friction brake mechanism 35. The brake ECU 30 controls the hydraulic circuit 32 based on the pressure of a master cylinder 34 driven in response to the driver's depression of the brake pedal 33, and adjusts the hydraulic pressure supplied to the not-shown wheel cylinders of the friction brake mechanism 35. Thereby, the wheel cylinder generates a frictional braking force on the wheel. Therefore, the brake ECU 30 can control the braking force of the vehicle by controlling the hydraulic circuit 32.

The SBW ECU 40 is connected to a shift lever sensor 41 and an SBW actuator 42. Shift lever sensor 41 detects the position of the shift lever. The SBW ECU 40 receives the shift lever position from the shift lever sensor 41, and controls the SBW actuator 42 based on the shift lever position. The SBW actuator 42 controls the shift switching mechanism 43 in response to instructions from the SBW/ECU 40 to switch the shift position of the transmission 24 to one of a plurality of shift positions.

In this example, the shift position is the parking position (P), which is a position where no driving force is transmitted to the driving wheels and the vehicle is mechanically locked at the stop position, and the parking position (P), which is a position where no driving force is transmitted to the driving wheels and the vehicle is mechanically locked at the stop position. A neutral position (N) where the vehicle is not mechanically locked to a stopped position, a forward position (D) where the driving force that moves the vehicle forward is transmitted to the drive wheels, and a forward position (D) where the driving force that moves the vehicle backwards is transmitted to the drive wheels. It includes at least a reverse position (R), which is a position in which the vehicle is moved. Note that the shift position may be changed by a mechanical method instead of a shift-by-wire method.

The PCS/ECU 10 is connected to a surrounding sensor 50. The surrounding sensor 50 is a sensor that detects the surrounding situation of the vehicle. The surrounding sensor 50 is configured to acquire information regarding the road around the vehicle (for example, the lane in which the vehicle is traveling) and information regarding three-dimensional objects existing on the road. Three-dimensional objects represent, for example, moving objects such as cars, pedestrians, and bicycles, and fixed objects such as guardrails and fences. Hereinafter, these three-dimensional objects will be referred to as "targets." The surrounding sensor 50 includes a radar sensor 51 and a camera sensor 52.

The radar sensor 51, for example, emits millimeter wave band radio waves (hereinafter referred to as "millimeter waves") to the surrounding area of the vehicle, and emits millimeter waves (i.e., millimeter waves) reflected by targets existing within the radiation range. reflected waves). The radar sensor 51 detects parameters indicating the presence or absence of a target and the relative relationship between the vehicle and the target (i.e., the position of the target with respect to the vehicle, the distance between the vehicle and the target, and the relative speed of the target with respect to the vehicle). etc.) and output. Note that the information regarding the target acquired by the radar sensor 51 (including the above parameters) is referred to as "target information".

The camera sensor 52 photographs the scenery in front of the vehicle and acquires image data. Based on the image data, the camera sensor 52 recognizes the left and right division lines of the road (the lane in which the vehicle is traveling), and determines the shape of the road (for example, the curvature of the road) and the position of the vehicle and the road. The relationship (for example, the distance from the left lane marking line or the right lane marking line to the center position of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction) is calculated. The information acquired by the camera sensor 52 is referred to as "lane information." Note that the camera sensor 52 may be configured to determine the presence or absence of a target based on image data and calculate target information.

The PCS/ECU 10 acquires information regarding the surrounding situation of the vehicle, including "target information" and "lane information", from the surrounding sensor 50 as "vehicle surrounding information".

Note that the PCS/ECU 10 is further connected to various sensors (driving condition detection sensors) (not shown) that detect the driving condition (vehicle speed, yaw rate, etc.) of the vehicle. The PCS/ECU 10 acquires information representing the driving state of the vehicle as driving state information from these sensors.

Furthermore, the PCS/ECU 10 is connected to a display 61 and a speaker 62. The display 61 is a multi-information display provided in front of the driver's seat. Note that a head-up display may be employed as the display 61. When the speaker 62 receives a speech command from the PCS/ECU 10, it generates a sound according to the speech command.

The vehicle is equipped with a power supply device 100. Power supply device 100 includes a battery (not shown) and an alternator (not shown) that generates electricity through rotation of engine 23. The power supply device 100 is configured to supply power to an electric load in the vehicle via two power lines (a first power line 101 and a second power line 102).

The first power line 101 connects the power supply device 100 and the engine ECU 20 via the ignition switch 120. Hereinafter, the ignition switch 120 will be referred to as "IG switch 120." The state of IG switch 120 is changed depending on the operation of engine start button 110. Hereinafter, engine start button 110 will be simply referred to as "start button 110." The start button 110 is a button operated by the driver to instruct the engine 23 to start and stop. Note that the start button 110 is configured to output a signal representing the state of the button (off state or on state) to the PCS/ECU 10.

When the state of the start button 110 is changed from the off state to the on state, the state of the IG switch 120 is changed from the off state (non-connected state) to the on state (connected state). When IG switch 120 is in the on state, power from power supply device 100 is supplied to engine ECU 20 via first power supply line 101.

The second power supply line 102 directly connects the power supply device 100 and the ECUs 10, 30, and 40. That is, the power supply device 100 and the "ECUs 10, 30, and 40" are connected without using the IG switch 120. Therefore, regardless of the state of the IG switch 120 (that is, whether the IG switch 120 is on or off), power from the power supply device 100 is supplied to the ECUs 10, 30, and 40. That is, the ECUs 10, 30, and 40 can operate regardless of the state of the IG switch 120.

With the above configuration, the PCS/ECU 10 can acquire a signal from the start button 110 regardless of the state of the IG switch 120. The brake ECU 30 can acquire a signal representing the depression force Pf from the brake depression force sensor 31 and output the signal to the PCS/ECU 10 regardless of the state of the IG switch 120. Furthermore, the SBW/ECU 40 can obtain a signal representing the position of the shift lever from the shift lever sensor 41 and output the signal to the PCS/ECU 10 regardless of the state of the IG switch 120.

(Overview of collision avoidance control)
The PCS/ECU 10 is configured to perform well-known collision avoidance control. Collision avoidance control is control to avoid a vehicle from approaching objects existing around the vehicle. One example of such collision avoidance control is Pre-Crash Safety Control. Hereinafter, this control will be referred to as "PCS control".

The PCS/ECU 10 executes PCS control when it is determined that there is a three-dimensional object (target) that is likely to collide with the vehicle. Specifically, when the PCS/ECU 10 recognizes (detects) the target object (f), it calculates a predicted collision time TTC (Time To Collision) for the target object (f). Hereinafter, the predicted collision time TTC will be simply referred to as "TTC". TTC is calculated by dividing the distance to the target by the relative speed of the target with respect to the vehicle. If the TTC is less than or equal to the predetermined time threshold Tth, the PCS/ECU 10 determines that the target object (f) is an obstacle with a high possibility of colliding with the vehicle, and executes the PCS control.

In this example, the PCS control includes attention-calling control that calls the driver's attention. Specifically, the PCS/ECU 10 displays a mark for attention on the display 61 and causes the speaker 62 to output an alarm sound. Note that the PCS control may include braking force control that applies braking force to the wheels and driving force suppression control that suppresses the driving force of the vehicle, instead of or in addition to the attention calling control.

(Overview of operation)
Next, an overview of the operation of the vehicle control device according to this embodiment will be explained. The PCS/ECU 10 determines whether the driver is the first user or the second user based on characteristic information representing the characteristics of the driver. The first user represents a driver who can be considered to perform driving operations in a normal reaction time according to collision avoidance control (attention control of PCS control), and the second user represents a driver who can perform driving operations according to collision avoidance control (attention control of PCS control). Represents a driver who can be considered to perform driving operations with a longer reaction time than the first user.

In this specification, characteristic information is information related to various abilities (driving ability, cognitive ability, judgment ability, etc.) possessed by the driver. In this example, the characteristic information is the depression force Pf when the driver starts the engine 23. The information on the stepping force Pf is information related to driving ability, cognitive ability, judgment ability, etc., as described below.

When the depression force Pf is small, the driver's depression force is weak, so there is a high possibility that the driver is elderly or in poor health. In this case, there is a high possibility that the driver's driving ability, cognitive ability, etc. have deteriorated. In this case, even if the driver is notified of the presence of the target by the attention control of the PCS control, it takes time to perform driving operations in response to the notification. Taking this into consideration, if the depression force Pf is small, the PCS/ECU 10 determines that the driver is the second user.

On the other hand, if the pedal force Pf is large, it is considered that the driver has strong legs or is in good health, so it is highly likely that the driver's driving ability and cognitive ability have not deteriorated. . Therefore, when the depression force Pf is large, the PCS/ECU 10 determines that the driver is the first user.

If the driver is the second user, even if the driver is notified of the presence of a target by PCS control alert control, the driver can immediately perform driving operations to avoid a collision with the target. difficult to do. Therefore, when the PCS/ECU 10 determines that the driver is the second user, the PCS control is executed at an earlier timing than when it determines that the driver is the first user. Change the conditions so that Specifically, the PCS/ECU 10 sets the time threshold Tth for the second user to a larger value than the time threshold Tth for the first user. In this way, the PCS control is changed from the normal mode to a mode with a higher safety margin (ie, a mode with a longer margin of time until a collision).

According to this configuration, when the PCS/ECU 10 determines that the driver is the second user, the PCS/ECU 10 executes the PCS control at an earlier timing. Even if the driver has low driving ability and/or cognitive ability, the driver is notified of the presence of the target object at an early timing. This allows the driver to perform driving operations to avoid a collision with the target object with plenty of time to spare.

<Specific operation>
The CPU 10a (hereinafter simply referred to as "CPU") of the PCS/ECU 10 is configured to execute the routine shown in FIG. 2 every time a predetermined time elapses.

Note that the CPU receives detection signals or output signals from the various sensors (21, 31, and 41) and the start button 110 and stores them in the RAM every time a predetermined period of time elapses.

At a predetermined timing, the CPU starts processing from step 200 in FIG. 2, proceeds to step 201, and determines whether a predetermined threshold setting condition is satisfied. The threshold value setting condition is satisfied when all of the following conditions A1 to A3 are satisfied.
Condition A1: The shift lever position is the parking position (P).
Condition A2: The driver depresses the brake pedal 33. For example, the CPU may determine that the condition A2 is satisfied when a brake switch (not shown) is in the on state. In another example, the CPU may determine that the condition A2 is satisfied when the depression force Pf is equal to or greater than a predetermined value Ps.
Condition A3: The driver operated the start button 110 to change the start button 110 from the off state to the on state while condition A2 was satisfied.

If the threshold value setting condition is not satisfied, the CPU makes a "No" determination in step 201, proceeds directly to step 295, and temporarily ends this routine.

On the other hand, if the threshold setting condition is satisfied, the CPU determines "Yes" in step 201, proceeds to step 202, and obtains the value of the depression force Pf at the time when the start button 110 is changed to the on state. do.

Next, the CPU proceeds to step 203 and determines whether the depression force Pf is greater than or equal to a predetermined user determination threshold Pth. The user determination threshold Pth is a threshold for determining whether the driver is the first user or the second user. If the depression force Pf is equal to or greater than the user determination threshold Pth, the CPU determines "Yes" in step 203, proceeds to step 204, and determines that the driver is the first user. Then, the CPU sets the TTC time threshold Tth to the first value T1. Thereafter, the CPU proceeds to step 295 and temporarily ends this routine.

On the other hand, if the depression force Pf is not equal to or greater than the user determination threshold Pth, the CPU determines "No" in step 203, proceeds to step 205, and determines that the driver is the second user. Then, the CPU sets the TTC time threshold Tth to the second value T2. The second value T2 is larger than the first value T1. Thereafter, the CPU proceeds to step 295 and temporarily ends this routine.

Further, the CPU is configured to execute the routine shown in FIG. 3 every time a predetermined period of time elapses in a situation where the start button 110 is in an on state (that is, a situation where the vehicle is running).

Note that the CPU receives vehicle surrounding information from the surrounding sensor 50 and driving state information (vehicle speed, yaw rate, etc.) from the driving state detection sensor every time a predetermined time elapses, and stores this information in the RAM. ing.

At a predetermined timing, the CPU starts the process from step 300 in FIG. 3, proceeds to step 301, and determines whether one or more targets exist in the area surrounding the vehicle based on the vehicle surrounding information. do. If there is no target in the area surrounding the vehicle, the CPU determines "No" in step 301, directly proceeds to step 395, and temporarily ends this routine.

On the other hand, if one or more targets exist in the surrounding area of the vehicle, the CPU determines "Yes" in step 301 and proceeds to step 302, where the CPU determines "Yes" in step 301 and proceeds to step 302, where the CPU determines that the driving state information and the vehicle surrounding information (target object information ), calculate the TTC of each target. Here, the CPU selects the target having the minimum TTC from among the calculated TTCs. The TTC of the selected target is expressed as "TTCmin."

Next, in step 303, the CPU determines whether TTCmin is less than or equal to the time threshold Tth. If TTCmin is less than or equal to the time threshold Tth, the CPU determines "Yes" in step 303, proceeds to step 304, and executes PCS control. Specifically, the CPU causes the display 61 to display a mark for attention, and causes the speaker 62 to output an alarm sound.

Note that if TTCmin is not equal to or less than the time threshold Tth in step 303, the CPU determines "No" in step 303, directly proceeds to step 395, and temporarily ends this routine. In this case, PCS control is not executed.

As described above, the vehicle control device sets the time threshold Tth when the driver is the second user to a larger value than the time threshold Tth when the driver is the first user. Therefore, when the vehicle control device determines that the driver is the second user, it executes the PCS control at an earlier timing. Therefore, the presence of the target object is notified to the driver, who is the second user, at an early timing. This allows the driver to perform driving operations to avoid a collision with the target object with plenty of time to spare.

<Second embodiment>
The driver characteristic information is not limited to the above example. When a driver's cognitive ability and/or judgment ability deteriorates, it is thought that the driver will frequently make erroneous operations. Therefore, the driver's characteristic information may be the number of erroneous operations (hereinafter referred to as "the number of erroneous operations N"). In the second embodiment, the PCS/ECU 10 records the number of erroneous operations N in the nonvolatile memory 10e. The PCS/ECU 10 determines that the driver is the second user after the number of erroneous operations N becomes greater than a predetermined number of times threshold Nth.

The erroneous operation includes, for example, the following operations 1 to 7. Note that the following operation is an example, and the erroneous operation may include other operations.
Operation 1: The driver operated the accelerator pedal 25 while the shift lever was in the parking position (P) or the neutral position (N).
Operation 2: The driver changed the position of the shift lever without depressing the brake pedal 33.
Operation 3: The driver depresses the accelerator pedal 25 and brake pedal 33 at the same time.
Operation 4: The driver suddenly depresses the accelerator pedal 25. For example, the accelerator pedal operation speed APV [%/s] when the driver depresses the accelerator pedal 25 is greater than or equal to the predetermined operation speed threshold APVth. The accelerator pedal operation speed APV is the amount of change in the accelerator pedal operation amount AP per unit time.
Operation 5: The driver changed the position of the shift lever while pressing the accelerator pedal 25.
Operation 6: The driver changes the shift lever position to the parking position (P) while the vehicle speed is greater than zero.
Operation 7: The driver changes the start button 110 to the off state while the shift lever is in a position other than the parking position (P).

Every time any of operations 1 to 7 is performed, the PCS/ECU 10 increments the number of erroneous operations N recorded in the nonvolatile memory 10e (N←N+1), and stores the incremented number of erroneous operations N in the nonvolatile memory. It is recorded in the sexual memory 10e.

Note that the number of erroneous operations N may be reset after a certain period of time has elapsed. In this case, the PCS/ECU 10 determines that the driver is the second user after the number of erroneous operations N becomes larger than the predetermined number of times threshold Nth within a certain period of time.

<Specific operation>
The CPU 10a (hereinafter simply referred to as "CPU") of the PCS/ECU 10 executes the routine shown in FIG. 4 instead of or in addition to the routine shown in FIG.

At a predetermined timing, the CPU starts processing from step 400 in FIG. 4, proceeds to step 401, and acquires the number of erroneous operations N from the nonvolatile memory 10e.

Next, the CPU proceeds to step 402 and determines whether the number of erroneous operations N is less than or equal to a predetermined number of times threshold Nth. If the number of erroneous operations N is equal to or less than the number threshold Nth, the CPU determines "Yes" in step 402, proceeds to step 403, and determines that the driver is the first user. Then, the CPU sets the TTC time threshold Tth to the first value T1. Thereafter, the CPU proceeds to step 495 and temporarily ends this routine.

On the other hand, if the number of erroneous operations N is not less than the number threshold Nth, the CPU determines "No" in step 402, proceeds to step 404, and determines that the driver is the second user. Then, the CPU sets the TTC time threshold Tth to the second value T2. Note that the CPU may display on the display 61 that the driver is determined to be the second user. Thereafter, the CPU proceeds to step 495 and temporarily ends this routine.

According to this configuration, the vehicle control device can detect a decline in the driver's cognitive ability and/or judgment ability based on the number of erroneous operations N, and can change the conditions for executing the PCS control.

Note that in the second embodiment, the PCS/ECU 10 may be connected to a communication device (not shown). In this configuration, when the CPU determines in step 404 that the driver is the second user, the CPU transmits information to that effect to a communication terminal outside the vehicle (for example, a communication terminal owned by the driver's family). You may. According to this configuration, the driver's family can understand that the driver's cognitive ability has decreased.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be adopted within the scope of the present invention.

(Modification 1)
The conditions for executing PCS control are not limited to the above example. Another condition may be added as an execution condition for PCS control. For example, the CPU may be configured to determine "Yes" in step 303 when either of the following conditions B1 and B2 is satisfied.
Condition B1: TTCmin is less than or equal to the time threshold Tth.
Condition B2: The accelerator pedal operation speed APV [%/s] is greater than or equal to the predetermined operation speed threshold APVth.

The CPU sets the operating speed threshold APVth to a first value V1 when the driver is a first user, and sets the operating speed threshold APVth to a second value V2 when the driver is a second user. It's okay. For example, the second value V2 is smaller than the first value V1.

The CPU determines that when the driver is the first user, the PCS control execution condition includes only condition B1, and when the driver is the second user, the PCS control execution condition includes both condition B1 and condition B2. You may also do so. As a result, when the driver is the second user, PCS control is easier to execute than when the driver is the first user.

(Modification 2)
Driver characteristic information may be managed as follows. For example, the PCS/ECU 10 associates the identification information of the driver with user information (information indicating whether the driver is the first user or the second user) and stores the association in advance in the nonvolatile memory 10e. You can leave it as is. The identification information is, for example, face information and fingerprint information. According to this configuration, a driver whose driving ability, etc. has deteriorated is recorded in the vehicle control device in advance as a second user, and when the driver is the second user, PCS control can be executed at an early timing. .

For example, a vehicle is equipped with a driver monitor (camera) at a position facing the driver's seat. The PCS/ECU 10 acquires facial information (image information) of the driver from the driver monitor, and determines whether the driver is the first user or the second user.

According to another example, the vehicle is equipped with a fingerprint authentication unit that the driver touches with his or her finger. The PCS/ECU 10 acquires the driver's fingerprint information from the fingerprint authentication unit, and determines whether the driver is the first user or the second user.

According to yet another example, the driver uses a communication device (for example, a key with a communication function) that can communicate user information (information indicating whether the driver is a first user or a second user). ) may ride in a vehicle while wearing one. In this case, the PCS/ECU 10 acquires user information from the key via a communication device (not shown), and determines whether the driver is the first user or the second user.

(Modification 3)
Collision avoidance control is not limited to the above-mentioned example, and may be other well-known control described later. For example, the collision avoidance control may be any one of a rear vehicle notification control (BSM: Blind Spot Monitor), a lane departure prevention control (LDA: Lane Departure Alert), and a driving force suppression control.

BSM is a control that notifies the driver of another vehicle that is traveling in a lane adjacent to the lane in which the vehicle (self-vehicle) is traveling, and that is traveling diagonally behind the vehicle. The vehicle control device calculates the TTC on the assumption that the host vehicle is traveling in an adjacent lane. If the TTC is less than or equal to the predetermined time threshold Td, the vehicle control device causes the display 61 to display a mark indicating the presence of another vehicle, and causes the speaker 62 to output an alarm sound. Thereby, it is possible to avoid the own vehicle from approaching another vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane. In this example, the vehicle control device sets the time threshold Td to "Td1" when determining that the driver is the first user, and sets the time threshold Td to "Td1" when determining that the driver is the second user. Set to "Td2". "Td2" is a larger value than "Td1".

LDA is a control system that warns the driver when the vehicle is about to deviate from its lane. The vehicle control device calculates the distance Ld between the vehicle and the left marking line or the right marking line based on vehicle surrounding information (lane information). If the distance Ld is less than or equal to the predetermined distance threshold Lth, the vehicle control device causes the speaker 62 to output an alarm sound. This allows the vehicle to avoid approaching curbs around the lane or other vehicles traveling in adjacent lanes. In this example, when the vehicle control device determines that the driver is the first user, it sets the distance threshold Lth to "L1", and when it determines that the driver is the second user, the vehicle control device sets the distance threshold Lth to "L1". Set to “L2”. "L2" is a larger value than "L1".

Driving force suppression control is control that suppresses the driving force of the vehicle to avoid approaching objects around the vehicle. The vehicle control device stores, for example, two SG characteristic maps in advance. The SG characteristic map is a map that defines the target acceleration (G) with respect to the operation amount (stroke S) of the accelerator pedal 25. In this example, when the vehicle control device determines that the driver is the first user, it uses the first SG characteristic map, and when it determines that the driver is the second user, it uses the second SG characteristic map. Use maps. Here, regarding the second SG characteristic map, the amount of change in the target acceleration (G) (the amount of increase in G) may be gentler than that in the first SG characteristic map. Furthermore, regarding the second SG characteristic map, the position of the operation amount (stroke S) at which the target acceleration (G) starts to increase significantly may be set to a larger position than in the first SG characteristic map. That is, when it is determined that the driver is the second user, the amount of increase in the driving force relative to the operation amount of the accelerator pedal 25 is smaller than that for the first user. Therefore, when using the second SG characteristic map, even if the driver depresses the accelerator pedal 25, the vehicle accelerates slowly.

In addition, the vehicle control device may prohibit creep driving when determining that the driver is the second user. In this case, even if the driver takes his foot off the brake pedal 33, the vehicle will not move unless he depresses the accelerator pedal 25. Therefore, it is possible to avoid approaching objects existing around the vehicle. Furthermore, since the driver depresses either the brake pedal 33 or the accelerator pedal 25, it is possible to prevent the driver from pressing the wrong pedal.

10...PCS/ECU, 20...Engine ECU, 30...Brake ECU, 40...SBW/ECU.

Claims (1)

a sensor that acquires vehicle surrounding information that is information about the surrounding situation of the vehicle;
Determining whether a predetermined execution condition is satisfied based on the vehicle surrounding information, and if it is determined that the execution condition is satisfied, preventing the vehicle from approaching an object existing around the vehicle. a control device that executes collision avoidance control for
Equipped with
The control device is configured to determine whether the driver is a first user or a second user based on characteristic information representing characteristics of the driver of the vehicle, and here, the control device is configured to determine whether the driver is a first user or a second user. The first user represents a driver who can be considered to perform driving operations in a normal reaction time according to the collision avoidance control, and the second user represents a driver who can perform driving operations in a normal reaction time according to the collision avoidance control, and the second user also represents a driver who can be considered to perform driving operations with a long reaction time,
Furthermore, when the control device determines that the driver is the second user, the control device sets the execution conditions of the collision avoidance control earlier than when determining that the driver is the first user. In a vehicle control device configured to change conditions such that the collision avoidance control is executed at a timing,
The control device includes:
The brake pedal at the time when the start button of the vehicle is changed from an off state to an on state while the shift lever of the vehicle is in the parking position and the driver is depressing the brake pedal of the vehicle. acquires a depressing force of the driver as the characteristic information, and determines that the driver is the first user when the acquired depressing force is equal to or greater than a user determination threshold, and the acquired depressing force is equal to or greater than the user determination threshold. If not, determining that the driver is the second user;
configured as
Vehicle control device.

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