JPH05133250A - Travel controller for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To quickly adjust the inter-vehicle distance and make the succeeding travel after the adjustment coincide with driver's driving sense if the inter- vehicle distance is not adequate for the driver during following traveling in a travel controller for a vehicle in which speed reduction and acceleration control is conducted to follow the preceding car. CONSTITUTION:The detected signals from a car speed sensor 12 and an inter- vehicle distance sensor 10 are input to a micro computer 18. The micro computer 18 calculates the target inter-vehicle distance based on the car speed and drives a throttle actuator 20 to follow the preceding car. If the target inter-vehicle distance is not adequate, the driver manually operates an adjusting lever 14 to control throttle and changes the target inter-vehicle distance between the cars. At this time, based on car speed V0 at the time of starting the operation of the adjusting lever 14 and the inter-vehicle distance L0 at the time of finishing the operation of the adjusting lever 14, the new target inter-vehicle distance is set to perform succeeding following travel.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle running control device, and more particularly to an improved running control device for performing follow-up running that is more suitable for the driving characteristics of a driver.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a traveling control device for automatically adjusting the speed of a vehicle has been developed for the purpose of reducing the driving operation of a driver and improving safety in traveling on a highway.

In such a traveling control device, a constant speed traveling mode in which the driver cruises the vehicle at a predetermined vehicle speed, and when there is a preceding vehicle, the distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle is maintained at a safe distance. However, a follow-up traveling mode or the like that follows the preceding vehicle is set.

Here, even when the vehicle is traveling at a constant speed at a vehicle speed set by the driver himself, there are cases where it is desired to change the set vehicle speed depending on the surrounding environment. Depending on the vehicle type, the current inter-vehicle distance may be too short or too long, and there may be a case where it is desired to change the inter-vehicle distance. Therefore,
In order to adjust such set vehicle speed and inter-vehicle distance by the driver's hand operation, an adjustment switch or lever is provided in the driver's seat, and the driver operates the adjustment switch / lever to set the set vehicle speed or inter-vehicle distance. A configuration that can be changed is proposed.

For example, in the vehicle traveling control device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-215432, a set SW and an acceleration recovery SW are provided for the purpose of appropriately and easily adjusting the set vehicle speed and the inter-vehicle distance. The configuration is shown. When the set SW is operated during constant speed traveling, the set vehicle speed is reduced by a predetermined amount, and when the acceleration return SW is operated, the set vehicle speed is increased by a predetermined amount, and when the set SW is operated during follow-up traveling, the inter-vehicle distance is increased. Therefore, the target vehicle speed is set low, and when the acceleration return SW is operated, the target vehicle speed is set high in order to reduce the inter-vehicle distance.

[0006]

However, in the configuration in which the inter-vehicle distance is controlled by increasing or decreasing the target vehicle speed in this way, for example, when the acceleration return SW is operated when the inter-vehicle distance is reduced during follow-up traveling, the target vehicle speed is also changed. There is a problem in that the driver feels a danger because the vehicle becomes large, and the brake operation is forced to occur.

On the contrary, if the set SW is operated when the inter-vehicle distance is increased during follow-up running, the target vehicle speed also decreases, so the vehicle gradually moves away from the preceding vehicle and the possibility of interruption increases. There was a problem that inconvenience occurred, such as the need for acceleration.

When the driver wants to change the inter-vehicle distance, it is usual to want to increase or decrease only the inter-vehicle distance while maintaining the current traveling state (vehicle speed). However, the target vehicle speed is also changed in this way. With such a configuration, the driver's demand cannot be satisfied.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle running control device capable of performing follow-up running in conformity with a driving feeling of a driver. ..

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention detects an inter-vehicle distance detecting means 1 for detecting an inter-vehicle distance to a preceding vehicle as shown in FIG. 1 and a speed of an own vehicle. A vehicle speed detection means 2, a target inter-vehicle distance calculation means 3 for calculating a target inter-vehicle distance as a function of the vehicle speed, and a control means 4 for controlling the throttle 5 so that the inter-vehicle distance with the preceding vehicle becomes the target inter-vehicle distance. In a vehicle travel control device provided with, a manually operable adjusting means 6 for increasing or decreasing the target inter-vehicle distance by controlling the throttle 5, a vehicle speed V0 at the start of the operation of the adjusting means, and an inter-vehicle distance L0 at the end of the operation. As a reference, it has a correction means 7 for correcting the target inter-vehicle distance as a function of the vehicle speed.

[0011]

The vehicle travel control device of the present invention has such a configuration, and the control means drives the vehicle while following the vehicle so that the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle becomes substantially the target inter-vehicle distance. If the person determines that the current inter-vehicle distance is inappropriate,
The throttle is controlled by operating the adjusting means to adjust to a desired inter-vehicle distance.

At this time, as described above, the driver desires to change only the inter-vehicle distance while maintaining the vehicle speed at the time of operating the adjusting means. Therefore, in the present invention, the vehicle speed at the time of starting the operation of the adjusting means. Based on V0 and the inter-vehicle distance L0 at the end of the operation of the adjusting means, these (V0, L0
By correcting the target inter-vehicle distance as a function of the vehicle speed on the basis of (1), the target inter-vehicle distance can be matched with the driver even in the following traveling after the operation of the adjusting means.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of a vehicle travel control device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the configuration of this embodiment. Inter-vehicle distance sensor 10 as inter-vehicle distance detecting means
Is provided at the front of the vehicle. This inter-vehicle distance sensor 10
For example, it is possible to use a CCD camera, a radar device, a laser radar device, or the like that captures an image of a preceding vehicle.
A vehicle speed sensor 12 that optically detects the rotation speed of the drive shaft of the vehicle is provided as vehicle speed detection means.

Further, an adjusting lever 14 for setting a vehicle speed during constant speed traveling and for adjusting an inter-vehicle distance during follow-up traveling is provided in the driver's seat, and further, a system switch and for switching the inter-vehicle distance during follow-up traveling (in the present embodiment, Similarly, a switching SW 16 of three stages (distance / middle / near) is provided in the driver's seat.
Then, the signals from these respective sensors and SW are supplied to the microcomputer 18.

The microcomputer 18 has an input / output port, a ROM storing a processing program to be described later, a CPU for performing an operation according to the processing program, a RAM for storing the operation result, and the like. The operation result is stored in the throttle actuator 20 or the brake. Actuator 2
2 (in this embodiment, the vehicle speed control is basically performed by the throttle control, so the brake actuator is not controlled, but the brake control can be performed if necessary) to control the traveling of the vehicle. In addition, the warning / display device 24 provided in the driver's seat appropriately displays the current inter-vehicle distance, or gives a warning to the driver when the inter-vehicle distance becomes unacceptable.

The processing of the microcomputer 18 will be described in detail below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First,
It is determined whether the traveling of the vehicle is the following traveling in which the inter-vehicle distance is controlled to follow the preceding vehicle (S101). This determination is made based on whether or not the changeover switch 16 which is also a system switch is turned on, and whether or not finite data is supplied from the inter-vehicle distance sensor 10. At the time of following travel, the target inter-vehicle distance S is calculated as a function of the vehicle speed, and the target vehicle speed is calculated with a predetermined gain according to the difference between the target inter-vehicle distance S and the actual inter-vehicle distance detected by the inter-vehicle distance sensor 10, Controls the throttle actuator.

It should be noted that the calculated target inter-vehicle distance S is also 3 depending on whether the inter-vehicle distance switched by the switch SW is far / middle / near.
Types are available (specifically, the coefficient in the calculation formula is 3
It is stored in the type ROM, or the safe inter-vehicle distance corresponding to the vehicle speed is stored in the ROM as three types of maps), and rough adjustment of the inter-vehicle distance at the time of following traveling can be performed according to the driver's preference. ..

FIG. 4 is a graph showing an example of the vehicle speed and the target inter-vehicle distance when the inter-vehicle distance is far / medium / near. In the figure, the horizontal axis represents the vehicle speed and the vertical axis represents the target inter-vehicle distance. Then, the straight line A in the figure shows the relationship between the vehicle speed and the inter-vehicle distance when the switch SW is far, and the straight line B (dashed line) in the figure shows the relationship between the vehicle speed and the inter-vehicle distance when the switch SW is medium. The middle straight line C shows the relationship between the vehicle speed and the inter-vehicle distance when the switch SW is near. When the vehicle is in such follow-up traveling, it is next determined whether or not the adjusting lever 14 is operated (S102). As shown in FIG.
When the inter-vehicle distance that is uniquely determined according to the vehicle speed is not preferable for the driver (vehicle speed and inter-vehicle distance indicated by a in the figure), for example, when another vehicle exists in the adjacent lane and this vehicle does not want to be interrupted, driving Will want smaller distances while maintaining the current vehicle speed. In this case, the driver operates the adjusting lever 14 in such a direction that the inter-vehicle distance becomes smaller.

Then, in S102, it is determined to be YES, the vehicle speed V0 when the adjusting lever 14 is operated is stored in the RAM (S103), and a control signal is supplied to the throttle actuator to accelerate at a predetermined acceleration (S1).
04). When the inter-vehicle distance becomes the inter-vehicle distance desired by the driver (indicated by b in the figure), the driver stops the operation of the adjusting lever 14, but in this case, it is determined as NO in S102, and the inter-vehicle distance at this time is determined. The distance L0, that is, the inter-vehicle distance that the driver considers appropriate is stored in the RAM. Then, the inter-vehicle distance L0 at the time when the operation of the adjusting lever 14 is finished.
And the vehicle speed V0 at the time when the operation of the adjusting lever 14 is started.
Is read from the RAM, the relationship between the vehicle speed and the inter-vehicle distance in the following follow-up traveling is corrected based on this (V0, L0), and the target inter-vehicle distance is reset and stored in the RAM (S1).
06). In FIG. 4, this (V0, L0) is indicated by c.

This setting is set as a straight line passing through the point c in FIG. 4 and having a predetermined slope, but this slope may be substantially the same as the slope of the straight line B, or the slopes of the straight lines A and B may be proportionally distributed. May be Furthermore, straight line B
As a group set of, several straight line groups whose slopes and intercepts sequentially change around the slope of the straight line B are prepared and stored in the ROM in advance, and among these straight line groups, the most satisfying (V0, L0) It may be configured to select an appropriate straight line. In this embodiment, this slope is calculated by proportional distribution and is shown by the dotted line in the figure.

Then, the following follow-up travel is performed by controlling the throttle actuator 20 so that the travel data is located on the straight line indicated by the dotted line.
Conventionally, since the inter-vehicle distance is increased / decreased by changing the target vehicle speed, follow-up travel is performed at the target vehicle speed even after adjustment (control is performed on a straight line passing through point b in FIG. 4). In this embodiment, since the vehicle speed at the time of operating the adjusting lever 14 is maintained and only the inter-vehicle distance is changed to perform follow-up traveling, an appropriate traveling relationship with the preceding vehicle is maintained even after operating the adjusting lever, and driving It is possible to perform follow-up running that matches the driving feeling of the person.

[0023]

As described above, according to the vehicle travel control device of the present invention, it is possible to perform follow-up travel that matches the driver's driving preference and driving sensation.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration block diagram of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a processing flowchart diagram of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing a relationship between a vehicle speed and an inter-vehicle distance in the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Inter-vehicle distance sensor 12 Vehicle speed sensor 14 Adjustment lever 16 Switching SW 18 Microcomputer 20 Throttle actuator 22 Brake actuator

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An inter-vehicle distance detecting means for detecting an inter-vehicle distance to a preceding vehicle, a vehicle speed detecting means for detecting a speed of the own vehicle, and a target inter-vehicle distance calculating means for calculating a target inter-vehicle distance as a function of the vehicle speed. A vehicle travel control device comprising: a control unit that controls a throttle so that an inter-vehicle distance to a preceding vehicle becomes the target inter-vehicle distance, and a manually operable to increase or decrease the target inter-vehicle distance by controlling the throttle. A vehicle-driving vehicle comprising: an adjusting unit; and a correcting unit that corrects a target inter-vehicle distance as a function of the vehicle speed with reference to a vehicle speed V0 at the start of the operation of the adjusting unit and an inter-vehicle distance L0 at the end of the operation. Control device.