JPH06122334A - Vehicle control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a vehicle control device allowing a vehicle to safely enter a curve and give no uneasy feeling to a driver. CONSTITUTION:When a vehicle enters a curve, the state of the curve is detected in advance by a curve state acquiring means 1 constituted of a distance sensor and a CCD camera, the control value controlling the running state of the vehicle in response to the state of the curve, e.g., the radius of the curve, is calculated by a controller 4, and an actuator constituted of a throttle device 6 or a brake device 5 is operated to control the speed of the vehicle. Safety countermeasures are taken before the vehicle enters the curve, and the vehicle safely enters the curve.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle control device, and more particularly to a vehicle control device for improving a technique for preventing danger when a vehicle enters a curve.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, various kinds of electronic control have been performed by applying a microcomputer to a vehicle, for example, a constant speed traveling device is one of them. As a conventional constant speed traveling device, a technique for preventing a danger when entering a curve is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 50-43388 or Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-6034.
There is one disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-242242, and this technique detects a steering angle at the time of entering a curve to prevent danger.

Another conventional technique is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 54-162083, and this technique detects a lateral G when entering a curve to prevent a danger. As a danger prevention method, for example, the accelerator and the brake are controlled so that the curve can be cleared safely. As a technique for detecting the lateral G at the time of entering a curve to prevent a danger, specifically, there is "trace control". This technique calculates the expected lateral acceleration from the steering angle and the vehicle body speed, and controls the driving force of the engine so as to prevent the danger due to the side slip of the vehicle.

[0004]

By the way, in the conventional technique for preventing danger at the time of entering a curve in the vehicle control device, the condition of the curve cannot be known unless the vehicle enters the curve, and therefore the vehicle is likely to be in danger. , There was a problem of giving the driver anxiety. That is, it was not possible to take measures for safe driving on the curve before entering the curve. Further, for example, a vehicle provided with a constant speed traveling device has a drawback that the driver becomes uneasy when the vehicle enters a curve and cancels the constant speed traveling function.

Further, in the above-mentioned "trace control" technique, the driving force cannot be controlled until the dangerous lateral acceleration is detected, so that the risk countermeasure is delayed and, in the end, the driver feels a great deal of anxiety. The shortcoming of giving is not yet resolved.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device that can safely enter a curve and does not cause a driver to feel uneasy.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a vehicle control device according to the invention of claim 1 includes a curve information detecting means for detecting information of a curve into which a vehicle enters and a curve information detecting means of the curve information detecting means. It is characterized by comprising: a control means for controlling the traveling of the vehicle based on the output; and an actuator for varying the traveling state of the vehicle based on a control signal from the control means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle control device, a curve information detecting means for detecting information of a curve into which a vehicle enters, a constant speed traveling command means for giving a constant speed traveling command, and the constant speed. Control means for controlling the vehicle to travel at a constant speed based on a command from the travel command means, and controlling travel of the vehicle based on the output of the curve information detecting means during the constant speed travel; And an actuator that changes the traveling state of the vehicle based on the control signal of 1.

[0009]

According to the present invention, when a vehicle enters a curve, the condition of the curve is detected in advance by a distance sensor, a CCD camera or the like. Then, the traveling state of the vehicle is controlled by the throttle device or the brake device according to the condition of the curve (for example, the radius of the curve). Therefore,
Safety measures can be taken before entering the curve, and it is possible to safely enter the curve, and the driver's anxiety is eliminated.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a vehicle control device according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of this device. In FIG. 1, 1 is a curve status supplementing means (curve information detecting means),
2 is an automatic cruise on / off command input means (constant speed running command means), 3 is a speed sensor, 4 is a controller (control means), 5 is a brake device (actuator), 6 is a throttle device (actuator), and 7 is a throttle. It is an opening degree detection unit.

The curve status supplementing means 1 is a distance sensor or CC.
It is configured to have a D camera and the like, and outputs signals to the controller 4 by performing arithmetic processing (for example, image processing) on the signals from these sensors to detect the condition of the curve. The auto-cruise on / off command input means 2 is a hardware input switch for turning on / off the auto-cruise or inputting a necessary command. The speed sensor 3 detects the speed of the vehicle and outputs a detection signal to the controller 4
Output to. The controller 4 is a curve radius calculation unit 1
1, a safe speed calculation unit 12, a control vehicle speed target value command unit 13,
Vehicle speed calculation unit 14, vehicle speed comparison unit 15, vehicle speed control unit 1
6, brake driver 17, throttle driver 1
It is composed of eight.

The curve radius calculation section 11 determines whether or not the curve is ahead based on the signal from the curve status supplementing means 1, and provides information for turning on / off the automatic cruise to the control vehicle speed target value command section 13. Give to. Also, the curve radius is calculated and the value is output to the safe speed calculation unit 12.
Based on the curve radius given from the curve radius calculation unit 11, the safe speed calculation unit 12 calculates a safe vehicle speed (curve entry speed) according to the curve radius at that time, and controls it as a target vehicle speed value at the time of curve entry. Data is output to the vehicle speed target value command unit 13 and the vehicle speed comparison unit 15. The control vehicle speed target value command unit 13 includes a curve radius calculation unit 11 and a safe speed calculation unit 1.
2 and auto cruise on / off command input means 2
A command to be controlled is given to the vehicle speed control unit 16 by receiving the data from the.

The vehicle speed calculator 14 receives the data from the speed sensor 3 and calculates the vehicle speed, and supplies the data to the vehicle speed comparator 15 and the vehicle speed controller 16. The vehicle speed comparison unit 15 includes a safe speed calculation unit 12 and a vehicle speed calculation unit 14.
The respective data from are compared with each other, and data for making the vehicle speed a safe speed is given to the vehicle speed control unit 16. Vehicle speed controller 16
Controls the brake driver 17 and throttle driver to control the vehicle using the brake device 5 and the throttle device 6 so as not to enter at a dangerous vehicle speed when approaching a curve while performing an auto cruise. Output to 18.

The brake driver 17 is a vehicle speed controller 16
Is a power amplifier for driving the brake device 5 based on the control signal from the vehicle, and similarly, the throttle driver 18 is a power amplifier for driving the throttle device 6 based on the control signal from the vehicle speed control unit 16.
The throttle opening detection unit 7 is a component such as a potentiometer that detects the throttle opening. The throttle opening detection unit 7 detects the load state of the vehicle by detecting the throttle opening, and the data is sent to the vehicle speed control unit 16 to perform more accurate control. Is output.

The respective main functions shown in FIG. 1 are actually realized by the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 2 using a microcomputer. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 20 denotes a microcomputer including a CPU, a memory and the like. The microcomputer 20 includes a curve condition supplementing means 1, an auto cruise on / off command generating section (constant speed running command means) 21, a speed detecting section 22, A signal from the throttle opening detector 7 is input. Further, from the microcomputer 20, the brake driver 17 and the throttle driver 1
A control signal is output to 8. In the block shown in FIG. 2, the auto-cruise on / off command generating section 21 realizes the function of the auto-cruise on / off command input means 2, and the speed detecting section 22 corresponds to the speed sensor 3.

Next, a concrete example of the curve status supplementing means 1 will be described. (I) Example using a distance sensor A distance sensor is composed of a radio wave radar, a laser radar, an ultrasonic radar, etc., and its main purpose is to measure the distance to an obstacle ahead, which is the invention of the present inventor. It is a thing. Then, by applying this, for example, the distance between the curve reflectors on an expressway is estimated (in this case, the curve diameter is proportional to the distance between the reflectors), and the curve diameter is estimated.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a method of estimating a distance between curve reflectors on a highway. As shown in FIG. 3, on the highway 31, it is determined that the road-side delineators (reflectors) 32a, 32b, ... Are always installed at positions corresponding to the curve diameter R. Therefore, the vehicle 3
Each curve reflector 32 with the laser radar attached to 3
The distance between a, 32b ... Is measured, and the curve diameter R is estimated from the measured distance between the reflectors. After that, the range cut of the laser radar is performed by the estimated curve diameter R, and after entering the curve, fine adjustment is performed by the steering sensor. In addition, LB shows the beam of a laser radar.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the function of the curve estimating portion. In FIG. 4, 41 is a laser radar unit, 42 is an inter-reflector distance estimating unit, 43 is a steering sensor unit, and 44 is a curve diameter estimating unit. The laser radar unit 41 measures the distance between the vehicle and the curve reflectors 32a, 32b ... Using a laser. The inter-reflector distance estimation unit 42 obtains the inter-reflector distance from the data measured by the laser radar unit 41, and the steering sensor unit 43 reads the steering movement. Inter-reflector distance estimation unit 42 and steering sensor unit 43
Are both input to the curve diameter estimation unit 44. The curve diameter estimation unit 44 estimates the curve diameter from the distance between the reflectors, and when reaching the curve, corrects the value with the information from the steering sensor unit 43. In this way, the curve diameter is estimated.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a program for performing curve estimation processing. In FIG. 5, first, step S
In step 10, a laser is transmitted from the laser radar unit 41 attached to the vehicle, and in step S12, it is determined whether or not there is a reflector ahead. If there is no reflector, step S10.
If there is a reflector, go to step S14 to measure the distance from the reflected wave of the laser to the reflector,
The data is saved in step S16. Next, in step S18, the distance between the vehicle and the reflector that was present immediately before is measured. Next, in step S20, the reflector installation standard is referred to, and in step S22, the curve diameter R is determined. Here, since the distance between the reflectors is predetermined according to the radius R of the curve by the reflector installation standard, the curve diameter R is calculated from the measured distance between the reflector and the vehicle by referring to the reflector installation standard. It will be possible to decide.

Next, in step S24, it is determined whether or not there is an input from the steering sensor unit 43, and if not, the curve diameter R determined this time is output to the controller 4. On the other hand, if there is an input from the steering sensor unit 43, the process proceeds to the subsequent step S28, and a process of cutting the range of the laser radar from the estimated curve diameter R is performed. Further, the current curve diameter R is corrected by the steering sensor input value in step S30, and the correction result is output to the controller 4 in step S32. As a result, fine adjustment of the distance measurement is performed corresponding to the steering operation.

FIG. 6 is a detailed explanatory diagram of the inter-reflector distance calculation. As shown in FIG. 6A, on a highway 31 having a curve diameter R, if a radar wave (beam LB) from a laser radar attached to a vehicle 33 hits a reflector 32c on the curve, Figure 6
As shown in (b), the radar beam LB strikes the reflector 32d when the vehicle 33 travels the distance L1. At this time, the distance between the vehicle 33 and the shoulder of the highway 31 is d.

Since the relation of R >> d is established between the curve radius R and the distance d, the distance L2 between the reflector 32c and the reflector 32d and the traveling distance L1 of the vehicle 33 are L.
1≈L2. Therefore, if the luminous flux is c, then L2
= Ct. Here, t is the time until the data of the radar reflection that hits the reflector is obtained (that is, corresponds to Δt) as shown in FIG. 7. Even in the relationship between the distance of the reflector and the curve diameter R, there is a margin in the curve diameter R, so that a slight distance error between L1 and L2 is irrelevant.

Incidentally, in the conventional curve estimating device, the curve diameter is measured from the angular displacement of the steering shaft by the steering sensor attached to the steering shaft. Therefore, if there is no vehicle on the curve, the diameter of the curve cannot be known,
There was a drawback that the measurement of the curve diameter was delayed. On the other hand, the curve estimation system of the present inventor has an advantage that the curve diameter can be estimated before the vehicle enters the curve, and thus the response to the curve can be speeded up.

(II) Example of using image processing by camera This is a method of estimating a curve diameter from a road white line or a roadside reflector by applying a device such as a CCD camera, an infrared camera, or an electromagnetic wave camera that can input image information. By using the above-mentioned two methods (I) and (II), or by using either one of them, the curve diameter is estimated, a safe vehicle approach speed is calculated and set as a control target value, and the accelerator opening is performed. Control the braking system to ensure a safe curve entry.

Next, FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing a vehicle control program of this embodiment. In FIG. 8, first, in step S50, it is determined whether or not to start the auto cruise. (A) When not auto cruise (normal traveling) When auto cruise is not started in step S50, it is determined in step S52 whether or not there is a curve. If there is no curve, the process returns to step S50. Therefore, in a normal state where there is no curve and the vehicle does not run at a constant speed, this loop is repeated.

On the other hand, if there is a curve in step S52 even in the normal state where the vehicle is not traveling at a constant speed, the process proceeds to step S54 to calculate the curve diameter and the safe vehicle speed. Next, in step S56, the current vehicle speed and the safe vehicle speed are compared,
If the current vehicle speed exceeds the safe vehicle speed, continue with step S
58, the vehicle speed control according to the curve diameter is executed (see FIG. 9).
(See the subroutine of), and then the process proceeds to step S60.
If the current vehicle speed is less than or equal to the safe vehicle speed, step S58
And jump to step S60. As a result, the vehicle speed is controlled in accordance with the curve diameter at that time within a range where the safe vehicle speed is kept, and the vehicle can safely enter the curve.

Next, in step S60, it is determined whether or not the curve has ended, and if it has not ended, step S54.
When the curve ends, the routine of this time is ended.

(B) During Auto Cruise (Constant Speed Travel) When the auto cruise is started in step S50, the process branches to YES and proceeds to step S62. In step S62, it is determined whether or not to terminate the auto cruise control, and when it is terminated, the process branches to step S52. Therefore, the same processing as described above is performed.

On the other hand, when the automatic cruise control is not ended, the routine proceeds to step S64, where it is judged whether or not there is a curve. If there is no curve, the process returns to step S62. Therefore, when there is no curve and the vehicle travels at a constant speed, normal constant speed traveling control is performed. If there is a curve, the process proceeds to step S66 to calculate the curve diameter and the safe vehicle speed. Next, in step S68, the current vehicle speed and the safe vehicle speed are compared, and when the current vehicle speed exceeds the safe vehicle speed, the process proceeds to the following step S70 to suspend the constant speed running. After that, in step S72, vehicle speed control according to the curve diameter is executed (for example, the accelerator opening and the braking device are controlled so that the vehicle can safely enter the curve: see the subroutine in FIG. 9), and then in step S74. move on.

As a result, it is possible to avoid a danger due to overspeed when entering a curve during the automatic cruise control. That is, it is possible to take measures for safe driving on the curve before entering the curve. In addition, it is possible to prevent the driver from feeling uneasy. In addition, the driver itself becomes uneasy and the automatic cruise control is not released, and all can be done automatically.

On the other hand, when the current vehicle speed is equal to or lower than the safe vehicle speed in step S68, steps S70 and S72 are skipped and the process proceeds to step S74. As a result, the vehicle enters the curve while keeping the auto cruise at the safe vehicle speed. Next, in step S74, it is determined whether or not the curve has ended, and if not ended, the process returns to step S62 and repeats the processing. When the curve ends, the process proceeds to step S76 to restart constant speed traveling, and to step S62. Return.

FIG. 9 shows steps S58 and S7.
6 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of processing in 2. In FIG. 9, the throttle device 6 is actuated in step S80 to return the accelerator, and the delay timer is turned on in step S82. Next, in step S84, the current vehicle speed and the safe vehicle speed are compared, and when the current vehicle speed is equal to or lower than the safe vehicle speed, the process returns to the main program. On the other hand, when the current vehicle speed exceeds the safe vehicle speed, the process branches to step S86 to execute the process of stepping on the brake. This activates the brake device 5, for example, to step on the brake.
After the process of step S86, the process returns to step S84 again. Therefore, the process of depressing the brake is executed until the current vehicle speed becomes equal to or lower than the safe vehicle speed.

Next, the processing of the subroutine shown in FIG.
It can also be realized by fuzzy reasoning. Figure 10
(A) is a membership function of the antecedent part, which uses the vehicle speed v as an input parameter. FIG. 10B shows the membership function of the antecedent part, which uses the curve diameter R as an input parameter. Of course, the membership function of the antecedent part is not limited to the triangular shape or the trapezoidal shape, and it is needless to say that the membership function of any other shape may be adopted. FIG. 10C is a fuzzy output in the consequent part, in which the accelerator return amount is a fuzzy output. In addition, FIG.
Is a fuzzy output in the consequent part, and the brake depression amount is a fuzzy output. The fuzzy output is not limited to the representation method shown in the figure, and may be represented by a membership function of another shape, for example.

Labels in each membership function are "L" (vehicle speed is low), "M" (vehicle speed is medium,
"H" (high vehicle speed), "S" (small curve diameter), "M" (medium curve diameter, "B" (large curve diameter), and "S" (small brake depression amount) ,
"N" (the brake depression amount is normal, "B" (the brake depression amount is large) is adopted. The fuzzy rule is expressed in the form of so-called IF, THEN (if, if). The explanation is as follows.

Fuzzy rule 1: IF v = H AND R = B THEN TPS = D, BRK = B Fuzzy rule 2: IF v = H AND R = M THEN TPS = D, BRK = N Fuzzy rule 3: IF v = H AND R = S THEN TPS = D, BRK = S Fuzzy Rule 4: IF v = M AND R = B THEN TPS = D, BRK = N Fuzzy Rule 5: IF v = M AND R = M THEN TPS = D, BRK = S Fuzzy rule 6: IF v = M AND R = S THEN TPS = D, BRK = S Fuzzy rule 7: IF v = L AND R = * (anything is possible) THEN TPS = D, BRK = S

Explaining the fuzzy rule 1, if the "vehicle speed v" is large and the "curve diameter R" is large, the accelerator return amount TPS is set to 100% and the brake depression amount BRK is increased. is there. Other fuzzy rules can be explained in the same way.
The part for performing the fuzzy calculation may be realized by using a binary digital computer, or may be realized by a digital or analog type fuzzy processor having an architecture dedicated to the fuzzy inference calculation.

[0037]

According to the present invention, when a vehicle enters a curve, the condition of the curve is detected in advance by a curve information detecting means such as a distance sensor or a CCD camera to determine the condition of the curve (for example, the curve diameter). Since the running state of the vehicle is controlled accordingly, safety measures can be taken before entering the curve, and the curve can be safely entered. In addition, the driver's anxiety can be eliminated. In a vehicle that is traveling at a constant speed, the driver becomes anxious when entering a curve and does not cancel the constant speed traveling control, and the advantage of the constant speed traveling control can be utilized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an embodiment of a vehicle control device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a method of estimating a distance between curve reflectors on an expressway according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a circuit that realizes a function of a curve estimating portion of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a program for performing curve estimation processing according to the same embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a detailed explanatory diagram of inter-reflector distance calculation of the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing radar reflection data of the same embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a vehicle control program of the same embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a step S5 of the vehicle control program of the embodiment.
It is a flowchart which shows the subroutine of 8 and 72.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a membership function of the same example.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 curve status supplementing means (curve information detecting means) 2 auto cruise on / off command input means (constant speed commanding means) 3 speed sensor 4 controller (control means) 5 brake device (actuator) 6 throttle device (actuator 7 throttle open) Degree detection unit 11 Curve radius calculation unit 12 Safe speed calculation unit 13 Controlled vehicle speed target value command unit 14 Vehicle speed calculation unit 15 Vehicle speed comparison unit 16 Vehicle speed control unit 17 Brake driver 18 Throttle driver 32a, 32b ... Car reflector 53 Laser radar Part 42 inter-reflector distance estimation part 43 steering sensor part 44 curve diameter estimation part

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A curve information detecting means for detecting information on a curve into which a vehicle enters, a control means for controlling traveling of the vehicle based on an output of the curve information detecting means, and a control signal from the control means. A vehicle control device comprising: an actuator that changes the traveling state of the vehicle. 2. A curve information detection means for detecting information on a curve into which a vehicle enters, a constant speed travel command means for giving a command for constant speed travel, and a vehicle fixed based on a command from the constant speed travel command means. Control means for controlling the vehicle to travel at a high speed and controlling traveling of the vehicle based on the output of the curve information detecting means during traveling at a constant speed, and varying the traveling state of the vehicle based on a control signal from the control means. An actuator for controlling the vehicle.