JPH07129897A - Safety device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a vehicle from traveling in a dangerous direction by ending the intervention of an automatic steering system when steering operation is performed in a safe direction during the intervention of the automatic steering operation, and carrying on the intervention of the automatic steering system when the steering operation is performed in the dangerous direction. CONSTITUTION:When a driver performs steering operation during the intervention of the automatic steering system, a control unit 4 decides whether the steering operation is in the safe direction or dangerous direction. And, when the control unit 4 decides that the operation direction of the steering operation is the safe direction, the intervention of the automatic steering system is ended, but when the direction is the dangerous direction, on the other hand, the intervention of the automatic steering system is carried on. Consequently, the vehicle is prevented from traveling in the dangerous direction accompanying that the driver performs the steering operation during the intervention of the automatic steering system.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle safety system which, when a dangerous state during traveling is detected, temporarily intervenes an automatic steering system which automatically corrects and steers the vehicle in order to avoid the dangerous state. Regarding the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, JP-A-63-214900.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication, when the vehicle deviates from a predetermined driving lane without the driver's conscious steering operation, such as looking aside or being inattentive, the driver is warned to warn the driver. The device is known.

An image pickup device for reading a guide line such as a white line indicating the side edge of a driving lane, an image processing device for processing a signal obtained from this image pickup device, and information obtained from this image processing device and others. There is also known a key plane system that intervenes an automatic steering system to prevent the vehicle from departing from the driving lane.

[0004]

By the way, for example, when a driver feels drowsiness while driving the vehicle and falls into a low perceptual state, the vehicle tends to deviate from the driving lane, so that the vehicle equipped with the key plane system. In, it is considered that there is a lot of opportunity for the key plane system to intervene when the driver falls into such a low sensory state.

When correction steering is automatically performed by the intervention of the key plane system, a lateral G is generated on the vehicle body. When the lateral G is sensed by a driver in a low perception state, the driver unconsciously steers the steering. Since the steering wheel may be operated, it is predicted that the vehicle may move in a dangerous direction due to such a careless steering operation by the driver.

On the other hand, during the intervention of the key plane system, it is possible that the driver operates the steering wheel in a safe direction when the vehicle deviates from the traveling lane in which the vehicle is currently traveling, or when it is about to deviate. .

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and prevents the vehicle from traveling in a dangerous direction due to the steering operation of the driver during the intervention of the automatic steering system such as the key plane system. Then, it aims at providing the vehicle safety device which can ensure safety.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle safety device, wherein a steering operation is performed by a driver during an intervention of an automatic steering system, as described in claim 1. A means for determining whether the operation direction of the operation is a safe direction or a dangerous direction is provided, and when the operation direction of the steering operation is determined to be the safe direction by the determining means, the automatic steering system It is characterized in that the intervention of the automatic steering system is continued when the intervention is terminated and it is determined that the vehicle is in the dangerous direction.

In the vehicle safety device according to the second aspect of the present invention, when the steering operation is performed by the driver during the intervention of the automatic steering system, the operation direction of the steering operation is safe. It is characterized in that means for determining whether the direction is a dangerous direction or a direction is provided, and the torque required for the steering operation is increased when the determination means determines the dangerous direction. is there.

[0010]

According to the first aspect of the invention, when it is determined that the steering direction of the driver's steering operation is the safe direction during the intervention of the automatic steering system, the intervention of the automatic steering system is terminated. Therefore, the steering operation by the driver in the safe direction can be prioritized. Further, when it is determined that the vehicle is in the dangerous direction, the intervention of the automatic steering system continues, so that the risk of falling into a dangerous state can be avoided.

According to the second aspect of the invention, when it is determined that the steering operation direction by the driver during the intervention of the automatic steering system is the dangerous direction, the torque required for the steering operation is increased to increase the steering operation. Therefore, it is possible to restrict the intervention of the steering operation by the driver in the dangerous direction and give priority to the steering operation by the driver in the safe direction.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the structure of a vehicle safety device according to an embodiment of the present invention, which includes a camera 1, a signal processing unit 2, an arithmetic unit 3, a control unit 4, a steering actuator unit 5, and an alarm buzzer 6. A vehicle speed sensor 7, a steering angle sensor 8, a direction indicator 9 and a torque sensor 10.

As shown in FIG. 2, the camera 1 is provided on a front end face of a vehicle 20, and guide lines (white lines) 21 in front of the road on which the vehicle 20 is traveling, and each traveling line partitioned by these guide lines 21. The lane 22, the sidewalk 23, the median strip (not shown), the guardrail (not shown), etc. are imaged. The video signal output from the camera 1 is processed by the signal processing unit 2 into a signal that can be processed by the arithmetic unit 3, and then supplied to the arithmetic unit 3.

The arithmetic unit 3 is based on the input signals from the signal processing unit 2, the vehicle speed sensor 7 and the steering angle sensor 8, and is the current position of the vehicle 20 traveling in the traveling lane 22,
While calculating the target position, the width of the driving lane 22, etc.,
The traveling lane 22 in which the vehicle 20 is traveling is recognized, and the departure direction of the vehicle 20 is detected.

The control unit 4 operates the steering actuator unit 5 based on the calculation result obtained from the calculation unit 3, the inputs from the vehicle speed sensor 7, the steering angle sensor 8 and the torque sensor 10, and the operation of the direction indicator 9.
Also, the operation of the alarm buzzer 6 is controlled.

Next, FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a key plane system operation routine after the key plane system intervention is started in the vehicle safety device according to the present invention.

In this key plane system, the vehicle 20
Guide line 21 showing the side edge of the driving lane 22 from the current position of
The target position D (distance to the guide line 21) for the front point P _{1 in} the traveling direction of the vehicle 20 is set according to the distance d to. The target position D is set in a region between two virtual lines 25 and 266 parallel to the guide line 21, and one virtual line 25 is a predetermined distance D ₁ having a relatively short distance from the guide line 21. And the other virtual line 26 is set on the center side of the traveling lane 22 such that the distance from the guide line 21 is a relatively long predetermined distance D ₂ . Then, the deviation a of the front point P ₁ from the target position D is calculated, the steering angle θ _H is determined according to the deviation a, and the automatic steering is performed.

FIG. 4 shows a flow chart of the key plane system operation routine. First, the side edge information of the traveling lane 22 such as the guide line 21 is input (S1), and then the target position D is a function of the distance d from the current position of the vehicle 20 to the guide line 21. Calculate from (S
2). As is apparent from this map, when the distance d is small, the target position D is set to D = D _1, and when the distance d is large, the target position D is D.
= D ₂ is set. That is, the correction steering amount at the time of automatic steering is made as small as possible so that a large lateral G is not applied to the occupant.

Next, the target position D of the front point P ₁
Is calculated (S3), the steering angle θ _H is determined from the map shown in accordance with the deviation a (S4), and steering control is performed (S5).

FIG. 5 shows a hydraulic circuit of a power steering device (hereinafter referred to as "PS device") applied to the first embodiment of the present invention, which is a power steering valve comprising an open center type 4-port 3-position throttle switching valve. In addition to 31 (hereinafter referred to as “PS valve”), a control valve 32 including an internal pilot type 4-port 3-position aperture switching servo valve for steering steering through the control unit 4 during intervention of the key plane system, and an oil P the way
A 3-port 2-position switching valve 33 that switches between the S valve 31 side and the control valve 32 side, and two 4 ports that open and close the oil passage.
The steering actuator unit 5 is constituted by the port 2 position cut valves 34, 34. The valves 31 to 34 are all electromagnetic valves controlled by the control unit 4. The state of FIG. 5 shows the non-intervention state of the key plane system, and the valves 31 to 34 are not excited. Therefore, the switching valve 33 connects the oil passage for supplying the hydraulic oil from the oil pump 36 to the PS valve 31 side. Further, in order to improve the reliability of the system, two cut valves 34, 34 are connected in parallel.

When the steering handle 35 is in the neutral position without being operated, the PS valve 31 is in the neutral position without being excited, and the hydraulic oil pumped up from the reservoir 37 by the oil pump 36 is supplied to the filter 3
8 and the switching valve 33 to enter the PS valve 31 from the port P of the PS valve 31 and return to the reservoir 36 from the port T. In this case, since the cut valves 34, 34 are in the open position, the same hydraulic pressure acts on the piston 39a of the rack cylinder 39 of the PS device from both the left and right sides, so that no assist force is generated. Further, since no output is generated from the control unit 4 to the control valve 32, the control valve 32 is not excited and is in the neutral position, and the port P of the control valve 32,
All of T, A and B are closed.

On the other hand, when the steering handle 35 is operated to the right, the PS valve 31 receives a force in the right direction in FIG. 31 valve body is shown in FIG.
To the right, the hydraulic oil enters the left cylinder chamber 39b of the rack cylinder 39 from the port A, and the right cylinder chamber 39c of the rack cylinder 39 moves to the port B of the PS valve 31.
And the communication with the reservoir 36 via the port T,
An assisting force to the right is generated in the piston 39a of the rack cylinder 39.

When the steering handle 35 is operated to the left, the PS valve 31 receives a leftward force in FIG. 31 valve body is shown in FIG.
Moving to the left, the hydraulic oil enters the right cylinder chamber 39c of the rack cylinder 39 from the port B, and the left cylinder chamber 39b of the rack cylinder 39 moves to the port A of the PS valve 31.
And the communication with the reservoir 36 via the port T,
An assist force to the left is generated in the piston 39a of the rack cylinder 39.

Next, when the key plane system operates, the switching valve 33 and the cut valves 34, 34 are excited, and the oil passage for supplying the hydraulic oil from the pump 36 becomes P.
While being switched from the S valve 31 side to the control valve 32 side, the left and right cylinder chambers 39b of the rack cylinder 39,
The oil passage between 39c and the PS valve 31 is shut off.

From the control unit 4 to the control valve 3
2 does not occur, the control valve 32
Is in a neutral position without being excited, and all the ports P, T, A, B of the control valve 32 are closed, so that the left and right cylinder chambers 39b, 39c of the rack cylinder 39 are
Since neither the oil passage on the oil pump 36 side nor the oil passage on the reservoir 37 side is connected, the left and right cylinder chambers 39
The hydraulic pressure in b and 39c is maintained. When an output is generated from the control unit 4 to the control valve 32, the control valve 3 has a direction and a movement amount according to the output.
When the valve element 2 moves, the control unit 4 performs automatic steering.

When the driver performs a steering operation during the execution of the automatic steering, the control unit 4 determines whether the steering operation is in the safe direction or the dangerous direction, and the steering operation is performed. When it is determined that the operation direction is the dangerous direction, the intervention of the automatic steering system is continued, but when it is determined that the operation direction is the safe direction, the control valve 32, the switching valve 33, and the cut valves 34, 34. Are all in the non-excited state (state in FIG. 5) to end the intervention of the automatic steering system.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the key plane system intervention end determination routine.

In this key plane system intervention end determination routine, the deviation (future deviation) b ₁ from the virtual line 27 parallel to the guide line 21 passing through the target position D predicted at the front point P ₁ of the vehicle 20 and The current deviation b ₂ is compared with the predetermined distance b, and when the future deviation b ₁ and the current deviation b ₂ are both smaller than the predetermined distance b, the vehicle 20 re-departs from the traveling lane 22 after the completion of the key plane system intervention. It is determined that the possibility of is low.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the contents of the key plane system intervention end determination routine.

First, it is determined whether the steering operation performed by the driver during the intervention of the key plane system is a safe direction or a dangerous direction (S11). If it is in the dangerous direction (S11: NO), the side edge information is input (S12), and then the future deviation b ₁ and the current deviation b ₂ are calculated (S1).
3, S14). Next, future deviation b ₁ and present deviation b ₂
Are compared with the predetermined distance b (S15, S16), and when both the future deviation b ₁ and the current deviation b ₂ are smaller than the predetermined distance b (S15: YES, S16: YE).
S), it is determined that the key plane system intervention end condition is satisfied (S17). Also, when it is determined in S11 that the direction of the steering operation performed by the driver is the safe direction (S11, YES), it is determined that the key plane system intervention end condition is satisfied (S17), and the key plane system End the intervention.

On the other hand, when at least one of the future deviation b ₁ and the current deviation b ₂ is equal to or greater than the predetermined distance b (S
15 or S16: NO), it is determined that the key plane system intervention end condition is not satisfied (S18), and the key plane system intervention is continued.

By making such a determination, the frequency of key plane system intervention can be reduced.

Next, FIG. 8 shows a hydraulic circuit of the PS device applied to the second embodiment of the present invention.

The hydraulic circuit of FIG. 8 is provided with pressure control valves 41 and 42 composed of two relief pressure variable internal pilot type relief valves in addition to the structure of the hydraulic circuit shown in FIG. Although not described in duplicate with FIG. 5, the pressure control valves 41 and 42 are provided in oil passages respectively connected between the left and right cylinder chambers 39b and 39c of the rack cylinder 39 and the reservoir 37. There is.

When the driver performs a steering operation while the key plane system intervenes and the control unit 4 performs automatic steering, the control unit 4 determines that the steering operation is in the safe direction. If it is determined that the steering direction is the dangerous direction, and if the steering direction is the dangerous direction, the pressure control valve 41 or the pressure control valve 41 connected to the cylinder chamber on the hydraulic oil supply side is determined. The relief pressure of 42 is reduced to open the pressure control valve 41 or 42 to allow the hydraulic oil in the cylinder chamber 39b or 39c to escape to the reservoir 37 to reduce the assist force.

Therefore, the torque required for the steering operation increases, and the steering operation becomes difficult.
It is possible to regulate the intervention of the steering operation in the dangerous direction by the driver.

On the other hand, when the control unit 4 determines that the steering operation by the driver is in the safe direction, the pressure control valves 41 and 42 are kept at a predetermined relief pressure of the pressure control valve 41 or 42. It is closed to increase the assist force and facilitate the steering operation by the driver.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing the contents of the control routine in this case.

S21 to S24 of FIG. 9 are S1 to S of FIG.
4 is the same as that of FIG. 4 and the side edge information of the traveling lane 22 such as the guide line 21 is input (S21), and then the target position D is set to
It is calculated from the illustrated map as a function of the distance d from the current position of 0 to the guide line 21 (S22). As is clear from this map, when the distance d is small, the target position D is set to D = D _1, and when the distance d is large, the target position D is D = D _2. Is set to. That is, the correction steering amount at the time of automatic steering is made as small as possible so that a large lateral G is not applied to the occupant.

Next, the target position D of the front point P ₁
Is calculated (S23), the steering angle θ _H is determined from the map shown in the drawing in accordance with this deviation a (S24), and it is determined whether or not steering has been performed by the driver (S25).
Next, when steering by the driver is not performed (S2
5: NO), the predetermined relief pressure of the pressure control valve 41 or 42 is held to keep the pressure control valve 41 or 42 closed (S27), and steering control is performed (S28).

On the other hand, when the driver performs steering (S25: YES), it is determined whether the steering direction is the safe direction (S26). If the steering direction is the safe direction, the pressure control valve 41 or 42 is closed. It is left as it is (S27), and steering control is performed (S28).

On the other hand, when it is determined that the driver's steering direction is the dangerous direction, the pressure control valve 4
The relief pressure of 1 or 42 is reduced to open the pressure control valve 41 or 42 (S29) to reduce the assist force, thereby increasing the torque required for the steering operation and making the steering operation difficult.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of a vehicle safety device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a vehicle equipped with the safety device of FIG. 1 and a road on which the vehicle travels.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a key plane system operation routine.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a key plane system operation routine.

FIG. 5 is a hydraulic circuit of the power steering device applied to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a key plane system intervention end determination routine.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a key plane system intervention end determination routine when the hydraulic circuit of FIG. 5 is applied.

FIG. 8 is a hydraulic circuit of the power steering device applied to the second embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a flowchart showing an example of a key plane system operation routine when the hydraulic circuit of FIG. 8 is applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Camera 2 Signal Processing Unit 3 Calculation Unit 4 Control Unit 5 Steering Actuator Unit 6 Alarm Buzzer 7 Vehicle Speed Sensor 8 Steering Angle Sensor 9 Direction Indicator 10 Torque Sensor 20 Vehicle 31 PS Valve 32 Control Valve 33 Switching Valve 34 Cut Valve 39 Rack Cylinder

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification number Reference number in the agency FI technical display location // B62D 101: 00 113: 00 137: 00 (72) Inventor Nobuhiro Tokichi Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture 3-1, Shinchi, Machida Mazda Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor, Tomohiko Adachi 3-1, Shinchi, Fuchu-cho, Aki-gun, Hiroshima Prefecture Mazda Co., Ltd.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A safety device for a vehicle, wherein, when a dangerous state during traveling is detected, an automatic steering system for automatically making a correction steering temporarily intervenes to avoid the dangerous state. When the steering operation is performed by the driver during the intervention of the system, means for determining whether the operation direction of the steering operation is a safe direction or a dangerous direction, and the determining means determines the operation direction of the steering operation. Means for terminating the intervention of the automatic steering system when it is determined to be in the safe direction, and continuing the intervention of the automatic steering system when it is determined to be in the dangerous direction. A vehicle safety device characterized by: 2. The intervention of the automatic steering system is performed when the vehicle departs from or is about to depart from a traveling lane in which the vehicle is currently traveling.
The vehicle safety device described. 3. A safety device for a vehicle, wherein, when a dangerous state during traveling is detected, an automatic steering system for automatically making a correction steering temporarily intervenes to avoid the dangerous state. When the steering operation is performed by the driver during the intervention of the system, means for determining whether the operation direction of the steering operation is a safe direction or a dangerous direction, and the determining means determines the operation direction of the steering operation. A vehicle safety device comprising: means for increasing a torque required for steering operation when it is determined that the vehicle is in a dangerous direction. 4. The intervention of the automatic steering system is performed when the vehicle departs from or is about to depart from a traveling lane in which the vehicle is currently traveling.
The vehicle safety device described.