JPH10309960A - Automatic traveling vehicle control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To stably keep the traveling state by gradually judging whether the operating state of a driver is out of a standard state or not when the ratio of contribution of traveling control in automatic traveling mode is gradually reduced to transfer the mode to manual traveling mode, and prohibiting the transfer when it is judged that the state is out. SOLUTION: To a control unit 10 are proposed detection information from a sensor group 100 and information related to traveling state from a navigation system 20, and in automatic traveling mode, the traveling state or the outer environmental state is confirmed on the basis of the information to control the traveling. When a driver operates a mode change-over switch 11, and it is judged that the external environmental state of a vehicle is a state suitable for monitoring the propriety of transfer to manual traveling mode, the ratio of contribution of traveling control in automatic traveling mode to vehicle traveling is gradually reduced to increase the ratio of contribution of the manual operation by driver. On the other hand, when the operating quantity exceeds a standard range, the transfer to manual traveling mode is prohibited.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic traveling vehicle control apparatus, and more particularly, to an automatic traveling vehicle control apparatus, in which the vehicle traveling control is performed based on the recognition result of the traveling state of the vehicle and the situation of the outside of the vehicle. The present invention relates to an automatic traveling vehicle control device configured to switch to a traveling state in manual driving by operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a running state of a vehicle (vehicle speed, posture, etc.).
And the external environment of the vehicle (running lane conditions, distance between vehicles, etc.)
Is recognized based on detection information from various sensors or information provided from an infrastructure installed on a road, and the running control (steering control, drive control, braking control, and the like) of the vehicle is performed based on the recognition result. Various automatic traveling vehicles have been proposed. In such an automatic traveling vehicle, the traveling state is not always the state of the automatic driving but the manual driving by the driver's operation (steering operation, accelerator pedal operation, brake pedal operation, etc.) according to the driver's request. It is necessary to return to.

[0003] As described above, as an automatic traveling vehicle capable of returning to a traveling state in manual driving, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 64-46111 and 3-282712 have been known.
Has been proposed. In the former automatic traveling vehicle, when a predetermined changeover switch is operated during traveling in the automatic traveling mode in which traveling control is performed based on the recognition result of the traveling state of the vehicle and the situation of the outside of the vehicle, this automatic traveling mode Is switched to the manual driving mode by the operation of the driver.

[0004] In such an automatic traveling vehicle, although the driver's intention to shift to the manual traveling mode can be confirmed by operating the changeover switch, the driver can be quickly switched from the automatic traveling mode to the manual traveling mode. Must immediately perform a manual operation to stably maintain the running state immediately before the mode change. Therefore, the mental and physical burden on the driver when switching from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode increases.

In order to reduce the burden on the driver when switching to the manual driving mode, in the latter automatic driving vehicle, a steering actuator that is automatically controlled when switching from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode is used. The steering torque from is slowly reduced. Since the transition from the automatic steering control to the manual steering operation is gradually performed by such control of the steering torque at the time of switching the driving mode, the driver is required to maintain a stable driving state when switching the driving mode. Can be performed with a margin.

[0006]

However, even if the mode gradually shifts from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode, the driving state can be stabilized depending on the driving skill of the driver or the road conditions on which the vehicle runs. It may be difficult to keep it properly. In such a case, leaving the driving operation completely to the driver (complete transition to the manual driving mode)
The driver will have to bear an extra burden.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a driving operation for a self-propelled vehicle only when the driver can stably maintain the driving state when gradually shifting from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode. Is to provide a self-driving vehicle control device that can completely entrust the driver to the vehicle.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to the present invention, by operating a mode switching means, a recognition result of a running state of a vehicle and a situation of a vehicle external environment is obtained. In an automatic traveling vehicle control device configured to switch from an automatic traveling mode in which vehicle traveling control is performed based on a vehicle driving control to a manual traveling mode in which vehicle traveling is performed by a driver's driving operation, when a mode switching operation is performed, an automatic Mode transition control means for gradually reducing the contribution ratio of the vehicle traveling control in the traveling mode to transition from the automatic traveling mode to the manual traveling mode, an operation state detecting means for detecting the state of the driving operation of the driver, When shifting from the driving mode to the manual driving mode, the state of the driving operation of the driver detected by the operation state detecting means is changed from a predetermined reference state. Determining means for determining whether or not the driving operation has been performed, and mode switching prohibiting means for prohibiting shifting to the manual driving mode when the determining means determines that the state of the driving operation of the driver has deviated from a predetermined state. It is configured as follows.

In such an automatic traveling vehicle control device, when the driver operates the mode switching means in a state where the traveling control is performed in the automatic traveling mode, the mode transition means causes the automatic traveling mode for the vehicle traveling in the automatic traveling mode. Is gradually reduced. Then, the rate at which the driver's driving operation contributes to the vehicle traveling gradually increases. In such a situation, when the state of the driving operation of the driver deviates from the predetermined reference state, the transition from the automatic traveling mode to the manual traveling mode is prohibited. As a result, the traveling control in the automatic traveling mode is continued.

In the process of shifting from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode, if the driving operation of the driver does not deviate from a predetermined reference state, a complete transition to the manual driving mode is performed, and the vehicle is driven by the driver. The vehicle travels according to the driving operation of. In such an automatic traveling vehicle control device, when the expected driving operation state (predetermined reference state) cannot be obtained when shifting from the automatic traveling mode to the manual traveling mode, the automatic traveling mode is switched to the manual traveling mode. Since the shift to the traveling mode is prohibited, the traveling of the vehicle is prevented from being continued in a state where the driving operation of the driver is unstable.

The state of the driving operation of the driver to be detected by the operation state detecting means may be either an operation amount of a part to be operated (a steering, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, etc.) or an operation force. A predetermined reference state (reference operation amount, reference operation force, etc.) used by the determination means is determined according to the state of the driving operation to be detected. The driving operation of the vehicle is affected by various conditions such as the state of the road and the skill of the driver. As described above, the present invention is described in claim 2 from the viewpoint that it is possible to appropriately determine whether the shift from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode is possible even if the driving operation is affected by various situations. As described above, the automatic traveling vehicle control device as described above further includes a reference change unit that changes a predetermined reference state used by the determination unit according to a situation that affects the driving operation. be able to.

In such an automatic traveling control device, in a situation where a more accurate driving operation is required, the reference state is changed so that the range of the reference state as a reference of the allowable driving operation becomes narrower. Can be. On the other hand, especially in a situation where an accurate driving operation is not required or in a situation where it is difficult to perform a driving operation with high accuracy (a situation where disturbance to the driving operation is expected), the reference state can be changed to be wider. .

The situation affecting the driving operation includes the situation outside the vehicle, the situation caused by the driver, and the situation caused by the vehicle. The situation of the outside of the vehicle may include road width, lane width, road maintenance, presence or absence of a partition from an oncoming lane, curvature of a road, road surface, and the like. Skills and habits (characteristics of driving operation), the degree of familiarity with the vehicle traveling state in the automatic traveling mode, and the like can be considered. In addition, the motion characteristics of the vehicle (the characteristics of a sporty vehicle, the characteristics of a normal passenger car, etc.) are attributed to the vehicle.
And so on.

In particular, when the reference state is changed based on the situation of the outside of the vehicle, the automatic traveling vehicle control device according to the present invention further includes a condition of a road on which the vehicle travels. And a reference condition changing unit configured to change the reference state according to the road condition acquired by the road condition acquiring unit.

The road condition obtaining means can be constituted by, for example, a receiving device for receiving information on road conditions provided from the infrastructure and various sensors. Further, the road condition acquisition means may be configured to include a navigation system that provides information on a road at a traveling position of the vehicle, as described in claim 4.

In this case, the road width, the lane width, the presence or absence of a partition from the oncoming lane, and the like are estimated from the type of road (expressway, national road, prefectural road, etc.) at the traveling position provided by the navigation system. Can be. Similarly, the maintenance status of the road can be estimated from the provided road standard, grade, and the like. Further, the curvature of the road can be acquired from the shape of the road at the traveling position provided by the navigation system.

When the reference state is changed based on the driving skill or habit (characteristics of driving operation) of the driver, the present invention provides
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is further provided an operation characteristic acquisition unit for acquiring a characteristic of a driver's driving operation in the manual driving mode, wherein the reference change unit is acquired by the operation characteristic acquisition unit. The reference state can be changed according to the characteristics of the driving operation.

From the viewpoint that it is possible to immediately determine that the state of the driving operation of the driver deviates from a predetermined reference state, the present invention provides the above-described operation state detecting means, And an operation amount detecting means for detecting an operation amount of the predetermined operation portion by the driver, and the determining means performs the operation control in the automatic traveling mode with the operation amount detected by the operation amount detecting means. Deviation calculating means for calculating a deviation from the target manipulated variable; and when the deviation calculated by the deviation calculating means exceeds a predetermined value, it is determined that the state of the driving operation of the driver has deviated from a predetermined reference state. Means.

In such an automatic traveling vehicle control device, when the deviation between the operation amount of the predetermined operation portion of the vehicle and the target operation amount when the traveling control is performed in the automatic traveling mode exceeds a predetermined value, the control state is immediately changed from the reference state. It is determined that the vehicle has deviated, and the shift from the automatic traveling mode to the manual traveling mode is prohibited. The predetermined operation part of the vehicle can be arbitrarily selected such as a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, and a brake pedal. Further, in this case, it is preferable that the predetermined value indicating the reference state is set to a value that is allowed at the maximum.

Further, in view of the fact that it is possible to determine that the state of the driving operation has deviated from the reference state when the driving operation has been unstable to some extent, the present invention provides the above-mentioned operation. The state detection means has an operation amount detection means for detecting an operation amount of a predetermined operation part of the vehicle by a driver, and the determination means is configured to travel in an automatic traveling mode with the operation amount detected by the operation amount detection means. Deviation calculating means for continuously calculating a deviation from a target manipulated variable at the time of control at a predetermined timing; and the number of times the deviation calculated by the deviation calculating means exceeds a predetermined value has become a predetermined number or more. Means for determining that the state of the driving operation of the driver has deviated from a predetermined reference state.

In such an automatic traveling vehicle control apparatus, when the deviation between the operation amount of the predetermined operation portion of the vehicle and the target operation amount when the traveling control is performed in the automatic traveling mode exceeds the predetermined value, the number of times that the deviation exceeds the predetermined value is equal to or more than the predetermined number. When this happens, it is determined that the state of the driving operation has deviated from the reference state, and the transition from the automatic traveling mode to the manual traveling mode is prohibited. It is preferable that the predetermined value representing the standard of the deviation is set to a normal upper limit value of the deviation. The allowable number of times (the predetermined number of times) the deviation exceeds a predetermined value is determined experimentally, for example.

Further, from the viewpoint that it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the state of the driving operation has deviated from the reference state even in a situation in which the driving operation does not need to be performed, such as running on a straight road, the present invention. As described in claim 8, a driving situation determination for determining whether or not the driver does not need to perform a driving operation of a predetermined amount or more during the transition from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode. Means and a control target value of the travel control in the automatic travel mode significantly disturb the course of the vehicle when the drive situation determination means determines that the drive operation does not need to be performed by a predetermined amount or more. It can be configured to include a disturbance adding unit that superimposes a disturbance of an insignificant degree, and a reference changing unit that changes a reference state used by the determining unit based on the disturbance added by the disturbance adding unit.

In such an automatic traveling vehicle control device, it is determined that, for example, when the vehicle travels on a straight road, almost no steering operation is required (always at the neutral position). Then, a disturbance that does not significantly disturb the course of the vehicle is superimposed on the control target value of the traveling control in the automatic traveling mode. When shifting from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode in such a state, a normal driver should perform a driving operation (steering operation) so as to cancel the disturbance. Therefore, by changing the reference state used by the determination unit based on the disturbance, it is possible to determine whether or not a driving operation that cancels the disturbance is performed.

If it is determined that the driving operation for canceling the disturbance is not performed, it is determined that the driving operation state of the driver has deviated from the reference state, and the shift from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode is prohibited. Is done.

[0025]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an automatic traveling vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention.
1, a control unit 10 includes a sensor group 100.
, And information on the traveling position from the navigation system 20. Sensor group 10
0 is a vehicle speed sensor for detecting the vehicle speed, the state of the path of the vehicle (inter-vehicle distance, position in the driving lane, road state, etc.)
Path sensor for detecting the vehicle speed, a yaw rate sensor for detecting the yaw rate of the vehicle, a vertical G sensor for detecting the vertical G (acceleration) of the vehicle, a suspension stroke sensor for detecting the stroke of the suspension, and the like. Contains. Navigation system 20
Has a GPS (Global Posisioning System) receiver 2
1 is connected. The navigation system 20 calculates the traveling position based on the signal received by the GPS receiver 21 and provides the traveling position to the control unit 10 together with the road map information.

In the automatic driving mode, the control unit 10 recognizes the running state of the vehicle and the state of the outside of the vehicle based on the detection signal from the sensor group 100 and the information from the navigation system 20, and based on the recognition result. The running control of the vehicle is performed. Specifically, control of the braking system 30 (braking pressure control), control of the drive system 40 (accelerator control), and control of the steering system 50 (steering control) are performed.

For example, the steering system 50 includes an actuator E
It has a CU 51, a torque sensor 52 for detecting an operation torque Tr of the steering 54, and a wheel steering mechanism 53. The wheel steering mechanism 53 is connected to a steering wheel 54 and performs wheel steering so as to have a steering angle corresponding to the operation of the steering wheel 54. Also, this wheel steering mechanism 53
An automatic steering motor driven by a drive signal Sv from the actuator ECU 51 is built in, and wheel steering can be performed regardless of the operation of the steering 54 in the automatic traveling mode. The wheel steering mechanism 53 further incorporates a steering angle sensor for detecting a steering angle, and a detection signal (detected steering angle) θ from the steering angle sensor.
Is provided to the actuator ECU 51.

The actuator ECU 51 performs drive control (Sv) of the automatic steering motor based on the control signal from the control unit 10 and the detection signal θ from the steering angle sensor so that the vehicle travels in the travel lane. Control unit 1
To 0, a mode change switch 11, a forced manual shift switch 12, and a manual shift cancel switch 13 are further connected. In the automatic driving mode described above, when the mode changeover switch 11 is operated, the control unit 10
Performs the transition control from the automatic traveling mode to the manual traveling mode in which the vehicle travels by the driving operation of the driver while checking the situation of the driving operation of the driver. Although the details of the control for shifting to the manual traveling mode will be described later, basically, the contribution ratio of the vehicle traveling control in the automatic traveling mode to the vehicle traveling is gradually reduced.

When the forced manual shift switch 12 is operated, the control unit 10 performs control for forcibly shifting to the manual driving mode without confirming the state of the driving operation of the driver. If the manual shift release switch 13 is operated during the shift from the automatic running mode to the manual running mode, the control unit 10 interrupts the control for shifting to the manual running mode and returns to the automatic running mode. Let it.

The control unit 10 controls the transition from the automatic traveling mode to the manual traveling mode according to the procedure shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, in the automatic driving mode, the control unit 10 operates the mode change switch 11 while acquiring the driving state of the vehicle, the road condition, and the like from the detection information from the sensor group 100 and the position information from the navigation system 20. It is determined whether or not it has been performed (S1,
S2, S3). In this state, the mode switch 1
When 1 is operated, the control unit 10 initializes various parameters (used in the process of monitoring whether or not to shift to the manual driving mode) as described below (S4). Then, the control unit 10 further determines whether or not the state of the external environment of the vehicle acquired from the information from the sensor group 100 and the navigation system 20 is a state suitable for monitoring whether or not the transition to the manual driving mode is possible ( S50).

For example, when the straight road continues for a long time, the steering operation does not need to be performed substantially (maintained at the neutral position). In such a situation, it cannot be determined from the state of the steering operation performed by the driver whether or not the steering operation can be completely left to the driver. That is, such a state where the straight road continues for a long time is not a state suitable for monitoring whether or not the shift to the manual driving mode is possible. Step S50
Is a process for determining whether or not the state of the vehicle external world is in a state suitable for monitoring whether or not the transition from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode is possible,
The details will be described later.

When it is determined that the state of the external environment of the vehicle is a state suitable for monitoring whether or not the shift to the manual driving mode is possible (S50, OK), the control unit 10 causes the control unit 10 to shift to the manual driving mode. The process starts (S6). In the process for shifting from the automatic traveling mode to the manual traveling mode, as shown in FIG. 4, the ratio Q1 (%) of the traveling control in the automatic traveling mode to the vehicle traveling is gradually reduced. As a result of gradually reducing the ratio Q1 that contributes to the traveling control in the automatic traveling mode, the ratio Q2 (%) that the manual operation of the driver contributes to the vehicle traveling gradually increases. At the start of the transition (t0), the proportion Q1 of the contribution of the traveling control in the automatic traveling mode is 100%, and the proportion Q2 of the contribution of the manual operation of the driver is 0%. At the time of completion (t1), the ratio Q1 of the contribution of the traveling control in the automatic traveling mode is 0%, and the ratio Q2 of the contribution of the manual operation of the driver is 100%.

In order to realize the transition from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode in the above-mentioned mode, the control unit 10 sets the automatic control gain G for the braking system 30, the driving system 40 and the steering system 50 to the above-mentioned automatic control gain G. It is reduced according to the characteristic of the ratio Q1 that contributes to the traveling control in the traveling mode.
That is, the reduction amount ΔG of the automatic control gain G is determined according to the characteristic Q1 (S7), and the reduction amount ΔG is subtracted from the automatic control gain G (S8) to determine the final automatic control gain G. When the automatic control gain G is determined, a control signal having a level corresponding to the automatic control gain G is output to the braking system 3.
0, and is supplied to the drive system 40 and the steering system 50.

Then, after performing the monitoring process (S90) for determining whether or not the shift to the manual driving mode is possible, the control unit 10
It is determined whether or not the automatic control gain G has reached a predetermined threshold G _th (usually a value close to zero) (S10). Control unit 10, to automatic control gain G reaches the threshold G _th, while performing monitoring process shift enable to manual driving mode as described above the (S90), the process of reducing the automatic control gain G (S7, S8 )repeat.

When the automatic control gain G gradually decreases as described above, the ratio Q1 of the contribution of the traveling control to the vehicle traveling in the automatic traveling mode gradually decreases, while the ratio of the contribution of the manual operation to the vehicle traveling. Q2 gradually increases.
When the automatic control gain G reaches the threshold _Gth (S1
0, YES), the mode is completely shifted to the manual driving mode (S
11). Thereafter, the driver drives the vehicle by his / her own driving operation (steering operation, accelerator pedal operation, brake pedal operation). Thereafter, the values of the final parameters used in the process of monitoring whether or not the shift to the manual driving mode is possible (S90) are stored (registered) in the memory of the control unit 10 (S12).

The monitoring process (S90) for determining whether the mode can be shifted to the manual driving mode is performed, for example, according to the procedure shown in FIG. In FIG. 3, vehicle travel information from the sensor group 100 and the navigation system 20, information indicating the state of the vehicle external environment, and information regarding operation disturbance as described later are acquired (S91). Then, based on the obtained information, each parameter X _ov , X _th , N _th , F _min ,
The value of _Fmax is calculated and set (S92). Each of these parameters represents a reference value (reference state) of the driving operation permitted by the driver.

[0037] Specifically, the parameter X _ov represents the permissible maximum deviation between the automatic control target operation amount X _d and the actual operation amount X _m of the driver, the parameter X _th, the automatic control in a normal operation state Target manipulated variable _Xd and driver's actual manipulated variable X
Indicates the upper limit of the deviation from _m (normal value determination threshold). Also,
The parameter N _th indicates a threshold (manual shift threshold) of the allowable number of operations that exceeds the normal determination threshold X _th . Furthermore, the parameter F _min and F _max is the automatic control target manipulated variable (expected value) F _d and the actual operating force allowable minimum value of the difference between F _m of the driver (the operation force allowable minimum deviation) and the allowable maximum value ( Operating force allowable maximum deviation).

As described above, the values of the parameters serving as the reference for the normal driving operation are set for each operating portion (steering, brake pedal, accelerator pedal, etc.).
Hereinafter, the procedure of the monitoring process for determining whether or not the shift to the manual driving mode is possible will be described using the steering operation as an example. It should be noted that the monitoring process of whether or not to shift to the manual driving mode can be performed for other operation parts (the brake pedal, the accelerator pedal, and the like) in substantially the same procedure.

Control target steering angle X in automatic driving mode_dWhen
Detected steering angle X from steering angle sensor_m| X_d-X
_mIs calculated, and the deviation is the maximum allowable steering angle deviation X_ovLess than
It is determined whether it is below (S93). This deviation is
Steering angle maximum allowable deviation X_ovIf it is below (S93,
NO), the deviation | X_d-X_m| Is the steering angle normal value judgment threshold
Value X_thIs determined (S94).
Here, the deviation is a steering angle normal value determination threshold X._thBelow
(S94, NO), the control in the automatic driving mode
Target steering torque F_dAnd the detection operation from the torque sensor 52
Rudder torque F_m(Tr) deviation | F_d-F_mIs calculated
This deviation is the minimum allowable steering torque value F _minSteering above
Torque allowable maximum value F_maxIt is determined whether it is in the following range
Is performed (S95).

Here, the deviation is the allowable minimum value F._minthat's all
Is the maximum allowable value F_maxIf it is in the following range (S95, YE
S), if the driver's steering operation is in an appropriate range
To switch from automatic driving mode to manual driving mode
Is continued (S7, S8, S10 in FIG. 2).
As described above, monitoring whether the shift to the manual driving mode is possible
At the same time, the process of shifting to the manual mode is performed (S
7, S8, S90, S10)
And the steering angle X_m(Θ) and automatic control target operation
Rudder angle X_dIs the maximum allowable steering angle deviation X._ovBeyond
Or the steering torque F of the steering wheel_mWhen
Automatic control target steering torque F_d(Tr)
Small deviation F _minAbove is the allowable maximum deviation F_maxFrom the following range
If not, the driver's steering operation is not appropriate
As a result, the shift to the manual driving mode is prohibited (see FIG. 2).
S90, NG).

[0041] That is, as the travel control contributes ratio Q1 of the vehicle traveling in the automatic traveling mode is 100%, the automatic control gain G is returned to the maximum value G _max (S13).
Then, the final parameters X _ov , X _th , N _th , and F set in the monitoring process of whether or not the shift to the manual driving mode is possible.
The values of _min and _Fmax are registered in the control unit 10 (S
14) The traveling control in the automatic traveling mode is performed.

When the deviation between the steering angle X _m (θ) of the steering and the automatic control target steering angle X _d is equal to or less than the maximum allowable steering angle deviation X _{ov and is} equal to or greater than the normal steering value determination threshold value X _th , count value N _x of the counter is incremented by +1 (S96 in FIG. 3). Then, whether the count value N _x is equal to or larger than a manual migration threshold N _th is determined (S97). Thus, for each deviation between the steering angle X _m and the target steering angle X _d of the actual steering is the range _{(X ov ≦ X d -X m} ≦ X th), the count value N _x is incremented And the count value N _x
Is greater than or _equal to the manual shift threshold N _th (S97, YES),
Assuming that the driver's steering operation is unstable, the shift to the manual driving mode is prohibited (S9 in FIG. 2).
0, NG).

In the monitoring process (S90) for determining whether or not the shift to the manual driving mode as described above, the contribution of the driver's driving operation to the vehicle running gradually increases, as shown in FIG.
As shown in (1), when the driving operation amount is within a predetermined range (between _Xd + _Xov and _{Xd- Xov} ) around the automatic control target operation amount _Xd (C1), the driving of the driver is performed. Assuming that the operation is proper, the mode is completely shifted to the manual driving mode. on the other hand,
When the driving operation amount exceeds the above range (between _Xd + _Xov and _{Xd- Xov} ) (C2), it is determined that the driving operation of the driver is not appropriate and the shift to the manual driving mode is immediately prohibited.

When the driving operation amount of the driver is within the above range (X
_d+ X_ovAnd X_d-X_ovBetween) and
Is also the automatic control target value X_dA smaller area (X
_d+ X _thAnd X_d-X_thBetween the specified number of times)
Number N_thIf you exceed the
The transition to the dynamic running mode is prohibited. Therefore, the driver
A situation where the driving operation can stably maintain the running state of the vehicle
Only when is the driving operation from the autonomous driving mode
The mode is shifted to the manual traveling mode left to the driver.

It is to be noted that a driving operation which is determined to be normal.
Range of production (X_d+ X_ovAnd X_d-X _ovBetween) is this
It is not limited to. For example, when monitoring the steering angle,
Consider the safety of each tolerance of the cutting side and return side of tearing.
It can also be made to differ. In this case, it is determined to be normal
The range of the operation amount to be controlled is the control target value X_dFor
For example, X_d+ X_ov1And X_d-X_ov2(X_ov1<
X_ov2).

In the monitoring process (S90) of whether or not the shift to the manual driving mode is repeated in the process of gradually reducing the automatic control gain G (the process of shifting to the manual driving mode), the appropriateness of the driving operation of the driver is determined. Parameters X _ov , X _th , N _th , F _min , F
_{The max} is determined, for example, as follows (the processing in steps S91 and S92 in FIG. 3).

When the road width and lane width of the road on which the vehicle runs are narrow, high running accuracy is required. Therefore, each of the above parameters representing the allowable range of the driving operation is set to a relatively small value (the reference state is relatively narrow). ) Is set. If the road maintenance condition (road surface condition) is poor, the disturbance applied to the driving operation increases, so that the parameters X _th and N _th are set to relatively large values (the reference condition is relatively wide). Further, when there is a partition wall with the oncoming lane, the possibility of departure to the oncoming lane is reduced, so that each of the above parameters can be set to a larger value than when there is no partition wall. Furthermore, when the curvature of the road is large, disturbance to the driving operation is likely to be added, and thus the parameters X _th and N _th are set to relatively large values.

The above-mentioned road width and lane width can be estimated from information such as expressways, national roads and prefectural roads provided from the navigation system 20. Similarly, the maintenance status of the road can be estimated from the provided road standard, grade, and the like. This road maintenance condition (roughness of the road surface) can also be directly detected based on detection signals from the vertical G sensor and the suspension stroke sensor. Furthermore, the presence or absence of a partition wall with an oncoming lane can be estimated from the classification of expressways, national roads, prefectural roads, standards, grades, and the like provided by the navigation system 20.
It is also possible to determine the curvature of the road from the road map information from.

During traveling in the manual traveling mode, the driving skill and habit of the driver can be determined based on the deviation between the control target operation amount in the automatic traveling mode and the actual driving operation amount, and the like. Then, the value of each parameter representing the allowable range of the driving operation can be determined based on the driving skill and habit of the driver. Each parameter corresponding to this driver is stored in a memory (writable ROM (EEP
ROM) etc.). At the time of transition from the automatic traveling mode to the manual traveling mode, the driver is specified from the information such as the seat position, the parameters are read out from the memory, and the process of monitoring whether or not the transition to the manual operation mode is possible (S9)
0).

When the driving state in the automatic driving mode continues for a long time, it is necessary for the driver to become accustomed to the manual driving. Therefore, in the initial stage of shifting from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode, the parameter X _th, N _th like at a relatively large value (reference state representing the allowable range of driving operation is relatively wide) is set. Furthermore, depending on the type of vehicle,
For example, the motion characteristics such as the relationship between the steering angle and the yaw rate are different. In this case, the parameters X _th and X _ov are set to relatively small values (the reference state _indicating the allowable range of the driving operation is set to be narrower) as the vehicle has a dynamic characteristic in which the change in the yaw rate is larger than the change in the steering angle.

The values of the final parameters registered in steps S12 and S14 are used, for example, as initial values of the respective parameters in the next transition process from the automatic traveling mode to the manual traveling mode. Further, the threshold value G _th of the automatic control gain, which is the final condition for completely shifting to the manual traveling mode, is inversely proportional to the magnitude of the required operating force (range from F _min to F _max ) of each operating part. Determined according to a proportional relationship. This is because if the required operation force is large and the threshold _Gth is large, the change in the operation force is large when switching to the manual traveling mode, which may cause confusion in the driving operation.

For example, the mode is completely shifted to the manual driving mode.
Threshold value G, which is the final condition for _thTo an appropriate value (large
Value when switching to the manual driving mode.
Automatic control gain G_thForce corresponding to
Wrong. Driving by feeling transmitted from the operation part at this time
Can recognize that they have switched to manual operation completely.
Wear.

The process (S50) of judging whether the monitoring of the shift to the manual driving mode is appropriate or not (S50), which is performed in the process of the above-described process (see FIG. 3), is performed, for example, according to the procedure shown in FIG. In FIG. 6, based on information from the navigation system 20, it is determined whether or not the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling is a straight road (S51). This is because the steering operation is not substantially performed on the straight road, and it is not possible to determine whether or not the driver can shift from the steering operation to the manual traveling mode.

If the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling is a straight road (S51, YES), further, a position close to the traveling direction (within a predetermined distance from the current point) based on information from the navigation system 20. It is determined whether or not there is a corner having a predetermined curvature or more (S52). If the corresponding corner exists, the process of monitoring whether or not the vehicle can be shifted to the manual driving mode until the vehicle enters the corner (S
The necessary control information is set so as to delay the start of (90) (S53). On the other hand, when there is no corner particularly at a position close to the traveling direction, the state of the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling is not suitable for the process of monitoring whether or not the shift to the manual traveling mode (S90) is possible (NG). Is determined.

If the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling is not a straight road, it is further determined whether or not the road is a downhill based on information from the navigation system 20 (S54). This means that in the case of a downhill, the vehicle may run by inertia without operating the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal, and in this case, it cannot be determined whether or not the driver can operate the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal to shift to the manual driving mode. Is attributed to

If the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling is on a downhill, it is determined based on the inclination of the downhill whether an operation of a brake pedal or an accelerator pedal can be expected to exceed a certain level (S55). ). If the operation of the brake pedal or the accelerator pedal cannot be expected to exceed a certain value on the downhill where the vehicle is currently traveling, further, a position close to the traveling direction (within a predetermined distance from the current point) based on information from the navigation system 20. It is determined whether there is a change in the road inclination at which the operation of the brake pedal or the accelerator pedal can be expected to exceed a certain value (S56). If there is a corresponding change in the road inclination, the control information necessary for delaying the start of the monitoring process (S90) for determining whether or not the vehicle can be shifted to the manual driving mode until the vehicle enters the point of the road inclination is set. Is performed (S57).

On the other hand, when there is no point of the road inclination corresponding to a position close to the traveling direction, the condition of the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling is monitored to determine whether or not the vehicle can be shifted to the manual traveling mode (S90). (NG) that is not suitable for. In the above processing, when it is determined that the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling is not a straight road and is not a downhill,
If there is a corner near the front even on a straight road,
If a predetermined accelerator pedal or brake pedal operation is expected even on a downhill, and if there is a change in the inclination near which the brake pedal or accelerator pedal operation can be expected near the front, the aforementioned manual operation is performed. A monitoring process (S90) for determining whether the mode can be shifted to the traveling mode is executed.

In this example, in principle, when the vehicle is not on a straight road and is not on a downhill (S51, S54, No)
Although it is determined that the monitoring process (S90) is to be executed, the criterion for determining whether the monitoring process is appropriate is not limited to this. For example, whether or not to shift to the manual mode based on the driver's driving operation in any one of the conditions (other than the straight road and the downhill) even if the condition is either the straight road or not the downhill. Can be determined (it can be determined that the monitoring process (S90) can be executed).

On the other hand, the process of monitoring whether or not the state of the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling can shift to the manual traveling mode is performed (S9).
0) (S50, N)
G), a manual forced transition process (S150) is performed (FIG. 2)
reference). This manual forced transition processing (S150) is performed, for example, according to the procedure shown in FIG. In FIG.
First, an announcement (voice) for confirming the shift to the manual driving mode, for example, an announcement "When shifting to the manual driving, operate the forced manual shift switch 12" is performed (S151). After this announcement is made, it is determined whether or not the forced manual shift switch 12 is operated within a predetermined time (S152).

Here, when the driver operates the forced manual switch 12, the control unit 10 determines that the driver's desire to shift to the manual driving mode is finally confirmed, and executes the processing for shifting to the manual driving mode. The process starts (S153). The shift processing to the manual driving mode is performed in the same manner as the above-described processing (S7, S8, S10 in FIG. 2).
Is determined according to the characteristic Q1 shown in FIG. 4 (S154), and the reduced automatic control gain G is obtained by subtracting the reduced amount ΔG from the automatic control gain G (S155). The automatic control gain G while confirming whether stand Do to or less than a predetermined threshold value G _th (S156), the processing of subtraction decisions and decrease ΔG decrease amount ΔG is repeated. As a result, the automatic control gain G in the automatic traveling mode is gradually reduced (the ratio of the traveling control in the automatic mode is reduced), and the vehicle is gradually shifted to the manual traveling mode in which the traveling of the vehicle is performed based on the manual operation.

[0061] When the automatic control gain G to be reduced less than or equal to a certain threshold G _th, it can be completely shift to manual driving mode (S157). After that, the driver's driving operation (steering operation, brake pedal operation, accelerator pedal operation, etc.)
Is performed based on the vehicle. On the other hand, if the operation of the forced manual shift switch 12 is not performed after the announcement for confirming the shift to the manual driving mode (S152, NO), the control unit 10 controls the braking system 3
0, a disturbance signal is superimposed on a control signal for the drive system 40 and the steering system 50. This disturbance signal generates a disturbance that does not significantly disturb the running state of the vehicle in each of the systems 30, 40 and 5.
It is set to something that gives to 0. Thereafter, the process of shifting to the manual traveling mode is started (S in FIG. 2).
6).

In this case, the process of gradually decreasing the automatic control gain G is performed in the same manner as described above (S7, S7).
8). The monitoring process (S90) for determining whether or not the mode can be shifted to the manual traveling mode is performed as follows. That is, when determining each parameter representing a criterion for judging whether the driving operation is appropriate or not (S91 and S92 in FIG. 3), the amount of operation that cancels the disturbance to each system based on the disturbance signal in each parameter is determined. Add the. Thereby, to be carried out an operation amount X _m only the driver cancels the disturbance, the operation of the driver is appropriate not determined (S93, S94, S9
6, S97, etc.), shifting to the manual traveling mode is prohibited.

As described above, a disturbance signal is added to the normal control signal even when the vehicle is in a traveling state (straight road or the like) that is not suitable for monitoring whether or not the shift to the manual traveling mode is possible. By changing the criteria for driving operation,
As in the usual case, it is possible to monitor whether or not the shift to the manual traveling mode is possible. In the above example, the processing in steps S7, S8 and S10 shown in FIG. 2 corresponds to the mode shift control means, the torque sensor 52, each steering sensor and the like correspond to the operation state detecting means, and the steps shown in FIG. S93 and a series of steps S94, S96, S97,
Further, each processing in step S95 corresponds to the determination means, and the processing in step S13 shown in FIG. 2 corresponds to the mode switching prohibition means.

The processing in step S92 shown in FIG. 3 corresponds to the reference changing means. In particular, the processing in step S91 for obtaining information from the sensor group 100 and the navigation system 20 corresponds to the road condition obtaining means. I do. Further, steps S51, S52, S54, S5 shown in FIG.
5. Each process in S56 corresponds to the driving situation determining means, and the process in step S158 shown in FIG. 7 corresponds to the disturbance adding means.

[0065]

As described above, according to the present invention described in the claims, in the process of shifting from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode, the operation state of the driver is determined by a predetermined value. When the vehicle deviates from the reference state, the shift to the manual traveling mode is prohibited, so that the vehicle is prevented from continuing traveling in a state where the driving operation of the driver is unstable. As a result, it is possible to completely leave the driving operation to the driver (transition to the manual driving mode) only when the driver can stably maintain the driving state.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an automatic traveling vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of processing performed when shifting from an automatic traveling mode to a manual traveling mode.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing details of a process of monitoring whether or not to shift to a manual driving mode shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a transition of a ratio of contribution of the traveling control and the manual operation to the vehicle traveling in the automatic traveling mode in a process of shifting from the automatic traveling mode to the manual traveling mode.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state of determining whether or not a shift to a manual traveling mode is possible.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a detailed procedure of a process of determining whether or not a state suitable for monitoring whether or not a shift to the manual driving mode shown in FIG. 2 is possible;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a detailed procedure of a manual forced transition process shown in FIG. 2;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Control unit 11 Mode change switch 12 Forced manual shift switch 13 Manual shift release switch 20 Navigation system 21 GPS receiver 30 Braking system 40 Drive system 50 Steering system 51 Actuator ECU 52 Torque sensor 53 Wheel steering mechanism 54 Steering

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A manual driving mode in which a vehicle is driven by a driver's driving operation from an automatic driving mode in which a vehicle driving control is performed based on a recognition result of a driving state of a vehicle and a situation of a vehicle external environment by operating a mode switching means. In the automatic driving vehicle control device, when a mode switching operation is performed, the contribution ratio of the vehicle driving control in the automatic driving mode to the vehicle driving is gradually reduced to change from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode. Mode shift control means for shifting, operation state detecting means for detecting a state of the driver's driving operation, and a driver detected by the operation state detecting means when shifting from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode. Determining means for determining whether or not the state of the driving operation of the vehicle has deviated from a predetermined reference state; An automatic traveling vehicle control device having mode switching inhibiting means for inhibiting a shift to a manual traveling mode when it is determined that the vehicle has deviated from the state. 2. The automatic traveling vehicle control device according to claim 1, further comprising: a reference changing means for changing a predetermined reference state used by said determining means in accordance with a situation affecting a driving operation. Vehicle control device. 3. The automatic traveling vehicle control device according to claim 2, further comprising: a road condition acquiring unit for acquiring a condition of a road on which the vehicle travels; An automatic traveling vehicle control device for changing a reference state according to a road condition acquired by a means. 4. An automatic traveling vehicle control device according to claim 3, wherein said road condition obtaining means has a navigation system for providing information on a road at a traveling position of the vehicle. 5. The automatic traveling vehicle control device according to claim 2, further comprising operation characteristic acquisition means for acquiring a characteristic of a driver's driving operation in a manual traveling mode, wherein said reference changing means includes: An automatic traveling vehicle control device configured to change a reference state according to characteristics of a driving operation acquired by an acquisition unit. 6. An automatic traveling vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein said operation state detection means includes an operation amount detection means for detecting an operation amount of a predetermined operation part of the vehicle by a driver. The determination means includes: a deviation calculating means for calculating a deviation between the operation amount detected by the operation amount detecting means and a target operation amount when the traveling control is performed in the automatic traveling mode; Means for determining that the state of the driver's driving operation has deviated from a predetermined reference state when the deviation exceeds a predetermined value. 7. The automatic traveling vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the operation state detection means includes an operation amount detection means for detecting an operation amount of a predetermined operation part of the vehicle by a driver. Deviation determining means for continuously calculating, at a predetermined timing, a deviation between the operation amount detected by the operation amount detection means and a target operation amount when the traveling control is performed in the automatic traveling mode; Means for determining that the state of the driver's driving operation has deviated from a predetermined reference state when the number of times the deviation calculated by the deviation calculating means exceeds a predetermined value is equal to or more than a predetermined number of times. apparatus. 8. The automatic traveling vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the driver does not need to perform a predetermined amount or more of driving operation during the transition from the automatic traveling mode to the manual traveling mode. Driving condition determining means for determining whether a driving operation in the automatic driving mode is performed when the driving condition determining means determines that there is no need to perform a driving operation of a predetermined amount or more. An automatic traveling vehicle having a disturbance adding unit that superimposes a disturbance that does not significantly disturb the course of the vehicle, and a reference changing unit that changes a reference state used by the determination unit based on the disturbance added by the disturbance adding unit. Control device.