WO2012124103A1

WO2012124103A1 - Travel control apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2012124103A1
Application number: PCT/JP2011/056401
Authority: WO
Inventors: 淳一脇田
Original assignee: トヨタ自動車株式会社
Priority date: 2011-03-17
Filing date: 2011-03-17
Publication date: 2012-09-20

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a travel control apparatus capable of implementing automatic travel control, such as following-travel control, more easily. A vehicle travel control apparatus (1) is configured to switch between manual travel in which the vehicle travels on the basis of a driver's operation and automatic travel in which the vehicle travels by automatic control, and characterized by being provided with a shift position changing unit (12) that, when automatic travel is started, changes the shift position from an automatic travel prohibited range to an automatic travel enabled range.

Description

Travel control device

The present invention relates to a travel control device.

Conventionally, there has been known a travel control device that performs speed control to follow a preceding vehicle while keeping the distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle at a predetermined value (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

The travel control device described in Patent Document 1 includes an inter-vehicle distance detection unit, a travel control release unit, and the like, and cancels the follow-up travel control when a shift operation from the drive range to the shift speed maintenance range by the driver is detected. It is described that there may be cases.

JP 2000-203306 A

However, in the above-described travel control device, for example, in order to perform the follow-up travel control again after canceling the follow-up travel control, the driver must perform a shift operation from the shift speed maintaining range to the drive range. The operation may be complicated for the driver.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a travel control device that can easily perform automatic travel control such as follow-up travel control.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a vehicle travel control device capable of switching between manual travel that travels based on a driver's operation and automatic travel that travels by automatic control. Provided is a travel control device comprising shift position changing means for changing a shift position in an automatic travel prohibition range to an automatic travel enable range when starting.

In the travel control device of the present invention, when the driver starts the automatic travel by pressing the automatic travel start button or the like, the shift position (shift position) of the transmission in the automatic travel prohibition range is automatically ranged. Shift position changing means for changing to is provided. As a result, the driver does not need to perform the shifting operation himself and can easily start automatic traveling.

In the travel control device of the present invention, it is preferable to change the shift position in the automatic travel prohibition range to the automatic travel possible range when switching from manual travel to automatic travel. As a result, the driver does not need to perform the shift operation himself when switching from manual travel to automatic travel, and automatic travel can be easily performed.

Further, in the travel control device of the present invention, it is preferable not to perform the automatic travel control when the shift position in the automatic travel prohibition range cannot be changed to the automatic travel possible range. As a result, it is possible to prevent the automatic travel mode from entering the automatic travel mode when the shift position is not in the automatic travel enable range, and to perform automatic travel safely.

Furthermore, in the travel control device of the present invention, it is preferable not to perform automatic travel control when the shift position and the shift position operated by the driver do not match. As a result, it is possible to prevent inconsistency between the shift position and the shift position, and to perform automatic traveling safely.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a travel control device that can easily perform automatic travel control such as follow-up travel control.

1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a configuration of a travel control device according to the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the change procedure of a gear shift position. It is a flowchart which shows an example (in the case of paddle shift etc.) of the change procedure of a shift position. It is a flowchart which shows an example (in the case of a paddle shift and a manual shift lever) of the change procedure of a gear position. It is a flowchart which shows an example (in the case of a manual shift lever) of the change procedure of a shift position. It is a flowchart which shows an example (in the case of a manual shift lever) of the change procedure of a shift position.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a travel control device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a configuration of a travel control device according to the present invention. The travel control device 1 according to the present embodiment is a device that is installed in a vehicle and performs travel control such as switching between manual travel or automatic travel of the vehicle and automatic travel. In the present embodiment, the vehicle includes an engine that generates driving force, an automatic transmission for transmitting the generated driving force to wheels, a differential, a drive shaft, and the like. Further, the automatic traveling includes preceding vehicle following traveling (Adaptive Cruise Control: ACC) and steady running (Cruise Control: CC).

The travel control device 1 includes a vehicle condition detection unit 2, an ambient condition acquisition unit 3, an automatic travel input unit 4, a shift position detection unit 5, a shift position detection unit 6, a vehicle control ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 10, and a shift position change unit. 12, a shift position changing unit 13 and a travel output unit 14 are included.

The vehicle status detection unit 2 is a means for detecting vehicle status such as vehicle position information and vehicle speed information. For example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) or a wheel speed sensor is used. The GPS acquires position information of the vehicle, and the wheel speed sensor is attached to a wheel portion of the vehicle, for example, and acquires the wheel speed of the vehicle. The vehicle situation detection unit 2 is connected to the vehicle control ECU 10 and outputs the obtained vehicle situation information such as position information and wheel speed information to the vehicle control ECU 10.

The ambient condition acquisition unit 3 functions as ambient condition acquisition means for acquiring information on the situation of the surroundings of the host vehicle. For example, a vehicle-to-vehicle communication device, a road-to-vehicle communication device, a radar sensor using a millimeter wave or a laser, etc. Is used. When the inter-vehicle communication device and the road-vehicle communication device are used, position information and vehicle speed information of other vehicles can be acquired. Further, by using a millimeter wave radar sensor or the like, position information and relative speed information of other vehicles and obstacles on the course can be acquired. The surrounding situation acquisition unit 3 is connected to the vehicle control ECU 10 and outputs the acquired surrounding situation information about the host vehicle to the vehicle control ECU 10.

The automatic travel input unit 4 functions as an automatic travel input means for accepting the start of the automatic travel of the vehicle. The automatic travel input unit 4 includes, for example, a button switch or the like. The automatic travel input unit 4 receives the start of automatic travel when the automatic travel button switch (for example, resume switch) is pressed by a driver (or a passenger) or the like. Output to.

The shift position detecting unit 5 functions as a shift position detecting means for detecting the shift position of the transmission. The shift position means a shift position in the transmission. For example, the shift position is in a shift position (automatic travel possible range) where automatic travel is possible, such as being able to travel from low speed to high speed, or automatic travel is not possible, for example, only low speed is possible. Detects if it is in the gear shift position (automatic travel prohibition range). The shift position detection unit 5 outputs the detected shift position to the vehicle control ECU 10 as shift position information.

The shift position detector 6 detects the position of a shift operation of a shift lever (including a paddle shift) operated by a driver in the vehicle. The shift position includes a parking position “P”, a reverse position “R”, a neutral position “N”, a drive position “D” that can normally travel from low speed to high speed, and a low speed position “L” that is used for low speed travel. For example, there is a manual position “M” that can be used when traveling with an emphasis on acceleration rather than normal traveling. In this case, a manual shift operation can be performed using a paddle shift. When the driver performs a shift operation, a shift signal is input to a transmission control device that controls the shift position of the transmission, and shift control is performed accordingly. The shift position detection unit 6 outputs the detected shift position information to the vehicle control ECU 10.

The vehicle control ECU 10 controls the entire travel control device 1 and mainly includes a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory) (not shown). It is configured as. The vehicle control ECU 10 includes a vehicle situation detection unit 2, an ambient situation acquisition unit 3, an automatic travel input unit 4, a shift position detection unit 5, a shift position detection unit 6, a shift position change unit 12, a shift position change unit 13, and a travel output unit. 14, various information is input from the vehicle state detection unit 2, the surrounding state acquisition unit 3, the automatic travel input unit 4, the shift position detection unit 5 and the shift position detection unit 6, and the shift position Various information is output to the changing unit 12, the shift position changing unit 13, and the traveling output unit 14 as control signals.

The vehicle control ECU 10 has a travel control unit 11. The travel control unit 11 has a function of controlling switching between manual travel that travels based on a driver's operation and automatic travel that travels by automatic control. Switching between manual travel and automatic travel is controlled based on the presence / absence of travel input (automatic travel start command), shift position information, shift position information, and the like. Specifically, when an automatic travel start command is input by the driver pressing an automatic travel button switch, the shift position of the transmission is determined, and the shift position is within the automatic travel prohibition range (for example, the shift position is within a certain range). When the vehicle is in a state where it is fixed and cannot shift from low speed to high speed, control is performed so as to change to an automatic travelable range (a state where the shift position is not fixed in a fixed region and can be shifted from low speed to high speed). Further, the shift position operated by the driver is determined, and if it is not aligned with the shift position, control is performed so as to change it.

The shift position changing unit 12 functions as a shift position changing unit that receives a control signal from the travel control unit 11 and changes the shift position of the transmission. The shift position changing unit 12 corresponds to a shift control ECU that controls an actuator that adjusts the shift position of the transmission, and is preferably incorporated in the above-described transmission control device.

The shift position changing unit 13 functions as a shift position changing unit that receives the control signal from the traveling control unit 11 and changes the shift position. The shift position changing unit 13 corresponds to a shift control ECU that controls an actuator that adjusts the shift position.

As shown in FIG. 1, the travel output unit 14 is connected to the vehicle control ECU 10, and receives a control signal from the vehicle control ECU 10 to perform driving travel of the host vehicle, for example, travel drive, braking operation, and steering operation. The travel output unit 14 includes, for example, a travel drive ECU that controls an actuator that adjusts the opening of an engine throttle valve, a brake ECU that controls a brake actuator that adjusts brake hydraulic pressure, and a steering actuator that applies steering torque. This corresponds to the steering ECU to be controlled.

Next, the basic operation of the travel control device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure for changing the shift position, and shows a flow of characteristic processing executed by the travel control device 1.

First, the traveling control unit 11 monitors that a button switch (for example, a resume switch) constituting the automatic traveling input unit 4 is input by the driver (S1). When the travel control unit 11 receives that the button switch has been pressed by the driver (S1: YES), the travel control unit 11 determines whether or not the shift position of the vehicle transmission is in the automatic travel prohibition range (S2). On the other hand, when it is not received that the button switch is pressed by the driver (S1: NO), the return is repeated until the driver presses the button switch.

When it is determined in S2 that the shift position is in the automatic travel prohibition range (S2: YES), the travel control unit 11 controls the shift position change unit 12 to change the shift position to the automatic travel enable range. Send. The shift position changing unit 12 changes the shift position to the automatic travelable range based on the control signal (S3).

On the other hand, if it is determined in S2 that the shift position is not in the automatic travel prohibition range (S2: NO), the shift position is in the automatic travel possible range, and the process proceeds to S4.

In S4, since the shift position is in the automatic travel possible range, the travel control unit 11 sends a control signal to the travel output unit 8 to start automatic travel control.

Further, the traveling control device 1 can be used for a vehicle including various shift operation means such as a paddle shift, a momentary shift, and a manual shift lever (alternate shift). First, an example of the operation of the travel control device 1 in the case of a vehicle operated by a driver in a paddle shift or a momentary shift will be described mainly using FIG. 3 and differences from FIG. Here, in the case of a paddle shift or a momentary shift, a shift operation (for example, to temporarily use an engine brake when avoiding an obstacle) when a preceding vehicle follow-up running (ACC) or steady running (CC) is performed. Shift down), the shift position is changed from the automatic travelable range to the automatic travel prohibited range. For this reason, it is changed from automatic travel to manual travel.

It is the same as S1 in FIG. 2 that the traveling control unit 11 monitors the automatic traveling button switch from the driver being pressed (S11). In S12, when the shift position is in the automatic travel prohibition range due to the paddle shift (or momentary shift) operation (S12: YES), the shift position is automatically traveled in the same manner as S3 and S4 in FIG. The range is changed to a possible range (S13), and automatic travel control is performed (S14). On the other hand, when it is determined in S12 that the shift position is not in the automatic travel prohibition range (S12: NO), the same processing as S2 (NO) is performed.

In this way, even when the shift operation is changed from automatic driving to manual driving due to shifting operation by paddle shift or momentary shift, it is easy to automatically change the shift position from the automatic driving prohibited range to the automatic driving possible range. It is possible to start (or resume) traveling.

In FIG. 4, an example of the operation of the travel control device 1 in the case of a vehicle having a paddle shift and a manual shift lever (alternate system) at the same time will be mainly described with respect to differences from FIG. 2 or 3. In this vehicle, a shift operation can be performed by paddle shift while traveling with the shift lever set to the drive range. In this case, it is preferable that after the operation in the paddle shift, control is performed so as to automatically return to the drive range after a predetermined time has elapsed. Alternatively, the manual shift lever can be operated to select, for example, an acceleration travel mode (sport travel mode), and a shift operation can be performed by paddle shift.

In S22, the traveling control unit 11 determines whether or not the operation to the automatic traveling prohibited range is performed by paddle shift. If it is performed by paddle shift (S22: YES), the shift position is changed to the automatic travel possible range (S23), and automatic travel control is started (S25). On the other hand, when it is not performed by paddle shift (S22: NO), it is performed by a manual shift lever (alternate system) (S24), and therefore the shift position is not changed to the automatic travelable range (S26). ), Automatic driving control is not started. As described above, in the case of the operation in the paddle shift, by changing the shift position to the range where the automatic travel is possible, the automatic travel control can be started smoothly, and the operation is performed by the manual shift lever (alternate method). In such a case, it is possible to prevent the shift position and the shift position from becoming inconsistent by prohibiting the change to the automatic travelable range. In addition, when the control is performed by a manual shift lever (alternate method) instead of the paddle shift operation, the driver desires to travel in a specific travel mode (for example, acceleration travel mode). Therefore, it is preferable control.

Next, in FIG. 5, an example of the operation of the travel control device 1 in the case of a vehicle operated by a driver with a manual shift lever (alternate method) will be described mainly with respect to the differences from FIGS. When a manual shift lever (alternate system) is operated to a specific shift position such as 3rd speed from D (drive range), for example, a shift operation signal is input to the transmission control device, and the shift position is within the automatic travel prohibition range. Changed to As a result, when automatic traveling is being performed, switching to manual traveling is performed.

In S32, when the shift position is in the automatic travel prohibition range by operating the manual shift lever (alternate method) (S32: YES), the shift position is changed to the automatic travel possible range (S33). Here, in this state, the shift position of the manual shift lever indicates a specific shift position (for example, the third speed) that is not D (drive range), and mismatch with the shift position occurs.

Therefore, in S34, the traveling control unit 11 transmits a control signal to the shift position changing unit 13. The shift position changing unit 13 changes the shift position of the manual shift lever to D (drive range) based on the received control signal. Thereby, the inconsistency that the shift position does not coincide with the shift position of the manual shift lever does not occur, and the automatic travel control can be started smoothly (S35).

In FIG. 6, as in FIG. 5, an example of the operation of the travel control device 1 in the case of a vehicle operated by a driver with a manual shift lever (alternate method) will be described mainly with respect to differences from FIG. 5.

In S44, the traveling control unit 11 determines whether or not the shift position of the manual shift lever can be changed to a drive range capable of automatic traveling. If the shift position of the manual shift lever can be changed to the drive range (S44: YES), automatic travel is started (S45). On the other hand, when the shift position of the manual shift lever cannot be changed to the drive range (S44: NO), the automatic travel control is not started. As a result, it is possible to further ensure that there is no mismatch between the shift position and the shift position of the manual shift lever, and it is possible to control automatic running smoothly and stably.

As described above, the travel control device according to the present embodiment is a travel control device for a vehicle that can switch between manual travel that travels based on a driver's operation and automatic travel that travels by automatic control. By providing the shift position changing means for changing the shift position in the automatic travel prohibition range to the automatic travel enable range when starting traveling, automatic travel control such as follow-up travel control can be easily performed.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. For example, although the vehicle includes an engine in the above-described embodiment, the type of the driving force generation source is not particularly limited, and may be a storage battery that charges and discharges electricity, or a fuel cell that uses hydrogen or the like. The driving force generation source may be used.

The vehicle according to the above embodiment includes an automatic transmission. However, the type of the transmission is not particularly limited, and other transmission systems such as a continuously variable transmission such as CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission). May be adopted. In addition, a manual transmission may be employed on the condition that automatic traveling control can be performed. In this case, the shift position and the like may be mechanically controlled by an actuator or the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Travel control apparatus, 2 ... Vehicle condition detection part, 3 ... Ambient condition acquisition part, 4 ... Automatic travel input part, 5 ... Shift position detection part, 6 ... Shift position Detection unit, 10 ... vehicle control ECU, 11 ... running control unit, 12 ... shift position changing unit, 13 ... shift position changing unit, 14 ... running output unit.

Claims

A travel control device for a vehicle capable of switching between manual travel that travels based on a driver's operation and automatic travel that travels by automatic control,
A travel control device comprising shift position changing means for changing a shift position in an automatic travel prohibition range to an automatic travel possible range when starting the automatic travel.
The travel control device according to claim 1, wherein when switching from the manual travel to the automatic travel, the shift position in the automatic travel prohibition range is changed to the automatic travel possible range.
The travel control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the automatic travel control is not performed when a shift position in the automatic travel prohibition range cannot be changed to the automatic travel possible range.
The travel control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the automatic travel control is not performed when the shift position and a shift position operated by the driver do not match.