WO2023048147A1

WO2023048147A1 - Vehicle control device and vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2023048147A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/035022
Authority: WO
Inventors: 正宗長嶋
Original assignee: いすゞ自動車株式会社
Priority date: 2021-09-21
Filing date: 2022-09-20
Publication date: 2023-03-30
Also published as: JP7334767B2; JP2023045043A

Abstract

This vehicle control device comprises an acquisition unit that acquires signal information to be displayed on a traffic signal installed in front of a vehicle in a travel direction from a signal-information-utilization driving assistance system, a determination unit that determines whether or not the vehicle can be accelerated on the basis of the acquired signal information, and a control unit that controls a transmission to select a gear stage corresponding to the acceleration when the vehicle can be accelerated. The vehicle control device is capable of preventing delays in the acceleration of the vehicle.

Description

Vehicle controller and vehicle

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control device and a vehicle.

Known is a vehicle control device that can improve drivability by automatically downshifting from the current gear to a lower gear when the accelerator is pressed to accelerate the vehicle. It is

For example, as a vehicle control device, when the drive range is selected with the shift lever, the gear stage of the automatic transmission is controlled based on a shift map in which the target gear stage is set according to the accelerator opening and the vehicle speed. A shift control unit that executes an automatic shift mode is provided (see Patent Literature 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-133755

By the way, the invention described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that it is impossible to prevent a delay in the acceleration of the vehicle because the downshift is performed after the accelerator is depressed.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle control device and a vehicle that can prevent a delay in acceleration of the vehicle.

In order to achieve the above object, the vehicle control device of the present disclosure includes:
an acquisition unit that acquires signal information to be displayed on a traffic signal installed in front of the vehicle in the traveling direction from the signal information utilization driving support system;
a determination unit that determines whether or not the vehicle can be accelerated based on the acquired signal information;
a control unit for controlling a transmission to select a gear stage corresponding to acceleration when the vehicle can be accelerated;
Prepare.

A vehicle according to the present disclosure includes the vehicle control device.

According to the present disclosure, delay in vehicle acceleration can be prevented.

FIG. 1 is a configuration block diagram showing an example configuration of a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between a vehicle and a traffic light. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a shift map. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of the vehicle control device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a shift map including shift down regions.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a configuration block diagram showing an example configuration of a vehicle control device 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The vehicle control device 10 is mounted on the vehicle 1 and performs various controls of the vehicle 1 . The vehicle control device 10 is also called an in-vehicle device.

The vehicle control device 10 (in-vehicle device) is configured by, for example, an electronic control unit 100 (Electronic Control Unit: ECU). The ECU 100 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), an input device and an output device. The CPU expands the program stored in the ROM into the RAM and executes each function to be described later. The vehicle control device 10 has respective functions as an acquisition unit 11 , a determination unit 12 , a shift control unit 13 and a calculation unit 14 .

A light beacon 3 is installed on the road. The optical beacon 3 provides the vehicle 1 with signal information from Traffic Signal Prediction Systems (TSPS). A vehicle traffic signal 2 (hereinafter referred to as a "traffic signal", see FIG. 2) that displays traffic signal information includes, for example, a horizontal light device in which blue, yellow, and red light sources are arranged from the left. A blue signal with a blue light source on indicates that the vehicle 1 traveling on the road is permitted to proceed. A red light with a red light source indicates a stop instruction to the vehicle 1 traveling on the road.

The acquisition unit 11 acquires signal information from the TSPS. As a result, the acquiring unit 11 can acquire signal information to be displayed on the traffic signal 2 installed ahead of the vehicle 1 in the traveling direction. In addition, the acquisition unit 11 acquires the depression amount of the accelerator pedal from an accelerator opening sensor (not shown). Also, the acquisition unit 11 acquires the vehicle speed from a vehicle speed sensor (not shown). In addition, the acquisition unit 11 acquires surrounding information (for example, an image in front of the vehicle) from an in-vehicle camera (not shown).

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the vehicle 1 and the traffic light 2. In FIG. 2, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents vehicle speed. The calculation unit 14 calculates the inter-vehicle traffic signal distance between the vehicle 1 and the traffic signal 2 by performing image processing or the like on the forward image of the vehicle 1 . The vehicle 1 may be equipped with a laser rangefinder for measuring the distance between the vehicle traffic signals based on the time from when the laser beam is irradiated toward the traffic signal 2 until when the reflected light is received.

While the vehicle 1 is running, if the signal information of the traffic light 2 in front of the vehicle 1 in the running direction is a red signal, the accelerator pedal is released to reduce the accelerator opening, and engine braking is applied to the vehicle 1. As a result, the vehicle 1 decelerates. When the signal information of the traffic signal 2 changes from a red signal to a blue signal before the vehicle 1 passes the position of the traffic signal 2, the vehicle 1 is accelerated by stepping on the accelerator pedal to increase the accelerator opening. At this time, a downshift is performed to a gear stage lower than the current gear stage in order to accelerate further. Here, a downshift that is performed after the accelerator pedal is depressed at the timing when the signal information of the traffic light 2 changes from a red signal to a blue signal is referred to as a "normal downshift."

As shown by the dashed line in FIG. 2, the vehicle speed when a normal downshift is performed, in a normal downshift, the acceleration of the vehicle 1 is delayed because the downshift is performed after the accelerator pedal is depressed. As a result, it takes time for the vehicle speed to reach the target speed.

In this embodiment, the determination unit 12 determines whether or not the vehicle 1 can be accelerated based on the signal information acquired by the acquisition unit 11 . The traffic signal information is, for example, information indicating that the signal displayed by the traffic signal 2 will change from a red signal to a blue signal after a predetermined time T1 (see FIG. 2) from when the signal information is acquired (current time). Specifically, when the vehicle 1 does not reach the traffic light 2 within the predetermined time T1 (when the traffic light 2 changes from red to green before the traffic light 2), the determination unit 12 determines that the vehicle 1 can be accelerated. When the vehicle 1 reaches the traffic light 2 within a predetermined time T1 (when the traffic light 2 does not change from red to green before the traffic light 2), it is determined that the vehicle 1 cannot be accelerated. Whether or not the vehicle 1 reaches the traffic signal 2 within the predetermined time T1 can be determined based on the distance between the vehicle traffic signals, which is the distance from the vehicle 1 to the traffic signal 2, and the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1. FIG. That is, the determination unit 12 determines whether or not the vehicle 1 can be accelerated based on the three parameters of signal information, vehicle speed, and distance between vehicle signals.

When the vehicle 1 can be accelerated, the shift control unit 13 controls the automatic transmission 20 so as to select the gear corresponding to the acceleration.

Specifically, the shift control unit 13 has a shift control unit that automatically controls the gear stage of the automatic transmission 20 based on the shift map. The shift map is a map in which gears determined by accelerator opening and vehicle speed are set, and is stored in the storage unit of the vehicle control device 10 . FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a shift map. FIG. 3 shows downshift lines from 4th speed to 3rd speed as a representative of a plurality of downshift lines. For example, when the vehicle 1 is accelerated and the driving state of the vehicle 1 is the accelerator opening α and the vehicle speed V1 (position P1 shown in FIG. 3), the shift control unit 13 shifts the gear of the automatic transmission 20 to A control for downshifting from 4th gear to 3rd gear is executed.

Next, an example of the operation of the vehicle control device 10 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of the vehicle control device 10 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. This flow is started, for example, when the engine start switch of the vehicle 1 is turned on. In the following description, it is assumed that the functions of the acquisition unit 11, the determination unit 12, the shift control unit 13, and the calculation unit 14 are performed by the ECU 100. FIG.

First, in step S100, the ECU 100 acquires signal information from the TSPS.

Next, in step S110, the ECU 100 acquires the accelerator opening and the vehicle speed.

Next, in step S120, the ECU 100 acquires a forward image of the vehicle 1.

Next, in step S130, the ECU 100 calculates the inter-vehicle traffic signal distance between the vehicle 1 and the traffic signal 2 based on the front image of the vehicle 1.

Next, in step S140, the ECU 100 determines whether or not the vehicle 1 can be accelerated based on the three parameters of signal information, vehicle speed, and distance between vehicle signals. If the vehicle 1 can be accelerated (step S140: YES), the process proceeds to step S150. If the vehicle 1 cannot be accelerated (step S140: NO), the flow shown in FIG. 4 ends.

In step S150, the ECU 100 executes control to select a gear stage corresponding to acceleration. Specifically, the ECU 100 refers to a shift map based on the vehicle speed and accelerator opening, and controls the automatic transmission 20 so as to select a gear stage.

According to the vehicle control device 10 according to the above embodiment, the acquisition unit 11 acquires the signal information scheduled to be displayed on the traffic signal 2 installed in front of the vehicle 1 in the traveling direction from the signal information utilization driving support system. and a determination unit 12 that determines whether or not the vehicle 1 can be accelerated based on the acquired signal information, and if the vehicle 1 can be accelerated, selects the gear stage corresponding to the acceleration. and a shift control unit 13 that controls the automatic transmission 20 as described above.

With the above configuration, the downshift is performed earlier than the timing at which the signal information of the traffic signal 2 changes from red to blue, so it is possible to prevent delays in acceleration of the vehicle 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a comparison between the vehicle speed when downshifting is performed in advance and the vehicle speed when normal downshifting is performed at the timing when the signal information of the traffic light 2 changes from a red signal to a green signal. . In FIG. 2, the solid line indicates the vehicle speed when a preliminary downshift is performed, and the dashed line indicates the vehicle speed when a normal downshift is performed. As shown in FIG. 2, tp at which the vehicle 1 reaches the target vehicle speed when the preliminary downshift is performed is earlier than tn at which the vehicle 1 reaches the target vehicle speed when the normal downshift is performed. .

<Modification 1>
Next, a modification of the vehicle control device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described. In addition, in the description of the modification, the configuration different from the embodiment will be mainly described, and the description of the same configuration will be omitted.

In the above embodiment, the acquisition unit 11 acquires signal information scheduled to be displayed on the traffic light 2 installed in front of the vehicle 1 in the direction of travel. On the other hand, in Modification 1, the acquisition unit 11 acquires signal information scheduled to be displayed on the traffic signal 2 installed within the first threshold from the vehicle 1 . Note that the first threshold can be set through experiments and simulations from the viewpoint of ensuring safe and smooth traffic. With the above configuration, it is possible to ensure safe and smooth traffic.

<Modification 2>
Next, modification 2 will be described. In order to ensure safe traffic, it is necessary to ensure a sufficient inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 1 and a preceding vehicle (not shown) traveling in front of the vehicle 1 . Therefore, in Modified Example 2, even if it is determined that the vehicle 1 can be accelerated based on the above three parameters, the determination unit 12 determines the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 1 and the preceding vehicle. is less than a predetermined second threshold value, it is not determined whether the vehicle 1 can be accelerated. In other words, the determination unit 12 determines whether or not the vehicle 1 can be accelerated when the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 1 and the preceding vehicle is equal to or greater than the predetermined second threshold. Note that the second threshold can be set through experiments and simulations from the viewpoint of ensuring safe and smooth traffic.

In this case, the calculation unit 14 calculates the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 1 and the preceding vehicle traveling in front of the vehicle 1 by performing image processing or the like on the front image of the vehicle 1 . The vehicle 1 may be equipped with a laser rangefinder for measuring the inter-vehicle distance based on the time from when the preceding vehicle is irradiated with the laser beam to when the reflected light is received.

<Modification 3>
Next, modification 3 will be described. In the above embodiment, the determination unit 12 determines whether or not the vehicle 1 can be accelerated based on the three parameters of signal information, vehicle speed, and distance between vehicle signals (see FIG. 4). See step S140).

On the other hand, in Modification 3, the determination unit 12 determines whether or not the vehicle is in the shift down region based on the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 and the accelerator opening. Then, when it is in the downshift region, the determination unit 12 determines whether or not the vehicle 1 can be accelerated based on the above three parameters. In other words, the determining unit 12 does not determine whether or not the vehicle 1 can be accelerated based on the above three parameters unless the shift down region is set.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a shift map including a shift down area. FIG. 5 shows the shift-down region as a hatched region. If the position determined by the vehicle speed and accelerator opening (position P2 shown in FIG. 5) is not in the downshift region, the determination unit 12 determines whether the vehicle 1 can be accelerated based on the above three parameters. does not determine whether By providing a region that is not a shift down region (non-shift down region), it is possible to prevent downshifts that deteriorate drivability.

In addition, the above-described embodiments are merely examples of specific implementations of the present disclosure, and the technical scope of the present disclosure should not be construed to be limited by these. . That is, the present disclosure can be embodied in various forms without departing from its spirit or key features.

This application is based on a Japanese patent application (Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-153222) filed on September 21, 2021, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The present disclosure is suitably used for a vehicle equipped with a vehicle control device that is required to prevent a delay in acceleration of the vehicle.

Reference Signs List 1 vehicle 2 traffic light 3 optical beacon 10 vehicle control device 11 acquisition unit 12 determination unit 13 shift control unit 14 calculation unit 20 automatic transmission

Claims

an acquisition unit that acquires signal information to be displayed on a traffic signal installed in front of the vehicle in the traveling direction from the signal information utilization driving support system;
a determination unit that determines whether or not the vehicle can be accelerated based on the acquired signal information;
a control unit for controlling a transmission to select a gear stage corresponding to acceleration when the vehicle can be accelerated;
A vehicle control device.
The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit acquires signal information scheduled to be displayed on the traffic light installed within a predetermined first threshold from the vehicle.
The determining unit further determines whether or not the vehicle can be accelerated when the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle and a preceding vehicle traveling in front of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined second threshold. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein
The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit further determines whether or not the vehicle can be accelerated based on the vehicle speed and accelerator opening.
A vehicle comprising the vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.