Traveling speed control device and vehicle equipped with the same

Abstract

The present application relates to a travel speed control device and a vehicle equipped with the same. In the present application, travel speed is limited so that the travel speed is within an allowable range with respect to a location reference speed for a current location obtained from a location reference speed storage region that stores a location reference speed set based on travel speed data for each location for each location. Thus, travel at a more appropriate travel speed is possible at each location, regardless of whether the road is on a map.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a driving speed control device and a vehicle equipped with the driving speed control device. Background Technology

[0002] Conventionally, such devices have been proposed that determine whether the vehicle's current position is on a road in map data, and when the current position is determined not to be on a road, implement control to prevent the vehicle from suddenly starting (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-149258). In this device, the above control suppresses sudden starting and loss of control of the vehicle without interfering with the driver's intended operation. Summary of the Invention

[0003] However, the aforementioned device requires storing a massive amount of data to determine whether each location is a road or not within the map data. Furthermore, there are locations such as driving lanes within parking lots, which, while not on roads, still require a certain speed limit. Moreover, on roads with speed limits, at intersections with poor visibility, near parks, and sharp turns, even driving at speeds slightly below the legal limit can feel like speeding.

[0004] The main purpose of the driving speed control device of the present invention and the vehicle equipped with the driving speed control device is to enable driving at a more appropriate speed at various locations, regardless of whether it is a road on a map or not.

[0005] To achieve the aforementioned main objectives, the driving speed control device of the present invention and the vehicle equipped with the driving speed control device adopt the following solutions.

[0006] The driving speed control device of the present invention is a driving speed control device mounted on a vehicle, characterized in that,

[0007] Speed ​​limits are imposed to ensure that the driving speed is within an acceptable range relative to the location reference speed for the current location, which is obtained from a location reference speed storage area that stores location reference speeds set based on driving speed data for each location.

[0008] In the driving speed control device of the present invention, a driving speed limit is applied to ensure that the driving speed is within an allowable range relative to a location reference speed for the current location, obtained from a location reference speed storage area that stores location reference speeds set for each location based on driving speed data for that location. Therefore, regardless of whether the driving location is on a road on a map, the driving speed can be set within an allowable range relative to the location reference speed set for each location based on the driving speed data for that location. As a result, a more appropriate driving speed can be achieved at each location.

[0009] In the driving speed control device of the present invention, the location reference speed storage area may also be located in the cloud, and the driving speed control device has a transmitting unit that sends driving location and driving speed data to the location reference speed storage area during driving. In this way, the driving speed data of the vehicle can be reflected in the location reference speed.

[0010] In the driving speed control device of the present invention, the location reference speed storage area may also be located within a vehicle equipped with the driving speed control device. During driving, the driving location and driving speed data are stored in the location reference speed storage area, and the location reference speed is set at a predetermined time based on the driving speed data for each location. In this way, since the location reference speed for each location is set based on the vehicle's past driving speed data, the location reference speed for each location can be set to a speed corresponding to the driving state of the vehicle user.

[0011] In the driving speed control device of the present invention, the location reference speed may also be set as the maximum driving speed among multiple driving speed data for each location. This prevents excessive application of driving speed limits.

[0012] In the driving speed control device of the present invention, the driving speed may also be limited when the location reference speed at the driving location is less than the location reference speed of a location adjacent to the driving location within a predetermined range from the driving location, so that the location reference speed relative to the adjacent location is within the allowable range. In this way, even when the current location is mistakenly detected as an adjacent location, or when driving at a grade-separated intersection, the location reference speed with the larger value takes precedence, thus avoiding excessive driving speed limitation.

[0013] The vehicle of the present invention is characterized by being equipped with any of the aforementioned speed control devices, that is, equipped with a speed control device substantially integrated into the vehicle, which limits the speed to ensure that the speed is within an allowable range relative to a location reference speed for the current location obtained from a location reference speed storage area, which stores location reference speeds set for each location based on speed data for each location. Therefore, the vehicle of the present invention can produce the effects of the speed control device of the present invention, for example, the ability to set a speed within an allowable range relative to the location reference speed set for each location based on speed data for each location, regardless of whether the driving location is on a road on a map; that is, the ability to drive at a more appropriate speed at each location. Attached Figure Description

[0014] The features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals show the same elements, and wherein:

[0015] Figure 1 This is a block diagram showing an example of the structure of a hybrid vehicle 20 as an embodiment of the present invention, with the hybrid ECU 50 as the center.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of driving speed limit processing performed by the hybrid ECU 50.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of location reference speed setting processing performed by the hybrid ECU 50.

[0018] Figure 4 This is an illustrative diagram representing an example of the location reference speed Vlim in road 210 and parking lot 220 along road 210.

[0019] Figure 5 This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a modified cloud 100B. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The following examples illustrate how the present invention can be implemented. Figure 1This is a block diagram showing an example of the structure of a hybrid electric vehicle 20 equipped with a driving speed control device, centered on a hybrid electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as the hybrid ECU). The hybrid ECU 50 corresponds to the driving speed control device. As shown, the hybrid electric vehicle 20 of this embodiment has an engine EG and an electric motor MG as power sources. The hybrid electric vehicle 20 of this embodiment operates by switching between a CD mode (Charge Depleting mode, battery depletion mode) and a CS mode (Charge Sustaining mode). In CD mode, electric driving is prioritized to reduce the state of charge (SOC) of the battery 40. In CS mode, electric driving and hybrid driving are combined to maintain the SOC of the battery 40 at a target ratio. Electric driving is a mode in which the engine EG is stopped and the vehicle is driven using only the power from the electric motor MG. Hybrid driving is a mode in which the engine EG is running and the vehicle is driven using both the power from the engine EG and the power from the electric motor MG.

[0021] In addition to the power source, the hybrid vehicle 20 of this embodiment also includes an ignition switch 21, a GPS (Global Positioning System) 22, an onboard camera 24, a millimeter-wave radar 26, an acceleration sensor 28, a vehicle speed sensor 30, an accelerometer sensor 32, a brake sensor 34, a mode switch 36, a battery actuator 38, a battery 40, an air conditioning electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as the air conditioning ECU) 42, an air conditioning compressor 44, a hybrid power ECU 50, an accelerometer actuator 60, a brake actuator 62, a braking device 64, a display device 66, a driving status indicator 67, an instrument panel 68, a DCM (Data Communication Module) 70, a storage device 72, and a navigation system 80.

[0022] GPS 22 is a device that detects the vehicle's position based on signals transmitted from multiple GPS satellites. The vehicle-mounted camera 24 is a camera that captures images of the vehicle's surroundings; for example, a front-facing camera that captures images of the front of the vehicle, a rear-facing camera that captures images of the rear of the vehicle, etc. The millimeter-wave radar 26 detects the distance and relative speed between the vehicle and the vehicle in front, or the distance and relative speed between the vehicle and the vehicle behind.

[0023] Acceleration sensor 28 is a sensor that detects acceleration in the longitudinal direction or acceleration in the lateral direction of the vehicle. Vehicle speed sensor 30 detects vehicle speed based on wheel speed, etc. Accelerator sensor 32 detects accelerator opening, etc., corresponding to the amount of time the driver depresses the accelerator pedal. Brake sensor 34 detects brake position, etc., as a result of the amount of time the driver depresses the brake pedal. Mode switch 36 is located near the steering wheel on the driver's seat and is used to switch between CD mode and CS mode.

[0024] The battery actuator 38 detects the state of the battery 40, such as the terminal voltage, charging / discharging current, and battery temperature, and manages the battery 40 based on these. The battery actuator 38 calculates the State of Charge (SOC), which is the ratio of remaining storage capacity to total storage capacity, based on the charging / discharging current; or it calculates the maximum permissible output power (output limit Wout) that can be output from the battery 40 and the maximum permissible input power (input limit Win) that can be input to the battery 40, based on the SOC, battery temperature, etc. The battery 40 is configured as a rechargeable secondary battery, such as a lithium-ion battery, nickel-metal hydride battery, or lead-acid battery.

[0025] Although not illustrated, the air conditioning ECU 42 is configured as a CPU-centric microcomputer. In addition to the CPU, it also has ROM, RAM, flash memory, input ports, output ports, and communication ports. The air conditioning ECU 42 is assembled in the air conditioning unit that regulates the air in the passenger compartment and drives and controls the air conditioning compressor 44 in the air conditioning unit to make the temperature in the passenger compartment reach the set temperature.

[0026] The engine EG is configured, for example, as an internal combustion engine. The electric motor MG is configured, for example, as an electric motor that also functions as a generator, such as a synchronous starter motor. Although not shown, the electric motor MG is connected to the battery 40 via an inverter, and can use the power supplied from the battery 40 to output driving force, or use the generated power to charge the battery 40.

[0027] Although not illustrated, the hybrid ECU 50 is configured as a CPU-centric microcomputer, and in addition to the CPU, it also has ROM, RAM, flash memory, input ports, output ports, and communication ports. The hybrid ECU 50 sets the driving mode, or based on the set driving mode, the accelerator opening from the accelerator sensor 32, the brake position from the brake sensor 34, and the output and input limits from the battery actuator 38, it sets the target operating point (target speed, target torque) of the engine EG and the torque command of the electric motor MG.

[0028] When driving in electric mode, the hybrid ECU 50 sets the requested driving force and requested power based on the accelerator opening from the accelerator sensor 32 and the vehicle speed from the vehicle speed sensor 30, and sets the torque command of the electric motor MG to output the requested driving force and requested power to the vehicle, and sends the set torque command to the accelerator actuator 60. When driving in hybrid mode, the hybrid ECU 50 sets the target operating point of the engine EG and the torque command of the electric motor MG to output the requested driving force and requested power to the vehicle, and sends the target operating point and torque command to the accelerator actuator 60. In addition, when the brake pedal is pressed, the hybrid ECU 50 sets the requested braking force based on the brake position from the brake sensor 34 and the vehicle speed from the vehicle speed sensor 30, sets the regenerative torque command for regenerative control of the electric motor MG based on the requested braking force and vehicle speed, and sets the target braking force based on the braking device, sends the torque command to the accelerator actuator 60, and sends the target braking force to the brake actuator 62.

[0029] The accelerator actuator 60 drives the engine EG and the electric motor MG according to the target operating point and torque command set by the hybrid ECU 50. The accelerator actuator 60 performs intake air volume control, fuel injection control, ignition control, and intake valve timing control to ensure that the engine EG operates at the target operating point (target speed, target torque). Furthermore, the accelerator actuator 60 controls the switching elements of the inverter used to drive the electric motor MG to output torque from the electric motor MG that corresponds to the torque command.

[0030] Brake actuator 62 controls braking device 64 so that the braking device 64 applies a target braking force to the vehicle set by hybrid power ECU 50. Braking device 64 is configured, for example, as a hydraulically driven friction brake.

[0031] Display device 66, for example, a mounting panel mounted in front of the driver's seat, displays various information. Although not shown, driving status indicator 67 has an EV indicator and an HV indicator; when driving with electric motor, the EV indicator is illuminated and the HV indicator is extinguished; when driving with hybrid powertrain, the EV indicator is extinguished and the HV indicator is illuminated. Instrument panel 68, for example, is mounted in front of the driver's seat.

[0032] Cloud 100 stores road traffic information from a road traffic information management center (not shown). The DCM (Data Communication Module) 70 accesses the road traffic information storage area 110 located in Cloud 100 to send information about the vehicle to the storage area of ​​Cloud 100, or to receive road traffic information about the vehicle's surroundings from the road traffic information storage area 110 of Cloud 100. Vehicle information may include, for example, the vehicle's location, speed, power output, and driving mode. Road traffic information may include, for example, information related to current or future congestion, information related to the current average speed or predicted future average speed within the travel route, information related to traffic control, weather, road conditions, and map information.

[0033] The storage device 72 is composed of a hard disk or the like, and includes a location reference speed storage area 74. It should be noted that, in addition to the location reference speed storage area 74, the storage device 72 also includes various other storage areas.

[0034] The navigation system 80 is a system used to guide the vehicle to a set destination, and includes a display unit 82 and a map information database 84. The navigation system 80 obtains road traffic information around the vehicle from the road traffic information storage area 110 located in the cloud 100 via the DCM (Data Communication Module) 70 to provide route guidance.

[0035] The operation of the hybrid vehicle 20 configured in this embodiment, particularly its operation when the driving speed is limited using a location reference speed, will be described. Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a driving speed limit process performed by the hybrid ECU 50 in a hybrid electric vehicle 20 according to an embodiment. This driving speed limit process is repeatedly performed while driving.

[0036] When performing speed limit processing, the hybrid ECU 50 first inputs the current driving location P(d) detected by GPS 22 and the vehicle speed V detected by vehicle speed sensor 30 (step S100). Next, it inputs the location reference speed Vlim(P(n)) including the surrounding area of ​​driving location P(d) from the location reference speed storage area 74 of storage device 72 (step S110), and determines whether there is a location reference speed (P(d)) for driving location P(d) (step S120). The location reference speed Vlim(P(n)) stores the location P(d) and vehicle speed V when driving at that location P(d) in the past, and is used by the following... Figure 3The location reference speed is set using the illustrated location reference speed setting process. Therefore, if a location has been previously visited, a location reference speed Vlim(P(n)) is set; if a location has not been previously visited, a location reference speed Vlim(P(n)) is not set. If it is determined that there is no location reference speed Vlim(P(d)) for the location P(d), the current location P(d) and vehicle speed V are stored in the location reference speed storage area 74 of the storage device 72 (step S170), and this process ends. When storing the location P(d) and vehicle speed V, the following steps are executed: Figure 3 The illustrated location reference speed setting process sets the location reference speed Vlim(P(d)) for the travel location P(d). The setting process for the location reference speed Vlim(P(n)) will be described later.

[0037] When a location reference speed Vlim(P(d)) for a driving location P(d) is determined to exist in step S120, the location reference speeds Vlim(P(r)) of adjacent locations P(r) within a predetermined range are extracted (step S140). The maximum location reference speed among the location reference speeds Vlim(P(d)) for the driving location P(d) and the extracted location reference speeds Vlim(P(r)) is set as the execution location reference speed Vlim* (step S140). Here, the predetermined range is the detection error level of the GPS 22 in detecting the driving location P(d), such as 3m, 5m, etc. Setting the maximum location reference speed among the location reference speeds Vlim(P(d)) for the driving location P(d) and the location reference speeds Vlim(P(r)) of adjacent locations P(r) within a predetermined range as the execution location reference speed Vlim* is to suppress the situation where the driving speed is excessively limited due to the detection error of the GPS 22 in detecting the driving location P(d).

[0038] When the execution location reference speed Vlim* is set in this way, it is determined whether the vehicle speed V is greater than the value obtained by adding a margin value α to the execution location reference speed Vlim* (step S150). The margin value α can be, for example, a value of about 10% or 20% of the execution location reference speed Vlim* within a range of 10 km / h. That is, it is set to a range that avoids excessive past driving speeds at the driving location P(d). When the vehicle speed V is greater than the value obtained by adding a margin value α to the execution location reference speed Vlim*, the engine EG and the electric motor MG are controlled by the accelerator actuator 60, or the braking device 64 is controlled by the brake actuator 62, so that the vehicle speed V becomes the value obtained by adding a margin value α to the execution location reference speed Vlim* (step S160). Then, the current driving location P(d) and the controlled vehicle speed V are stored in the location reference speed storage area 74 of the storage device 72 (step S170), and this process ends.

[0039] When it is determined in step S150 that the vehicle speed V is below the value obtained by adding a surplus value α to the execution location reference speed Vlim*, the current driving location P(d) and vehicle speed V are stored in the location reference speed storage area 74 of the storage device 72 (step S170), and the process ends.

[0040] Next, an explanation Figure 3 The illustrated location reference speed setting process is performed when the driving location P(d) and vehicle speed V are stored. During the location reference speed setting process, the hybrid ECU 50 first determines whether the driving location P(d) and vehicle speed V are stored in the location reference speed storage area 74 of the storage device 72 (step S200). If it is determined that the driving location P(d) and vehicle speed V are not stored in the location reference speed storage area 74 of the storage device 72, the process ends.

[0041] When it is determined in step S200 that a travel location P(d) and a vehicle speed V are stored in the location reference speed storage area 74 of the storage device 72, the vehicle speed V stored in the travel location P(d) within a predetermined period is input from the location reference speed storage area 74 of the storage device 72 (step S210), the maximum vehicle speed V is set as the location reference speed Vlim(P(d)) of the travel location P(d) (step S220), and the set location reference speed Vlim(P(d)) is stored in the location reference speed storage area 74 of the storage device 72 (step S230), and the process ends.

[0042] Figure 4This is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the location reference speed Vlim in road 210 and parking lot 220 along road 210. In the diagram, the speed displayed is the location reference speed Vlim, set at 30 km / h in the traffic lane 212 of road 210, 5 km / h in the access road 222 of parking lot 220 relative to the entrance / exit of road 210, 5 km / h in the farthest access road 223 of parking lot 220, 4 km / h in the central access road 224 of parking lot 220, 5 km / h in the leftmost access road 225 of parking lot 220, and 7 km / h in the access road 226 of parking lot 220 near the traffic lane 212 of road 210. In the traffic lane 212 of road 210 and in each access road 222-225 of parking lot 220, the vehicle speed V is limited to the value obtained by adding a margin α to the respective location reference speed Vlim. To prevent errors in determining whether a vehicle is traveling on the passageway 226 or the passageway 212 when the reference speed Vlim is 7 km / h but the reference speed Vlim is taken from the passageway 212 as the reference speed Vlim within a predetermined range, due to the detection error of the driving location P(d) by the GPS 22, the vehicle speed V is limited to the larger of 30 km / h plus a margin α.

[0043] In the hybrid vehicle 20 of the embodiment described above, a location reference speed VlimP(d) for location P(d) is set and stored based on the location P(d) and vehicle speed V during past driving. When driving at location P(d), the stored location reference speed VlimP(d) is input, and the vehicle speed V is limited to the value obtained by adding a margin α to the location reference speed VlimP(d). As a result, a more appropriate driving speed can be achieved at each location P(n) regardless of whether it is a road on map data. Moreover, since the vehicle speed V is limited to the value obtained by adding a margin α to the location reference speed VlimP(d), excessive speed limitation can be avoided. In addition, since the maximum vehicle speed V among the past vehicle speeds V at location P(d) is set as the location reference speed VlimP(d)), excessive speed limitation can be avoided.

[0044] In the hybrid vehicle 20 of this embodiment, a location reference speed Vlim(P(d)) for location P(d) is set and stored based on the location P(d) and vehicle speed V during past driving. When driving at location P(d), the stored location reference speed Vlim(P(d)) is input, and the vehicle speed V is limited to a value obtained by adding a margin α to the location reference speed Vlim(P(d)). However, as... Figure 5As shown in the variation, the location reference speed Vlim(P(d)) of location P(d) can be stored in a location reference speed storage area 120 located in the cloud 100B. When traveling at location P(d), the location reference speed Vlim(P(d)) corresponding to location P(d) is obtained from the location reference speed storage area 120 located in the cloud 100B, and the vehicle speed V is limited to the value obtained by adding a margin α to the location reference speed Vlim(P(d)). In this case, the location reference speed Vlim(P(d)) of location P(d) can be set based on the vehicle speed V of location P(d) received from multiple vehicles. Therefore, even for locations that have not been traveled before, the driving speed can be limited based on the location reference speed Vlim.

[0045] In the hybrid vehicle 20 of the embodiment, the vehicle speed V is limited to the value obtained by adding a margin α to the location reference speed Vlim(P(d)), but the vehicle speed V can also be limited by the location reference speed Vlim(P(d)).

[0046] In the hybrid vehicle 20 of the embodiment, the largest vehicle speed V among the vehicle speeds V stored in the driving location P(d) within a predetermined period from the location reference speed storage area 74 of the storage device 72 is set as the location reference speed Vlim(P(d)) of location P(d). However, the second largest vehicle speed V can also be set as the location reference speed Vlim(P(d)) of location P(d), or the average vehicle speed V can be set as the location reference speed Vlim(P(d)) of location P(d).

[0047] In this embodiment, the driving speed control device is mounted on the hybrid vehicle 20. However, since any vehicle capable of speed control is acceptable, the driving speed control device can be mounted on an electric vehicle without an engine EG, a fuel cell vehicle, or a vehicle without an electric motor for driving.

[0048] It should be noted that, regarding the correspondence between the main elements of the embodiments and the main elements of the invention described in the solution to the problem section, since the embodiments are examples used to specifically illustrate the manner of implementing the invention described in the solution to the problem section, the embodiments do not limit the elements of the invention described in the solution to the problem section. That is, the interpretation of the invention described in the solution to the problem section should be based on the description in that section, and the embodiments are merely specific examples of the invention described in the solution to the problem section.

[0049] The above examples illustrate how to implement the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to such examples and can certainly be implemented in various ways without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0050] This invention can be applied to industries such as the manufacturing of speed control devices and automobiles equipped with such speed control devices.

Claims

1. A travel speed control device mounted on a vehicle, characterized by, performing travel speed restriction so that a travel speed is within an allowable range with respect to a place reference speed for a current place obtained from a place reference speed storage region that stores a place reference speed set based on travel speed data for each place for each place, wherein a maximum travel speed among past travel speed data for each place is set as the place reference speed for the place.

2. The travel speed control device according to claim 1, characterized by, the place reference speed storage region is provided on a cloud, the travel speed control device has a transmission section that transmits a travel place and travel speed data to the place reference speed storage region at the time of travel.

3. The travel speed control device according to claim 1, characterized by, the place reference speed storage region is provided in a vehicle on which the travel speed control device is mounted, a travel place and travel speed data are stored in the place reference speed storage region at the time of travel, and the place reference speed is set based on travel speed data for each place at a predetermined timing.

4. The travel speed control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by, when a place reference speed for a travel place is smaller than a place reference speed for a place adjacent to the travel place within a predetermined range from the travel place, travel speed restriction is performed so that the travel speed is within the allowable range with respect to the place reference speed for the adjacent place.

5. A vehicle on which the travel speed control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is mounted.

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