Driving assistance device

Abstract

A driving assistance device (100) stores, in a storage device (18), information on a travel route (112) of a vehicle (102) driven by a driver, and when there is an automatic travel command from the driver, sets a target travel route (116) on the basis of the travel route information stored in the storage device (S140). When a magnitude of a vertical acceleration (Gz) equal to or greater than a reference value (Gzc) is detected when a vehicle driven by a driver travels (S80), the position is stored in a storage device (S90) together with information of a travel route (112) as a specific site of a road surface displacement, and the position is stored in the storage device (S90) together with information of the travel route (112) when the magnitude of the vertical acceleration (Gz) equal to or greater than the reference value (Gzc) is detected (S80) when the vehicle travels along the target travel route (112). The vehicle speed (V) is reduced (S190) when the vehicle passes through a location (Pc2) corresponding to the specific location during automatic travel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a driving assistance device for a vehicle such as an automobile. Background Art

[0002] As one of the driving assistance devices for vehicles such as automobiles, there is known a driving assistance device that "records the driving path of the vehicle driven by the driver, and assists the driving of the vehicle in a manner that the vehicle travels along the recorded driving path during subsequent driving." For example, the following Patent Document 1 describes a driving assistance device that "has a learning mode that records the driving path and stop position of the vehicle driven by the driver, and during driving assistance, the vehicle is moved to the stop position by automatically driving along the recorded driving path."

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 06022447 Summary of the invention

[0006] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0007] In order to avoid collision between the vehicle and obstacles during driving assistance, the surrounding information acquisition device such as camera sensors and radar sensors acquires information about the vehicle's surroundings. Although the surrounding information acquisition device can detect obstacles such as stopped vehicles, it may not be able to detect parts of the road surface where there is a sharp up-and-down displacement (position change) such as speed bumps, steps, and grooves (called "special parts").

[0008] If the vehicle passes through a specific area during driving assistance, the impact load is input from the road surface to the vehicle body through the wheels, causing the vehicle body to vibrate. Therefore, in conventional driving assistance devices such as the driving assistance device described in Patent Document 1, it is impossible to avoid the situation where the occupants feel uncomfortable due to the vibration of the vehicle body when the vehicle passes through a specific area.

[0009] The present invention provides a driving assistance device which is improved so that even when a vehicle passes through a specific part while driving automatically along a recorded driving route, the degree of vibration applied to the vehicle body is lower than before, thereby reducing the possibility of occupants feeling uncomfortable.

[0010] Solution to Problem and Effects of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, a driving assistance device (100) is provided, comprising: a path information acquisition device (navigation device 80, surrounding information acquisition device 15) for acquiring information on a driving path of a vehicle (102) driven by a driver from an information acquisition start position to an information acquisition end position based on an information acquisition instruction of the driver; a storage device (18) for storing the information on the driving path acquired by the path information acquisition device; a driving control device (90) for controlling the driving of the vehicle; and a control unit (driving assistance ECU 10) for controlling the path information acquisition device, the storage device and the driving control device, wherein the control unit is configured to set a target driving path (116) from a current position of the vehicle to a driving end position based on the information on the driving path stored in the storage device (S140) when there is an automatic driving instruction from the driver, and to control the driving control device in such a way that the vehicle drives along the target driving path, thereby causing the vehicle to drive automatically (S160).

[0012] The driving assistance device (100) includes a detection device (vehicle state sensor 70) for detecting the vertical acceleration of the vehicle, and a control unit (driving assistance ECU 10) is configured to, when the detection device detects the magnitude of the vertical acceleration (Gz) greater than a reference value (Gzc) when the vehicle driven by the driver is traveling (S80), store the position (Pr2) where the magnitude of the vertical acceleration is detected as a specific part of the road surface displacement (change in the road surface position) together with the information of the driving path in a storage device (S90), so as to control the driving control device (S190) in such a way that the vehicle speed (V) is reduced when the vehicle passes through a part (Pc2) corresponding to the specific part during automatic driving.

[0013] According to the above configuration, when there is a special part, the vehicle speed will be reduced when the vehicle passes the part corresponding to the special part during automatic driving. Therefore, compared with the case where the vehicle speed is not reduced, the impact load input from the road surface to the vehicle body through the wheel when the vehicle passes the part corresponding to the special part is reduced, and the degree of vibration applied to the vehicle body is reduced. Therefore, the possibility of the occupants feeling uncomfortable due to the vibration applied to the vehicle body can be reduced compared with the past.

[0014] Inventive solution

[0015] In one aspect of the present invention, the reference value (Gzc) is variably set according to the vehicle speed such that the higher the vehicle speed (V) when the vehicle driven by the driver is traveling, the larger the reference value (Gzc) is (S80).

[0016] The higher the vehicle speed, the greater the impact load input to the vehicle body when the vehicle passes through the specific part. Therefore, the higher the vehicle speed, the greater the vertical acceleration of the vehicle when the vehicle passes through the specific part. Therefore, regarding the reference value for determining the magnitude of the vertical acceleration of the vehicle, it is preferred that the reference value be made larger as the vehicle speed increases.

[0017] According to the above scheme, the reference value is variably set according to the vehicle speed in such a way that the higher the vehicle speed when the driver is driving the vehicle, the larger the reference value is. Therefore, compared with the case where the reference value is constant regardless of the vehicle speed, it is possible to appropriately determine whether the vertical displacement of the road surface at a specific location is large.

[0018] In another embodiment of the present invention, regarding the reduction amount (ΔV) of the vehicle speed when the vehicle passes through a part (Pc2) corresponding to a specific part during automatic driving, the reduction amount (ΔV) is variably set according to at least one of the vehicle speed during automatic driving and the up and down acceleration of the vehicle detected by the detection device, such that the higher the vehicle speed (V) during automatic driving, the larger the reduction amount (ΔV) and / or the larger the up and down acceleration (Gz) of the vehicle detected by the detection device, the larger the reduction amount (ΔV) (S190).

[0019] The higher the vehicle speed, the greater the impact load input to the vehicle body when the vehicle passes the portion corresponding to the specific portion during automatic driving. Therefore, it is preferred that the higher the vehicle speed during automatic driving, the greater the reduction in vehicle speed when the vehicle passes the portion corresponding to the specific portion. In addition, the greater the magnitude of the up-and-down acceleration of the vehicle detected by the detection device, the greater the impact load input to the vehicle body when the vehicle passes the portion corresponding to the specific portion during automatic driving. Therefore, it is preferred that the greater the magnitude of the up-and-down acceleration of the vehicle detected by the detection device, the greater the reduction in vehicle speed when the vehicle passes the position corresponding to the specific portion.

[0020] According to the above scheme, regarding the reduction amount of the vehicle speed when the vehicle passes through the part corresponding to the specific part during automatic driving, the higher the vehicle speed during automatic driving, the greater the reduction amount, and / or the greater the magnitude of the vertical acceleration of the vehicle detected by the detection device, the greater the reduction amount. Therefore, compared with the case where the reduction amount of the vehicle speed is constant, the impact load input to the vehicle body when the vehicle passes through the part corresponding to the specific part can be appropriately reduced.

[0021] Furthermore, in another embodiment of the present invention, the control unit (driving assistance ECU 10) is configured to set the target driving path (116) (S140) in a manner that includes a merging path (118) from the driving start position to the driving path stored in the storage device when the driving start position (Pc1) of the automatic driving is not on the driving path (112) stored in the storage device.

[0022] According to the above scheme, when the driving start position of the automatic driving is not on the driving path stored in the storage device, the target driving path is set in a manner that includes a merging path from the driving start position to the driving path stored in the storage device. Therefore, even when the driving start position of the automatic driving is not on the driving path stored in the storage device, the vehicle can be moved to the driving end position along the target driving path during automatic driving.

[0023] Furthermore, in another embodiment of the present invention, the path information acquisition device includes a GPS device (navigation device 80), and the control unit (driving assistance ECU 10) is configured to determine at least the information acquisition start position (Pr1) based on the position of the vehicle obtained by the GPS device, and determine the vehicle's driving path (112) based on at least one of the trajectory of the vehicle's position obtained by the GPS device and the driver's driving history record (S40).

[0024] According to the above aspect, the travel route of the vehicle can be identified based on at least one of the trajectory of the vehicle's position acquired by the GPS device and the driver's driving history.

[0025] Other objects, other features and attendant advantages of the present invention can be easily understood from the following description of the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a driving assistance device according to an embodiment.

[0027] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of the travel route registration control in the embodiment.

[0028] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of the driving assist control in the embodiment.

[0029] Figure 4 1 is a diagram showing an example of registration control of a travel route when a vehicle is parked.

[0030] Figure 5 It is a diagram showing an example of driving assist control when there is a unique portion where the road surface is displaced.

[0031] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing an example of driving assist control when there is no specific portion where the road surface is displaced.

[0032] Description of Reference Numerals

[0033] 10…driving assistance ECU, 12…camera sensor, 14…radar sensor, 15…surrounding information acquisition device, 18…storage device, 22…driving device, 32…braking device, 42…EPS device, 52…display, 100…driving assistance device, 102…vehicle, 110…speed bump, 112…driving path, 116…target driving path, 118…merging path. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] Hereinafter, a driving assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, a driving assistance device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a vehicle 102, and includes a driving assistance ECU 10. The vehicle 102 is a vehicle capable of automatic driving, and is provided with a drive ECU 20, a brake ECU 30, an electric power steering ECU 40, and an instrument ECU 50. An ECU refers to an electronic control unit (Electronic Control Unit) having a microcomputer as a main part. In addition, in the following description, the electric power steering is referred to as EPS.

[0036] The microcomputer of each ECU includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, a readable and writable non-volatile memory (N / M), and an interface (I / F). The CPU implements various functions by executing commands (programs, routines) stored in the ROM. Moreover, these ECUs are connected to each other via CAN (Controller Area Network) 104 so that data can be exchanged (communication can be performed). Therefore, the detection values ​​of sensors (including switches) connected to a specific ECU are also sent to other ECUs.

[0037] The driving assistance ECU 10 is a central control device that performs driving assistance control such as driving route registration control, driving assistance control, lane keeping control, etc. In the embodiment, the driving assistance ECU 10 cooperates with other ECUs to perform driving route registration control and driving assistance control for assisting parking of the vehicle 102, etc., as described in detail later.

[0038] The driving assistance ECU 10 is connected to a camera sensor 12, a radar sensor 14, and a setting operator 16. The camera sensor 12 and the radar sensor 14 include a plurality of camera devices and a plurality of radar devices, respectively. The camera sensor 12 and the radar sensor 14 function as a surrounding information acquisition device 15 that acquires information on objects around the vehicle 102. The driving assistance ECU 10 has a built-in nonvolatile storage device 18.

[0039] Although not shown, each camera device of the camera sensor 12 includes a camera unit for photographing the surroundings of the vehicle 102 and a recognition unit for analyzing the image data photographed by the camera unit to recognize objects such as white lines on the road and other vehicles. The recognition unit provides information related to the recognized object to the driving assistance ECU 10 at predetermined intervals.

[0040] Each radar device of the radar sensor 14 is equipped with a radar transceiver and a signal processing unit (not shown). The radar transceiver transmits radio waves in the millimeter wave band (hereinafter referred to as "millimeter waves") and receives millimeter waves (i.e., reflected waves) reflected by three-dimensional objects (such as other vehicles, bicycles, etc.) within the transmission range. The signal processing unit provides the driving assistance ECU 10 with information indicating the distance between the own vehicle and the three-dimensional object, the relative speed between the own vehicle and the three-dimensional object, and the relative position (direction) of the three-dimensional object relative to the own vehicle at predetermined intervals based on the phase difference between the transmitted millimeter wave and the received reflected wave, the attenuation level of the reflected wave, and the time from the transmission of the millimeter wave to the reception of the reflected wave. In addition, LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) can also be used instead of the radar sensor 14.

[0041] Set the operator 16 as Figure 1 The steering wheel shown in the figure is arranged in a position where it can be operated by the driver, and is operated by the driver. Figure 1 Although not shown, the setting operator 16 includes a route registration switch and a driving assist switch. As described in detail later, the driving assist ECU 10 performs driving route registration control when the route registration switch is turned on, and performs driving assist control when the driving assist switch is turned on.

[0042] The drive ECU 20 is connected to a drive device 22 that accelerates the vehicle 102 by applying a driving force to a drive wheel 24. The drive ECU 20 normally controls the drive device 22 in such a manner that the driving force generated by the drive device 22 changes according to a driving operation performed by the driver, and when receiving a command signal from the driving assistance ECU 10, controls the drive device 22 based on the command signal.

[0043] The brake ECU 30 is connected to a brake device 32 that decelerates the vehicle 102 by applying a braking force to the wheels 34. The brake ECU 30 normally controls the brake device 32 so that the braking force generated by the brake device 32 changes according to the brake operation performed by the driver. When receiving a command signal from the driving assistance ECU 10, the brake device 32 is controlled based on the command signal to perform automatic braking. In addition, when the braking force is applied to the wheels, Figure 1 The brake lights (not shown) are illuminated.

[0044] The EPS·ECU40 is connected to the EPS device 42. The EPS·ECU40 controls the steering assist torque by controlling the EPS device 42 in a manner known in the art based on the steering torque Ts and the vehicle speed V detected by the driving operation sensor 60 and the vehicle state sensor 70 described later, thereby reducing the steering burden on the driver. In addition, the EPS·ECU40 can steer the steering wheel 44 as needed by controlling the EPS device 42. Therefore, the EPS·ECU40 and the EPS device 42 function as an automatic steering device that automatically steers the steering wheel as needed.

[0045] As apparent from the above description, the drive ECU 20 , the drive device 22 , the brake ECU 30 , the brake device 32 , the EPS·ECU 40 , and the EPS device 42 function as the travel control device 90 that controls the travel of the vehicle 102 , such as braking, driving, and turning.

[0046] The instrument ECU 50 is connected to a touch panel type display 52 that displays the status of control performed by the driving assistance ECU 10. The display 52 may be, for example, a multi-information display that displays instruments and various information, or may be a display of a navigation device 80 described later. As described later, when receiving a command signal from the driving assistance ECU 10, the display 52 displays a touch icon for approving registration of a driving route, a stored driving route, a touch icon for approving a target driving route, and the like.

[0047] The driving operation sensor 60 and the vehicle state sensor 70 are connected to the CAN 104. The information detected by the driving operation sensor 60 and the vehicle state sensor 70 (referred to as sensor information) is sent to the CAN 104. The sensor information sent to the CAN 104 can be used appropriately in each ECU. In addition, the sensor information may be information of a sensor connected to a specific ECU and the sensor information may be sent from the specific ECU to the CAN 104.

[0048] The driving operation sensor 60 includes a driving operation amount sensor for detecting the operation amount of the accelerator pedal, a braking operation amount sensor for detecting the master cylinder pressure or the pedal force on the brake pedal, and a brake switch for detecting the operation of the brake pedal. The driving operation sensor 60 also includes a steering angle sensor for detecting the steering angle θ, a steering torque sensor for detecting the steering torque Ts, and the like.

[0049] The vehicle state sensor 70 includes a vehicle speed sensor for detecting the vehicle speed V of the vehicle 102, a longitudinal acceleration sensor for detecting the acceleration of the vehicle in the longitudinal direction, a lateral acceleration sensor for detecting the lateral acceleration of the vehicle, and a vertical acceleration sensor for detecting the acceleration Gz in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

[0050] Furthermore, the navigation device 80 is also connected to the CAN 104. The navigation device 80 includes a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver for detecting the position of the vehicle 102, a storage device for storing map information and road information, and a communication device for acquiring the latest information of the map information and road information from the outside. The navigation device 80 functions as a GPS device for acquiring information on the current position of the vehicle 102, and outputs a signal indicating the current position of the vehicle on the map to the driving assistance ECU 10.

[0051] In the embodiment, the ROM of the driving assistance ECU 10 stores Figure 2 The driving path registration control program corresponding to the flowchart shown in FIG. Figure 3 The flowchart shown corresponds to a driving assistance control program. The CPU of the driving assistance ECU 10 performs driving assistance by executing the driving route registration control and the driving assistance control according to these programs.

[0052] <Driving route registration control( Figure 2 )>

[0053] Next, refer to Figure 2 The flowchart shown in FIG. 1 illustrates the driving route registration control in the embodiment. Figure 2 The driving route registration control shown in the flowchart is Figure 1 When the route registration switch of the setting operation unit 16 shown is changed from off to on, that is, when a driver's information acquisition instruction is generated, the CPU of the driving support ECU 10 starts.

[0054] First, in step S10 , the CPU determines the current position (latitude and longitude) of the vehicle 102 based on information from the navigation device 80 .

[0055] In step S20 , the CPU sets the information acquisition start position of the recorded travel route as the current position of the vehicle 102 .

[0056] In step S30, the CPU determines whether the vehicle 102 is running by, for example, determining whether the gear position of the transmission (not shown) is in the D range. The CPU repeatedly executes step S30 when a negative determination is made, and advances the control to step S40 when an affirmative determination is made.

[0057] In step S40, the CPU records the trajectory of the vehicle 102 as the information of the driving path of the parking vehicle in the RAM based on the signal from the navigation device 80. In addition, the CPU records the surrounding information such as the scene around the vehicle 102 as the information of the driving path in the RAM based on the signal provided from the surrounding information acquisition device 15 at predetermined intervals. Therefore, the navigation device 80 and the surrounding information acquisition device 15 function as a path information acquisition device that acquires the information of the driving path of the vehicle 102 driven by the driver from the information acquisition start position to the information acquisition end position. In addition, the driving path can also be determined and stored based on the driving history record of the driver, and can also be determined and stored based on both the trajectory of the vehicle 102 and the driving history record of the driver.

[0058] In step S50, the CPU records the vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle speed sensor of the vehicle state sensor 70 and the vertical acceleration Gz detected by the vertical acceleration sensor of the vehicle state sensor 70 together with the information of the parking path, especially the position information on the driving path, in the RAM.

[0059] In step S60, the CPU determines whether the recording of the information is completed. In this case, it can be determined that the recording of the information is completed when the route registration switch is changed from on to off, or when the gear position of the transmission device is changed to P gear. When the CPU makes a negative determination, the control returns to step S30, and when the CPU makes a positive determination, the control proceeds to step S70. In addition, the position of the vehicle 102 when it is determined that the recording of the information is completed is set as the information acquisition end position.

[0060] In step S70 , the CPU stores the travel route of the vehicle 102 from the information acquisition start position to the information acquisition end position together with the surrounding information in the storage device 18 based on the information recorded in the RAM.

[0061] In step S80, the CPU filters the up and down acceleration Gz recorded in the RAM to determine whether the magnitude of the up and down acceleration is detected to be greater than the determination reference value Gzc. In addition, the determination reference value Gzc may be a positive constant, or may be variably set according to the vehicle speed in such a way that the higher the vehicle speed V, the greater the determination reference value Gzc. When the CPU makes a negative determination, the present control is terminated. When the CPU makes a positive determination, in step S90, the portion where the magnitude of the up and down acceleration is detected to be greater than the reference value is stored in the storage device 18 as a specific portion of the road surface displacement on the driving path.

[0062] <Example of Registration Control of Driving Route>

[0063] For example, Figure 4FIG. 1 shows an example of registration control of the driving route when the vehicle 102 is parked. Assuming that when the vehicle 102 is at position Pr1, the route registration switch of the setting operation device 16 is changed from off to on, based on Figure 2 The driving route registration control of the flowchart shown in the figure starts. It is assumed that the vehicle 102 moves forward across the speed bump 110 when it is at the position Pr2, stops temporarily at the position Pr3, changes direction to reverse, and reverses to the position Pr4 (parking position) to park.

[0064] Furthermore, assuming that the vehicle speed V and the vertical acceleration Gz change as shown in the figure, the magnitude of the vertical acceleration Gz becomes greater than the judgment reference value Gzc when the front wheel of the vehicle 102 passes through the speed bump 110. In addition, the movement path 112 of the vehicle 102 from the position Pr1 through the positions Pr2 and Pr3 to the position Pr4 is the registered travel path.

[0065] From the time point when the vehicle 102 is at the position Pr1, the determination of step S30 becomes positive, and when the vehicle 102 reaches the position Pr4 and stops, the determination of step S60 becomes positive, and the driving path 112 of the vehicle 102 is stored in the storage device 18 together with the surrounding information 114. Furthermore, the determination of step S80 becomes positive, so the position Pr2 where the magnitude of the vertical acceleration exceeding the reference value is detected is stored in the storage device 18 as a unique part of the road surface displacement.

[0066] <Driving Assist Control( Figure 3 )>

[0067] Next, refer to Figure 3 The flowchart shown in FIG. 1 is used to explain the driving assist control in the embodiment. Figure 3 The driving assistance control in the flowchart shown in Figure 1 When the driving assist switch of the setting operation device 16 shown is turned from off to on, that is, when an automatic driving instruction is issued by the driver, the CPU of the driving assist ECU 10 executes the operation.

[0068] First, in step S110 , the CPU specifies the current position (latitude and longitude) of the vehicle 102 based on the information from the navigation device 80 , similarly to step S10 .

[0069] In step S120, the CPU outputs a command signal to the meter ECU 50 to display the driving route corresponding to the current position of the vehicle 102 among the driving routes stored in the storage device 18 on the display 52. ​​In addition, when there are multiple driving routes corresponding to the current position of the vehicle 102, the multiple driving routes may be displayed.

[0070] In step S130, the CPU determines whether the displayed driving route is approved by determining whether the "yes" icon displayed on the display 52 together with the driving route is touched by the driver. When the CPU makes a negative determination, it repeatedly executes step S130, and when it makes an affirmative determination, it advances the control to step S140. In addition, when a plurality of driving routes are displayed, when the driver selects a driving route and the image of the selected driving route is touched, it is determined that the driving route is approved. When the CPU makes a negative determination, it may also return the control to step S120.

[0071] In step S140, the CPU sets the target driving route based on the approved driving route and outputs a command signal to the meter ECU 50, thereby displaying the target driving route on the display 52. ​​As described in detail later, when the current position of the vehicle 102 is not on the approved driving route, the target driving route is set in a manner that includes a merging route from the current position to (reaching) the approved driving route.

[0072] Furthermore, in the case where the driver wants to park the vehicle at a position other than the target driving path's driving end position, such as when "another vehicle is parked at the driving end position of the target driving path displayed on the display 52", the driver can also change the driving end position by touching the display 52. ​​In this case, the target driving path is corrected so that the driving end position of the target driving path becomes the changed driving end position.

[0073] In step S150, the CPU determines whether the displayed target driving route is approved by determining whether the "yes" icon displayed on the display 52 together with the target driving route is touched by the driver. When the CPU makes a negative determination, the control returns to step S140, and when the CPU makes an affirmative determination, the control proceeds to step S160.

[0074] In step S160, the CPU controls the travel control device 90 so that the vehicle 102 travels along the target travel path by outputting a command signal to the drive ECU 20, etc., and the vehicle 102 automatically travels. In this case, the vehicle speed V may be controlled to a preset vehicle speed, or may be controlled to a vehicle speed stored for a position on the recognized target travel path or a vehicle speed close thereto.

[0075] In step S170, the CPU determines whether there is a unique portion of road surface displacement, that is, whether the unique portion of road surface displacement is stored in the storage device 18 for the recognized target driving path. When the CPU makes a negative determination, the control proceeds to step S200, and when the CPU makes an affirmative determination, the control proceeds to step S180.

[0076] In step S180, the CPU determines whether the vehicle 102 has reached the specific part of the road surface displacement, and determines whether the vehicle is traveling in the area of ​​the specific part (the part corresponding to the specific part). When the CPU makes a negative determination, the control proceeds to step S200, and when the CPU makes an affirmative determination, the control proceeds to step S190.

[0077] In step S190 , the CPU outputs a command signal to the drive ECU 20 etc. to control the travel control device 90 so that the vehicle speed V when the front wheels of the vehicle 102 pass through the area of ​​the specific part where the road surface is displaced is reduced by a preset reduction amount ΔV.

[0078] The reduction amount ΔV of the vehicle speed is variably set according to the vehicle speed during automatic driving and the magnitude of the detected vertical acceleration of the vehicle, such that the higher the vehicle speed during automatic driving, the larger the reduction amount ΔV, and the larger the magnitude of the detected vertical acceleration Gz of the vehicle, the larger the reduction amount ΔV. In particular, the reduction amount ΔV can be variably set so that the magnitude of the vertical acceleration Gz of the vehicle 102 when the front wheels of the vehicle 102 pass through a specific portion where the road surface is displaced becomes equal to or less than a reduction reference value Gzr (a positive constant) that is smaller than the determination reference value Gzc.

[0079] Furthermore, the reduction of the vehicle speed V continues from before the front wheels of the vehicle 102 reach the specific part of the road surface displacement until after the front wheels of the vehicle 102 pass through the specific part of the road surface displacement. In addition, when the specific part of the road surface displacement is also stored in the storage device 18 for the rear wheels of the vehicle 102, the travel control device 90 may be controlled in such a manner that the vehicle speed V when the rear wheels pass through the specific part of the road surface displacement is reduced by a preset reduction amount ΔV.

[0080] In addition, when the storage device 18 also stores the specific part of the road surface displacement for the rear wheels of the vehicle 102, the reduction of the vehicle speed V may be continued from before the front wheels reach the specific part of the road surface displacement until after the rear wheels pass the specific part of the road surface displacement. Furthermore, the reduction of the vehicle speed V may be announced by "displaying on the display 52" or "announcement by sound".

[0081] In step S200, the CPU determines whether the vehicle 102 has reached the travel end position, for example, by determining whether the current position of the vehicle 102 determined based on information from the navigation device 80 is the travel end position. When the CPU makes a negative determination, the control returns to step S160, and when the CPU makes an affirmative determination, the control proceeds to step S210.

[0082] In step S210, the CPU outputs a command signal to the meter ECU 50, thereby displaying on the display 52 a message that the vehicle 102 has reached the travel end position. Thus, the driver can switch the travel assist switch of the setting operator 16 from on to off.

[0083] <Example of driving assist control>

[0084] For example, Figure 5 FIG. 1 shows an example of driving assist control when the vehicle 102 is parked. Assuming that the driving assist switch of the setting operator 16 is changed from OFF to ON when the vehicle 102 is in the position Pc1, based on Figure 3 The driving assist control of the flowchart shown starts.

[0085] First, the current position Pc1 of the vehicle 102 is determined based on the information from the navigation device 80 ( S110 ), and the driving route 112 corresponding to the current position of the vehicle among the driving routes stored in the storage device 18 is displayed on the display 52 ( S120 ).

[0086] When the displayed driving path is approved (S130), the target driving path 116 is set based on the approved driving path, and the target driving path is displayed on the display 52 (S140). When the driving start position, that is, the current position Pc1 of the vehicle 102 when the driving assistance starts, is not on the approved driving path 112, the target driving path 116 is set so as to include the merging path 118 from the driving start position to the driving path 112 (S140).

[0087] When the target driving path 116 is recognized (S150), the driving control device 90 is controlled so that the vehicle 102 drives along the target driving path, thereby the vehicle 102 passes through the positions Pc2 and Pc3 corresponding to the positions Pr2 and Pr3 respectively and moves to the driving end position Pc4 corresponding to the position Pr4 by automatic driving (S160). When the vehicle 102 arrives at the driving end position Pc4 (S200), a message indicating that the vehicle has arrived at the driving end position is displayed on the display 52 (S210).

[0088] When there is a specific part of the road surface displacement such as the speed bump 110, an affirmative determination is made in step S170. The vehicle 102 travels in the area of ​​the specific part of the road surface displacement (position Pc2 corresponding to position Pr2) (S180), and the travel control device 90 is controlled in such a manner that the vehicle speed V when at least the front wheels pass through the specific part of the road surface displacement is reduced by a preset reduction amount ΔV (S190).

[0089] When there is no unique portion of the road surface displacement such as the speed bump 110, a negative determination is made in step S170, and therefore the vehicle speed is not reduced (S190). Figure 6 An example of driving assist control in a case where there is no specific portion where the road surface is displaced is shown.

[0090] As can be seen from the above description, according to the embodiment, when the vertical acceleration sensor as the detection device detects the magnitude of the vertical acceleration Gz greater than the reference value when the vehicle 102 driven by the driver is traveling, the position where the magnitude of the vertical acceleration is detected is stored in the storage device 18 as the unique part Pr2 of the road surface displacement together with the information of the travel path 112. Furthermore, the travel control device 90 is controlled in such a manner that the vehicle speed V is reduced by the reduction amount ΔV when the vehicle 102 passes through the part Pc2 corresponding to the unique part during automatic travel.

[0091] Therefore, when there is a special part, the vehicle speed V is reduced when the vehicle passes through the part Pc2 corresponding to the special part Pr2 during automatic driving, so compared with the case where the vehicle speed is not reduced, the impact load input from the road surface to the vehicle body through the wheel when the vehicle passes through the part corresponding to the special part is reduced, and the degree of vibration applied to the vehicle body is reduced. Therefore, the possibility of the occupants feeling uncomfortable due to the vibration applied to the vehicle body can be reduced compared with the past.

[0092] In addition, according to the embodiment, the reference value Gzc is variably set according to the vehicle speed so that the reference value Gzc increases as the vehicle speed V when the driver is driving the vehicle increases. Therefore, compared with the case where the reference value is constant regardless of the vehicle speed, it is possible to appropriately determine whether the vertical displacement of the road surface at a specific location is large.

[0093] Furthermore, according to the embodiment, regarding the reduction amount ΔV of the vehicle speed when the vehicle passes through the portion Pc2 corresponding to the unique portion Pr2 during automatic driving, the higher the vehicle speed V during automatic driving, the greater the reduction amount ΔV, and / or the greater the magnitude of the vertical acceleration Gz of the vehicle detected by the vertical acceleration sensor, the greater the reduction amount ΔV. Therefore, compared with the case where the reduction amount of the vehicle speed is constant, the impact load input to the vehicle body when passing through the portion corresponding to the unique portion can be appropriately reduced.

[0094] Furthermore, according to the embodiment, when the driving start position Pc1 is not on the driving route 112 stored in the storage device 18, the target driving route 116 is set to include a merging route 118 from the driving start position to the driving route stored in the storage device. Therefore, even when the driving start position is not on the driving route stored in the storage device, the vehicle can be moved to the driving end position along the target driving route during automatic driving.

[0095] Moreover, according to the embodiment, at least the information acquisition start position Pr1 can be determined based on the position of the vehicle 102 obtained by the GPS device of the navigation device 80, and the vehicle's driving path 112 can be determined based on at least one of the trajectory of the vehicle's position obtained by the GPS device and the driver's driving history record.

[0096] Furthermore, according to the embodiment, when the specific part Pr2 is stored in the storage device 18 together with the information of the driving path 112 for setting the target driving path 116, the target driving path, the specific part, and the current position of the vehicle are displayed on the display 52. ​​Therefore, the driver can be aware in advance that the vehicle speed will be reduced when the vehicle passes through the part corresponding to the specific part during automatic driving, and the possibility of the driver having a sense of discomfort due to the automatic reduction of the vehicle speed can be reduced.

[0097] As mentioned above, although the specific embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and other various embodiments can be implemented within the scope of the present invention.

[0098] For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, in step S190, the reduction amount ΔV of the vehicle speed is larger as the vehicle speed during automatic driving is higher, and the reduction amount ΔV is larger as the magnitude of the vertical acceleration of the vehicle detected by the vertical acceleration sensor as the detection device is larger. However, the reduction amount ΔV of the vehicle speed may be variably set based on only one of the vehicle speed during automatic driving and the magnitude of the vertical acceleration of the vehicle detected by the detection device.

[0099] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the information acquisition start position and the information acquisition end position are the parking start position and the parking end position respectively, and the driving assistance control is the parking assistance control. However, the driving assistance control may also be the starting assistance control from the parking position, or may be assistance other than the parking assistance control and the starting assistance control, and the range of the driving assistance may be fixed.

[0100] Furthermore, when the vehicle includes a variable damping coefficient shock absorber provided corresponding to each wheel, the damping coefficient may be reduced in addition to or instead of reducing the vehicle speed.

Claims

1. A driving assistance device, The driving assistance device comprises: a path information acquisition device that acquires information on a driving path of a vehicle driven by a driver from an information acquisition start position to an information acquisition end position based on an information acquisition instruction of the driver; and a storage device that stores the information on the driving path acquired by the path information acquisition device; A travel control device, which controls the travel of the vehicle; and a control unit for controlling the path information acquisition device, the storage device, and the travel control device, The control unit is configured to set a target driving path from a current position of the vehicle to a driving end position based on the driving path information stored in the storage device when there is an automatic driving instruction from the driver, and to control the driving control device so that the vehicle drives automatically in such a manner that the vehicle drives along the target driving path. In the driving assistance device, The driving assistance device includes a detection device for detecting the vertical acceleration of the vehicle, The control unit is configured such that when the detection device detects the magnitude of up and down acceleration exceeding a reference value while the vehicle driven by the driver is traveling, the position where the magnitude of the up and down acceleration is detected is stored in the storage device together with the information of the driving path as a specific part of the road surface displacement, so as to control the driving control device in such a manner that the vehicle speed is reduced when the vehicle passes through a part corresponding to the specific part during the automatic driving.

2. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, The reference value is variably set according to the vehicle speed so that the reference value becomes larger as the vehicle speed when the driver is driving the vehicle is higher.

3. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, Regarding the amount of reduction in vehicle speed when the vehicle passes through a portion corresponding to the specific portion during the automatic driving, the reduction amount is variably set according to at least one of the vehicle speed during the automatic driving and the magnitude of the up and down acceleration of the vehicle detected by the detection device, such that the higher the vehicle speed during the automatic driving, the larger the reduction amount is, and / or the larger the magnitude of the up and down acceleration of the vehicle detected by the detection device, the larger the reduction amount is.

4. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, The control unit is configured to set the target driving route to include a merging route from the driving start position to the driving route stored in the storage device when the driving start position of the automatic driving is not on the driving route stored in the storage device.

5. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, The path information acquisition device includes a GPS device, The control unit is configured to determine at least the information acquisition start position based on the vehicle position obtained by the GPS device, and determine the vehicle's travel path based on at least one of the trajectory of the vehicle's position obtained by the GPS device and the driver's driving history record.

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