Driving assistance devices for vehicles

Abstract

The present invention provides a vehicle driving assistance device, which can smoothly change the set speed of the vehicle so that the vehicle can be quickly accelerated to the speed limit while respecting the driver's will and ensuring safety. The vehicle driving assistance device includes: a three-dimensional image recognition device; a vehicle speed adjustment switch, which adjusts the set speed (Vs); and a driving control unit, which increases or decreases the set speed each time a click operation is performed, and calculates a target acceleration based on a basic acceleration characteristic (A), and adjusts the vehicle speed (V) of the vehicle to the set speed, wherein when the driving control unit adjusts the set speed to a speed limit (Vr) or higher based on a continuous click operation, the first target acceleration (hset) before the vehicle speed of the vehicle reaches the speed limit is calculated based on a high acceleration characteristic (B) that generates an acceleration greater than the basic acceleration characteristic, and the second target acceleration (aset) after the vehicle speed reaches the speed limit is calculated based on the basic acceleration characteristic.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a vehicle driving assistance device with an adaptive cruise control function. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, in vehicles such as automobiles, there are known driving assistance devices that use millimeter-wave radars, stereo cameras, and monocular cameras to identify the external environment in front of the vehicle, and perform driving control of the vehicle based on the identified external environment. As one of the functions of such driving control, when a leading vehicle is detected (captured) in front of the vehicle, a function of performing follow-up driving control on the detected leading vehicle is widely known. Generally, such following driving control is widely used as adaptive cruise control (ACC). During the execution of ACC, following driving control is performed when a leading vehicle is detected in front of the vehicle, and constant speed driving control is performed at a set speed set by the driver when a leading vehicle is not detected.

[0003] This set vehicle speed can be adjusted (reset) to a vehicle speed desired by the driver even during execution of the constant speed travel control.

[0004] When an adjustment operation to increase the set vehicle speed is performed, the host vehicle is accelerated to the newly adjusted set vehicle speed by the constant speed travel control.

[0005] However, when the newly adjusted set vehicle speed deviates greatly toward the increasing side with respect to the current vehicle speed of the host vehicle, acceleration responsiveness is required for rapidly bringing the vehicle speed of the host vehicle close to the set vehicle speed.

[0006] Thus, when the vehicle speed desired by the driver deviates greatly from the set vehicle speed during ACC execution, various technologies have been proposed as vehicle driving assistance devices for quickly approaching the desired vehicle speed. For example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-114988) discloses the following technology: when the set vehicle speed is increased or decreased by continuous operation of the vehicle speed setting operator, the longer the continuous operation time, the greater the change in the set vehicle speed, and when the set vehicle speed reaches a predetermined divided vehicle speed value, the set vehicle speed is maintained for a certain time.

[0007] Prior art literature

[0008] Patent Literature

[0009] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-114988 Summary of the invention

[0010] Technical problem to be solved by the invention

[0011] However, in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, when the driver's desired speed deviates significantly from the set speed and exceeds the speed limit, it may not be possible to obtain the acceleration desired by the driver while ensuring safety.

[0012] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle driving assistance device that can smoothly change the set vehicle speed so as to quickly accelerate the host vehicle to the speed limit while respecting the driver's intention and ensuring safety.

[0013] Technical solutions for solving technical problems

[0014] A vehicle driving assistance device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes: an external environment recognition unit that recognizes external environment information including a lane in which the vehicle is traveling; a vehicle speed adjustment switch that increases or decreases a set vehicle speed for constant speed driving control; and a vehicle speed control unit that increases or decreases the set vehicle speed by a unit vehicle speed each time the vehicle speed adjustment switch is clicked, and simultaneously calculates a target acceleration based on a pre-set basic acceleration characteristic, and uses the calculated target acceleration to adjust the vehicle speed of the vehicle to the set vehicle speed, wherein the vehicle speed control unit adjusts the set vehicle speed toward an increasing side based on continuous click operations on the vehicle speed adjustment switch, and when the set vehicle speed is above a speed limit, calculates a first target acceleration before the vehicle speed of the vehicle reaches the speed limit based on a high acceleration characteristic that generates an acceleration greater than the basic acceleration characteristic, and calculates a second target acceleration after the vehicle speed of the vehicle reaches the speed limit based on the basic acceleration characteristic.

[0015] Effects of the Invention

[0016] According to the vehicle driving assistance device of the present invention, it is possible to smoothly change the set vehicle speed so as to quickly accelerate the host vehicle to the speed limit while respecting the driver's will and ensuring safety. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a driving assistance device installed in a vehicle.

[0018] Figure 2 This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of recognizing an external environment by a 3D image recognition device.

[0019] Figure 3 It is a top view showing an example of a cruise control switch.

[0020] Figure 4 It is an explanatory diagram showing each display lamp of the cruise control display device.

[0021] Figure 5 This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the relationship between the vehicle speed, the speed limit, and the set vehicle speed when setting the target acceleration.

[0022] Figure 6 It is an acceleration gain map based on the vehicle speed deviation for calculating the first target acceleration.

[0023] Figure 7 1 is a flowchart showing a target acceleration setting procedure.

[0024] Figure 8 2 is a flowchart showing a target acceleration setting procedure.

[0025] Fig. 9 3 is a flowchart showing a target acceleration setting procedure.

[0026] Fig.10 4 is a flowchart showing a target acceleration setting procedure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0028] As an example of a vehicle driving assistance device mounted on a vehicle 1 such as an automobile, a configuration of a vehicle driving assistance device 2 having an adaptive cruise control (hereinafter referred to as ACC) function will be described.

[0029] like Figure 1 As shown, the driving assistance device 2 is mainly composed of a stereo camera assembly 2a which is integrally provided with a stereo camera 3, a stereo image recognition device 4 and a driving control unit 5. In addition, various control units such as an engine control unit (E / G_ECU) 7, a brake control unit (BRK_ECU) 8, and a transmission control unit (T / M_ECU) 9 are connected to the driving control unit 5 of the stereo camera assembly 2a so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0030] The stereo camera 3 is composed of a left and right set of CCD cameras, which have a solid-state imaging element such as a charge coupled device (CCD) as a stereo optical system. The CCD cameras constituting the stereo camera 3 are installed at a certain interval in front of the ceiling in the vehicle. The CCD cameras stereoscopically capture objects outside the vehicle from different viewpoints and output the captured image information to the stereo image recognition device 4.

[0031] The stereo image recognition device 4 is input with the image information from the stereo camera 3 and, for example, the vehicle speed V of the vehicle from the T / M_ECU 9. The stereo image recognition device 4 recognizes the front information such as the stereo object data in front of the vehicle 1 and the dividing line data on the road based on the image information from the stereo camera 3, and estimates the lane 22 of the vehicle based on the recognition information. Furthermore, the stereo image recognition device 4 detects the preceding vehicle on the lane 22 of the vehicle based on the recognized stereo object data.

[0032] That is, for a set of left and right images (stereoscopic image pair) in the vehicle's traveling direction captured by the stereo camera 3 , the stereoscopic image recognition device 4 generates distance information based on the offset of corresponding positions using the principle of triangulation.

[0033] Specifically, the stereo image recognition device 4 divides the reference image (e.g., the image on the right) into small areas of, for example, 4×4 pixels. Then, the stereo image recognition device 4 compares the brightness or color pattern of each small area with the comparison image. Through this comparison, the stereo image recognition device 4 finds the corresponding area and obtains the distance distribution on the entire reference image.

[0034] Furthermore, the stereo image recognition device 4 investigates the brightness difference between each pixel on the reference image and its adjacent pixels (e.g., adjacent pixels on the right and bottom). The stereo image recognition device 4 extracts the pixels whose brightness differences all exceed the threshold as edges, and assigns distance information to the extracted pixels (edges), thereby generating an edge distribution image (distance image) having distance information.

[0035] In addition, the stereo image recognition device 4 performs known grouping processing on the distance image, for example, and recognizes the white line, side wall, three-dimensional object, etc. in front of the vehicle by pattern matching with various pre-set templates. For each data thus recognized, the stereo image recognition device 4 assigns different IDs respectively, and continuously monitors these data between frames for each ID. Furthermore, the stereo image recognition device 4 estimates the driving lane 22 of the vehicle based on the white line data or side wall data, etc., and extracts (detects) a three-dimensional object existing in the driving lane 22 of the vehicle and moving at a specified speed (for example, 0 km / h or more) in the same direction as the vehicle 1 as a leading vehicle.

[0036] The stereoscopic image recognition device 4 that detects the leading vehicle in this way calculates the leading vehicle distance D (=inter-vehicle distance D), the leading vehicle speed Vf (=(ratio of change in inter-vehicle distance D)+(vehicle speed V of the own vehicle)), the leading vehicle acceleration af (=differential value of the leading vehicle speed Vf), etc. as the leading vehicle information. It should be noted that among the leading vehicles, especially the leading vehicle whose speed Vf is below a specified value (for example, below 4 km / h) and which is not accelerating, is identified as a leading vehicle in a substantially stopped state.

[0037] In the processing of such image information, Figure 2 As shown, the stereoscopic image recognition device 4 also recognizes the speed limit Vr displayed on the sign 24 on the road, for example. That is, the stereoscopic image recognition device 4 stores template data related to various signs such as the road sign 24 and the road surface sign, and recognizes the sign 24 by performing pattern matching with these templates. And, for example, when the recognized sign 24 is a speed sign, the stereoscopic image recognition device 4 recognizes the speed limit Vr displayed on the sign 24.

[0038] Furthermore, in processing such image information, the stereoscopic image recognition device 4 also recognizes at least one adjacent driving lane 23 that can travel in the same direction as the host vehicle driving lane 22. In addition, in recognizing the host vehicle driving lane 22, the adjacent driving lane 23, and their speed limits, etc., map information output from a navigation device or the like may be appropriately combined.

[0039] As described above, in the present embodiment, the stereo camera 3 and the stereo image recognition device 4 correspond to a specific example of the external environment recognition unit (external environment recognition module).

[0040] For example, various recognition information regarding the front outside the vehicle is input to the driving control unit 5 from the stereoscopic image recognition device 4 , and the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle is input to the driving control unit 5 from the T / M_ECU 9 .

[0041] In addition, the driving control unit 5 receives various signals from the driver using the cruise control switch 15. In the present embodiment, the cruise control switch 15 is composed of a plurality of operation switches such as push button switches and toggle switches disposed on the steering wheel 20.

[0042] Specifically, if Figure 3 As shown, the cruise control switch 15 includes a cruise switch 15a, a setting switch (SET) 15b, a recovery switch (RES) 15c, and inter-vehicle distance setting switches 15d and 15e.

[0043] The cruise switch 15a is a main switch for turning the ACC operation on and off, and is used to switch the ACC on and off.

[0044] As a vehicle speed setting unit, the setting switch (SET) 15b is used, for example, to set the speed of the traveling vehicle 1 to the set vehicle speed Vs when ACC is executed. In addition, as a vehicle speed adjustment unit, the setting switch 15b also functions as a set vehicle speed adjustment switch for adjusting the set vehicle speed Vs to the low speed side. For example, each time the driver clicks the setting switch 15b, the setting switch 15b functions as a down switch (-) that changes the set vehicle speed Vs to the low speed side by a predetermined unit vehicle speed K1 (for example, 5 km / h).

[0045] As a vehicle speed setting unit, the restore switch (RES) 15c is used, for example, to reset the vehicle speed Vs stored last time. In addition, as a vehicle speed adjustment unit, the restore switch 15c also functions as a vehicle speed adjustment switch for adjusting the vehicle speed Vs to the high speed side. For example, each time the restore switch 15c is pressed by the driver, it functions as an increase switch (+) that changes the vehicle speed Vs to the high speed side by a predetermined unit speed K1 (e.g., 5 km / h).

[0046] The inter-vehicle distance setting switches 15 d (△) and 15 e (▽) are used to set the inter-vehicle distance D between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle 1 .

[0047] In the driving control unit 5 constructed in this way, Figure 1 , 4 As shown, a cruise control display device 21 for displaying setting information, control information, etc. related to ACC is connected.

[0048] The cruise control display device 21 includes, for example, a cruise switch indicator light 21a, a host vehicle indicator light 21b, a set speed indicator light 21c, a preceding vehicle indicator light 21d, an inter-vehicle distance mode indicator light 21e, a lane indicator light 21f, a speed limit indicator light 21h, and a speed indicator light 21m.

[0049] The cruise switch indicator lamp 21 a and the vehicle indicator lamp 21 b are for lighting up when the cruise switch 15 a is turned on.

[0050] The set vehicle speed display lamp 21c is used to display the set vehicle speed Vs. In addition, the set vehicle speed display lamp 21c switches the display appropriately according to the vehicle speed adjustment operation of the driver.

[0051] The leading vehicle indicator lamp 21 d and the inter-vehicle distance mode indicator lamp 21 e are for lighting up when the leading vehicle is captured by the three-dimensional image recognition device 4 .

[0052] The lane indicator lamp 21 f is for lighting up when the dividing line of the lane 22 in which the vehicle is traveling is recognized.

[0053] The speed limit display lamp 21h is for lighting up when the speed limit Vr is recognized.

[0054] The speed display lamp 21 m is displayed in conjunction with a speedometer that displays the speed of the host vehicle 1 .

[0055] The cruise control display device 21 configured in this manner is disposed on, for example, a combination meter.

[0056] Furthermore, the driving control unit 5 sets the vehicle speed V at the time of the operation as the set vehicle speed Vs, for example, after the driver turns on the cruise switch 15a, if the setting switch 15b is operated. Alternatively, when the driver operates the return switch 15c, the driving control unit 5 sets the previously set vehicle speed as the new set vehicle speed Vs.

[0057] When the driver operates the inter-vehicle distance setting switch 15d or 15e, the travel control unit 5 sets an inter-vehicle distance mode (for example, "long", "medium", or "short") for setting a following target distance described later.

[0058] Then, when the set vehicle speed Vs is set in this manner, the travel control unit 5 executes ACC.

[0059] Next, a normal vehicle speed control for controlling the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle to the set vehicle speed Vs by the travel control unit 5 will be described.

[0060] After ACC is executed, if the stereoscopic image recognition device 4 does not detect a leading vehicle, the driving control unit 5 performs a constant speed driving control to control the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle to the set vehicle speed Vs. In addition, when a leading vehicle is recognized by the stereoscopic image recognition device 4 during the constant speed driving control, the driving control unit 5 performs a following driving control (including following stop and following start) to control the inter-vehicle distance D with the leading vehicle to the following target distance.

[0061] When the constant speed travel control is started, the travel control unit 5 calculates a target acceleration aset for controlling the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle to the set vehicle speed Vs.

[0062] Specifically, the driving control unit 5 calculates, for example, the speed deviation Vsdif (= Vs-V) between the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle and the set speed Vs. Then, the driving control unit 5 calculates the target acceleration aset corresponding to the speed deviation Vsdif based on the preset basic acceleration characteristic A. The basic acceleration characteristic A is, for example, a characteristic for achieving a preferred acceleration and deceleration feeling while suppressing sudden acceleration and deceleration of the host vehicle 1. Therefore, the basic acceleration characteristic A is set to calculate the target acceleration aset within a specified acceleration and deceleration range (for example, within the range of an upper limit of 0.2G to a lower limit of -0.2G). In addition, the basic acceleration characteristic A is, for example, pre-mapped and stored in the driving control unit 5.

[0063] And, for example, when the vehicle speed deviation Vsdif calculated in this way is a positive value, the target acceleration aset is calculated to be a larger value as the vehicle speed deviation Vsdif is larger within the range of the settable upper limit value of the set vehicle speed Vs or the upper limit value of the vehicle speed V at which the constant speed travel control can be operated. On the other hand, for example, when the vehicle speed deviation Vsdif is a negative value, the target acceleration aset is calculated to be a smaller value as the vehicle speed deviation Vsdif is smaller within the range of the settable lower limit value of the set vehicle speed Vs or the lower limit value of the vehicle speed V at which the constant speed travel control can be operated (the more the vehicle speed deviation Vsdif increases toward the negative side, the larger the value calculated on the deceleration side).

[0064] In addition, when the constant speed driving control is transferred to the following driving control, the driving control unit 5 calculates the target acceleration acar for controlling the inter-vehicle distance D to the following target distance. Although detailed description is omitted, the driving control unit 5 sets the following target distance corresponding to the inter-vehicle distance mode, for example, and calculates the target acceleration acar based on the relative speed between the preceding vehicle speed Vf and the own vehicle speed V.

[0065] Then, the travel control unit 5 sets the target acceleration aset or the target acceleration acar as the final target acceleration a according to the constant speed travel control or the following travel control, respectively.

[0066] After setting the target acceleration a, the driving control unit 5 controls the opening of the electronically controlled throttle valve 17 (engine output control) through the E / G_ECU 7, thereby generating acceleration and deceleration corresponding to the target acceleration a. In addition, when decelerating, if the driving control unit 5 determines that sufficient deceleration cannot be obtained only through the engine output control, it controls the output hydraulic pressure from the brake booster 18 through the BRK_ECU 8 (intervention control of the automatic brake).

[0067] Here, the set vehicle speed Vs can be appropriately changed during the execution of ACC. That is, for example, during the execution of ACC, each time the return switch 15c or the setting switch 15b is clicked, the driving control unit 5 will in principle add or subtract the unit vehicle speed K1 (e.g., 5 km / h) from the set vehicle speed Vs.

[0068] However, when the switch 15c or 15b is continuously clicked at a time interval shorter than a preset interval S (eg, 500 ms), the travel control unit 5 changes the unit vehicle speed K1 for adding or subtracting the set vehicle speed Vs to a unit vehicle speed K2.

[0069] The unit vehicle speed K2 is set to a value greater than the unit vehicle speed K1. For example, the unit vehicle speed K2 is set to 10 km / h. That is, when the switch 15c or 15b is clicked continuously, the travel control unit 5 adds or subtracts the unit vehicle speed K2 (for example, 10 km / h) from the set vehicle speed Vs. Through these operations, the travel control unit 5 resets the adjusted vehicle speed as a new set vehicle speed Vs.

[0070] The concept of the continuous click operation also includes, for example, an operation of continuously pressing the switch 15c or 15b for a set time or longer without releasing the switch (long press).

[0071] Furthermore, during the constant speed travel control, when the resume switch 15c is continuously clicked and a preset condition is satisfied, the travel control unit 5 temporarily switches to the high acceleration mode.

[0072] When the vehicle speed Vs is increased to a speed higher than the speed limit Vr by continuous click operation, the driving control unit 5 calculates a target acceleration hset for the high acceleration mode.

[0073] The target acceleration hset is calculated based on the high acceleration characteristic B that generates a greater acceleration than the basic acceleration characteristic A. In the present embodiment, for example, the high acceleration characteristic B is composed of the basic acceleration characteristic A and a preset acceleration gain map. Figure 6 As shown in FIG. 1 , the acceleration gain map is a map for calculating a value greater than “1” as the acceleration gain G.

[0074] Therefore, the driving control unit 5 calculates the target acceleration aset based on the vehicle speed deviation Vsdif using the basic acceleration characteristic A. In addition, the driving control unit 5 calculates the vehicle speed deviation Vrdif (= Vr-V) between the speed limit Vr and the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle. Furthermore, the driving control unit 5 calculates the acceleration gain G based on the vehicle speed deviation Vrdif using, for example, an acceleration gain map. Then, the driving control unit 5 calculates the target acceleration hset until the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle reaches the speed limit Vr by multiplying the acceleration gain G by the target acceleration aset. In this way, the target acceleration hset is equivalent to a specific example of the first target acceleration.

[0075] Here, in the high acceleration mode using the target acceleration hset, as Figure 5 As shown, it is preferable to change the target acceleration hset in stages as the vehicle speed increases. For example, in the high acceleration mode, it is preferable to change the target acceleration hset in two stages.

[0076] Therefore, in the present embodiment, the travel control unit 5 sets the target acceleration hset1 and the target acceleration hset2 as the target acceleration hset.

[0077] In this case, it is preferable that the target acceleration hset1 at the initial stage of acceleration is changed according to the presence or absence of the adjacent driving lane 23 adjacent to the own vehicle driving lane 22. Therefore, for example, Figure 6 As shown, the acceleration gain map can calculate acceleration gains GH, GM and GL with different characteristics. When the vehicle speed deviation Vrdif is equal, the acceleration gain GH is greater than the acceleration gain GM and the acceleration gain GL. In addition, when the vehicle speed deviation Vrdif is equal, the acceleration gain GM is greater than the acceleration gain GL.

[0078] For example, when the intermediate value between the vehicle speed V and the speed limit Vr at the start of the high acceleration mode is set to Vm (= (Vr + V) / 2), the acceleration gains GH and GM are used in the range before the vehicle speed V reaches the intermediate value Vm. Of these acceleration gains GH and GM, the acceleration gain GH is used when the adjacent driving lane 23 is recognized. In addition, the acceleration gain GM is used when the adjacent driving lane 23 is not recognized.

[0079] The acceleration gain GL is used, for example, in a range from when the vehicle speed V exceeds the intermediate value Vm to when it reaches the speed limit Vr.

[0080] That is, in the present embodiment, when the adjacent driving lane 23 is recognized, for example, the target acceleration hsetH calculated using the acceleration gain GH is set as the target acceleration hset1. In addition, when the adjacent driving lane 23 is not recognized, for example, the target acceleration hsetM calculated using the acceleration gain GM is set as the target acceleration hset1. Furthermore, for example, the target acceleration hsetL calculated using the acceleration gain GL is set as the target acceleration hset2.

[0081] When the vehicle speed V reaches the speed limit Vr, the high acceleration mode is canceled. After the high acceleration mode is canceled, the travel control unit 5 returns to the normal vehicle speed control using the target acceleration aset. Thus, the target acceleration aset is a specific example of the second target acceleration.

[0082] In the present embodiment, the travel control unit 5 corresponds to a specific example of a constant speed travel control unit and a following travel control unit of ACC, a vehicle speed control unit, a first and second target acceleration calculation unit, and a first and second target acceleration setting unit.

[0083] Next, according to Figure 7 , 8, 9, and 10 are flowcharts of the target acceleration setting program, which will be described below, for the acceleration control in the high acceleration mode executed by the travel control unit 5. This program is repeatedly executed at every set time.

[0084] like Figure 7 As shown, after the program starts, the driving control unit 5 first determines whether ACC is started (ON) in step S101.

[0085] In step S101 , if the travel control unit 5 determines that the ACC is not activated (“NO” in step S101 ), the routine is exited.

[0086] On the other hand, in step S101 , if the travel control unit 5 determines that the ACC has been activated (“Yes” in step S101 ), the process proceeds to step S102 .

[0087] In step S102 , the travel control unit 5 determines whether a setting operation for the set vehicle speed has been performed.

[0088] In step S102 , if the travel control unit 5 determines that the setting operation for the set vehicle speed has not been performed (“No” in step S102 ), the process proceeds to step S104 described later.

[0089] On the other hand, in step S102 , if the travel control unit 5 determines that the setting operation of the set vehicle speed has been performed (“Yes” in step S102 ), the process proceeds to step S103 .

[0090] In step S103 , the travel control unit 5 sets the set vehicle speed Vs, and then moves to step S104 .

[0091] After proceeding from step S102 or step S103 to step S104 , the travel control unit 5 determines whether the set vehicle speed Vs has been set.

[0092] In step S104 , if the travel control unit 5 determines that the set vehicle speed Vs has not been set (“NO” in step S104 ), the routine is exited.

[0093] In step S104 , if the travel control unit 5 determines that the set vehicle speed Vs has been set (“Yes” in step S104 ), the process proceeds to step S105 .

[0094] In step S105 , the travel control unit 5 determines whether there is a preceding vehicle.

[0095] In step S105 , if the travel control unit 5 determines that there is a preceding vehicle (“Yes” in step S105 ), the process proceeds to step S106 .

[0096] In step S106 , the travel control unit 5 exits the program after controlling the follow-up travel.

[0097] On the other hand, in step S105 , if the travel control unit 5 determines that there is no preceding vehicle (“No” in step S105 ), the process proceeds to step S107 .

[0098] In step S107 , the travel control unit 5 calculates the target acceleration aset based on the basic acceleration characteristic A.

[0099] In the next step S108, Figure 8 As shown, the travel control unit 5 determines whether the set vehicle speed Vs is adjusted.

[0100] In step S108 , if the travel control unit 5 determines that the vehicle speed setting Vs has not been adjusted (“No” in step S108 ), the process proceeds to step S123 described later.

[0101] On the other hand, in step S108 , if the travel control unit 5 determines that the vehicle speed setting Vs has been adjusted (“Yes” in step S108 ), the process proceeds to step S109 .

[0102] In step S109 , the travel control unit 5 refers to the operation history.

[0103] In the next step S110, the travel control unit 5 determines whether the adjustment operation of the set vehicle speed Vs is a continuous click operation based on the operation history. Specifically, the travel control unit 5 determines whether the click operation of the recovery switch 15c or the setting switch 15b is an operation performed by continuous click operations at a time interval less than a predetermined setting interval S (for example, 500ms).

[0104] In step S110 , if the travel control unit 5 determines that the adjustment operation of the set vehicle speed Vs is not a continuous click operation (“No” in step S110 ), the process proceeds to step S111 .

[0105] In step S111 , the travel control unit 5 selects a unit vehicle speed K1 (eg, 5 km / h).

[0106] Then, in the next step S112 , the travel control unit 5 adjusts the set vehicle speed Vs by the unit vehicle speed K1 based on the click operation, and proceeds to step S117 described later.

[0107] If, in step S110 , the travel control unit 5 determines that the adjustment operation of the set vehicle speed Vs is a continuous click operation (“Yes” in step S110 ), the process proceeds to step S113 .

[0108] In step S113 , the travel control unit 5 selects a unit vehicle speed K2 (eg, 10 km / h).

[0109] Then, in the next step S114 , the travel control unit 5 adjusts the set vehicle speed Vs by the unit vehicle speed K2 based on the continuous click operation, and proceeds to step S115 .

[0110] In step S115 , the travel control unit 5 determines whether the vehicle speed setting Vs is adjusted to be increased.

[0111] In step S115 , if the travel control unit 5 determines that the set vehicle speed Vs has not been adjusted to be increased (“No” in step S115 ), the process proceeds to step S117 described later.

[0112] On the other hand, in step S115 , if the travel control unit 5 determines that the set vehicle speed Vs is adjusted to be increased (“Yes” in step S115 ), the process proceeds to step S116 .

[0113] In step S116 , the travel control unit 5 determines whether the increase adjustment of the set vehicle speed Vs is an adjustment to a speed limit Vr or more (Vs ≥ Vr).

[0114] In step S116 , if the travel control unit 5 determines that the increase adjustment of the vehicle speed setting Vs is an adjustment within a range smaller than the speed limit Vr (“No” in step S116 ), the process proceeds to step S117 .

[0115] After entering step S117 from step S112, step S115 or step S116, the driving control unit 5 sets the high acceleration mode flag F to 0 and then enters step S118. Here, the high acceleration mode flag F is a flag set to determine whether the vehicle can be switched to the high acceleration mode. For example, when it is determined that the vehicle can be switched to the high acceleration mode, the driving control unit 5 sets the high acceleration mode flag F to 1. If it is determined that the vehicle cannot be switched to the high acceleration mode, the driving control unit 5 sets the high acceleration mode flag F to 0. Thus, the driving control unit 5 can judge the switch to the high acceleration mode through the high acceleration mode flag F.

[0116] Then, in step S118, the travel control unit 5 calculates the target acceleration aset after the set vehicle speed Vs is adjusted based on the basic acceleration characteristic A, and then proceeds to step S123 described later.

[0117] On the other hand, if the travel control unit 5 determines in step S116 that the set vehicle speed Vs is equal to or higher than the speed limit Vr (YES in step S116 ), the process proceeds to step S119 .

[0118] Then, in step S119 , the travel control unit 5 sets the high acceleration mode flag F to 1, and then proceeds to step S120 .

[0119] In step S120, the travel control unit 5 calculates an intermediate value Vm (=(Vr+V) / 2) between the vehicle speed V and the speed limit Vr.

[0120] In the next step S121 , the travel control unit 5 calculates the target acceleration aset based on the basic acceleration characteristic A after the set vehicle speed Vs is adjusted.

[0121] In the next step S122, the driving control unit 5 adjusts the vehicle speed according to the acceleration gain map of the high acceleration characteristic B (see Figure 6 ), calculate the target acceleration hsetH, target acceleration hsetM and target acceleration hsetL.

[0122] In detail, the driving control unit 5 calculates the acceleration gain G (acceleration gains GH, GM, GL) corresponding to the vehicle speed deviation Vrdif based on the acceleration gain map. Then, by multiplying the calculated acceleration gains GH, GM, GL by the target acceleration aset, the driving control unit 5 calculates the target accelerations hsetH, M, L. It should be noted that the high acceleration H, the medium acceleration M, and the low acceleration L with different characteristics are pre-set in the acceleration gain map. The high acceleration H, the medium acceleration M, and the low acceleration L are obtained in advance through experiments or simulations as characteristics for reliably generating an acceleration greater than the basic acceleration characteristic A. Then, after calculating the target accelerations hsetH, M, L, the driving control unit 5 enters step S123.

[0123] After entering step S123 from step S108, step S118 or step S122, if Fig. 9 As shown, the travel control unit 5 determines whether the high acceleration mode flag F is 1.

[0124] In step S123 , if the travel control unit 5 determines that the high acceleration mode flag F is not 1 (“No” in step S123 ), the process proceeds to step S126 described later.

[0125] On the other hand, in step S123, if the travel control unit 5 determines that the high acceleration mode flag F is 1 ("YES" in step S123), the process proceeds to step S124.

[0126] In step S124, the travel control unit 5 determines whether the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle is greater than the speed limit Vr.

[0127] In step S124 , if the travel control unit 5 determines that the vehicle speed V is greater than the speed limit Vr (“YES” in step S124 ), the process proceeds to step S125 .

[0128] In step S125, the travel control unit 5 replaces the high acceleration mode flag F from 1 to 0. Then, after setting the high acceleration mode flag F to 0, the travel control unit 5 proceeds to step S126.

[0129] After proceeding from step S123 or step S125 to step S126, the travel control unit 5 controls the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle using the target acceleration aset as normal vehicle speed control, and then exits the routine.

[0130] On the other hand, if the travel control unit 5 determines in step S124 that the vehicle speed V is equal to or lower than the speed limit Vr ("No" in step S124), the process proceeds to step S127.

[0131] In step S127 , the travel control unit 5 determines whether the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle is greater than the intermediate value Vm.

[0132] In step S127 , if the travel control unit 5 determines that the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle is greater than the intermediate value Vm (“YES” in step S127 ), the process proceeds to S128 .

[0133] In step S128, Fig.10 As shown, the travel control unit 5 sets the target acceleration hsetL as the target acceleration hset2.

[0134] In the next step S129, the travel control unit 5 controls the acceleration of the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle using the target acceleration hsetL as the target acceleration hset2, and then exits the routine.

[0135] On the other hand, if the travel control unit 5 determines in step S127 that the vehicle speed V is equal to or less than the intermediate value Vm ("No" in step S127), the process proceeds to step S130.

[0136] Then, in step S130 , the travel control unit 5 determines whether or not an adjacent travel lane 23 exists.

[0137] In step S130 , if the travel control unit 5 determines that there is no adjacent travel lane 23 (“No” in step S130 ), the process proceeds to step S131 .

[0138] In step S131 , the travel control unit 5 sets the target acceleration hsetM to the target acceleration hset1 , and then proceeds to step S132 .

[0139] In step S132, the travel control unit 5 controls the acceleration of the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle using the target acceleration hsetM, and then exits the routine.

[0140] On the other hand, in step S130 , if the travel control unit 5 determines that the adjacent travel lane 23 exists (“YES” in step S130 ), the process proceeds to step S133 .

[0141] In step S133 , the travel control unit 5 sets the target acceleration hsetH to the target acceleration hset1 , and then proceeds to step S134 .

[0142] After entering step S134, the travel control unit 5 controls the acceleration of the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle using the target acceleration hsetH, and then exits the routine.

[0143] According to such an embodiment, a vehicle driving assistance device 2 includes: a three-dimensional image recognition device 4, which recognizes external environment information including a lane 22 in which the vehicle is traveling; a vehicle speed adjustment switch (15b, 15c), which is used to increase or decrease the set vehicle speed Vs for constant speed driving control; and a driving control unit 5, which is used to increase or decrease the set vehicle speed Vs by a unit vehicle speed K1 each time the vehicle speed adjustment switch (15b, 15c) is clicked, and at the same time calculate a target acceleration aset based on a preset basic acceleration characteristic A, and use the calculated target acceleration a set adjusts the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle to the set speed Vs, wherein the driving control unit 5 adjusts the set speed Vs to the increasing side according to the continuous click operation of the speed adjustment switch (15b, 15c), and when the set speed Vs is above the speed limit Vr, based on the high acceleration characteristic B that generates an acceleration greater than the basic acceleration characteristic A, calculates the first target acceleration (hset) before the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle reaches the speed limit Vr, and calculates the second target acceleration (aset) after the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle reaches the speed limit Vr based on the basic acceleration characteristic A.

[0144] With these configurations, the vehicle driving support device 2 can smoothly change the set vehicle speed Vs so as to quickly accelerate the host vehicle 1 to the speed limit Vr while respecting the driver's intention and ensuring safety.

[0145] That is, when the set vehicle speed Vs is adjusted to be above the speed limit Vr by continuous click operation to the increase side, the driving control unit 5 recognizes that the driver requires acceleration at a higher acceleration than usual. When such a request is recognized, the driving control unit 5 switches to the high acceleration mode and calculates the first target acceleration (hset) until the host vehicle 1 reaches the speed limit Vr according to the high acceleration characteristic B. Then, the driving control unit 5 uses the first target acceleration (hset) to quickly accelerate the host vehicle 1 to the speed limit Vr. Thus, the driving control unit 5 can achieve rapid acceleration in accordance with the driver's will.

[0146] After the vehicle 1 reaches the speed limit Vr, the driving control unit 5 cancels the high acceleration mode and calculates the second target acceleration (aset) based on the basic acceleration characteristic A. That is, after reaching the speed limit Vr, the driving control unit 5 uses the second target acceleration (aset) that is smaller than the first target acceleration (hset) to accelerate to the set vehicle speed Vs. By making the driver feel such an acceleration change, the driving control unit 5 can notify the driver that the vehicle speed V exceeds the speed limit Vr. In addition, the driving control unit 5 can ensure safety by suppressing the acceleration after exceeding the speed limit Vr.

[0147] In addition, when at least one adjacent driving lane 23 is recognized by the stereoscopic image recognition device 4 , the driving control unit 5 sets the first target acceleration (hset) relatively higher than when the adjacent driving lane 23 is not recognized.

[0148] Specifically, if Figure 5 As shown, when the adjacent driving lane 23 is recognized, the driving control unit 5 sets the target acceleration hsetH calculated based on the high acceleration characteristic B as the target acceleration hset1 until the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle reaches the intermediate value Vm.

[0149] Thus, even on a single-sided multi-lane road where the speed of each vehicle is likely to increase as a whole, acceleration at a high acceleration that meets the driver's intention can be achieved. In addition, by performing such acceleration, a good traffic flow that does not put pressure on the following vehicles can be achieved. In addition, when the driver wants to change lanes to the adjacent driving lane 23, acceleration that does not make the driver feel uncomfortable can also be achieved.

[0150] In addition, if Figure 5 As shown, in the first target acceleration (hset), the travel control unit 5 sets the target acceleration hset2 from exceeding the intermediate value Vm to reaching the speed limit Vr to be smaller than the target acceleration hset1.

[0151] Therefore, the driving control unit 5 can set the first target acceleration (hset) for accelerating the host vehicle 1 to the speed limit Vr to a stepwise decreasing acceleration. Thus, even if the target acceleration hset1 immediately after the high acceleration mode is started is set high, the vehicle driving assistance device 2 can suppress a sudden change in acceleration after reaching the speed limit Vr.

[0152] When recognizing continuous click operations at time intervals shorter than the set interval S, the travel control unit 5 changes the unit vehicle speed K1 (eg, 5 km / h) to a unit vehicle speed K2 (eg, 10 km / h) greater than the unit vehicle speed K1.

[0153] Therefore, when continuous click operations are recognized, the driving control unit 5 can change the set vehicle speed Vs requested by the driver with fewer click operations. Thus, the vehicle driving assistance device 2 can improve the convenience when adjusting the set vehicle speed Vs.

[0154] In addition, even when the driver sets the ECO mode that emphasizes fuel efficiency, the driving control unit 5 in this embodiment can temporarily switch to the high acceleration mode when it is determined that the high acceleration mode can be switched to. Thus, it is possible to achieve temporary high acceleration corresponding to the driver's will while ensuring improvement in fuel efficiency.

[0155] In order to further improve safety, for example, the cruise control display device 21 may have a function of changing the display color of the set speed display lamp 21c when the set speed Vs reaches the speed limit Vr during the increase adjustment of the set speed Vs. Alternatively, it may have a function of flashing the set speed display lamp 21c when the set speed Vs reaches the speed limit Vr.

[0156] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the stereoscopic image recognition device 4, the driving control unit 5, the E / G_ECU 7, the BRK_ECU 8, the T / M_ECU 9, etc. are composed of a well-known microcomputer having a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, a non-volatile storage unit, etc. and its peripheral devices, and the ROM pre-stores a program executed by the CPU, fixed data such as a data table, etc. In addition, all or part of the functions of the processor may be composed of a logic circuit or an analog circuit, and various programs may be processed by an electronic circuit such as an FPGA.

[0157] The invention described in the above embodiment is not limited to the above mode, and various modifications can be implemented in the implementation stage without departing from the scope of the present invention. In addition, the above mode includes inventions at various stages, and various inventions can be extracted by appropriate combination of the disclosed multiple constituent elements.

[0158] Furthermore, even if some of the constituent elements are deleted from all the constituent elements shown in the above-described embodiment, as long as the described problem can be solved and the described effect can be obtained, the structure after deleting the constituent elements can be extracted as an invention.

[0159] Explanation of symbols

[0160] 1...Vehicle (this vehicle)

[0161] 2……(Vehicle) driving assistance device

[0162] 2a...Stereo Camera Assembly

[0163] 3…Stereo camera

[0164] 4……Stereoscopic image recognition device

[0165] 5... Driving control unit

[0166] 7...Engine control unit (E / G_ECU)

[0167] 8...Brake control unit (BRK_ECU)

[0168] 9... Transmission control unit (T / M_ECU)

[0169] 15...Switch for cruise control

[0170] 15a... Cruise switch

[0171] 15b……Setting switch (-)

[0172] 15c...Resume switch (+)

[0173] 15d...Inter-vehicle distance setting switch (△)

[0174] 15e...Inter-vehicle distance setting switch (▽)

[0175] 17... Electronically controlled throttle

[0176] 18...Brake booster

[0177] 20… Steering wheel

[0178] 21……Display device for cruise control

[0179] 21a... Cruise switch indicator light

[0180] 21b... Vehicle indicator light

[0181] 21c...Set the speed indicator light

[0182] 21d……First-come-first-served vehicle indicator light

[0183] 21e...Inter-vehicle distance mode indicator light

[0184] 21f... Lane indicator light

[0185] 21h...Speed ​​limit indicator light

[0186] 21m...Speed ​​indicator light

[0187] 22... The lane your vehicle is traveling in

[0188] 23...Adjacent driving lanes

[0189] 24...Signs (road signs).

Claims

1. A driving assistance device for a vehicle, comprising: An external environment recognition unit, which recognizes external environment information including the lane in which the vehicle is traveling; A vehicle speed adjustment switch that increases or decreases the vehicle speed setting for constant speed driving control; and a vehicle speed control unit, which is used to increase or decrease the set vehicle speed by a unit speed each time the vehicle speed adjustment switch is clicked, and calculate a target acceleration according to a preset basic acceleration characteristic, and adjust the vehicle speed to the set vehicle speed using the calculated target acceleration, Among them, the vehicle speed control unit adjusts the set vehicle speed toward the increasing side according to the continuous click operation on the vehicle speed adjustment switch, and when the set vehicle speed is above the speed limit, calculates the first target acceleration before the vehicle speed reaches the speed limit based on the high acceleration characteristic that generates an acceleration greater than the basic acceleration characteristic, and calculates the second target acceleration after the vehicle speed reaches the speed limit based on the basic acceleration characteristic.

2. The vehicle driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein: When an adjacent driving lane adjacent to the own vehicle driving lane is recognized by the external environment recognition unit, the vehicle speed control unit sets the first target acceleration calculated based on the high acceleration characteristic to be relatively higher than when the adjacent driving lane is not recognized.

3. The vehicle driving assistance device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein: The first target acceleration is set such that the acceleration from exceeding the intermediate value to reaching the speed limit is set smaller than the acceleration until the vehicle speed reaches an intermediate value between the vehicle speed and the speed limit.

4. The vehicle driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein: When the vehicle speed adjustment switch is continuously clicked at a time interval shorter than a set interval, the vehicle speed control unit increases the unit vehicle speed compared to when the click operation is performed at a time interval longer than the set interval.

5. A driving assistance device for a vehicle, comprising: An external environment recognition module, which recognizes external environment information including the lane in which the vehicle is traveling; A set speed adjustment switch is used to increase or decrease the set speed for constant speed driving control by clicking the switch; a processor, which increases or decreases the set vehicle speed by a unit vehicle speed each time the click operation is performed, calculates a target acceleration according to a preset basic acceleration characteristic, and adjusts the vehicle speed to the set vehicle speed using the calculated target acceleration, In which, the processor adjusts the set vehicle speed toward the increasing side according to the continuous click operation on the set vehicle speed adjustment switch, and when the set vehicle speed is above the speed limit, based on the high acceleration characteristic that generates an acceleration greater than the basic acceleration characteristic, calculates the first target acceleration before the vehicle speed reaches the speed limit, and calculates the second target acceleration after the vehicle speed reaches the speed limit based on the basic acceleration characteristic.

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