Manager, control method, non-transitory storage medium, and vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a manager, a control method, a non-transitory storage medium, and a vehicle. A manager mounted on a vehicle includes a processor. The processor is configured to receive, from a plurality of ADAS applications, a plurality of action plans and identification information of the ADAS applications. The processor is configured to coordinate the plurality of action plans, and is configured to calculate an exercise request based on a result of the coordination. The processor is configured to allocate the motion request to at least one actuator system. The processor is configured to determine a stop-hold mode of the vehicle on the basis of identification information of the ADAS application when a request relating to stop-hold of the vehicle is included in the plurality of action plans.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the application with application number 202210116363.6 filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on February 7, 2022, and invention name “Manager, Control Method, Non-temporary Storage Medium and Vehicle”. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a manager mounted on a vehicle, a control method, a non-transitory storage medium, and the vehicle. Background Art

[0003] In recent years, vehicles have been equipped with numerous applications that implement driver assistance functions (such as autonomous driving and automatic parking). Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-032894 discloses a control device (manager) that receives requests from each of these applications, coordinates the requests, and outputs requests to drive actuators (such as steering and brakes) based on the coordination results.

[0004] Many advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) applications installed in vehicles request to maintain the vehicle in a stopped state. If these multiple ADAS applications have different modes (devices, mechanisms, actions, etc.) for maintaining the vehicle in a stopped state, one possible approach is to have each electronic control unit (ECU) in which the ADAS application is installed individually output a request for maintaining the vehicle in a stopped state and its corresponding mode to a manager. However, having each ECU output a request for maintaining the vehicle in a stopped state and its corresponding mode may complicate the design of the ECUs and interfaces (I / Fs) in which the ADAS application is installed. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present disclosure provides an ECU on which an application is installed, a manager, a control method, a non-transitory storage medium, and a vehicle that can realize a stop and hold mode corresponding to a request from the application without complicating the design of an interface.

[0006] A first embodiment of the disclosed technology involves a manager mounted on a vehicle and comprising one or more processors. The processor is configured to receive multiple action plans and identification information of the ADAS applications from multiple ADAS applications. The processor is configured to coordinate the multiple action plans and calculate motion requests based on the coordination results. The processor is configured to distribute the motion requests to at least one actuator system. When the multiple action plans include a request related to stopping and maintaining the vehicle, the processor is configured to determine a mode for stopping and maintaining the vehicle based on the identification information of the ADAS application.

[0007] In the manager involved in the first embodiment of the present disclosure, a request related to vehicle stop and hold may include an instruction related to the permission or prohibition of operation of at least one of the brake hold function, the electric parking brake lock function, and the parking lock function. The manager involved in the first embodiment of the present disclosure may also include a storage unit configured to store identification information of the ADAS application and information related to the vehicle stop and hold mode by associating them. The processor may be configured to determine the vehicle stop and hold mode corresponding to the identification information of the ADAS application based on the information stored in the storage unit when multiple action plans include requests related to vehicle stop and hold.

[0008] In the manager involved in the first embodiment of the present technology, the vehicle stop and hold mode may include at least one of the first mode, the second mode, and the third mode. The first mode may be a mode in which the vehicle stop and hold control is performed according to the driver's driving operation only when there is a driving intention of the driver. The second mode may be a mode in which the vehicle stop and hold control is performed according to the driver's driving operation when there is a driving intention of the driver, and the vehicle stop and hold control is performed based on a motion request when there is no driving intention of the driver. The third mode may be a mode in which the vehicle stop and hold control is performed based on a motion request regardless of the driver's driving intention and the driver's driving operation. In the manager involved in the first embodiment of the present technology, the presence or absence of the driver's driving intention can be determined based on at least one of the wearing and removing behavior of the seat belt and the opening and closing behavior of the vehicle door. In the manager involved in the first embodiment of the present technology, the driver's driving operation may include an acceleration operation and a braking operation.

[0009] A control method according to a second aspect of the disclosed technology is executed by a computer mounted on a vehicle manager. The control method includes: accepting multiple action plans and ADAS application identification information from multiple ADAS applications; coordinating the multiple action plans; during the coordination, when the multiple action plans include a request related to vehicle stop and hold, determining a vehicle stop and hold mode based on the ADAS application identification information; calculating a motion request based on the coordination result; and distributing the motion request to at least one actuator system.

[0010] The non-transitory storage medium involved in the third embodiment of the present disclosure stores commands that can be executed by a computer of a manager installed in a vehicle and cause the computer to perform the following functions. The functions include: accepting multiple action plans and identification information of the ADAS applications from multiple ADAS applications; coordinating multiple action plans; during the coordination, when multiple action plans include requests related to vehicle stop and hold, determining the vehicle stop and hold mode based on the identification information of the ADAS application; calculating a motion request based on the coordination result obtained by the coordination; and allocating the motion request to at least one actuator system. The vehicle involved in the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure is equipped with the manager described above.

[0011] According to the manager involved in the first embodiment of the present invention, the control method involved in the second embodiment, the non-temporary storage medium involved in the third embodiment, and the vehicle involved in the fourth embodiment, the design of the ECU and interface equipped with the application does not become complicated and a stop and hold mode corresponding to the request from the application can be realized. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Hereinafter, features, advantages, technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like elements, and in which:

[0013] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing the configuration of a manager and its peripheral components according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 2 This is an example of the stop and hold processing information stored in the storage unit.

[0015] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of the processing steps of the coordination control executed by the coordination unit of the manager. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] The manager of the present disclosure pre-stores the vehicle stop and hold processing modes requested by applications by associating them with the unique identification information assigned to the applications. Furthermore, when vehicle movement requests received from multiple applications include requests related to vehicle stop and hold, the manager determines the vehicle stop and hold mode based on the identification information of the applications resulting from coordination of the multiple vehicle movement requests, and controls the vehicle stop and hold using the determined mode. One embodiment of the present disclosure is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0017] <Implementation Method>

[0018] [structure]

[0019] Figure 1 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a manager 10 mounted on a vehicle and its peripheral parts according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1 The manager 10 shown is communicatively connected to a driving assistance system 20, a plurality of actuator systems 30 and 40, an accelerator pedal sensor 50, a brake pedal sensor 60, a seatbelt switch 70, and a door switch 80 via an in-vehicle network 100. Examples of the in-vehicle network 100 include CAN (Controller Area Network) and Ethernet (registered trademark).

[0020] The driving assistance system 20 is a structure for implementing various functions for assisting the driving of the vehicle, including at least the driving control and braking control of the vehicle, by executing installed applications. Examples of applications installed in the driving assistance system 20 include applications that implement automatic driving functions, applications that implement automatic parking functions, and ADAS applications that implement advanced driving assistance functions. ADAS applications include applications that implement collision avoidance assistance (PCS, etc.), applications that implement the function of following a preceding vehicle while maintaining a constant distance from the preceding vehicle (ACC, etc.), applications that implement the function of lane keeping assist (LKA, LTA, etc.) for maintaining the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, applications that implement collision loss reduction braking (AEB, etc.) for automatically applying brakes to reduce collision damage, and applications that implement the function of lane departure warning (LDW, LDA, etc.) for warning the vehicle of leaving its lane.

[0021] Each application in the driving assistance system 20 outputs a request for an action plan that guarantees the application's unique functionality (commerciality) to the manager 10 based on vehicle information (such as identification sensor information) obtained (input) from various sensors (not shown). This request is an application request. This action plan includes requests related to the vehicle's forward and backward acceleration / deceleration and requests related to maintaining a vehicle's stationary state. Examples of requests related to maintaining a vehicle's stationary state include instructions regarding enabling or disabling at least one of the following: a brake hold function that maintains the brake state by maintaining hydraulic pressure; an electric parking brake lock (EPB lock) function that uses an electric motor to press brake pads against a disc rotor to maintain the brake state; and a parking lock (P lock) function that secures the gear position in the parked position. Furthermore, each application in the driving assistance system 20 outputs identification information (hereinafter referred to as "application ID") that uniquely identifies the application to the manager 10, along with the action plan. The application ID is uniquely determined in advance for each application.

[0022] The driving assistance system 20 is implemented by a computer such as an electronic control unit (ECU) having a processor such as a CPU, a memory, and an input / output interface. The number of applications installed in the driving assistance system 20 is not particularly limited. In addition, as the driving assistance system 20, a separate ECU can be set for each application. For example, the driving assistance system 20 can be composed of an automatic driving ECU installed with an automatic driving application, an automatic parking ECU installed with an automatic parking application, and an ADAS-ECU installed with an advanced driving assistance application. In addition, multiple ADAS applications can be installed on multiple ECUs, such as an ECU installed with an ADAS application that implements the ACC function, an ECU installed with an ADAS application that implements the LKA function, and an ECU installed with an ADAS application that implements the AEB function.

[0023] The multiple actuator systems 30 and 40 are one of the implementation systems for implementing the action plan request output by the driving assistance system 20. As an example, the actuator system 30 includes powertrain actuators (such as an engine and a transformer) that generate driving force for the vehicle, and the action plan request is implemented by controlling the operation of the powertrain actuators. Alternatively, as an example, the actuator system 40 includes brake actuators (such as hydraulic brakes and electric parking brakes) that generate braking force for the vehicle, and the action plan request is implemented by controlling the operation of the brake actuators. The number of actuator systems installed in the vehicle is not particularly limited.

[0024] The accelerator pedal sensor 50 is a sensor for detecting the amount of accelerator pedal depression, i.e., the accelerator operation amount, operated by the driver of the vehicle. The brake pedal sensor 60 is a sensor for detecting the amount of brake pedal depression, i.e., the brake operation amount, operated by the driver of the vehicle. The seatbelt switch 70 is a switch for detecting whether the seatbelt is worn or unworn. The door switch 80 is a switch for detecting whether the door is open or closed. The accelerator pedal sensor 50 and the brake pedal sensor 60 are used to determine the driver's driving operation. In addition, the accelerator pedal sensor 50, the brake pedal sensor 60, the seatbelt switch 70, and the door switch 80 are used to determine whether the driver intends to drive the vehicle (including use without driving) as described later (hereinafter referred to as "the driver's driving intention").

[0025] The manager 10 determines the control details related to the vehicle's motion based on the action plan request received from the driving assistance system 20, and outputs the necessary requests to the actuator system 30 and / or the actuator system 40 based on the determined control details. Furthermore, the manager 10 determines the stop and hold processing mode based on the application ID received from the driving assistance system 20 along with the action plan request, and the driver and vehicle status that can be obtained from the accelerator pedal sensor 50, brake pedal sensor 60, seatbelt switch 70, door switch 80, and the like.

[0026] The manager 10 functions as a so-called ADAS-MGR or Vehicle-MGR related to vehicle motion, or as a portion of an ADAS-MGR or Vehicle-MGR, to control vehicle movement. The manager 10 includes a reception unit 11, a coordination unit 12, a calculation unit 13, an allocation unit 14, and a storage unit 15.

[0027] The receiving unit 11 receives action plan requests and application IDs from one or more applications in the driving assistance system 20. Examples of action plans in this embodiment include requests for acceleration related to the vehicle's longitudinal motion and requests related to maintaining a vehicle's stationary state. The action plan requests and application IDs received by the receiving unit 11 are output to the coordination unit 12.

[0028] The coordination unit 12 coordinates multiple action plan requests received by the acceptance unit 11 from various applications in the driving assistance system 20. This coordination process can include, for example, selecting one action plan from multiple action plans based on a predetermined selection criterion. Furthermore, the coordination process can also include setting a new action plan based on multiple action plans. Furthermore, the coordination unit 12 can coordinate multiple action plan requests based on information indicating availability obtained from the actuator systems 30 and 40.

[0029] Furthermore, the coordination unit 12 determines a stop-and-hold processing mode related to maintaining control of the vehicle's stopped state based on the application requesting the coordinated action plan. This determination is made based on stop-and-hold processing information stored in the storage unit 15, described later. Furthermore, the coordination unit 12 appropriately determines whether to temporarily prioritize the stop-and-hold processing mode corresponding to the driver's and vehicle's states over the stop-and-hold processing mode determined based on the coordination results (mode coordination). The determination and priority of this stop-and-hold processing mode will be described later.

[0030] The calculation unit 13 calculates a motion request based on the coordination result of the action plan request in the coordination unit 12 and the stop and hold processing mode determined based on the coordination result. The motion request is a physical quantity used to control the actuator system 30 and / or the actuator system 40, and is different from the physical quantity requested in the action plan. For example, if the action plan request (first request) is acceleration, the driving force and driving torque can be calculated as the motion request (second request). Thus, the acceleration request is converted into a driving force and driving torque request.

[0031] The distribution unit 14 distributes the motion request calculated by the calculation unit 13 to at least one actuator system 30 and / or actuator system 40 .

[0032] The storage unit 15 stores information (stop and hold processing information) indicating a pattern of the vehicle stop and hold processing suitable for each application program installed in the driving support system 20 . Figure 2 is an example of the stop and hold processing information stored in the storage unit 15. Figure 2 In this way, the action plan for an application assigned an application ID is stored in the stop and hold processing information, and the default stop and hold processing mode (one of the first, second, and third modes) of the application is associated with each application ID when coordinated. These modes are pre-set based on the application's request content and security design perspective.

[0033] For example, the first mode can be configured to execute stop-and-hold control in response to the driver's driving operation only when the driver has sole control of the vehicle and is determined to have intended to drive the vehicle. For example, the driver's intention to drive the vehicle can be determined based on at least one of the following: the completion of donning and removing the seatbelt or the completion of opening and closing the vehicle door. Examples of driver driving operations that result in the vehicle being stopped include depressing the brake pedal or applying the parking brake. In this first mode, the vehicle's stopped state is maintained using the maximum braking force from among multiple braking forces requested based on the coordination results of the coordination unit 12 and the driver's brake operation. During this stop-and-hold operation, unnecessary actuators are deactivated.

[0034] Furthermore, for example, the second mode can be configured such that, when it is determined that the driver intends to drive the vehicle, the driver assumes ownership of vehicle control and executes stop-and-hold control corresponding to the driver's operation. When it is determined that the driver does not intend to drive the vehicle, the advanced safety function installed in the vehicle assumes ownership of vehicle control and executes stop-and-hold control determined by the advanced safety function. In this second mode, when the advanced safety function assumes ownership of vehicle control and executes stop-and-hold control, the vehicle's stopped state is maintained by the EPB locking operation.

[0035] Furthermore, for example, the third mode can be a mode in which the vehicle's advanced safety function, regardless of the driver's driving intention, exercises control over vehicle control, and executes a stop-and-hold control determined by the advanced safety function. In this third mode, the vehicle's stopped state is maintained by the EPB lock or P lock operation.

[0036] The contents and categories of the first, second, and third modes described above are examples and can be changed or added based on the content of requests from applications installed in the driving support system 20 , changes in the driver's state and vehicle state, and the like.

[0037] The above-described structures of the devices installed in the vehicle and the structure of the manager 10 are merely examples, and additions, substitutions, modifications, or omissions can be made as appropriate. Furthermore, the functions of each device can be integrated into a single device or distributed across multiple devices. For example, the function of determining the vehicle's stop and hold processing mode, among the functions of the coordination unit 12 of the manager 10, can be installed in a separate device from the manager 10, or in the actuator system 30 and / or the actuator system 40. Furthermore, the manager 10 can be installed in the brake ECU.

[0038] [control]

[0039] Further reference Figure 3 The coordination control performed by the manager 10 according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the processing procedure of the coordination control executed by the coordination unit 12 of the manager 10 .

[0040] When the receiving unit 11 of the manager 10 receives a request for an action plan (acceleration) from the application of the driving support system 20, it starts Figure 3 Coordinated control shown.

[0041] (Step S301)

[0042] The coordination unit 12 coordinates the action plans requested by the applications. In this embodiment, an example of coordination is shown in which one action plan is selected from a plurality of action plans requested by a plurality of applications. When the action plans are coordinated, the process proceeds to step S302.

[0043] (Step S302)

[0044] The coordination unit 12 determines whether the action plan requested from the application includes a request related to stopping and maintaining the vehicle. If the action plan includes a request related to stopping and maintaining the vehicle (step S302, yes), the process proceeds to step S303. If the action plan does not include a request related to stopping and maintaining the vehicle (step S302, no), the process proceeds to step S305.

[0045] (Step S303)

[0046] The coordination unit 12 identifies the application ID assigned to the application requesting the output of the coordinated action plan. Once the application ID of the application is identified, the process proceeds to step S304.

[0047] (Step S304)

[0048] The coordination unit 12 determines the mode of the stop and hold process to be applied to the vehicle control according to the determined application ID. This determination is made based on the stop and hold process information stored in the storage unit 15. For example, when the stop and hold process information is Figure 2 If the application ID identified is "1," the "first mode" is determined to be used for the stop-and-hold process. After this determination, the manager 10 (or a structure other than the manager 10) implements control related to maintaining the vehicle's stopped state in accordance with the contents defined by the determined mode. If the stop-and-hold process mode is determined, the process proceeds to step S305.

[0049] (Step S305)

[0050] The coordination unit 12 determines whether coordination of the action plan requested from the application is necessary. Cases where coordination of the action plan is necessary include, for example, a case where a new action plan is requested from one or more applications and the action plan needs to be coordinated again, or a case where a predetermined time for reconsidering coordination of the action plan has arrived. If coordination of the action plan is determined to be necessary (step S305, yes), the process proceeds to step S301. If coordination of the action plan is determined not to be necessary (step S305, no), the process proceeds to step S306.

[0051] (Step S306)

[0052] The coordination unit 12 obtains the driver status and vehicle status from devices installed in the vehicle (devices shown in the figure and devices not shown). The driver status can be, for example, the driver's state of consciousness. The vehicle status can be, for example, the time the vehicle has been parked. Once the driver status and vehicle status are obtained, the process proceeds to step S307.

[0053] (Step S307)

[0054] The coordination unit 12 determines whether a stop-and-hold mode currently in effect for vehicle control exists that takes precedence, regardless of the stop-and-hold mode currently in effect, as determined based on the coordination results. This determination is based on the driver's state and the vehicle's state. As an example, consider a situation where the driver, unconscious (e.g., drowsy), accidentally depresses the accelerator pedal while the vehicle is stopped and controlled in the first mode, which is driver-controlled, such as during ACC operation. In this situation, a predetermined onboard device detects the driver's loss of consciousness and requests the coordination unit 12 to use the third mode, which uses the advanced safety function as vehicle control. Based on the request from the predetermined onboard device, the coordination unit 12 determines that the third mode should be temporarily prioritized and switches the stop-and-hold mode from the first mode to the third mode (mode coordination). This mode switch negates the driver's accelerator pedal operation. This allows the vehicle's stopped state to continue safely. Furthermore, this mode switch temporarily changes the stop-and-hold mode determined based on the coordination results without rewriting the stop-and-hold information stored in the storage unit 15. Therefore, if the driver's state and the vehicle's state return to their original state, the control is continued by returning to the stop and hold processing mode determined based on the coordination result. If it is determined that there is a priority stop and hold processing mode (step S307, yes), the process proceeds to step S308. If it is determined that there is no priority stop and hold processing mode (step S307, no), the process proceeds to step S309.

[0055] (Step S308)

[0056] The coordination unit 12 sets the mode of the stop and hold process applied to the vehicle control to the mode of the priority stop and hold process determined to be necessary in step S307 , and ends this routine.

[0057] (Step S309)

[0058] The coordination unit 12 sets the mode of the stop and hold process applied to the vehicle control to the mode of the stop and hold process based on the coordination result determined in step S304 (the default mode of the stop and hold process), and ends this routine.

[0059] <Function / Effect>

[0060] As described above, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a manager pre-stores stop-and-hold processing information, which associates a vehicle stop-and-hold processing mode requested by an ADAS application with an application ID unique to the ADAS application. Furthermore, if action plan requests received from multiple ADAS applications include requests related to vehicle stop-and-hold, the manager determines a vehicle stop-and-hold mode based on the application IDs resulting from coordination of the multiple action plans, and controls the vehicle stop-and-hold using the determined mode.

[0061] As a result, the manager can appropriately determine the vehicle's stop and hold mode by simply referring to the stop and hold processing information stored in its own memory unit, regardless of the ADAS application installed in the vehicle (driving assistance system). This allows the implementation of a stop and hold mode corresponding to the application's request without complicating the design of the ECU and interface hosting the application. Furthermore, this reduces the communication load between each ADAS application and the manager, preventing functional interference between multiple ADAS applications.

[0062] Furthermore, because the manager centrally manages the vehicle's stop-and-hold modes, if a new ADAS application is installed on a vehicle, data associating the ADAS application's application ID with the mode can be added to the stop-and-hold processing information. Furthermore, even if a new ADAS application that cannot be handled by existing modes is installed on a vehicle, the new mode can be handled by defining a new mode and reflecting it in the stop-and-hold processing information.

[0063] The above describes an embodiment of the technology disclosed herein, but the present disclosure can be understood not only as a manager mounted on a vehicle, but also as a control system including a manager, a control method executed by a manager having a processor and a memory, a control program, a computer-readable non-temporary storage medium storing a control program, or a vehicle having a manager, etc.

[0064] The present disclosure is useful in a manager or the like mounted on a vehicle or the like.

Claims

1. A manager, mounted on a vehicle, wherein: have: The acceptance department accepts multiple action plans from multiple ADAS applications; A coordination department, responsible for coordinating the multiple action plans; a calculation unit configured to calculate a motion request based on a coordination result of the coordination unit; a distribution unit, configured to distribute the motion request to at least one actuator system; as well as a storage unit storing a plurality of stop and hold patterns, When the plurality of action plans include a request related to stop and maintenance of the vehicle, the coordination unit selects a stop and maintenance pattern of the vehicle from among the plurality of stop and maintenance patterns stored in the storage unit.

2. The manager according to claim 1, wherein: The receiving unit receives identification information of the ADAS application in addition to the plurality of action plans from the plurality of ADAS applications. When the plurality of action plans include a request related to stop and maintain of the vehicle, the coordination unit selects a stop and maintain mode for the vehicle from among the plurality of stop and maintain modes stored in the storage unit based on identification information of the ADAS application.

3. The manager according to claim 2, wherein: The storage unit stores identification information of the ADAS application and information related to the stop and hold mode of the vehicle in association with each other. When the multiple action plans include a request related to the stop and hold of the vehicle, the coordination unit selects the stop and hold mode of the vehicle corresponding to the identification information of the ADAS application from among the multiple stop and hold modes stored in the storage unit based on the information stored in the storage unit.

4. The manager according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The request related to maintaining the vehicle at a stop includes an instruction related to permission or prohibition of operation of at least one of a brake holding function, an electric parking brake lock function, and a parking lock function.

5. A control method, executed by a computer of a manager mounted on a vehicle, wherein: include: Acceptance step, accepting multiple action plans from multiple ADAS applications; a coordination step of coordinating the multiple action plans; a calculating step of calculating a motion request based on a coordination result of the coordinating step; as well as an allocating step of allocating the motion request to at least one actuator system, When the plurality of action plans include a request related to stop and maintenance of the vehicle, the coordination step selects a stop and maintenance pattern of the vehicle from among a plurality of stop and maintenance patterns stored in a storage unit of the manager.

6. A control program product comprising a program for causing a computer of a manager mounted on a vehicle to execute the following steps, wherein: The procedures include: Acceptance step, accepting multiple action plans from multiple ADAS applications; a coordination step of coordinating the multiple action plans; a calculating step of calculating a motion request based on the coordination result of the coordinating step; and an allocating step of allocating the motion request to at least one actuator system, When the plurality of action plans include a request related to stop and maintenance of the vehicle, the coordination step selects a stop and maintenance pattern of the vehicle from among a plurality of stop and maintenance patterns stored in a storage unit of the manager.

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