Vehicle travel control device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control device capable of preventing unintentional acceleration of a vehicle caused by accidental operation of an accelerator pedal when a vehicle gets over a bump.SOLUTION: A drive control system 1 comprises an acceleration prevention control section 11 which has a bump-over determination section 21 which determines a completion of vehicle's getting over a bump by acquiring information on vehicle's moving up and down the bump from a bump travel information acquisition section 15 such as an acceleration sensor; and an accidental operation determination section 23 which detects accidental operation of an acceleration pedal by a driver based on an acceleration operation amount. When detecting the accidental operation of the acceleration pedal, the acceleration prevention control section prevents a vehicle from accelerating. The acceleration prevention control section 11 prevents acceleration of the vehicle from moment the same completes getting over the bump until a predetermined amount of time has elapsed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle cruise control device that suppresses unintended acceleration due to erroneous accelerator operation. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, techniques have been developed to suppress unintended vehicle acceleration due to accelerator misapplication, i.e., erroneous accelerator operation by a driver. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a control device that calculates the risk of a collision between the vehicle and an obstacle based on the distance between the vehicle and an obstacle in front of the vehicle, the relative speed between the vehicle and the obstacle, the vehicle's traveling speed, or the relative acceleration between the vehicle and the obstacle, sets a threshold value for the amount of accelerator operation based on the risk, and suppresses vehicle acceleration if the amount of accelerator operation exceeds the threshold value.

[0003] Patent Document 2 also proposes a control device that estimates the height of a step that a wheel has come into contact with based on changes in vehicle speed and driving force, changes in vehicle acceleration, etc., and suppresses acceleration by applying a braking force using the vehicle's braking device if it is determined that the step can be overcome.The control device of Patent Document 2 further applies a strong braking force to stop the vehicle if it determines, based on the estimated step height, that the step that the wheel has come into contact with is a step for blocking the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-209056 A [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 7052311 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, accelerator misapplication can occur in various situations. For example, when going over a bump while driving, the driver's body may move and cause the driver to step on the accelerator. As in Patent Document 2, even if it is determined that the step can be overcome and acceleration is suppressed by applying braking force, there is a possibility that the accelerator will be mistakenly pressed after the step has been overcome due to the shaking of the vehicle body or movement of the body.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of these problems, and its object is to provide a vehicle driving control device that can effectively suppress unintended vehicle acceleration by the driver in response to the driver misapplication of the accelerator when going over a step. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the vehicle driving control device of the present invention is a vehicle driving control device equipped with a driving suppression control unit that suppresses vehicle acceleration due to the vehicle driver misapplication of the accelerator, and is equipped with a step driving information acquisition unit that acquires step descent information while the vehicle is driving, a step descent determination unit that determines the completion of the descent of the vehicle based on the step descent information, and a descent completion elapsed time acquisition unit that measures the elapsed time since it is determined that the vehicle has completed the descent, and is characterized in that the driving suppression control unit executes acceleration suppression control that suppresses the acceleration of the vehicle until a predetermined time has elapsed after it is determined that the vehicle has completed the descent.

[0008] As a result, when the vehicle descends a step, even if the driver mistakenly steps on the accelerator due to the shaking of the vehicle body caused by descending the step between the time the vehicle has finished descending the step and a predetermined time has elapsed, unintended vehicle acceleration can be suppressed by performing vehicle acceleration suppression control. Preferably, the step travel information acquisition unit also acquires step ascent information, and the travel suppression control unit restricts the acceleration suppression control if it is determined that the vehicle is not traveling up the step within a predetermined period before the step descent begins based on the step ascent / descent information.

[0009] As a result, the vehicle's acceleration is suppressed only when the vehicle goes over a bump, that is, in a situation where the vehicle moves up and down significantly and is likely to induce accelerator misapplication, thereby preventing unnecessary acceleration suppression and improving driving performance. Preferably, a descent time measurement unit is provided that measures a descent time from the start to the completion of descent over the step, and the travel suppression control unit changes the predetermined time based on the descent time. It is good.

[0010] This makes it possible to suppress the acceleration of the vehicle in accordance with the time when the accelerator pedal is likely to be mistakenly depressed due to the shaking of the vehicle body that continues when the vehicle goes over a step. Preferably, the driving suppression control unit determines completion of descent of the step based on the step descent information, and executes acceleration suppression control to suppress acceleration of the vehicle if the amount of operation of the accelerator is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value within a predetermined time period after completion of descent of the step.

[0011] As a result, acceleration suppression control is executed only when the accelerator operation amount is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold within a predetermined time after the vehicle has completed descending the step, thereby enabling both improved safety and driving performance to be achieved. Preferably, the driving suppression control unit determines the state of crossing the step based on the step ascent / descent information, and executes acceleration suppression control to suppress the acceleration of the vehicle if the amount of operation of the accelerator is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value between the completion of crossing the step and a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0012] As a result, acceleration suppression control is executed only when the accelerator operation amount is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold within a predetermined time after going over a step, thereby achieving both improved safety and driving performance. Preferably, the traveling suppression control unit executes the acceleration suppression control by invalidating the operation of the accelerator or by reducing the operation amount of the accelerator.

[0013] As a result, within a predetermined time after going over a step, accelerator operation is disabled or the amount of accelerator operation is corrected to be reduced, thereby suppressing vehicle acceleration and improving safety. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the vehicle driving control device of the present invention, even if the driver mistakenly steps on the accelerator due to the vehicle body shaking or the driver's body shaking that continues after the vehicle has finished descending a step, the vehicle's acceleration suppression control is performed, thereby suppressing the vehicle's acceleration and improving driving safety. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram of a drive control system for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 4 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of travel suppression control in the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] 10 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of travel suppression control in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a drive control system 1 (drive control device) for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. The drive control system 1 of this embodiment is mounted on a vehicle having a travel drive device 2 such as an engine or a motor.

[0017] The vehicle is equipped with an accelerator pedal that is operated by the driver to adjust the traveling speed. An operation signal from the accelerator pedal is input to a main control unit 5 that controls the operation of the traveling drive device 2 such as the engine and the motor, and various devices of the vehicle. The main control unit 5 is a control device including an input / output device, a memory device (ROM, RAM, non-volatile RAM, etc.), a central processing unit (CPU), a timer, and the like.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the drive control system 1 has an acceleration suppression control section 11 provided in a main control unit 5. The acceleration suppression control unit 11 inputs vehicle information, particularly information on going up or down a step, and the amount of accelerator operation of the vehicle from the accelerator position sensor 4, etc., and determines (detects) accelerator misapplication. If it determines that accelerator misapplication has occurred, it issues an alarm and executes acceleration suppression (driving suppression control unit).

[0019] The step ascent / descent information is the vertical behavior of the vehicle body detected by step travel information acquisition unit 15, such as an acceleration sensor mounted on the vehicle body or a sensor that detects the behavior state of the suspension device (suspension stroke sensor). The acceleration suppression control unit 11 has a step-crossing determination unit 21 (step-descent determination unit) and a mis-pedaling determination unit 23.

[0020] The step-crossing determination unit 21 receives step ascent / descent information from the step-traveling information acquisition unit 15 and determines whether the vehicle has crossed the step. Note that the step crossing is completed when the vehicle has completed descending the step. The misstep determination unit 23 determines that the period from immediately after going over the step is within the acceleration suppression duration time ta (predetermined time).

[0021] Misapplication determination unit 23 determines whether the accelerator has been misapplication, based on the determination result of step-crossing determination unit 21 and the accelerator operation amount. In detail, misapplication determination unit 23 determines whether the accelerator has been misapplication, when the accelerator operation amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value Ax during the acceleration suppression duration time ta from immediately after crossing a step. The predetermined threshold value Ax may be set to a different value depending on each condition. For example, the threshold value Ax may be set low when the vehicle body shakes significantly or is expected to shake significantly when passing over a step based on the vehicle speed or the detection result by the step-traveling information acquisition unit 15. Alternatively, the predetermined threshold value Ax may be set to a constant value.

[0022] When the misapplication judgment unit 23 judges that the accelerator has been misapplication, the acceleration suppression control unit 11 issues an alarm or calls the driver's attention using an alarm device 14 such as a meter panel or a buzzer provided in the vehicle. Furthermore, when the misapplication judgment unit 23 judges that the accelerator has been misapplication, the acceleration suppression control unit 11 performs control to suppress acceleration of the travel drive device 2 such as the engine or motor (acceleration suppression control), for example, control to disable an operation instruction of the accelerator.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of the traveling suppression control of the first embodiment executed by the acceleration suppression control unit 11. The traveling suppression control (determination control for acceleration suppression control) shown in the flowchart is repeatedly performed when the power supply of the vehicle is turned on. First, in step S10, step ascent / descent information is acquired as vehicle information from step travel information acquisition unit 15. Then, the process proceeds to step S20.

[0024] In step S20, the step clearance determination unit 21 determines whether or not the completion of the vehicle's descent has been detected based on the vehicle information input in step S10. If the completion of the descent has been detected, the process proceeds to step S40. If the completion of the descent has not been detected, the process proceeds to step S110. In step S40, the time required for the vehicle to descend the step (descent time tb) is acquired. For the descent time tb, for example, the acceleration suppression control unit 11 (descent time measurement unit) may start counting a timer from 0 when the vehicle starts descending based on the step ascent / descent information, and measure the time until the vehicle completes descent in step S20. Then, the process proceeds to step S50.

[0025] In step S50, the acceleration suppression duration ta is set based on the down-descent time tb acquired in step S40. For example, the acceleration suppression duration ta may be set longer as the down-descent time tb is longer. Then, proceed to step S60. In step S60, the threshold value Ax for determining whether or not a wrong pedal movement has occurred is set or changed in the wrong pedal movement determination unit 21. The threshold value Ax may be a constant value, or may be set to a different value based on various vehicle information as described above. Then, the process proceeds to step S70.

[0026] In step S70, it is determined whether or not the acceleration suppression duration time ta set in step S50 has elapsed since the completion of descent is detected. If the acceleration suppression duration time ta has elapsed since the completion of descent, the process proceeds to step S110. If the acceleration suppression duration time ta has not elapsed since the completion of descent, the process proceeds to step S80. In step S80, the current accelerator operation amount is input, and it is determined whether it is equal to or greater than the threshold Ax set in step S60. If the accelerator operation amount is equal to or greater than the threshold Ax, the process proceeds to step S90. If the accelerator operation amount is less than the threshold Ax, the process proceeds to step S100.

[0027] In step S90, warning and acceleration suppression are executed. That is, the warning device 14 issues a warning or calls attention to the erroneous accelerator pedal application. Also, the accelerator operation signal is invalidated. Then, the process returns to step S70. In step S100, warning / acceleration suppression is not executed, and if warning / acceleration suppression is executed, the execution is cancelled, and the process returns to step S70.

[0028] In step S110, warning / acceleration suppression is not executed. If warning / acceleration suppression is executed, the execution is cancelled. Then, this routine is ended. As described above, the acceleration suppression control unit 11 of the first embodiment determines whether the vehicle has crossed a step based on step ascent / descent information such as vehicle body acceleration and suspension stroke in the step crossing determination unit 21. Then, the acceleration suppression control unit 11 executes acceleration suppression control to suppress the acceleration of the vehicle when it detects an erroneous accelerator pedal application within a predetermined time (acceleration suppression duration ta) from when the vehicle has completed descending the step.

[0029] As a result, when the vehicle goes over a step, even if the driver accidentally presses the accelerator due to the shaking of the vehicle body caused by going over the step between the time the vehicle has finished descending the step and the time the acceleration suppression duration time ta has elapsed, the vehicle's acceleration suppression control is performed, thereby suppressing unintended acceleration of the vehicle and improving safety. In detail, when the accelerator operation amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value Ax between the completion of descending the step and the elapse of the acceleration suppression duration time ta, the acceleration suppression control unit 11 determines that the accelerator has been accidentally depressed and performs acceleration suppression control.

[0030] As a result, acceleration suppression control is executed only when the accelerator operation amount is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value Ax within a predetermined time after going over a step, thereby achieving both improved safety and driving performance. Here, as the acceleration suppression control, the operation of the accelerator is invalidated, or the actual operation amount of the accelerator detected by the accelerator position sensor 4 or the like is corrected and reduced to become the control amount of the accelerator.

[0031] As a result, if it is determined that the accelerator has been erroneously applied immediately after going over a step, the acceleration of the vehicle can be suppressed, thereby improving safety. Furthermore, the acceleration suppression control unit 11 measures the descent time tb required to descend the step based on step ascent / descent information such as the vehicle body acceleration and suspension stroke, and changes the acceleration suppression duration ta according to this descent time tb. For example, if the descent time tb is long, it is estimated that the vehicle is descending a large step and the vehicle body is shaking a lot. Therefore, in such a case, by setting the acceleration suppression duration ta long and performing the acceleration suppression control for a long period from the completion of descending the step, it is possible to appropriately suppress the vehicle's traveling in accordance with the period during which the accelerator pedal may be mistakenly pressed.

[0032] Next, there will be described the traveling suppression control of the second embodiment executed by the acceleration suppression control unit 11. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the control procedure of the traveling suppression control of the second embodiment. Hereinafter, the traveling suppression control of the second embodiment will be described only in terms of differences from the traveling suppression control of the first embodiment. If completion of downlink is detected in step S20, the process proceeds to step S30.

[0033] In step S30, based on the vehicle information input in step S10, it is determined whether the vehicle has gone uphill within a predetermined period tc before the start of the descent. The predetermined period tc in this step is set not simply to a state in which the vehicle has gone downhill on the road surface, but to a state in which the vehicle has gone over a convex step of a predetermined size or more, causing the vehicle to shake more and making it easier to mistakenly step on the accelerator. If the vehicle has gone uphill within the predetermined period of time before the start of the descent, proceed to step S40. If the vehicle has not gone uphill within the predetermined time before the start of the descent, proceed to step S110.

[0034] As described above, in the acceleration suppression control of the second embodiment, if the vehicle does not start climbing until the predetermined period tc before the start of descent, acceleration suppression is not executed even if the completion of descent over the step is detected. In this way, even if the vehicle goes downhill, if there is no uphill within the specified period tc before that, that is, if the vehicle does not go over a bump but simply goes down the road surface, it is determined that the vehicle body will shake little when the descent is completed and that it is unlikely that the accelerator will be mistaken after the descent is completed, and acceleration suppression is not performed.

[0035] In contrast, if there is an uphill section within a predetermined period tc before the vehicle starts to descend, it is determined that the vehicle has gone over a bump and the body will shake significantly when the descent is completed, which indicates the possibility of accelerator misapplication after the descent is completed, and acceleration suppression based on the amount of accelerator operation is possible. As a result, vehicle acceleration suppression control is performed only in situations where accelerator pedal misapplication is likely to occur, thereby preventing unnecessary acceleration suppression and preventing deterioration of driving performance.

[0036] Although the description of the present invention is now completed, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, when the erroneous depression determination unit 21 determines that the accelerator has been erroneously depressed, only one of the following may be performed: issuing a warning by the warning device 14 or suppressing acceleration by invalidating an accelerator operation instruction. Regarding acceleration suppression, in addition to disabling the accelerator operation instruction, the accelerator control amount may be corrected to a value lower than the actual operation amount by a predetermined amount or a predetermined rate, or may be limited to a predetermined value or less.

[0037] Furthermore, when acceleration suppression is performed, the vehicle speed may be suppressed by operating the vehicle's brake device in addition to or instead of suppressing the driving force of the vehicle by issuing an accelerator disable command or suppressing the accelerator control amount. In addition, the step-crossing determination unit 21 inputs step ascent / descent information from the step-traveling information acquisition unit 15 to determine whether the vehicle has completed descending the step (completed crossing), but it may also input only step-descent information to determine whether the vehicle has completed descending the step.

[0038] In the above embodiment, the acceleration suppression control unit is provided in the main control unit 5 of the vehicle, but it may be provided separately from the main control unit 5. The present invention can be widely applied to vehicles that are driven by operation of an accelerator. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1 Drive control system (driving control device) 11 Acceleration suppression control unit (driving suppression control unit, descent time measurement unit) 15. Step-difference travel information acquisition unit 21 Step-crossing judgement unit (step-descent judgement unit)

Claims

1. A vehicle driving control device including a driving suppression control unit that suppresses acceleration of the vehicle due to an accelerator pedal mistake by a driver of the vehicle, a step travel information acquisition unit that acquires step descent information when the vehicle is traveling; a step descent determination unit that determines whether the vehicle has completed descent based on the step descent information, The traveling suppression control unit executes acceleration suppression control for suppressing acceleration of the vehicle until a predetermined time has elapsed since it is determined that the vehicle has completed descending. A vehicle driving control device comprising:

2. The step travel information acquisition unit also acquires step climbing information, The traveling suppression control unit restricts the acceleration suppression control when it is not determined that the vehicle is ascending the step until a predetermined period before the step descent is started based on the step ascent / descent information.

2. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 1.

3. a descent time measurement unit that measures a descent time from a start to a completion of descent of the step, The travel suppression control unit changes the predetermined time based on the downtime.

2. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 1.

4. The travel suppression control unit is Completion of descent of the step is determined based on the step descent information, and if an operation amount of the accelerator is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value during a period from the completion of descent of the step until a predetermined time has elapsed, acceleration suppression control is executed to suppress acceleration of the vehicle.

2. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 1.

5. The travel suppression control unit is A state of passing over a step is determined based on the step ascent / descent information, and if an operation amount of the accelerator is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value during a period from when the step has been passed over until a predetermined time has elapsed, an acceleration suppression control is executed to suppress acceleration of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 2.

6. The traveling suppression control unit executes the acceleration suppression control by invalidating the operation of the accelerator or by reducing and correcting the operation amount of the accelerator.

2. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 1.

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