Vehicle control device

Abstract

To improve accuracy in determination of abnormality of a driver.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device includes: a stop holding release control part executing stop holding control holding a vehicle in a stop state by actuating a brake device and executing release control for releasing the stop holding by the brake device when a prescribed release condition is established during execution of the stop holding control; an operation input acquisition part acquiring an operation input by a driver of the vehicle; a driver abnormality determination part determining whether the driver is in an abnormal state; and a determination correction part making the driver abnormality determination part easily determine that the driver is in the abnormal state or executing determination correction determining that the driver is in the abnormal state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control device for a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a device that issues an in-vehicle alarm when it detects an abnormality in the driver from images from the driver camera, issues an external alarm if the driver does not respond within a first time period after the in-vehicle alarm is issued, and performs danger avoidance processing such as flashing hazard lights, slowing down, and pulling over to the side of the road if the driver does not respond within a second time period after the external alarm is issued. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-085563 A Summary of the Invention

[0004] Even if the device determines that the driver is not abnormal based on the image from the driver camera, there is a limit to the determination based on image analysis, and an abnormality may actually occur. In other words, there is room for improvement in the accuracy of driver abnormality determination.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems. That is, one of the objects of the present disclosure is to effectively improve the accuracy of driver abnormality determination.

[0006] The vehicle control device of the present disclosure includes: a stop-maintenance release control unit that executes a stop-maintenance control for maintaining the vehicle in a stopped state by activating a brake device when the vehicle is stopped, and executes a release control for releasing the stop-maintenance by the brake device when a predetermined release condition is satisfied during the execution of the stop-maintenance control; an operation input acquisition unit that acquires an operation input from a driver of the vehicle; a driver abnormality determination unit for determining whether the driver is in an abnormal state; When the release control is executed by the stop hold release control unit, if the operation input acquisition unit does not acquire the operation input of the driver, a judgment correction unit is provided which makes it easier for the driver abnormality judgment unit to determine that the driver is in an abnormal state, or which performs a judgment correction which causes the driver to determine that the driver is in an abnormal state. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a hardware configuration of the vehicle according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a software configuration of the control device according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a processing routine of the control device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating a processing routine of a control device according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, a vehicle control device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0009] [Hardware configuration] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a hardware configuration of a vehicle SV according to this embodiment. In the following, the vehicle SV may be referred to as a host vehicle when it is necessary to distinguish it from other vehicles.

[0010] The vehicle SV has an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 10. The ECU 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, and an interface device 14. The CPU 11 is a processor that executes various programs stored in the ROM 12. The ROM 12 is a non-volatile memory that stores data and the like required for the CPU 11 to execute the various programs. The RAM 13 is a volatile memory that provides a working area into which the various programs are expanded when the CPU 11 executes them. The interface device 14 is a communication device for communicating with an external device.

[0011] The ECU 10 is a central device that performs driving assistance such as adaptive cruise control (hereinafter, ACC) and lane trace assist (hereinafter, LTA). Driving assistance is a concept that includes autonomous driving. The ECU 10 is communicatively connected to an internal sensor device 20, an external sensor device 30, a driver state recognition device 35, a drive device 40, a steering device 41, an automatic transmission 50, a parking lock device 55, a hydraulic brake device 60, an electric parking brake device 70, an ACC operation unit 80, an LTA start switch 85, an external hazard lamp 90, an internal hazard lamp 91, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 95, and the like.

[0012] The internal sensor device 20 is a set of sensors that acquire the state of the vehicle SV. The internal sensor device 20 includes a vehicle speed sensor 21, an accelerator sensor 22, a brake sensor 23, a steering angle sensor 24, a steering torque sensor 25, a yaw rate sensor 26, a longitudinal acceleration sensor 27, and the like.

[0013] The vehicle speed sensor 21 detects the traveling speed (vehicle speed V) of the vehicle SV. The accelerator sensor 22 detects the amount of operation of an accelerator pedal (not shown) by the driver. The brake sensor 23 detects the amount of operation of a brake pedal (not shown) by the driver. The steering angle sensor 24 detects the rotation angle (steering angle) of the steering wheel or steering shaft of the steering device 41. The steering torque sensor 25 detects the rotation torque (steering torque) of the steering wheel or steering shaft. The yaw rate sensor 26 detects the yaw rate of the vehicle SV. The longitudinal acceleration sensor 27 detects the longitudinal acceleration G of the vehicle SV. The internal sensor device 20 transmits the state of the vehicle SV detected by each sensor 21-27 to the ECU 10 at a predetermined period.

[0014] The external sensor device 30 is a type of sensor that recognizes target information related to targets around the vehicle SV. The external sensor device 30 includes a radar sensor 31, a camera sensor 32, etc. Examples of the target information include surrounding vehicles, white lines on the road, signs, etc.

[0015] The radar sensor 31 detects targets present around the vehicle SV. The radar sensor 31 includes a millimeter wave radar and / or a lidar. The millimeter wave radar emits radio waves in the millimeter wave band and receives millimeter waves reflected by targets present within the emission range. The millimeter wave radar acquires the relative distance, relative speed, etc. between the vehicle SV and the target based on the phase difference between the transmitted millimeter wave and the received reflected wave, the attenuation level of the reflected wave, and the time from transmitting the millimeter wave to receiving the reflected wave. The lidar sequentially scans a pulsed laser light with a shorter wavelength than the millimeter wave in multiple directions and receives the reflected light reflected by the target to acquire the shape of the target detected in front of the vehicle SV, the relative distance, relative speed, etc. between the vehicle SV and the target.

[0016] The camera sensor 32 photographs the surroundings of the vehicle SV and processes the photographed image data to obtain target information about the surroundings of the vehicle SV. As the camera sensor 32, for example, a digital camera having an image pickup element such as a CMOS or a CCD can be used. The target information is information that indicates the type of target detected around the vehicle SV, the relative distance between the vehicle SV and the target, the relative speed, etc. The type of target may be recognized by machine learning such as pattern matching, for example.

[0017] The external sensor device 30 repeatedly transmits the acquired target information to the ECU 10 every time a predetermined time has elapsed. Note that the external sensor device 30 does not necessarily have to include both the radar sensor 31 and the camera sensor 32, and may include, for example, only the radar sensor 31 or only the camera sensor 32.

[0018] The driver state recognition device 35 is a device that recognizes the state of the driver of the vehicle SV, and includes, for example, a driver camera 36. The driver camera 36 mainly captures the face of the driver. The driver state recognition device 35 recognizes the state of the driver (hereinafter referred to as driver state information), such as the driver's eye open state and line of sight, based on the facial image of the driver captured by the driver camera 36, ​​and transmits the recognized driver state information to the ECU 10 at a predetermined cycle. The driver state recognition device 35 is not limited to the driver camera 36, ​​and may include other sensors capable of acquiring the driver state information, such as a physiological measuring device that detects the driver's heart rate and pulse rate.

[0019] The drive device 40 generates a drive force to be transmitted to drive wheels of the vehicle SV. Examples of the drive device 40 include an electric motor and an engine. The vehicle SV may be any of a hybrid vehicle, a plug-in hybrid vehicle, a fuel cell vehicle, an electric vehicle, and an engine vehicle. The steering device 41 applies a steering force to the wheels of the vehicle SV.

[0020] The automatic transmission 50 is disposed in a power transmission path between the drive unit 40 and the drive wheels, and reduces the driving force output from the drive unit 40 at a predetermined reduction ratio and transmits the reduced power to the drive wheels. The automatic transmission 50 is, for example, a shift-by-wire type automatic transmission, and includes a shift operation device 51, a shift sensor 53, etc.

[0021] The shift operation device 51 includes a select lever 52 and a shift sensor 53. The driver can select a desired shift range by operating the select lever 52. The shift ranges of the shift operation device 51 include, for example, a parking range P, a reverse range R, a neutral range N, a drive range D, and a home range H. The shift sensor 53 transmits a range signal indicating the shift range selected by the select lever 52 to the ECU 10.

[0022] The parking lock device 55 is provided on the output side of the automatic transmission 50. The parking lock device 55 includes a parking gear provided on a power transmission shaft (for example, an output shaft of the automatic transmission 50), a parking pole engageable with the parking gear, a parking actuator 56 that actuates the parking pole, and the like.

[0023] The operation of the parking actuator 56 is controlled by the ECU 10. When the ECU 10 receives a range signal of the parking range P from the shift sensor 53, the ECU 10 controls the operation of the parking actuator 56 so that the parking pole engages with the parking gear. When the parking pole engages with the parking gear, a parking lock is established to lock the rotation of the drive wheels. On the other hand, when the select lever 52 is operated from the parking range P with the parking lock established, that is, when the ECU 10 receives a range signal other than the parking range P from the shift sensor 53, the ECU 10 controls the operation of the parking actuator 56 so as to release the engagement between the parking pole and the parking gear.

[0024] The hydraulic brake device 60 is, for example, a disc-type brake device, and applies a braking force to the wheels of the vehicle SV. The hydraulic brake device 60 includes a brake actuator 61, a brake mechanism 62, and the like. The brake actuator 61 is provided in a hydraulic circuit between a master cylinder (not shown) that pressurizes hydraulic oil by the depression force of the brake pedal, and the brake mechanism 62. The brake mechanism 62 includes a brake disc 63 fixed to the wheel, and a brake caliper 64 fixed to the vehicle body. The brake actuator 61 adjusts the hydraulic pressure supplied to a wheel cylinder built into the brake caliper 64 in response to an instruction from the ECU 10, and operates the wheel cylinder with the hydraulic pressure. As a result, the brake actuator 61 presses the brake pad against the brake disc 63 to generate a frictional braking force. The hydraulic brake device 60 may be a drum-type brake device, or the like.

[0025] The electric parking brake device 70 includes an electric actuator 71, an electric parking switch 72, etc. The electric actuator 71 and the electric parking switch 72 are connected to the ECU 10.

[0026] The electric parking switch 72 is, for example, a momentary switch whose operating part automatically returns to its original position, and has a neutral position where the operating part is located when not operated, an ON position where the operating part is pulled up, and an OFF position where the operating part is pushed down. When the electric parking switch 72 is operated to the ON position, it transmits an ON signal to the ECU 10. When the ECU 10 receives the ON signal, it controls the operation of the electric actuator 71 so as to press the brake pad against the brake disc 63. This establishes the electric parking brake that keeps the vehicle SV stopped. On the other hand, when the electric parking switch 72 is operated to the OFF position, it transmits an OFF signal to the ECU 10. When the ECU 10 receives an OFF signal or an accelerator ON signal from the accelerator sensor 22, it controls the operation of the electric actuator 71 so as to release the electric parking brake.

[0027] The auto-hold switch 75 is, for example, a momentary type ON / OFF switch. When the vehicle SV is stopped with the auto-hold switch 75 in the ON state, or when the auto-hold switch 75 is turned ON while the vehicle SV is stopped, brake hold control is started to maintain the hydraulic pressure in the wheel cylinder of the hydraulic brake device 60. This allows the driver to continuously maintain the stopped state of the vehicle SV without depressing the brake pedal. The brake hold control is released when the driver turns the auto-hold switch 75 OFF while depressing the brake pedal, or when the driver depresses the accelerator pedal.

[0028] The ACC operation unit 80 includes, for example, a start switch for the driver to select whether to start or end ACC, a setting switch for setting a target vehicle speed and a target inter-vehicle distance for ACC, a cancel switch for temporarily canceling ACC, a resume switch for restarting ACC, etc. The LTA start switch 85 is an ON / OFF switch for the driver to select whether to start or end LTA.

[0029] The exterior hazard lamps 90 are provided on the outside of the vehicle SV. The interior hazard lamps 91 are provided inside the cabin of the vehicle SV and flash in conjunction with the exterior hazard lamps 90. A hazard switch 92 is provided inside the cabin of the vehicle SV, and by operating the hazard switch 92, each of the hazard lamps 90, 91 can be switched between flashing and off.

[0030] The HMI 95 is an interface for inputting and outputting information between the ECU 10 and the driver, and includes an input device and an output device. Examples of the input device include a touch panel, a switch, and a voice pickup microphone. Examples of the output device include a display device 96 and a speaker 97. The display device 96 is, for example, a center display, a multi-information display, a head-up display, etc. The speaker 97 is, for example, a speaker of an audio system or a navigation system.

[0031] [Software configuration] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the software configuration of the control device according to the present embodiment.

[0032] 2, the ECU 10 includes, as functional elements, an ACC control unit 100, an LTA control unit 110, a brake hold control unit 120, a backup control unit 130, a backup abnormality acquisition unit 132, a steep slope road acquisition unit 134, a driving change request processing unit 140, a driving change determination unit 145, a brake hold forced release control unit 150, a driver abnormality determination unit 160, a determination threshold time correction unit 170, and an emergency control unit 180. Each of these functional elements 100 to 180 is realized by the CPU 11 of the ECU 10 reading out a program stored in the ROM 12 into the RAM 13 and executing it. Note that all or a part of each of the functional elements 100 to 180 may be provided in another ECU separate from the ECU 10, or in an information processing device in a facility (such as a management center) capable of communicating with the vehicle SV.

[0033] The ACC control unit 100 is an example of an automatic driving control unit of the present disclosure, and executes ACC based on a target vehicle speed or a target inter-vehicle distance. ACC itself is well known, so it will be briefly described below. ACC includes two types of control: constant speed traveling control and following traveling control. The constant speed traveling control is a control that makes the vehicle SV travel at a constant speed according to a target vehicle speed without requiring the driver to operate the accelerator and brakes. The following traveling control is a control that makes the host vehicle SV follow the preceding vehicle so that the actual inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle SV becomes the target inter-vehicle distance without requiring the driver to operate the accelerator and brakes.

[0034] When the start switch of the ACC operation unit 80 is turned on, the ACC control unit 100 detects a preceding vehicle to be followed based on the detection result of the external sensor device 30. When there is no preceding vehicle, the ACC control unit 100 executes constant speed running control. In this case, the ACC control unit 100 controls the operation of the drive unit 40, the automatic transmission 50, and the hydraulic brake device 60 based on the target acceleration obtained from the deviation between the vehicle speed V and the target vehicle speed. The vehicle speed V may be obtained based on the detection result of the vehicle speed sensor 21. On the other hand, when there is a preceding vehicle, the ACC control unit 100 executes following running control. In this case, the ACC control unit 100 controls the operation of the drive unit 40, the automatic transmission 50, and the hydraulic brake device 60 based on the target acceleration obtained from the deviation between the actual inter-vehicle distance and the target inter-vehicle distance. The actual inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle SV and the preceding vehicle may be obtained based on the detection result of the external sensor device 30.

[0035] The LTA control unit 110 executes the LTA, which automatically changes the steering angle so that the lateral position of the host vehicle SV is maintained near a target driving line in the driving lane. Here, the lateral position of the host vehicle SV refers to the position of the host vehicle SV in the lane width direction relative to the road. Since the LTA itself is well known, it will be briefly described below. When the LTA activation switch 85 is turned on while the ACC control unit 100 is performing ACC, the LTA control unit 110 sets a target driving line for the host vehicle SV based on a section line recognized by the external sensor device 30. The LTA control unit 110 changes the steering angle of the host vehicle SV by controlling the operation of the steering device 41 so that the lateral position of the host vehicle SV is maintained near the target driving line.

[0036] The brake hold control unit 120 is an example of a stop-hold release control unit of the present disclosure, and when any of the following execution conditions (1) or (2) is satisfied, executes brake hold control (stop-hold control) to maintain the hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic brake device 60 and keep the vehicle SV in a stopped state. Execution condition (1): When the auto-hold switch 75 is ON and the driver stops the vehicle SV, or when the auto-hold switch 75 is OFF and the driver stops the vehicle SV, the auto-hold switch 75 is turned ON. Execution condition (2): When the host vehicle SV stops following due to the preceding vehicle stopping while the ACC is performing following cruise control.

[0037] The brake hold control unit 120 ends the brake hold control, that is, releases the hydraulic brake device 60 from holding the hydraulic pressure, when any of the following end conditions (1) to (3) is satisfied. Termination condition (1): After the brake hold control is started due to the satisfaction of the above-mentioned execution condition (1), the driver depresses the accelerator pedal, or the driver performs a release operation to turn off the auto-hold switch 75 while depressing the brake pedal. Termination condition (2): After the brake hold control is started due to the satisfaction of the above-mentioned execution condition (2), the driver turns on the resume switch of the ACC operation unit 80 or performs a release operation by depressing the accelerator pedal (i.e., an operation to resume ACC). Termination condition (3): After brake hold control is started due to the satisfaction of the above-mentioned execution condition (1) or (2), the continuous execution time T of the brake hold control reaches a predetermined upper threshold time Tm without the driver performing a release operation. The upper threshold time Tm of the termination condition (3) is not particularly limited, and may be set appropriately depending on the specific specifications, performance, etc. of the vehicle SV and the hydraulic brake device 60.

[0038] When the above-mentioned termination condition (3) is satisfied, the backup control unit 130 activates either or both of the electric parking brake device 70 and the parking lock device 55, and executes backup control to hold the vehicle SV in a stopped state. This achieves a backup that reliably holds the vehicle SV in a stopped state even after the brake hold control is terminated. Note that, when the backup control unit 130 receives at least one of a backup abnormality signal and a steep gradient signal, which will be described later, while the brake hold control unit 120 is executing the brake hold control, the backup control unit 130 does not execute backup control.

[0039] The backup abnormality acquisition unit 132 acquires whether the electric parking brake device 70 or the parking lock device 55 is in an abnormal state in which it cannot be operated for some reason (for example, actuator failure, etc.). When the backup abnormality acquisition unit 132 acquires an abnormal state of the electric parking brake device 70 or the parking lock device 55, it transmits a "backup abnormality signal" indicating that they are in an abnormal state to the backup control unit 130 and the driving changeover request processing unit 140 described later. Note that the abnormal state may include not only an actuator failure but also an unintended erroneous operation of the auto-hold switch 75 or the select lever 52 by the driver. An example of such an erroneous operation is an operation input of the auto-hold switch 75 to the continuous OFF position due to personal belongings being caught, etc.

[0040] The steep slope road acquisition unit 134 acquires whether the road on which the vehicle SV is currently located is a road on which it is physically impossible to keep the vehicle SV stopped even if the electric parking brake device 70 or the parking lock device 55 is operated when the vehicle SV is stopped, that is, whether the road is a steep slope road exceeding the allowable limit of the backup control described above. When the road surface gradient θ is greater than a predetermined upper threshold gradient θm, the steep slope road acquisition unit 134 transmits a "steep slope signal" indicating that the current road is a steep slope road exceeding the allowable limit of the backup control to the backup control unit 130 and the driving change request processing unit 140 described later. The road surface gradient θ may be calculated based on the acceleration G in the forward / reverse direction detected by the forward / reverse acceleration sensor 27, or, if the vehicle SV is equipped with a gradient sensor, may be directly acquired by the gradient sensor. The upper threshold gradient θm is not particularly limited, and may be appropriately set according to the specific performance of the electric parking brake device 70 or the parking lock device 55.

[0041] When at least one of a backup abnormality signal and a steep gradient signal is received during execution of brake hold control by the brake hold control unit 120, that is, when a limit state of the backup control is detected, the driving change request processing unit 140 executes a driving change request to prompt the driver to change driving. As the driving change request, the driving change request processing unit 140 displays, for example, a message prompting the driver to apply the brakes on the display device 96. Note that the driving change request is not limited to a message display on the display device 96, and may also be made in conjunction with an alarm sound from the speaker 97.

[0042] The driving change determination unit 145 is an example of an operation input acquisition unit of the present disclosure, and determines whether or not the driver has changed driving in response to a driving change request from the driving change request processing unit 140. Specifically, when the driving change determination unit 145 detects the driver's depression of the brake pedal based on the detection result of the brake sensor 23, it determines that the driver has changed driving. The driving change determination unit 145 transmits the determination result to the brake hold forced release control unit 150 and the determination threshold time correction unit 170, which will be described later. Note that the method of determining the driving change is not limited to depression of the brake pedal, and it may be determined that the driver has changed driving when the driver performs some kind of response operation, such as pressing a confirmation button, in response to a message displayed on the display device 96 prompting the driver to operate the brakes.

[0043] The brake hold forced release control unit 150 is an example of the stop hold release control unit of the present disclosure, and executes forced release control to forcibly release the brake hold control being executed. Specifically, when the driver changes driving in response to the driving change request by the driving change request processing unit 140, the brake hold forced release control unit 150 immediately releases the brake hold control being executed. On the other hand, when the driver does not change driving in response to the driving change request by the driving change request processing unit 140, the brake hold forced release control unit 150 forcibly releases the brake hold control being executed when a predetermined first threshold time T1 has elapsed from the start of the driving change request. Here, the first threshold time T1 is set to a time (e.g., several seconds) shorter than the time required for the driver to get off the vehicle SV. That is, when the driver does not change driving, the brake hold control is configured to be forcibly released before the driver gets off the vehicle SV. This makes it possible to effectively prevent the driver from getting off before the brake hold control is forcibly released.

[0044] The driver abnormality determination unit 160 determines whether the driver is in an abnormal state where the driver cannot drive the vehicle SV normally due to drowsiness, seizures, or the like, based on the driver state information transmitted from the driver state recognition device 35. Specifically, the driver abnormality determination unit 160 acquires whether the driver is in a specific state, based on the driver state information transmitted from the driver state recognition device 35. Here, the specific state includes, for example, a state in which the driver has closed his / her eyes, a state in which the driver has his / her eyes directed in a direction other than the forward direction, and the like. When the driver abnormality determination unit 160 acquires the specific state of the driver continuously for a predetermined determination threshold time Tth or more, it determines that an abnormality has occurred in the driver. The determination threshold time Tth is not particularly limited, but it is desirable to set it to, for example, a time of about ten or so seconds to several tens of seconds in order to prevent erroneous determination of a short period of eye closure, etc., as an abnormality. When the driver abnormality determination unit 160 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the driver, it transmits a "driver abnormality signal" indicating that the driver is in an abnormal state to the emergency control unit 180 described later.

[0045] The judgment threshold time correction unit 170 is an example of a judgment correction unit of the present disclosure, and executes threshold correction to decrease the judgment threshold time Tth described above when the driver does not take over driving even after the brake hold control is forcibly released in response to a driving change request from the driving change request processing unit 140. If a driving change request is made to prevent the driver from getting off the vehicle, and the brake hold control is forcibly released, but the driver does not take over driving, it can be said that there is an extremely high possibility that an abnormality has occurred in the driver. In such a case, it is desirable to have the driver abnormality judgment unit 160 judge the driver to be abnormal early.

[0046] If the driver does not take over the driving even after a predetermined second threshold time T2 has elapsed since the start of the driving change request, the judgment threshold time correction unit 170 executes threshold correction (=Tth-Tv) to subtract a predetermined time Tv from the judgment threshold time Tth. The second threshold time T2 is not particularly limited, but may be set based on a time (for example, several tens of seconds) that is longer than the above-mentioned first threshold time T1 and that a normal driver can respond to the driving change request. In this way. If an abnormality is suspected in the driver, the judgment threshold time Tth is decreased to make it easier to determine that the driver is in an abnormal state, so that the driver's abnormality can be detected more sensitively and the judgment accuracy can be reliably improved. Note that, if the driver does not take over the driving even after a predetermined second threshold time T2 has elapsed since the start of the driving change request, the judgment threshold time correction unit 170 can forcibly make the driver abnormality judgment unit 160 determine that the driver is in an abnormal state, rather than decreasing the judgment threshold time Tth.

[0047] When the emergency control unit 180 receives a driver abnormality signal from the driver abnormality determination unit 160, it executes emergency control to ensure the safety of the vehicle SV and the driver. The specific content of the emergency control is not particularly limited, but examples include stop control for moving the vehicle SV to a safe place and stopping it, blinking control for blinking the hazard lamps 90, 91 to inform the driver that an abnormality is occurring, and a helpnet notification for notifying the helpnet center that the vehicle SV is in an abnormal state.

[0048] Fig. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the routines of the brake hold control, the driving change request process, and the threshold correction process executed by the CPU 11 of the ECU 10. The routine shown in Fig. 3 is started when the host vehicle SV stops following the preceding vehicle due to the following travel control of the ACC as the preceding vehicle stops, that is, when the above-mentioned execution condition (2) is satisfied.

[0049] In step S100, the ECU 10 executes brake hold control to hold the vehicle SV in a stopped state using the hydraulic brake device 60. Next, in step S110, the ECU 10 determines whether or not it has received at least one of a backup abnormality signal and a steep gradient signal, that is, whether or not it has detected a limit state of the backup control. If it has detected a limit state of the backup control (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to processing of step S120. On the other hand, if it has not detected a limit state of the backup control (No), the ECU 10 proceeds to processing of step S112.

[0050] In step S112, the ECU 10 determines whether the above-mentioned end condition (2), i.e., whether an operation to restart the ACC has been performed. If the restart operation has been performed (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to the process of step S114, ends the brake hold control, and returns from this routine. On the other hand, if the restart operation has not been performed (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to the process of step S116, and determines whether the above-mentioned end condition (3), i.e., whether the continuous execution time T of the brake hold control has reached the upper threshold time Tm. If the continuous execution time T has reached the upper threshold time Tm (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to the process of step S118, ends the brake hold control, executes the backup control, and returns from this routine. On the other hand, if the continuous execution time T has not reached the upper threshold time Tm (No), the ECU 10 returns to the process of step S112.

[0051] When the process proceeds from step S110 to step S120, the ECU 10 executes a driving change request to prompt the driver to change driving. Next, in step S125, the ECU 10 judges whether the driver has changed driving. If the driver has changed driving (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to the process of step S128, ends the driving change request and the brake hold control, and returns this routine. On the other hand, if the driver has not changed driving (No), the ECU 10 proceeds to the process of step S130.

[0052] In step S130, the ECU 10 determines whether the first threshold time T1 has elapsed since the start of the driving change request in step S120. If the first threshold time T1 has not elapsed (No), the ECU 10 returns to the process of step S125. On the other hand, if the first threshold time T1 has elapsed (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to the process of step S135 and forcibly releases the brake hold control. At this time, the driving change request continues to be executed.

[0053] Next, in step S140, the ECU 10 judges whether the driver has changed driving roles in response to the forced release of the brake hold control. If the driver has changed driving roles (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to the process of step S142, ends the driver change request, and returns from this routine. On the other hand, if the driver has not changed driving roles (No), the ECU 10 proceeds to the process of step S150.

[0054] In step S150, the ECU 10 determines whether the second threshold time T2 has elapsed since the start of the driving change request in step S120. If the second threshold time T2 has not elapsed (No), the ECU 10 returns to the process of step S140. On the other hand, if the second threshold time T2 has elapsed (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to the process of step S155.

[0055] In step S155, the ECU 10 executes threshold correction to subtract a predetermined time Tv from the judgment threshold time Tth. Next, in step S160, the ECU 10 judges whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the driver based on the corrected judgment threshold time (=Tth-Tv). If it is judged that an abnormality has occurred in the driver (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to processing of step S180, confirms the abnormality in the driver, executes emergency control, and returns from this routine. On the other hand, if it is judged that an abnormality has not occurred in the driver (No), the ECU 10 proceeds to processing of step S170.

[0056] In step S170, the ECU 10 judges whether the driver has taken over the driving. If the driver has not taken over the driving (No), the ECU 10 returns to the process of step S160. On the other hand, if the driver has taken over the driving (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to the process of step S175, terminates the driving change request, returns the judgment threshold time Tth to the state before correction, and returns to this routine.

[0057] [Variations] Fig. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the routine of the brake hold control, the driving change request process, and the threshold correction process according to the modified example. Specifically, the flow of the modified example is obtained by adding the judgment process of step S152 between steps S150 and S155 of the flow shown in Fig. 3. The other processes are the same as those in Fig. 3, and therefore the description will be omitted.

[0058] In step S152, the ECU 10 judges whether the vehicle SV is moving backward. When the vehicle SV is stopped on a steep uphill slope, the brake hold control is forcibly released, and the driver does not take over driving even though the vehicle SV is moving backward, there is a very high possibility that the driver is in an abnormal state. For this reason, it is desirable to determine the driver's abnormality earlier than when the vehicle SV is moving forward. If the ECU 10 determines in step S152 that the vehicle SV is moving backward (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to the process of step S180, determines the driver's abnormality, executes emergency control, and returns this routine. On the other hand, if the ECU 10 determines that the vehicle SV is not moving backward (No), the ECU 10 proceeds to the process of step S155. In general, the surrounding monitoring capability of the external sensor device 30 is lower in the rear of the vehicle than in the front. For this reason, if the driver's abnormality is determined early when the vehicle SV is moving backward and emergency control is started early, as in the modified example, it is possible to further improve safety.

[0059] [others] Although the vehicle control device according to the present embodiment has been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the purpose of the present disclosure. For example, the flow shown in Figures 3 and 4 can be executed in the same manner when the above-mentioned execution condition (1) is satisfied, that is, when the driver stops the vehicle SV with the auto-hold switch 75 in the ON state, or when the driver stops the vehicle SV with the auto-hold switch 75 in the OFF state and then turns the auto-hold switch 75 ON.

Claims

1. a stop-maintenance release control unit that executes a stop-maintenance control for maintaining the vehicle in a stopped state by activating a brake device when the vehicle is stopped, and executes a release control for releasing the stop-maintenance by the brake device when a predetermined release condition is satisfied during the execution of the stop-maintenance control; an operation input acquisition unit that acquires an operation input from a driver of the vehicle; a driver abnormality determination unit for determining whether the driver is in an abnormal state; and a determination correction unit that, when the stop-hold release control unit executes the release control and the operation input acquisition unit does not acquire the operation input of the driver, makes the driver abnormality determination unit more likely to determine that the driver is in an abnormal state or executes a determination correction that causes the driver abnormality determination unit to determine that the driver is in an abnormal state. Vehicle control device.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, An automatic driving control unit capable of executing automatic driving control for automatically driving and stopping the vehicle, The stop-maintenance release control unit executes the stop-maintenance control when the vehicle is automatically stopped by the automatic driving control. Vehicle control device.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2, The vehicle driver change request processing unit executes a driving change request process to request the driver to change driving when the release condition is satisfied, The stop-hold release control unit executes the release control when a state in which the operation input acquisition unit does not acquire the operation input continues for a predetermined first threshold time or more from the start of execution of the operation change request process. Vehicle control device.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 3, The determination correction unit executes the determination correction when a state in which the operation input acquisition unit does not acquire the operation input from the start of execution of the driving changeover request process continues for a predetermined second threshold time or more that is longer than the first threshold time. Vehicle control device.

5. The vehicle control device according to claim 3, the brake device is a hydraulic brake device, The vehicle control device further includes a backup control unit capable of executing backup control for maintaining the vehicle in a stopped state by activating an electric parking brake device and / or a parking lock device that maintains the vehicle in a stopped state, The operation change request processing unit executes the operation change request processing when the backup control unit is in a predetermined state in which the backup control cannot be executed when the cancellation condition is satisfied. Vehicle control device.

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