Vehicle control device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control device enabling prevention of unintended rapid deceleration of a vehicle due to a one-pedal control function when a speed control mode is canceled.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device can be applied with: a one-pedal control mode which can execute from acceleration of a vehicle 10 to deceleration due to braking in accordance with an operation amount of an accelerator pedal 12; and a speed control mode which automatically controls the speed of the vehicle 10. The vehicle control device includes a deceleration setting unit 33 which sets a first rate of change of deceleration or a first absolute value of deceleration of the vehicle 10 which occurs according to the operation amount of the accelerator pedal 12 in the one-pedal control mode to be smaller than a second rate of change of deceleration or a second absolute value of deceleration of the vehicle 10 which occurs according to the same operation amount of the accelerator pedal 12 in the one-pedal control mode other than a deceleration limitation period during the predetermined deceleration limitation period from the cancellation when the speed control mode is canceled while the one-pedal control mode and the speed control mode are applied.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device to which a one-pedal control function can be applied.

Background Art

[0002] Vehicles having a so-called one-pedal control function that can accelerate and decelerate a vehicle by operating a single pedal have been proposed (see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In a state where the one-pedal control function is operating, a vehicle control mode having a function of automatically controlling the speed of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the speed control mode) may be applied. In such a case, if the driver forgets that the one-pedal control function is operating, an unintended braking force may be generated when the speed control mode is canceled, and the vehicle may decelerate rapidly.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device capable of preventing an unintended rapid deceleration of the vehicle due to the one-pedal control function when the speed control mode is canceled.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A vehicle control device according to one embodiment is applicable to a one-pedal control mode capable of performing deceleration by braking from acceleration of a vehicle according to an operation amount of an accelerator pedal, and a speed control mode for automatically controlling the speed of the vehicle. During the application of the one-pedal control mode and the speed control mode, when the speed control mode is canceled, the first change rate of the vehicle deceleration or the first absolute value of the deceleration generated according to the operation amount of the accelerator pedal in the one-pedal control mode during a predetermined deceleration limit period from the cancellation is set to be smaller than the second change rate of the vehicle deceleration or the second absolute value of the deceleration generated according to the same operation amount of the accelerator pedal in the one-pedal control mode outside the deceleration limit period. The vehicle control device has a deceleration setting unit for setting.

[0007] A vehicle control device according to another embodiment is applicable to a one-pedal control mode and a speed control mode. During the application of the one-pedal control mode, when the speed control mode is further applied, the vehicle control device has a mode setting unit for canceling the one-pedal control mode.

[0008] A vehicle control device according to still another embodiment is applicable to a one-pedal control mode and a speed control mode, and has a determination unit for determining whether or not a cancellation condition for canceling the speed control mode is satisfied during the application of the one-pedal control mode and the speed control mode, and a notification processing unit for notifying the driver via a notification unit provided in the vehicle interior that the one-pedal control mode was being applied before the cancellation of the speed control mode when it is determined that the cancellation condition is satisfied.

Advantages of the Invention

[0009] The vehicle control device according to the present disclosure has an effect of being able to prevent an unintended rapid deceleration of the vehicle due to the one-pedal control function when the speed control mode is canceled.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method executed on the vehicle control device, and a vehicle control computer program will be described with reference to the drawings. This vehicle control device can apply a vehicle control mode for activating a one-pedal control function, that is, a one-pedal control mode capable of executing deceleration by braking from acceleration of the vehicle according to an operation amount of an accelerator pedal, and a speed control mode. And this vehicle control device prevents an unintended sudden deceleration of the vehicle in the one-pedal control mode when the speed control mode is canceled.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle in which a vehicle control device is mounted. In the present embodiment, the vehicle 10 is a Battery Electric Vehicle, a hybrid or a plug-in hybrid vehicle, and includes a motor as a power source in the power train 11. In the vehicle 10, a one-pedal control function using the accelerator pedal device 12 can be executed by using the regenerative braking force generated by the motor. Further, the vehicle 10 includes an external sensor 13, a GPS receiver 14, a notification device 15, a storage device 16, and an electronic control unit (ECU) 17.

[0013] The external sensor 13 is a sensor that generates an external sensor signal representing the situation around the vehicle 10. For example, it is a camera provided to be able to photograph the surroundings of the vehicle 10, or a ranging sensor such as LiDAR or radar. The vehicle 10 may be provided with a plurality of external sensors 13 having different detectable ranges or types. Each time the external sensor 13 generates an external sensor signal, it outputs the generated external sensor signal to the ECU 17.

[0014] The GPS receiver 14 measures the self-position of the vehicle 10 based on the GPS signal received from the GPS satellite at a predetermined cycle, and outputs positioning information representing the measurement result to the ECU 17. Note that the vehicle 10 may have a receiver that receives a positioning signal from a satellite by another satellite positioning system instead of the GPS receiver to measure the self-position of the vehicle 10.

[0015] The notification device 15 is an example of a notification unit and is provided inside the vehicle cabin of the vehicle 10. The notification device 15 has, for example, at least one of a speaker, a light source, a vibrator, or a display device. When the notification device 15 receives a notification signal representing a predetermined notification to the driver from the ECU 17, it executes the notification to the driver by sound from the speaker, light emission from the light source, vibration of the vibrator, or display of a message on the display device. When the notification device 15 has two or more types of devices, the notification may be made to the driver via each of the two or more types of devices.

[0016] The storage device 16 is an example of a storage unit and has, for example, a hard disk device, a non-volatile semiconductor memory, or an optical recording medium and its access device. The storage device 16 stores map information. The storage device 16 outputs the map information to the ECU 17 in response to a map read request received from the ECU 17. Note that the map information includes information that can be used in the automatic driving control or driving support of the vehicle 10, such as the curvature for each road section, the speed limit, road markings such as lane demarcation lines, and various road signs.

[0017] ECU 17 is an example of a vehicle control device, and while the one-pedal control mode is applied, it executes acceleration and deceleration control of the vehicle 10 according to the operation amount of the accelerator pedal device 12 by the driver. Further, while the speed control mode is applied, ECU 17 executes speed control of the vehicle 10 according to the speed control mode. Note that the speed control by the speed control mode may be executed as one function of the driving support control or as one function of the autonomous driving control.

[0018] ECU 17 has a communication interface 21, a memory 22, and a processor 23. The communication interface 21, the memory 22, and the processor 23 may each be configured as separate circuits, or may be integrally configured as one integrated circuit.

[0019] The communication interface 21 has an interface circuit for connecting ECU 17 to other devices. The communication interface 21 passes signals or information from each of the accelerator pedal device 12, the vehicle exterior sensor 13, the GPS receiver 14, and the storage device 16 to the processor 23. Further, the communication interface 21 outputs the control signal of the power train 11 received from the processor 23 to the power train 11. Further, the communication interface 21 outputs the notification signal received from the processor 23 to the notification device 15.

[0020] The memory 22 is another example of a storage unit, and has a volatile semiconductor memory and a non-volatile semiconductor memory. The memory 22 stores various data used in the vehicle control process executed by the processor 23 or generated during the vehicle control process.

[0021] The processor 23 has one or a plurality of CPUs (Central Processing Unit) and its peripheral circuits. The processor 23 may further have other arithmetic circuits such as a logical arithmetic unit, a numerical arithmetic unit, or a graphic processing unit. And the processor 23 executes vehicle control processing for the vehicle 10.

[0022] Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of the processor 23 related to vehicle control processing. The processor 23 includes a mode setting unit 31, a determination unit 32, a deceleration setting unit 33, a notification processing unit 34, and a control unit 35. Each of these units included in the processor 23 is a functional module realized by, for example, a computer program operating on the processor 23. Alternatively, each of these units may be a dedicated arithmetic circuit provided in the processor 23.

[0023] (First Embodiment) Hereinafter, the processing of each unit of the processor 23 in the first embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, when the speed control mode is released while both the one-pedal control mode and the speed control mode are applied, the absolute value or the change rate of the deceleration according to the operation amount of the accelerator pedal device 12 in the one-pedal control mode during the deceleration limit period after the release is made smaller than the absolute value or the change rate of the deceleration outside the deceleration limit period.

[0024] The mode setting unit 31 sets whether the one-pedal control mode and the speed control mode are applicable. For example, when the ECU 17 receives an operation signal indicating that the driver has operated an operation device (not shown, hereinafter simply referred to as the operation device) provided in the vehicle interior of the vehicle 10 to turn on the one-pedal control mode, the mode setting unit 31 starts the application of the one-pedal control mode. Similarly, when the ECU 17 receives an operation signal indicating that the driver has operated the operation device to turn on the speed control mode, the mode setting unit 31 starts the application of the speed control mode. Conversely, when the ECU 17 receives an operation signal indicating that the driver has operated the operation device to turn off the one-pedal control mode or the speed control mode, the mode setting unit 31 releases the application of the one-pedal control mode or the speed control mode. Hereinafter, for each of the one-pedal control mode and the speed control mode, the release of the application of the control mode may be simply referred to as the release of the control mode.

[0025] Furthermore, when the mode setting unit 31 is notified by the determination unit 32 that the release condition of the speed control mode is satisfied during the application of the speed control mode, the mode setting unit 31 releases the speed control mode.

[0026] Each time the mode setting unit 31 applies or releases either the one-pedal control mode or the speed control mode, it notifies the deceleration setting unit 33, the notification processing unit 34, and the control unit 35 of that fact.

[0027] The determination unit 32 determines whether or not the release condition for releasing the speed control mode is satisfied. The determination unit 32 determines that the release condition is satisfied when the speed control of the vehicle 10 according to the speed control mode becomes impossible to continue. For example, when the state of the external sensor 13 deteriorates, that is, when the external sensor 13 cannot detect the situation around the vehicle 10, the determination unit 32 determines that the release condition is satisfied. The malfunction of the external sensor 13 is not limited to the failure of the external sensor 13 and may be a temporary malfunction such as backlight. Therefore, when the ECU 17 receives a signal indicating that a failure has occurred in the external sensor 13, it determines that the release condition is satisfied. Alternatively, when the external sensor 13 is a camera, the determination unit 32 may determine that the release condition is satisfied when the number of pixels having the maximum luminance value in the image generated by the external sensor 13, which is an example of the external sensor signal, exceeds a predetermined number.

[0028] In addition, when the vehicle 10 is traveling on an exclusive road for automobiles and reaches a range of a predetermined distance (for example, a range of several hundred meters to 1 km) from a predetermined location, the determination unit 32 may determine that the release condition is satisfied. The predetermined location is, for example, a location where it is required to decelerate the vehicle 10 to a predetermined speed threshold (for example, 20 km / h) or less, such as a toll gate or an interchange (IC). Alternatively, the predetermined location may be a location where the boundary of the automatically drivable area where automatic driving control is possible intersects the road on which the vehicle 10 is traveling. The determination unit 32 may determine whether the vehicle 10 has reached a range of a predetermined distance from a predetermined location by referring to the position of the vehicle 10 measured by the GPS receiver 14, the map information, the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 measured by an azimuth sensor (not shown), and the planned traveling route by a navigation device (not shown).

[0029] The determination unit 32 notifies the mode setting unit 31 of the determination result that the release condition is satisfied.

[0030] When the speed control mode is not applied and the one-pedal control mode is applied, the deceleration setting unit 33 sets the target acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle 10 according to the operation amount of the accelerator pedal device 12. Specifically, the deceleration setting unit 33 sets the target acceleration / deceleration such that the braking force and the deceleration increase as the operation amount of the accelerator pedal device 12 decreases, and conversely, the driving force and the acceleration increase as the operation amount increases. Note that the operation amount of the accelerator pedal device 12 (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as the operation amount) includes the accelerator opening. Further, the deceleration setting unit 33 sets the change rate of the acceleration / deceleration until the actual acceleration / deceleration reaches the target acceleration / deceleration.

[0031] In this embodiment, during the deceleration limit period, the deceleration setting unit 33 refers to a first acceleration / deceleration table representing the relationship between the operation amount of the accelerator pedal device 12, the target acceleration / deceleration, and the change rate of the acceleration / deceleration per unit time (hereinafter simply referred to as the change rate of the acceleration / deceleration), and sets the target acceleration / deceleration and the change rate of the acceleration / deceleration corresponding to the operation amount. Note that the deceleration limit period is a predetermined period (for example, 10 to 60 seconds) immediately after the speed control mode is released when both the speed control mode and the one-pedal control mode are applied. Also, the absolute value when the target acceleration / deceleration set based on the first acceleration / deceleration table indicates deceleration is an example of the first absolute value, and the change rate of the acceleration / deceleration is an example of the first change rate.

[0032] On the other hand, outside the deceleration limit period, the deceleration setting unit 33 refers to a second acceleration / deceleration table representing the relationship between the operation amount of the accelerator pedal device 12, the target acceleration / deceleration, and the change rate of the acceleration / deceleration. Then, the deceleration setting unit 33 sets the target acceleration / deceleration and the change rate of the acceleration / deceleration corresponding to the operation amount according to the second acceleration / deceleration table. Note that the absolute value when the target acceleration / deceleration set based on the second acceleration / deceleration table indicates deceleration is an example of the second absolute value, and the change rate of the acceleration / deceleration is an example of the second change rate.

[0033] In this embodiment, for at least one of the absolute value of the target acceleration / deceleration (i.e., the target deceleration) indicating deceleration and the change rate of the deceleration, the value defined in the first acceleration / deceleration table is set to be smaller than the value defined in the second acceleration / deceleration table for the same operation amount of the accelerator pedal device 12. Therefore, when the speed control mode is released, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of an unintended sudden deceleration by the one-pedal control mode by the driver. Hereinafter, the change rate of the deceleration when the vehicle 10 decelerates may be referred to as the deceleration change rate.

[0034] The deceleration setting unit 33 notifies the control unit 35 of the target acceleration / deceleration and the change rate of the acceleration / deceleration.

[0035] When the application of the one-pedal control mode or the speed control mode is started, the notification processing unit 34 outputs a notification signal indicating this to the notification device 15 via the communication interface 21. Similarly, when the one-pedal control mode or the speed control mode is released from the mode setting unit 31, a notification signal indicating this is output to the notification device 15 via the communication interface 21. Thereby, the notification processing unit 34 notifies the driver of the application or release of the one-pedal control mode or the speed control mode via the notification device 15.

[0036] When the notification processing unit 34 notifies the driver of the application of the one-pedal control mode, it causes the speaker of the notification device 15 to output an audio signal notifying the application of the one-pedal control mode. Alternatively, the notification processing unit 34 causes the display device of the notification device 15 to display a message or an icon notifying the application of the one-pedal control mode. Also, when the notification processing unit 34 notifies the driver of the release of the one-pedal control mode, it causes the speaker of the notification device 15 to emit an audio signal notifying the release of the one-pedal control mode. Alternatively, the notification processing unit 34 causes the display of a message or an icon notifying the application of the one-pedal control mode to be erased from the display device of the notification device 15. When the notification device 15 has two or more of the above devices, the notification processing unit 34 may notify the driver of the application or release of the one-pedal control mode via each of the two or more devices. Furthermore, the notification processing unit 34 may notify the driver of the application or release of the speed control mode in the same manner as the notification of the application or release of the one-pedal control mode described above. When the speed control by the speed control mode is executed as a function of the automatic driving control, when notifying the release of the speed control mode, the notification processing unit 34 further notifies the driver of delegating the driving control via the notification device 15.

[0037] Note that when the deceleration limit period ends, the notification processing unit 34 may notify the driver via the notification device 15 that the absolute value and the change rate of the deceleration return to normal values.

[0038] While the speed control mode is not applied and the one-pedal control mode is applied, the control unit 35 generates a control signal for generating a driving force or a braking force according to the target acceleration / deceleration and the change rate of the acceleration / deceleration notified from the acceleration / deceleration setting unit 33. At this time, the control unit 35 may generate the control signal according to feedback control such as PID control. Then, the control unit 35 outputs the generated control signal to the power train 11.

[0039] While the speed control mode is applied, the control unit 35 controls the power train 11 so that the vehicle 10 travels at the set target vehicle speed. In addition, the control unit 35 controls the acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle 10 so that the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the vehicle 10 in the own lane and the vehicle 10 is maintained at a certain interval or more. For this purpose, the control unit 35 inputs an out-of-vehicle sensor signal representing the situation of the front area of the vehicle 10 obtained by the out-of-vehicle sensor 13 into a discriminator pre-learned to detect the preceding vehicle, thereby detecting the preceding vehicle. Such a discriminator can be a discriminator based on a so-called deep neural network (DNN). Further, when the out-of-vehicle sensor 13 is a camera, the control unit 35 may estimate the distance between the vehicle 10 and the preceding vehicle based on the position of the lower end of the object area where the preceding vehicle is represented on the image, which is the out-of-vehicle sensor signal, and parameters such as the shooting direction, focal length, and installation height of the out-of-vehicle sensor 13. When the out-of-vehicle sensor 13 is a distance measuring sensor, the control unit 35 may estimate the distance indicated for the area where the preceding vehicle is represented on the distance measuring signal, which is the out-of-vehicle sensor signal, as the distance between the vehicle 10 and the preceding vehicle. Then, if the estimated distance to the preceding vehicle is less than a certain interval, the control unit 35 sets the acceleration / deceleration so as to decelerate the vehicle 10. On the other hand, if the estimated distance to the preceding vehicle is a certain interval or more, the control unit 35 sets the acceleration / deceleration so that the speed of the vehicle 10 approaches the target speed. The control unit 35 generates a control signal for the power train 11 according to the set acceleration / deceleration, and outputs the generated control signal to the power train 11.

[0040] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an overview of the deceleration control of the vehicle 10 in the one-pedal control mode after the release of the speed control mode according to the first embodiment (in this example, the target acceleration / deceleration indicates deceleration). In FIG. 3, the horizontal axis represents the elapsed time. In the top chart, graph 300 represents the time change in the application of the one-pedal control mode. In the second chart from the top, graph 301 represents the time change in the application of the speed control mode. In the third chart from the top, graph 302 represents the time change in the vehicle speed of the vehicle 10 according to the present embodiment, and graph 312 represents the time change in the vehicle speed of the vehicle 10 in a comparative example in which the target deceleration is set based on the second acceleration / deceleration table regardless of whether it is inside or outside the deceleration limit period. And in the bottom chart, graph 303 represents the time change in the deceleration according to the present embodiment, and graph 313 represents the time change in the deceleration in the comparative example. In this example, as shown in graphs 300 and 301, both the one-pedal control mode and the speed control mode are applied until time t1, but the speed control mode is released after time t1. Therefore, after time t1, the target deceleration is set according to the operation amount of the accelerator pedal device 12, and the vehicle speed starts to decrease. In the comparative example, as shown in graphs 312 and 313, even immediately after the speed control mode is released, the absolute value of the target deceleration is set to a larger value compared to the present embodiment. Also, the deceleration change rate until the actual deceleration reaches the set target deceleration is set to a larger value compared to the present embodiment. Therefore, the vehicle speed of the vehicle 10 rapidly decreases immediately after the release of the speed control mode. On the other hand, as shown in graphs 302 and 303, in the present embodiment, during the deceleration limit period P after time t1, the absolute value of the target deceleration and the deceleration change rate are set to relatively small values. Therefore, the decrease in the vehicle speed of the vehicle 10 during the deceleration limit period P is relatively gentle. Note that after the deceleration limit period P has elapsed, the restrictions on the absolute value of the target deceleration and the deceleration change rate are released. Therefore, the deceleration decreases to the same value as in the comparative example.

[0041] FIG. 4 is an operation flowchart of vehicle control processing according to the first embodiment when the speed control mode is canceled in the case where both the speed control mode and the one-pedal control mode are applied. Note that this flowchart represents vehicle control when the target acceleration / deceleration at the time of canceling the speed control mode is a value indicating deceleration (that is, the target acceleration / deceleration substantially becomes the target deceleration). Also, here, both the absolute value of the target deceleration and the deceleration change rate are set to relatively small values during the deceleration limit period, but as described above, only one of them may be set to a relatively small value during the deceleration limit period.

[0042] The deceleration setting unit 33 determines whether the elapsed time since the speed control mode was canceled is within the deceleration limit period (step S101). If the elapsed time is within the deceleration limit period (step S101 - Yes), the deceleration setting unit 33 sets a target deceleration and a deceleration change rate having a relatively small absolute value according to the operation amount of the accelerator pedal device 12 (step S102). On the other hand, if the elapsed time is outside the deceleration limit period (step S101 - No), the deceleration setting unit 33 sets a target deceleration and a deceleration change rate having a relatively large absolute value according to the operation amount of the accelerator pedal device 12 (step S103). The control unit 35 controls the power train 11 of the vehicle 10 according to the target deceleration and the deceleration change rate (step S104).

[0043] As described above, this vehicle control device makes the absolute value of the target deceleration or the deceleration change rate in the one-pedal control mode within the deceleration limit period after canceling the speed control mode smaller than the value outside the deceleration limit period. Therefore, this vehicle control device can prevent an unintended rapid deceleration of the vehicle due to the one-pedal function when the speed control mode is canceled.

[0044] According to a modification example, the determination unit 32 may notify the deceleration setting unit 33 of the reason for canceling the speed control mode (hereinafter simply referred to as the cancellation reason) when the cancellation condition is satisfied. The deceleration setting unit 33 may set the absolute value of the target deceleration or the deceleration change rate during the deceleration limit period according to the cancellation reason. For example, when the cancellation reason is a malfunction of the external sensor 13, the deceleration setting unit 33 sets the absolute value of the target deceleration or the deceleration change rate during the deceleration limit period to be relatively smaller than when there is another cancellation reason. This is because when the cancellation reason is an unexpected reason such as a malfunction of the external sensor 13, there is a high possibility that the driver does not desire deceleration. On the other hand, when the cancellation reason is that the vehicle 10 reaches a predetermined location such as a toll gate, the driver can predict the cancellation of the speed control mode and the deceleration of the vehicle 10. Therefore, the deceleration setting unit 33 sets the absolute value of the target deceleration or the deceleration change rate during the deceleration limit period to be relatively larger. Even in this case, the absolute value of the target deceleration or the deceleration change rate during the deceleration limit period is smaller than those values outside the deceleration limit period.

[0045] According to another modification example, the deceleration setting unit 33 may set the absolute value of the target deceleration or the deceleration change rate according to the shape of the road on which the vehicle 10 is traveling or the road conditions during the deceleration limit period. For example, during the deceleration limit period, if the road on which the vehicle 10 is traveling is a curve or the road surface is wet, the deceleration setting unit 33 may further decrease the absolute value of the target deceleration or the deceleration change rate set based on the first acceleration / deceleration table. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the behavior of the vehicle 10 from becoming unstable. The deceleration setting unit 33 may determine whether the vehicle 10 is traveling on a curve by referring to the position of the vehicle 10 measured by the GPS receiver 14 and the map information. Further, when the rainfall measured by a rainfall sensor (not shown) provided in the vehicle 10 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, or when the wiper is operating, the deceleration setting unit 33 may determine that the road surface is wet.

[0046] According to another modification example, when there is a following vehicle following the vehicle 10 during the deceleration limit period, the deceleration setting unit 33 may make the absolute value of the target deceleration and the deceleration change rate smaller than the absolute value of the target deceleration and the deceleration change rate when there is no following vehicle. For example, when a following vehicle is detected, the deceleration setting unit 33 corrects to further reduce the absolute value of the target deceleration or the deceleration change rate set based on the first acceleration / deceleration table. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the vehicle 10 and the following vehicle from approaching rapidly due to the rapid deceleration of the vehicle 10. Note that the deceleration setting unit 33 may detect a following vehicle by inputting an out-of-vehicle sensor signal representing the situation of the rear area of the vehicle 10 obtained by the out-of-vehicle sensor 13 into a discriminator that has been pre-learned to detect a following vehicle. Such a discriminator can be, for example, a discriminator based on a DNN.

[0047] (Second Embodiment) Next, the second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, when the application of the speed control mode is started while the one-pedal control mode is applied, the one-pedal control mode is released. Hereinafter, the differences from the first embodiment will be described.

[0048] When the mode setting unit 31 receives a signal indicating that the driver has performed an operation to apply the speed control mode from the operating device while the one-pedal control mode is applied, the mode setting unit 31 starts the application of the speed control mode. Then, the mode setting unit 31 automatically releases the application of the one-pedal control mode. The mode setting unit 31 notifies the control unit 35 that the one-pedal control mode has been released and that the speed control mode is applied.

[0049] Note that the notification processing unit 34 may notify the driver that the one-pedal control mode has been canceled via the notification device 15. Alternatively, when the speed control mode is applied, the notification processing unit 34 may notify the driver of a request to cancel the one-pedal control mode via the notification device 15. When a predetermined period has elapsed since the request was notified, or when the ECU 17 receives a signal indicating that the driver has performed an operation to approve the cancellation request of the one-pedal control mode from the operating device, the mode setting unit 31 may cancel the one-pedal control mode. On the other hand, when the ECU 17 receives a signal indicating that the driver has performed an operation to reject the cancellation request of the one-pedal control mode from the operating device within a predetermined period since the request was notified, the mode setting unit 31 may maintain the application of the one-pedal control mode.

[0050] FIG. 5 is an operation flowchart of vehicle control processing according to the second embodiment. When the one-pedal control mode is applied, the processor 23 may execute vehicle control processing according to the following operation flowchart.

[0051] The mode setting unit 31 determines whether the application of the speed control mode has started (step S201). If the application of the speed control mode has not started (step S201-No), the processor 23 repeats the processing after step S201. On the other hand, when the application of the speed control mode starts (step S201-Yes), the mode setting unit 31 automatically cancels the one-pedal control mode (step S202). Thereafter, the control unit 35 controls the power train 11 according to the speed control mode (step S203).

[0052] As described above, the vehicle control device according to the second embodiment cancels the one-pedal control mode when the speed control mode is applied, so that it is possible to prevent an unexpected rapid deceleration of the vehicle due to the one-pedal control function when the speed control mode is canceled.

[0053] (Third Embodiment) Next, a third embodiment will be described. In the third embodiment, when both the one-pedal control mode and the speed control mode are applied, when the release condition of the speed control mode is satisfied, the driver is notified that the one-pedal control mode is being applied. Below, the differences from the first embodiment will be described.

[0054] When the determination unit 32 determines that the release condition is satisfied, it notifies not only the mode setting unit 31 but also the notification processing unit 34 of this fact. When the release condition is satisfied, the notification processing unit 34 notifies the driver via the notification device 15 that not only is the speed control mode released but also the one-pedal control mode is being applied when the one-pedal control mode is applied.

[0055] Note that the notification processing unit 34 may notify that the one-pedal control mode is being applied before the speed control mode is actually released. Also, the notification processing unit 34 may notify that the one-pedal control mode is being applied multiple times. For example, when speed control by the speed control mode is executed as a function of the automatic driving control, the notification processing unit 34 may notify that the one-pedal control mode is being applied in addition to the prior notification and the main notification of delegating the driving control to the driver. Further, the notification processing unit 34 may set the intensity of each notification to be the same, or may increase the intensity of the notification as the release timing of the speed control mode approaches. For example, the notification processing unit 34 increases the volume of the voice indicating that the one-pedal control mode is being applied output from the speaker of the notification device 15 as the release timing of the speed control mode approaches. Also, the notification processing unit 34 may increase the blinking speed of the message or icon indicating that the one-pedal control mode is being applied displayed on the display device of the notification device 15 as the release timing approaches.

[0056] Note that, after the speed control mode is released, the deceleration setting unit 33 may relatively reduce the absolute value of the target deceleration or the deceleration change rate during the deceleration limit period, as in the first embodiment. Alternatively, the deceleration setting unit 33 may set the target deceleration and the deceleration change rate in the same manner as outside the deceleration limit period even during the deceleration limit period.

[0057] FIG. 6 is an operation flowchart of vehicle control processing according to the third embodiment. The processor 23 may execute vehicle control processing according to the following operation flowchart when the one-pedal control mode and the speed control mode are applied.

[0058] The determination unit 32 determines whether the release condition of the speed control mode is satisfied (step S301). If the release condition is not satisfied (step S301 - No), the processor 23 continues the vehicle control according to the speed control mode and repeats the processing after step S301. On the other hand, when the release condition is satisfied (step S301 - Yes), the notification processing unit 34 notifies the driver that the one-pedal control mode is being applied via the notification device 15 (step S302). Thereafter, the mode setting unit 31 releases the speed control mode (step S303). Thereafter, the control unit 35 controls the power train 11 according to the one-pedal control mode (step S304).

[0059] As described above, in the third embodiment, the driver is notified that the one-pedal control mode is being applied before the speed control mode is released. Therefore, this vehicle control device can prevent an unintended rapid deceleration of the vehicle due to the one-pedal control function.

[0060] A computer program for realizing the functions of the processor 23 of the ECU 17 according to each of the above embodiments or modification examples may be provided in a form recorded on a computer-readable portable recording medium such as a semiconductor memory, a magnetic recording medium, or an optical recording medium.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0061] 10 Vehicle, 11 Power train, 12 Accelerator pedal device, 13 Vehicle exterior sensor, 14 GPS receiver, 15 Notification device, 16 Storage device, 17 Electronic control unit (ECU, Vehicle control unit), 21 Communication interface, 22 Memory, 23 Processor, 31 Mode setting unit, 32 Determination unit, 33 Deceleration setting unit, 34 Notification processing unit, 35 Control unit

Claims

1. A vehicle control device applicable to a one-pedal control mode capable of performing deceleration by braking from acceleration of a vehicle according to an operation amount of an accelerator pedal and a speed control mode for automatically controlling the speed of the vehicle, During application of the one-pedal control mode and the speed control mode, when the speed control mode is canceled, a first change rate of the deceleration of the vehicle or a first absolute value of the deceleration generated according to the operation amount of the accelerator pedal in the one-pedal control mode during a predetermined deceleration limit period from the cancellation is set to be smaller than a second change rate of the deceleration of the vehicle or a second absolute value of the deceleration generated according to the same operation amount of the accelerator pedal in the one-pedal control mode outside the deceleration limit period. A deceleration setting unit, A vehicle control device having the same.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the deceleration setting unit sets the first change rate or the first absolute value according to a reason for cancellation when the speed control mode is canceled.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the deceleration setting unit sets the first change rate or the first absolute value according to a shape of a road on which the vehicle is traveling or a road condition during the deceleration limit period.

4. A vehicle control device applicable to a one-pedal control mode capable of performing deceleration by braking from acceleration of a vehicle according to an operation amount of an accelerator pedal and a speed control mode for automatically controlling the speed of the vehicle, During application of the one-pedal control mode, when the speed control mode is further applied, a mode setting unit for canceling the one-pedal control mode, A vehicle control device having the same.

5. A vehicle control device applicable to a one-pedal control mode capable of performing deceleration by braking from acceleration of a vehicle according to an operation amount of an accelerator pedal and a speed control mode for automatically controlling the speed of the vehicle, A determination unit that determines whether or not a cancellation condition for canceling the speed control mode is satisfied during application of the one-pedal control mode and the speed control mode, When it is determined that the cancellation condition is satisfied, a notification processing unit that notifies the driver via a notification unit provided in the vehicle interior that the one-pedal control mode was being applied before the cancellation of the speed control mode, A vehicle control device having the same.

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