Vehicle control device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control device capable of activating a vehicle speed maintaining function without causing discomfort or a sense of incongruity to an occupant of the vehicle.SOLUTION: A processor 162 of an ECU 160 comprises: an uphill road determination unit 162b that determines whether or not there is a continuous uphill road with a predetermined distance or more ahead of a vehicle; a determination unit 162c that determines whether or not the arrival time or arrival distance for the vehicle to enter the uphill road from the current position is equal to or less than a predetermined value; and a notification unit 162f that notifies a driver of a proposal to activate the speed maintaining function when the arrival time or the arrival distance is equal to or less than the predetermined value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a traffic jam suppression driving control method and a vehicle driving control device have been proposed that can suppress and avoid a decrease in speed when driving uphill or in a sag section during constant-speed driving on a highway regardless of the driver's driving skill level (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the technology described in the above patent document, since speed correction is performed after detecting a speed decrease state, it may give discomfort to the driver or passengers of the vehicle due to acceleration and deceleration.

[0005] Also, in the technology described in the above patent document, since speed correction is performed when a speed decrease state is detected, speed correction is performed even when an uphill road, a flat road, and a downhill road continue in a short period, and there is a problem that the driver and passengers feel uncomfortable due to continuous acceleration and deceleration.

[0006] Furthermore, in the technology described in the above patent document, since speed correction is performed without notifying the driver, it may give unintended anxiety to the driver or passengers.

[0007] In view of the above problems, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle control device capable of activating a vehicle speed maintenance function without giving discomfort or a sense of incongruity to vehicle passengers.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0008] The gist of the present disclosure is as follows.

[0009] (1) An uphill road determination unit that determines whether there is a continuous uphill road at a certain distance or more in front of the vehicle, A determination unit that determines whether the arrival time or arrival distance from the current position of the vehicle to entering the uphill road is equal to or less than a predetermined value, A notification unit that, when the arrival time or the arrival distance becomes equal to or less than the predetermined value, notifies the driver of a proposal to activate the vehicle speed maintenance function, A vehicle control device comprising the above.

[0010] (2) Comprising a receiving unit that receives the driver's response to the activation proposal, When the receiving unit receives the response indicating rejection of the activation proposal, when the vehicle enters the uphill road without the receiving unit receiving the response, or when a certain period of time has elapsed without the receiving unit receiving the response, the notification unit ends the notification of the activation proposal. The vehicle control device according to (1) above.

[0011] (3) Comprising a receiving unit that receives the driver's response to the activation proposal, When the receiving unit receives the response indicating acceptance of the activation proposal, the vehicle control device according to (1) above further comprises a control unit that activates the speed maintenance function.

Advantages of the Invention

[0012] According to the present disclosure, there is provided a vehicle control device capable of activating the vehicle speed maintenance function without giving discomfort or a sense of incongruity to the vehicle occupants.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] Hereinafter, several embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, these descriptions are merely illustrative of preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention to such specific embodiments. In the following description, the same reference numerals are assigned to similar components.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle control system 100 mounted on a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The vehicle control system 100 includes an in-vehicle camera 105, a positioning information receiver 110, vehicle control equipment 120, a wireless terminal 130, one or more sensors 140, a navigation device 150, an electronic control unit (ECU: Electronic Control Unit, hereinafter referred to as ECU) 160, a touch panel 170, and a speaker 180. These components are communicably connected via an in-vehicle network.

[0016] The in-vehicle camera 105 includes a two-dimensional detector composed of an array of photoelectric conversion elements sensitive to visible light, such as a CCD or a C-MOS, and an imaging optical system that forms an image of the area to be photographed on the two-dimensional detector. The in-vehicle camera 105 is provided near the dashboard inside the vehicle or near the windshield, etc., and images the surroundings of the vehicle at a predetermined imaging period (for example, 1 / 30 second to 1 / 10 second) to generate an image representing the surroundings of the vehicle. The in-vehicle camera 105 may be composed of a stereo camera, or may be configured to obtain the distance from the parallax of the left and right images to each structure on the image. Each time the in-vehicle camera 105 generates an image, it outputs the generated image to the ECU 160 via the in-vehicle network.

[0017] The positioning information receiver 110 acquires positioning information representing the current position and attitude of the vehicle. For example, the positioning information receiver 110 can be a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver. Each time the positioning information receiver 110 receives positioning information, it outputs the acquired positioning information to the ECU 160 via the in-vehicle network.

[0018] The vehicle control device 120 is various devices related to vehicle control, and includes an engine 120a and a motor 120b as drive sources for driving the vehicle, and a battery 120c for storing electric power. In addition, the vehicle control device 120 includes a steering device, a braking device, a transmission, etc. Note that FIG. 1 illustrates the case where the vehicle is a PHV. When the vehicle is an EV, the engine 120a is not included in the vehicle control device 120. Also, when the vehicle is an engine vehicle, the motor 120b may not be included in the vehicle control device 120.

[0019] The wireless terminal 130 communicates with the outside using a wireless communication network such as 4G or 5G, for example. One or more sensors 140 include sensors for monitoring the surroundings of the vehicle, such as sensors such as Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) and Radar.

[0020] The navigation device 150 obtains a planned driving route from the current location of the vehicle to the destination according to a predetermined route search method such as Dijkstra's algorithm. For this purpose, the navigation device 150 is equipped with a memory for storing map information. Note that the map information may be stored in the memory 164 of the ECU 160. The map information includes information on uphill roads, such as the location of uphill roads, the slope (gradient) of uphill roads, and the distance over which uphill roads are continuous. The map information may be updated based on update information received by the wireless terminal 130 from an external server.

[0021] The ECU 160 has a processor 162, a memory 164, and a communication interface 166. The processor 162 has one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) and their peripheral circuits. The processor 162 may further have other arithmetic circuits such as a logical arithmetic unit, a numerical arithmetic unit, or a graphic processing unit. The processor 162 provides a function that meets a predetermined purpose by executing a computer program that is executable and expanded in the working area of the memory 164. The memory 164 has, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory and a non-volatile semiconductor memory. Various information is stored in the memory 164. The communication interface 166 has an interface circuit for connecting the ECU 160 to the in-vehicle network.

[0022] The touch panel 170 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a touch sensor, and is provided near the meter panel or the dashboard, etc., and outputs a notification to the driver of the vehicle by displaying it on the liquid crystal display. Also, the touch panel 170 detects the driver's operation by the touch sensor. Examples of the driver's operation include an operation to turn on the ACC and an operation in response to a startup proposal for the ACC. The speaker 180 outputs a notification to the driver of the vehicle by voice.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing functional blocks of the processor 162 of the ECU 160 provided in the vehicle. The processor 162 is an aspect of the vehicle control device and includes a slope road information acquisition unit 162a, a slope road determination unit 162b, a determination unit 162c, a notification unit 162f, an ACC (Adaptive cruise control) control unit 162g, and a reception unit 162h. The determination unit 162c further includes an arrival time determination unit 162d and an arrival distance determination unit 162e. Each of these units included in the processor 162 is a functional module realized by, for example, a computer program operating on the processor 162. That is, each of these units included in the processor 162 is composed of the processor 162 and a program (software) for operating it. Further, the program may be recorded in the memory 164 of the ECU 160 or a recording medium connected externally. Alternatively, each of these units included in the processor 162 may be a dedicated arithmetic circuit provided in the processor 162.

[0024] The slope road information acquisition unit 162a acquires information on slope roads from map information. Specifically, the slope road information acquisition unit 162a acquires information such as the position of a slope road existing on the planned travel route, the slope of the slope road, and the continuous distance of the slope road based on the current position of the vehicle acquired by the positioning information receiver 110 and the planned travel route determined by the navigation device 150.

[0025] The slope road determination unit 162b determines whether there is a continuous slope road with a certain distance or more ahead of the vehicle based on the slope road information acquired by the slope road information acquisition unit 162a and the current position of the vehicle. The slope road determination unit 162b may determine whether there is a slope road with a slope of a predetermined value or more continuously ahead of the vehicle for a certain distance or more.

[0026] When the slope road determination unit 162b determines that there is a continuous slope road ahead of the vehicle by a certain distance or more, the determination unit 162c determines whether the arrival time or arrival distance from the current position of the vehicle to entering the slope road is equal to or less than a predetermined value. When the slope road determination unit 162b determines that there is a slope road with a slope of a predetermined value or more continuously ahead of the vehicle by a certain distance or more, the determination unit 162c may also determine whether the arrival time or arrival distance from the current position of the vehicle to entering the slope road is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

[0027] More specifically, the arrival time determination unit 162d of the determination unit 162c acquires the arrival time from the current position of the vehicle to entering the slope road based on the information of the slope road, the current position of the vehicle, and the vehicle speed, and determines whether the arrival time is equal to or less than a first predetermined value. Further, the arrival distance determination unit 162e of the determination unit 162c acquires the arrival distance from the current position of the vehicle to entering the slope road based on the information of the slope road and the current position of the vehicle, and determines whether the arrival distance is equal to or less than a second predetermined value.

[0028] When the arrival time or arrival distance from the current position of the vehicle to entering the slope road is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the notification unit 162f notifies the driver of a proposal to activate the vehicle speed maintenance function, that is, ACC. Specifically, the notification unit 162f causes a notification proposing activation of ACC to be output from the touch panel 170 or the speaker 180.

[0029] When the notification unit 162f receives a response rejecting the proposal to activate ACC, when the vehicle enters the slope road without receiving a response to the proposal to activate ACC, or when a certain period of time has elapsed without receiving a response to the proposal to activate ACC, the notification of the activation proposal is terminated. Thereby, it is suppressed that the driver is given discomfort due to the continuous notification of the activation proposal.

[0030] When the ACC control unit 162g receives a response indicating acceptance of the ACC activation proposal, it activates the ACC and controls vehicle control devices 120 such as the engine 120a, the motor 120b, and the braking device by the ACC. Specifically, the ACC control unit 162g controls the vehicle control devices 120 so that the vehicle automatically travels at the vehicle speed set by the driver. Further, the ACC control unit 162g controls the vehicle control devices 120 so that the vehicle travels while maintaining a vehicle-to-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle based on the image generated by the in-vehicle camera 105, the information detected by the sensors for monitoring the periphery of the vehicle, and the like. Thereby, when the vehicle enters an uphill road, it is suppressed that the driver and the passengers are given discomfort due to unnecessary acceleration and deceleration. Note that the speed maintenance function according to the present embodiment may include both a function of automatically traveling the vehicle at the vehicle speed set by the driver and a function of traveling the vehicle while maintaining a vehicle-to-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle, but the speed maintenance function may be only one of these functions, for example, may be only a function of automatically traveling the vehicle at the vehicle speed set by the driver.

[0031] The reception unit 162h receives the response of the driver to the ACC activation proposal detected by the touch panel 170.

[0032] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the processor 162 of the ECU 160 at each predetermined control cycle. First, it is determined whether the ACC is off (step S10). When the ACC is off, the uphill road information acquisition unit 162a determines whether it can acquire the information of the uphill road (step 12).

[0033] If the information on the uphill road can be obtained in step 12, the uphill road determination unit 162b determines whether there is an uphill road with a slope of a predetermined value or more continuously for a certain distance or more in front of the vehicle (step 14). If there is an uphill road with a slope of a predetermined value or more continuously for a certain distance or more in front of the vehicle, the arrival time determination unit 162d determines whether the arrival time until the vehicle enters the uphill road is equal to or less than a predetermined value (step S16). Note that in step S16, the arrival distance determination unit 162e may determine whether the arrival distance until the vehicle enters the uphill road is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

[0034] If the arrival time becomes equal to or less than the predetermined value in step S16, the notification unit 162f starts notifying the driver of a proposal to activate the ACC (step S18). As a result, a notification such as "There is an uphill road ahead. Do you want to activate the ACC?" is displayed on the screen of the touch panel 170.

[0035] In addition, buttons "YES" and "NO" are displayed on the screen of the touch panel 170 together with the notification of the proposal to activate the ACC. Thereby, the driver is asked to determine whether to activate the ACC, and by receiving the driver's response, the driver's intention is appropriately reflected.

[0036] In this way, when there is an uphill road with a slope of a predetermined value or more continuously for a certain distance or more in front of the vehicle, by notifying the proposal to activate the ACC, when there is a short uphill road in front of the vehicle, the notification of the proposal to activate is not performed, and the chance of bothering the driver is reduced. Also, when a short uphill road and a downhill road are continuous, the notification of the proposal to activate is not performed, and since the ACC is not activated, the vehicle does not enter the downhill road while maintaining the current vehicle speed by the ACC, and the chance of giving the driver a sense of discomfort is reduced.

[0037] Next, it is determined whether the driver who visually recognized the notification of the ACC activation proposal on the screen of the touch panel 170 pressed the "YES" button on the screen of the touch panel 170 (step S20). If it is determined that the driver has pressed the "YES" button, the ACC is activated (step S21), and the notification unit 162f ends the notification of the ACC activation proposal (step S22).

[0038] In this way, since the ACC is turned on when the driver approves the ACC activation proposal, speed correction is not performed without notice to the driver, and the driver's sense of discomfort is suppressed. Also, when the driver approves the ACC activation proposal, the ACC is activated before the speed decreases on the uphill road, and the vehicle enters the uphill road while maintaining a constant vehicle speed. As a result, it is possible to suppress giving discomfort to the driver due to unnecessary acceleration and deceleration, and it is possible to suppress the following vehicle from decelerating due to the deceleration of the host vehicle when entering the uphill road or passing through a sag section.

[0039] If it is determined in step S20 that the driver has not pressed the "YES" button on the screen of the touch panel 170, it is determined whether the driver has pressed the "NO" button on the screen of the touch panel 170 (step S24).

[0040] If it is determined in step S24 that the driver has pressed the "NO" button on the screen of the touch panel 170, the notification unit 162f ends the notification of the ACC activation proposal (step S22).

[0041] If it is determined in step S24 that the driver has not pressed the "NO" button on the screen of the touch panel 170, it is determined whether the vehicle has entered the uphill road based on the uphill road information and the current position of the vehicle (step S26). If it is determined in step S26 that the vehicle has entered the uphill road, the notification unit 162f ends the notification of the ACC activation proposal (step S22).

[0042] If it is determined in step S26 that the vehicle has not entered the uphill road, it is determined whether or not a certain period of time has elapsed since the notification of the ACC start proposal was initiated (step S28). If the certain period of time has elapsed, the notification unit 162f terminates the notification of the ACC start proposal (step S22). On the other hand, if the certain period of time has not elapsed, the process returns to the process of step S20.

[0043] After step S22, based on the uphill road information and the current position of the vehicle, it is determined whether or not the uphill road has ended, that is, whether or not the vehicle has passed through the uphill road (step S29). When the uphill road ends, the process in this control cycle ends. By repeating the above process for each predetermined control cycle, the notification of the ACC start proposal is sequentially performed for the uphill roads approaching the vehicle one by one.

[0044] Note that if the ACC is on (ON) in step S10, if the uphill road information cannot be acquired in step 12, if there is no continuous uphill road with a slope of a predetermined value or more in front of the vehicle for a certain distance or more in step S14, or if the arrival time until the vehicle enters the uphill road exceeds a predetermined value in step S16, the process in this control cycle ends.

[0045] As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the ACC start proposal is notified to the driver only when the uphill roads are continuous for a certain distance, the start proposal is not notified when there is a short uphill road in front of the vehicle, and the chance of giving the driver a sense of discomfort is reduced. In addition, since the ACC is turned on when the driver approves the ACC start proposal, the speed correction is not performed without notice to the driver, the sense of discomfort given to the driver is suppressed, and the discomfort given to the driver and the passengers due to unnecessary acceleration and deceleration is suppressed.

[0046] In addition, since the ACC activation proposal is notified to the driver only when the uphill road continues for a certain distance, when a short uphill and downhill road are continuous, the vehicle does not enter the downhill road while maintaining the current vehicle speed with the ACC activated, reducing the chance of discomfort to the driver and passengers. Furthermore, since the ACC activation proposal is notified to the driver only when the uphill road continues for a certain distance, when a short uphill and downhill road are continuous, the activation proposal is not repeatedly notified to the driver for a short period of time, reducing the chance of annoyance to the driver.

[0047] (Modification example) FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the process when, in the process of FIG. 3, instead of proposing ACC activation to the driver when the vehicle does not have the ACC function, vehicle acceleration is proposed.

[0048] In FIG. 4, the processes of steps S12, S14, and S16 are the same as those in FIG. 3. When the arrival time becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value in step S16, the notification unit 162f notifies the driver of a proposal to accelerate the vehicle (step S30). As a result, a notification such as "There is an uphill road ahead. It is recommended to accelerate the vehicle." is displayed on the screen of the touch panel 170. Also, a "Confirmed" button is displayed on the screen of the touch panel 170.

[0049] Next, it is determined whether the driver who visually recognized the acceleration proposal notification on the screen of the touch panel 170 responded to the proposal, that is, whether the driver pressed the "Confirmed" button on the screen of the touch panel 170 (step S32). When it is determined that the driver pressed the "Confirmed" button, the notification unit 162f ends the acceleration proposal notification (step S34).

[0050] If it is determined in step S32 that the driver has not pressed the "Confirmed" button on the screen of the touch panel 170, it is determined whether the vehicle has entered the uphill road based on the information of the uphill road and the current position of the vehicle (step S36). If it is determined in step S36 that the vehicle has entered the uphill road, the notification unit 162f ends the notification of the acceleration proposal (step S34).

[0051] If it is determined in step S36 that the vehicle has not entered the uphill road, it is determined whether a certain period of time has elapsed since the start of the notification of the acceleration proposal (step S38). If the certain period of time has elapsed, the notification unit 162f ends the notification of the acceleration proposal (step S34). On the other hand, if the certain period of time has not elapsed, the process returns to the process of step S32.

[0052] In step S30, together with the notification of the acceleration proposal, buttons "YES" and "NO" are displayed on the screen of the touch panel 170 in the same manner as in step S18 of FIG. 3, and in the subsequent processes, in the same manner as in steps S20 and S24 of FIG. 3, processing corresponding to the driver's approval or rejection of the acceleration proposal may be performed.

[0053] After step S34, based on the information of the uphill road and the current position of the vehicle, it is determined whether the uphill road has ended, that is, whether the vehicle has passed through the uphill road (step S40). When the uphill road ends, the processing in this control cycle ends. By repeating the above processing for each predetermined control cycle, the notification of the acceleration proposal is performed each time for the uphill road approaching the vehicle in sequence.

Explanation of Signs

[0054] 100 Vehicle control system 105 On-vehicle camera 110 Positioning information receiver 120 Vehicle control device 150 Navigation device 160 Electronic control unit 162 Processor 162a Uphill road information acquisition unit 162b Uphill road determination unit 162c determination unit 162d arrival time determination unit 162e arrival distance determination unit 162f notification unit 162g ACC control unit 162h receiving unit 164 memory 166 communication interface 170 touch panel 180 speaker

Claims

1. An uphill road determination unit that determines whether there is a continuous uphill road in front of the vehicle at a certain distance or more; A determination unit that determines whether the arrival time or the arrival distance from the current position of the vehicle to enter the uphill road is equal to or less than a predetermined value; A notification unit that, when the arrival time or the arrival distance becomes equal to or less than the predetermined value, notifies the driver of a proposal to activate the vehicle speed maintenance function; A vehicle control device comprising the above.

2. Comprising a reception unit that receives the driver's response to the activation proposal, When the notification unit receives the response indicating that the reception unit rejects the activation proposal, when the vehicle enters the uphill road without the reception unit receiving the response, or when a certain period of time has elapsed without the reception unit receiving the response, the notification unit terminates the notification of the activation proposal. The vehicle control device according to Claim 1.

3. Comprising a reception unit that receives the driver's response to the activation proposal, When the reception unit receives the response indicating that the reception unit approves the activation proposal, the vehicle control device according to Claim 1, further comprising a control unit that activates the speed maintenance function.

Images