Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and vehicle control program

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a vehicle control program which can secure comfort which is more suitable for an occupant.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device generates an electric signal for controlling forward and backward movements of a vehicle, on the basis of an environment around the vehicle. The vehicle control device comprises an estimating part 21, a determining part 22, and a correcting part 23. The estimating part 21 calculates an estimated value of a human motion index indicating motion of a human body that affects ride comfort or discomfort of an occupant in the vehicle, on the basis of a state variable of the vehicle or of the occupant in the vehicle. The determining part 22 determines whether the human body motion index has reached a degree at which the index should be suppressed, on the basis of the estimated value of the human body motion index that is calculated by the estimating part 21. When the determining part 22 determines that the human body motion index has reached the degree at which the index should be suppressed, the correcting part 23 corrects the electric signal for controlling the forward and backward movements of the vehicle so that the human body motion is suppressed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a vehicle control program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, technologies for maintaining passenger comfort in vehicle motion control have been known. For example, a control device described in Patent Document 1 uses a human body behavior model to simulate posture control of a seated passenger when lateral acceleration is applied to the vehicle. The control device performs feedforward control of the input of lateral acceleration in order to suppress swaying of the passenger's head, taking into account the dynamic characteristics between the vehicle and passenger obtained through the simulation. The human body behavior model is a model of human body behavior as an equivalent double inverted pendulum. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-062821 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] A human body behavior model has modeling errors. Modeling errors are errors that exist between a model and an actual object. Therefore, when a human body behavior model is directly used for vehicle control, as in Patent Document 1, the modeling errors may affect the control to suppress the swaying of the occupant's head. It is therefore necessary to ensure more appropriate comfort for the occupant. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A vehicle control device that can solve the above problem is configured to generate an electrical signal for controlling the longitudinal movement of the vehicle based on the vehicle's surrounding environment. The vehicle control device has an estimation processing unit, a determination processing unit, and a correction processing unit. The estimation processing unit is configured to calculate an estimated value of a human body movement index that indicates human body movement that affects the ride comfort or discomfort of the vehicle occupant based on state variables of the vehicle or the vehicle occupant. The determination processing unit is configured to determine whether the human body movement index has reached a level that should be suppressed based on the estimated value of the human body movement index calculated by the estimation processing unit. The correction processing unit is configured to correct the electrical signal so that the human body movement index is suppressed when the determination processing unit determines that the human body movement index has reached a level that should be suppressed.

[0006] According to this configuration, when the determination processing unit determines that a human body motion index that affects the ride comfort or discomfort of the vehicle occupant has reached a level that requires suppression, the correction processing unit corrects the electrical signal for controlling the fore-and-aft movement of the vehicle so as to suppress the human body motion index. Therefore, by controlling the fore-and-aft movement of the vehicle based on the corrected electrical signal, the human body motion index that affects the ride comfort or discomfort of the vehicle occupant is suppressed. Therefore, the discomfort of the occupant is reduced, thereby ensuring more appropriate comfort for the occupant. The ride comfort of the vehicle is also ensured.

[0007] In the above vehicle control device, the estimation processing unit may be configured to calculate an estimated value of the human body movement index using a human body behavior model that models the behavior of an occupant seated in a seat of the vehicle.

[0008] According to this configuration, by using the human body behavior model, estimated values ​​of human body movement indices can be easily obtained. In the vehicle control device, the human body behavior model may include a plurality of the human body behavior models provided according to seat positions in the vehicle. The estimated value of the human body movement index may include a plurality of estimated values ​​of the human body movement index calculated using the plurality of the human body behavior models. In this case, the determination processing unit may be configured to determine whether the human body movement index has reached a level at which it should be suppressed, based on the largest estimated value of the human body movement index among the plurality of estimated values ​​of the human body movement index.

[0009] According to this configuration, it is possible to appropriately suppress the jerk of the occupant's head regardless of the seat in which the occupant is seated. In the above vehicle control device, the human body movement index may be a jerk caused by a forward and backward movement of the head of an occupant of the vehicle.

[0010] This configuration reduces the jerk caused by the forward and backward movement of the head of the vehicle occupant, thereby reducing discomfort to the occupant, thereby ensuring more appropriate comfort for the occupant.

[0011] In the vehicle control device, the correction processing unit may be configured to correct the electric signal by performing a filtering process on the electric signal, the filtering process being a process of removing from the electric signal a frequency component that is thought to be likely to cause the head of an occupant of the vehicle to shake.

[0012] According to this configuration, by controlling the forward and backward movement of the vehicle based on an electrical signal from which frequency components that tend to shake the occupant's head have been removed, it is possible to appropriately suppress the jerk caused by the forward and backward movement of the occupant's head.

[0013] In the above-mentioned vehicle control device, the correction processing unit may be configured not to perform the filtering process if the judgment processing unit does not determine that the human body movement index has reached a level that should be suppressed, and to perform the filtering process if the judgment processing unit determines that the human body movement index has reached a level that should be suppressed.

[0014] According to this configuration, when the human body motion index has not yet reached the level at which it should be suppressed, the forward / backward motion of the vehicle can be controlled based on the original uncorrected electrical signal. When the human body motion index has reached the level at which it should be suppressed, the human body motion index that affects the ride comfort or discomfort of the vehicle occupants can be suppressed, with emphasis on ride comfort.

[0015] In the above vehicle control device, the correction processing unit may be configured to switch the filter coefficients of the filter processing between a first coefficient sequence when the filter processing is not performed and a second coefficient sequence when the filter processing is performed, depending on the determination result of the determination processing unit.

[0016] According to this configuration, when the human body motion index has not reached a level at which it should be suppressed, the filter coefficients are switched to a first coefficient sequence for when no filtering is performed. As a result, the longitudinal movement of the vehicle can be controlled based on the original electrical signal before correction. When the human body motion index has reached a level at which it should be suppressed, the filter coefficients are switched to a second coefficient sequence for when filtering is performed. As a result, the longitudinal movement of the vehicle can be controlled based on the corrected longitudinal movement command value. As a result, with emphasis on ride comfort, it is possible to suppress human body motion indexes that affect the ride comfort or discomfort of vehicle occupants.

[0017] In the above-mentioned vehicle control device, the correction processing unit may be configured to smoothly interpolate the electrical signal before and after correction when switching between a state in which the electrical signal is corrected and a state in which the electrical signal is not corrected.

[0018] According to this configuration, by interpolating the electrical signal before and after correction, discontinuous changes in the final electrical signal used to control the longitudinal movement of the vehicle are smoothed, thereby suppressing sudden changes in the final electrical signal used to control the longitudinal movement of the vehicle when switching between a state in which the electrical signal is corrected and a state in which the electrical signal is not corrected.

[0019] In the vehicle control device, the correction processing unit may be configured to immediately switch the electric signal from the uncorrected electric signal to the corrected electric signal when transitioning from a state in which the electric signal is not corrected to a state in which the electric signal is corrected. Also, the correction processing unit may be configured to gradually switch the electric signal from the corrected electric signal to the uncorrected electric signal when transitioning from a state in which the electric signal is corrected to a state in which the electric signal is not corrected.

[0020] According to this configuration, when transitioning from a state in which the electrical signal is not corrected to a state in which the electrical signal is corrected, the final electrical signal used to control the longitudinal movement of the vehicle is instantly switched from the pre-correction electrical signal to the corrected electrical signal. This makes it possible to instantly suppress human body motion indicators that affect the ride comfort or discomfort of vehicle occupants. Furthermore, when transitioning from a state in which the electrical signal is corrected to a state in which the electrical signal is not corrected, the final electrical signal used to control the longitudinal movement of the vehicle is gradually switched from the corrected electrical signal to the pre-correction electrical signal. This makes it possible to suppress the discomfort felt when the final electrical signal used to control the longitudinal movement of the vehicle is switched from the corrected electrical signal to the pre-correction electrical signal.

[0021] In the above-mentioned vehicle control device, the judgment processing unit may be configured to judge that the human body movement index has not reached the level at which it should be suppressed, regardless of the estimated value of the human body movement index, when an invalidation command is received from a higher-level control device installed in the vehicle.

[0022] According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent the processing of the correction processing unit from interfering with the processing of the upper control device. The processing of the correction processing unit is processing for correcting the electrical signal for controlling the forward and backward movement of the vehicle so as to suppress the human body motion index.

[0023] The vehicle control device may further include a command value calculation unit configured to calculate a longitudinal movement command value based on a surrounding environment of the vehicle, and a longitudinal movement control unit configured to control the longitudinal movement of the vehicle based on the longitudinal movement command value. The longitudinal movement command value is the electrical signal and also a state variable of the vehicle.

[0024] The body movements of vehicle occupants are affected by the longitudinal motion of the vehicle. Therefore, it is preferable to calculate an estimated value of the human body movement index based on the longitudinal motion command value. Furthermore, by correcting the longitudinal motion command value so as to suppress the human body movement index, it is possible to suppress the human body movements that affect the riding comfort or discomfort of the occupants due to the longitudinal motion of the vehicle.

[0025] The vehicle control device may further include a longitudinal movement control unit configured to generate a drive signal for an actuator for controlling longitudinal movement of the vehicle based on a surrounding environment of the vehicle, the drive signal being the electric signal and also being a state variable of the vehicle.

[0026] The body movements of vehicle occupants are affected by the longitudinal motion of the vehicle. Therefore, it is preferable to calculate an estimated value of the human body motion index based on the drive signal for the actuator. Furthermore, by correcting the drive signal so as to suppress the human body motion index, it is possible to suppress the human body movements that affect the ride comfort or discomfort of the occupants due to the longitudinal motion of the vehicle.

[0027] A vehicle control method that can solve the above problem includes the following four steps. The first step is to generate an electrical signal for controlling the forward / rearward movement of the vehicle based on the vehicle's surrounding environment. The second step is to calculate an estimated value of a human body movement index that indicates human body movement that affects the ride comfort or discomfort of the vehicle's occupants based on state variables of the vehicle or the vehicle's occupants. The third step is to determine, based on the estimated value of the human body movement index, whether the human body movement index has reached a level that should be suppressed. The fourth step is to correct the electrical signal so that the human body movement index is suppressed when it is determined that the human body movement index has reached a level that should be suppressed.

[0028] According to this vehicle control method, it is possible to obtain the same effects as those of the above-mentioned vehicle control device. A vehicle control program that can solve the above problem is a program that causes a computer to execute the following four processes. Specifically, the first process is a process of generating an electrical signal for controlling the longitudinal movement of the vehicle based on the vehicle's surrounding environment. The second process is a process of calculating an estimated value of a human body movement index that indicates human body movement that affects the ride comfort or discomfort of the vehicle's occupants based on state variables of the vehicle or the vehicle's occupants. The third process is a process of determining, based on the estimated value of the human body movement index, whether the human body movement index has reached a level that should be suppressed. The fourth process is a process of correcting the electrical signal so that the human body movement index is suppressed when it is determined that the human body movement index has reached a level that should be suppressed.

[0029] By executing this vehicle control program on a computer, it is possible to obtain the same effects as those of the above-mentioned vehicle control device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0030] According to the vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and vehicle control program of the present invention, it is possible to ensure more appropriate comfort for the occupants. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0031] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle control device and a vehicle according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a jerk suppression processing unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a jerk suppression processing unit according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0032] A first embodiment of a vehicle control device will be described below. 1, a vehicle control device 10 is mounted on a vehicle 1. The vehicle 1 has a surroundings monitoring sensor 11, a state monitoring sensor 12, and an actuator 13.

[0033] The perimeter monitoring sensor 11 monitors the perimeter of the vehicle 1. The perimeter includes, for example, the front, rear, and sides of the vehicle 1. The perimeter monitoring sensor 11 detects the environment surrounding the vehicle 1 and generates an electrical signal S0 according to the detection result. The perimeter monitoring sensor 11 includes, for example, a camera. The camera generates image data of the perimeter of the vehicle 1. The electrical signal S0 includes the image data generated by the camera. The perimeter monitoring sensor 11 may include, for example, a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), a laser radar, a millimeter-wave radar, or a sonar sensor.

[0034] The state monitoring sensor 12 monitors the state of the vehicle 1. The state of the vehicle 1 includes, for example, the running state of the vehicle 1. The state monitoring sensor 12 includes, for example, a vehicle speed sensor and an acceleration sensor. The vehicle speed sensor detects the vehicle speed V of the vehicle 1. The acceleration sensor detects the longitudinal acceleration α of the vehicle 1. The longitudinal acceleration α is the acceleration in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 1. The longitudinal acceleration α includes the forward acceleration when the vehicle 1 accelerates and the backward acceleration when the vehicle 1 decelerates. The vehicle speed V and the longitudinal acceleration α are state variables that reflect the longitudinal movement of the vehicle 1. The longitudinal movement is the movement of the vehicle 1 in the longitudinal direction.

[0035] The actuator 13 includes a driving source for running the vehicle 1 and a braking device. The driving source for running the vehicle 1 is, for example, at least one of an engine and a running motor. The braking device generates a braking force for slowing down or stopping the running vehicle 1. The forward and backward movement of the vehicle 1 changes depending on the driving state of the actuator 13.

[0036] The vehicle control device 10 has a processing circuit including one of the following three components A1, A2, and A3. A1. One or more processors that operate according to a computer program, which is software. The processor includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and memory.

[0037] A2. One or more dedicated hardware circuits, such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), that perform at least some of the processing. A3. A hardware circuit that combines two configurations A1 and A2.

[0038] The memory is a computer-readable medium that stores a program that describes processes or instructions for the computer. In this embodiment, the computer is a CPU. The memory includes RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory). The CPU executes various controls by executing the programs stored in the memory at a predetermined calculation cycle. The programs include a vehicle control program.

[0039] The vehicle control device 10 controls the actuator 13. That is, the vehicle control device 10 controls the output of the drive source for driving. The vehicle control device 10 also controls the braking force of the vehicle 1 via the braking device. The vehicle control device 10 is able to control the forward and backward movement of the vehicle 1 by controlling the actuator 13. The vehicle control device 10 is also able to detect the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling through the perimeter monitoring sensor 11. Based on the detection results of the perimeter monitoring sensor 11, the vehicle control device 10 recognizes objects around the vehicle 1 and white lines on the road, and detects the shape of the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling.

[0040] The vehicle control device 10 has a command value calculation unit 10A and a longitudinal movement control unit 10B. The command value calculation unit 10A calculates the longitudinal movement command value S * The detection result includes, for example, photographed data of the periphery of the vehicle 1 photographed by a camera. * is a target value for the longitudinal movement of the vehicle 1, for example, a longitudinal acceleration command value or a vehicle speed command value. The longitudinal acceleration command value is a target value for the longitudinal acceleration α of the vehicle 1. The vehicle speed command value is a target value for the vehicle speed V.

[0041] The longitudinal movement control unit 10B calculates the longitudinal movement command value S generated by the command value calculation unit 10A. * The longitudinal movement control unit 10B receives the longitudinal movement command value S * The actuator 13 is controlled to follow the

[0042] The longitudinal movement control unit 10B calculates the longitudinal movement command value S * is the longitudinal acceleration command value, feedback control of the longitudinal acceleration α is executed to generate a drive signal S1 for the actuator 13. The drive signal S1 is an electric signal that drives the actuator 13. That is, the longitudinal movement control unit 10B controls the actuator 13 so that the longitudinal acceleration α detected through the condition monitoring sensor 12 follows the longitudinal acceleration command value.

[0043] The longitudinal movement control unit 10B calculates the longitudinal movement command value S * is the vehicle speed command value, the longitudinal movement control unit 10B executes feedback control of the vehicle speed V to generate a drive signal S1 for the actuator 13. The drive signal S1 is an electric signal that drives the actuator 13. That is, the longitudinal movement control unit 10B controls the actuator 13 so that the vehicle speed V detected through the condition monitoring sensor 12 follows the vehicle speed command value.

[0044] <Regarding occupant head movement> Acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle 1 can increase jerk in the head of an occupant. Jerk is the rate of change of acceleration with respect to time, i.e., the time derivative of acceleration. Jerk is one of the indicators of human body movement that affects the ride comfort or discomfort of the occupant of the vehicle 1. In the following explanation, an indicator of human body movement is referred to as a human body movement indicator. For example, when the vehicle 1 rapidly accelerates, the occupant's head or upper body is swung significantly backward due to inertia. Also, when the vehicle 1 rapidly decelerates, the occupant's head or upper body is swung significantly forward due to inertia. For this reason, jerk due to forward and backward movement of the head is likely to increase. If jerk due to forward and backward movement of the head is large, the occupant may feel discomfort. Therefore, in this embodiment, the vehicle control device 10 employs the following configuration to suppress jerk due to forward and backward movement of the head.

[0045] <Jerk suppression processing> 1, the vehicle control device 10 has a jerk suppression processing unit 10C. The jerk suppression processing unit 10C is provided on a calculation path between the command value calculation unit 10A and the longitudinal movement control unit 10B in the vehicle control device 10.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 2, the jerk suppression processing unit 10C includes an estimation processing unit 21, a determination processing unit 22, and a correction processing unit . The estimation processing unit 21 receives the longitudinal movement command value S calculated by the command value calculation unit 10A. * The forward / backward movement command value S *is one of the state variables of the vehicle 1 and reflects the longitudinal movement of the vehicle 1. The estimation processing unit 21 calculates the longitudinal movement command value S * The estimated jerk value ζ is calculated using a human body behavior model based on the longitudinal movement command value S * The human body behavior model is, for example, a model of the behavior of a passenger seated in a vehicle seat, expressed as an equivalent double inverted pendulum.

[0047] The determination processing unit 22 receives the estimated jerk value ζ calculated by the estimation processing unit 21. Based on the estimated jerk value ζ, the determination processing unit 22 determines whether the jerk caused by the forward and backward movement of the occupant's head has reached a level that should be suppressed. The determination processing unit 22 compares the estimated jerk value ζ with a threshold value. The threshold value is set based on a jerk that is thought to be likely to cause discomfort to the occupant.

[0048] When the jerk estimated value ζ is less than the threshold value, the determination processing unit 22 determines that the jerk has not reached a level that should be suppressed. When the jerk estimated value ζ is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the determination processing unit 22 determines that the jerk has reached a level that should be suppressed. The determination processing unit 22 switches the filter function of the correction processing unit 23 between on and off depending on the result of the determination as to whether the jerk has reached a level that should be suppressed.

[0049] For example, the determination processing unit 22 sets the value of the coefficient β for the correction processing unit 23 according to the determination result of whether or not the jerk has reached a level at which it should be suppressed. When it is determined that the jerk has not reached a level at which it should be suppressed, the determination processing unit 22 sets the value of the coefficient β to "0." When it is determined that the jerk has reached a level at which it should be suppressed, the determination processing unit 22 sets the value of the coefficient β to "1."

[0050] The correction processing unit 23 calculates the longitudinal movement command value S *and the value of the coefficient β set by the determination processing unit 22. The correction processing unit 23 takes in the longitudinal movement command value S * The correction processing unit 23 has a filter for signal processing. The correction processing unit 23 corrects the longitudinal movement command value S * The filter processing is performed on the longitudinal movement command value S * This is a process for removing frequency components that are thought to be likely to shake the occupant's head.

[0051] The correction processing unit 23 switches the filter function between ON and OFF based on the value of the coefficient β. That is, the correction processing unit 23 calculates the final longitudinal movement command value S fin * The final forward / backward movement command value S fin * is the final longitudinal movement command value used to control the actuator 13.

[0052] S fin * =S * (1-β)+S fil * β …(1) However, "S * " is the longitudinal movement command value calculated by the command value calculation unit 10A. fil * " is the longitudinal movement command value S calculated by the command value calculation unit 10A. * is the corrected longitudinal movement command value obtained by filtering the value of . The value after correction is after filtering, and the value before correction is before filtering. The "·" in equation (1) indicates multiplication.

[0053] When the value of the coefficient β is “0”, that is, when the jerk has not reached the level at which it should be suppressed, the correction processing unit 23 corrects the longitudinal movement command value S calculated by the command value calculation unit 10A. * The final forward / backward movement command value S fin * The corrected longitudinal movement command value S fil *The best way to avoid using it 100% is to turn off the filter function.

[0054] When the value of the coefficient β is “1”, that is, when the jerk has reached a level at which it should be suppressed, the correction processing unit 23 calculates the corrected longitudinal movement command value S fil * The final forward / backward movement command value S fin * The corrected longitudinal movement command value S fil * To use 100% of the audio, turn on the filter function.

[0055] The longitudinal movement control unit 10B calculates the final longitudinal movement command value S fin * The feedback control of the longitudinal acceleration α or the vehicle speed V is performed using the <Advantages of the First Embodiment> According to the first embodiment, the following effects are achieved.

[0056] (1-1) The vehicle control device 10 generates an electric signal for controlling the longitudinal movement of the vehicle 1 based on the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1. The electric signal is a longitudinal movement command value S * The vehicle control device 10 has an estimation processing unit 21, a determination processing unit 22, and a correction processing unit 23. The estimation processing unit 21 calculates an estimated value of a human body movement index that indicates human body movement that affects the riding comfort or discomfort of the occupants of the vehicle 1, based on the state variables of the vehicle 1. The state variables include a longitudinal movement command value S * The human body motion index is a jerk due to the forward and backward movement of the occupant's head, and the estimated value of the human body motion index is the estimated jerk value ζ. The determination processing unit 22 determines whether the human body motion index has reached a level at which it should be suppressed, based on the estimated value of the human body motion index calculated by the estimation processing unit 21. When the determination processing unit 22 determines that the human body motion index has reached a level at which it should be suppressed, the correction processing unit 23 outputs an electrical signal, i.e., a forward and backward movement command value S * Correct the following.

[0057] According to this configuration, when the determination processing unit 22 determines that the human body motion index that affects the riding comfort or discomfort of the occupants of the vehicle 1 has reached a level that should be suppressed, the correction processing unit 23 adjusts the longitudinal movement command value S * Correct the longitudinal movement command value S * is an electrical signal for controlling the longitudinal movement of the vehicle 1, and is also a state variable that reflects the longitudinal movement of the vehicle 1. Therefore, the corrected longitudinal movement command value S fil * By performing feedback control of the longitudinal movement of the vehicle 1 based on the longitudinal movement command value S * is, for example, a longitudinal acceleration command value or a vehicle speed command value. The feedback control of the longitudinal movement of the vehicle 1 is, for example, feedback control of the longitudinal acceleration α or the vehicle speed V. Therefore, discomfort felt by the occupants is reduced, thereby ensuring more appropriate comfort for the occupants. A comfortable ride in the vehicle 1 is also ensured.

[0058] (1-2) The human body movement index is, for example, jerk caused by the forward and backward movement of the head of the occupant of the vehicle 1. Jerk is one of the human body movement indexes that affect the ride comfort or discomfort of the occupant of the vehicle 1. By suppressing the jerk caused by the forward and backward movement of the head of the occupant of the vehicle 1, the discomfort of the occupant is reduced, thereby ensuring more appropriate comfort for the occupant.

[0059] (1-3) The estimation processing unit 21 calculates an estimated value of a human body movement index that affects the riding comfort or discomfort of the occupants of the vehicle 1 based on the state variables of the vehicle 1. The state variables are the longitudinal movement command value S * and the estimated value of the human body motion index is the estimated jerk value ζ. The jerk caused by the forward and backward movement of the occupant's head is affected by the forward and backward movement of the vehicle 1. For this reason, the forward and backward movement command value S * It is preferable to calculate the estimated jerk value ζ based on the following equation. *By correcting the above, it is possible to suppress the movement of the human body that affects the riding comfort or discomfort of the occupants due to the forward and backward movement of the vehicle 1.

[0060] (1-4) The correction processing unit 23 calculates the longitudinal movement command value S * By filtering the final longitudinal movement command value S fin * The filter processing calculates the longitudinal movement command value S * This is a process for removing frequency components that are likely to shake the occupant's head from the final longitudinal movement command value S fin * By performing feedback control of the forward and backward movement of the vehicle 1 based on the above, it is possible to appropriately suppress the jerk caused by the forward and backward movement of the occupant's head.

[0061] (1-5) The estimation processing unit 21 calculates an estimated value of the human body movement index using a human body behavior model that models the behavior of an occupant seated in a seat of the vehicle 1. The estimated value of the human body movement index is, for example, an estimated jerk value ζ. By using the human body behavior model, the estimated value of the human body movement index can be easily obtained.

[0062] (1-6) The human body behavior model is used to calculate an estimated value of a human body motion index, which is used to determine whether the human body motion index that affects the ride comfort or discomfort of the occupants of the vehicle 1 has reached a level that requires suppression. The human body motion index is a jerk caused by the forward and backward movement of the occupant's head, and the estimated value of the human body motion index is the jerk estimated value ζ. Therefore, unlike when the human body behavior model is directly used to control the vehicle 1, modeling errors do not affect the process of suppressing the human body motion index that affects the ride comfort or discomfort of the occupants of the vehicle 1.

[0063] (1-7) When the determination processing unit 22 does not determine that the human body movement index has reached a level that requires suppression, the correction processing unit 23 corrects the forward / backward movement command value S *In other words, the correction processing unit 23 turns off the filter function. When the determination processing unit 22 determines that the human body movement index has reached a level at which it should be suppressed, the correction processing unit 23 performs a filter process on the forward / backward movement command value S * That is, the correction processing unit 23 turns on the filter function. Therefore, when the human body motion index does not reach a level at which it should be suppressed, the original forward / backward movement command value S * When the human body motion index reaches a level at which it should be suppressed, the longitudinal movement command value S is set to a value that prioritizes ride comfort and suppresses the human body motion index that affects the ride comfort or discomfort of the occupants of the vehicle 1. * can be corrected.

[0064] (1-8) The vehicle control method includes, for example, the following four steps. That is, the first step is to generate an electric signal for controlling the longitudinal movement of the vehicle 1 based on the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1. The electric signal is a longitudinal movement command value S * The second step is to calculate an estimated value of a human body movement index that indicates the human body movement that affects the riding comfort or discomfort of the occupants of the vehicle 1 based on the state variables of the vehicle 1. The state variables are the longitudinal movement command value S * The human body motion index is a jerk caused by the forward and backward movement of the occupant's head, and the estimated value of the human body motion index is the estimated jerk value ζ. The third step is to determine whether the human body motion index has reached a level at which it should be suppressed based on the estimated value of the human body motion index. The fourth step is to generate an electrical signal, i.e., a forward and backward movement command value S, so that the human body motion index is suppressed when it is determined that the human body motion index has reached a level at which it should be suppressed. * According to this vehicle control method, the same effect as in the above item (1-1) can be obtained.

[0065] (1-9) The vehicle control program is a program that causes a computer to execute, for example, the following four processes. That is, the first process is a process that generates an electric signal for controlling the longitudinal movement of the vehicle 1 based on the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1. The electric signal is a longitudinal movement command value S * The second process is a process of calculating an estimated value of a human body movement index that indicates the movement of the human body that affects the riding comfort or discomfort of the occupants of the vehicle 1, based on the state variables of the vehicle 1. The state variables are the longitudinal movement command value S * The human body motion index is a jerk caused by the forward and backward movement of the occupant's head, and the estimated value of the human body motion index is the estimated jerk value ζ. The third process is a process for determining whether the human body motion index has reached a level at which it should be suppressed based on the estimated value of the human body motion index. The fourth process is a process for generating an electrical signal, i.e., a forward and backward movement command value S , so that the human body motion index is suppressed when it is determined that the human body motion index has reached a level at which it should be suppressed. * By executing this vehicle control program on a computer, the same effect as in (1-1) above can be obtained.

[0066] <Modification of the first embodiment> The first embodiment may be modified as follows. The correction processing unit 23 calculates the longitudinal movement command value S * The state in which the correction is performed and the longitudinal movement command value S * When switching between the state where correction is not performed and the state where correction is not performed, the forward / backward movement command value S * and the corrected longitudinal movement command value S fil * The longitudinal movement command value S may be smoothly interpolated. * The state in which the correction is performed is when the filter function is turned on, and the longitudinal movement command value S * The state in which the correction is not performed is the state in which the filter function is turned off. * and the corrected longitudinal movement command value S fil * By interpolating the above, the final longitudinal movement command value S fin *Therefore, the final longitudinal movement command value S when the filter function is switched on and off is fin * Sudden changes in the

[0067] The determination processing unit 22 may be configured to set the coefficient β in the range of "0 (0%)" to "1 (100%)", for example, in increments of "0.1". When switching the filter function of the correction processing unit 23 from off to on, the determination processing unit 22 instantaneously switches the coefficient β from "0" to "1". Therefore, when the estimated jerk value ζ increases to or exceeds the threshold value, the filter function of the correction processing unit 23 can be instantly turned on. That is, the correction processing unit 23 adjusts the longitudinal movement command value S * From the state without correction, the longitudinal movement command value S * When transitioning to the state where the correction of the final longitudinal movement command value S fin * is the forward / backward movement command value S before correction. * The corrected longitudinal movement command value S fil * Therefore, the human body movement index that affects the riding comfort or discomfort of the occupants of the vehicle 1 can be suppressed immediately.

[0068] On the other hand, when the filter function of the correction processing unit 23 is switched from on to off, the determination processing unit 22 gradually changes the coefficient β from "1" to "0" in increments of "0.1". fin * Corrected longitudinal movement command value S fil * The distribution ratio of the longitudinal movement command value S * The forward / backward movement command value S * When transitioning to a state where correction is not performed, the final longitudinal movement command value S fin * The corrected longitudinal movement command value S fil * to the uncorrected longitudinal movement command value S *Therefore, the final forward / backward movement command value S fin * is the corrected longitudinal movement command value S fil * to the uncorrected longitudinal movement command value S * The coefficient β is the corrected longitudinal movement command value S fil * is the final longitudinal movement command value S fin * This indicates the degree to which the

[0069] The behavior of an occupant in response to the movement of the vehicle 1 varies depending on the seat in which the occupant sits. Therefore, multiple human body behavior models may be constructed according to the position of the seat. The seats may include, for example, a driver's seat, a passenger seat, a right rear seat, and a left rear seat. In this case, the estimation processing unit 21 uses multiple human body behavior models to calculate an estimated head jerk value ζ for the occupant sitting in each seat. The determination processing unit 22 determines whether the jerk due to the lateral movement of the occupant's head has reached a level that should be suppressed, based on the largest jerk estimated value ζ among the multiple jerk estimated values ​​ζ calculated based on the multiple human body behavior models. In this way, the jerk of the occupant's head can be appropriately suppressed regardless of the seat in which the occupant sits.

[0070] The human body behavior model is not limited to the estimated jerk value ζ of the occupant's head, and may be any human body behavior model that outputs a human body movement index that affects the ride comfort or discomfort of the occupant of the vehicle 1 according to the input state variables of the vehicle 1. The determination processing unit 22 determines whether the jerk of the occupant's head has reached a level that requires suppression based on the human body movement index. Even in this case, the same effects as those in sections (1-1) to (1-9) of the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0071] The correction processing unit 23 outputs the final longitudinal movement command value S fin * is the forward / backward movement command value S before correction. * and the corrected longitudinal movement command value S fil *However, the following may be done. That is, the correction processing unit 23 switches the filter function between on and off without using the above equation (1). The correction processing unit 23 switches the filter coefficient according to the determination result by the determination processing unit 22 as to whether the jerk has reached a level that requires suppression. The filter coefficient is, for example, a coefficient string that is a collection of multiple coefficients. The frequency characteristics of the filter are determined by the filter coefficient.

[0072] The filter coefficients include a first coefficient sequence and a second coefficient sequence. The first coefficient sequence is a sequence of coefficients for the uncorrected longitudinal movement command value S * The second coefficient sequence is a coefficient sequence for normal operation in which no processing is performed to remove frequency components that are thought to be likely to shake the occupant's head from the pre-correction longitudinal movement command value S * This is a coefficient sequence used for correction, which performs processing to remove frequency components that are thought to be likely to shake the occupant's head.

[0073] When the coefficient β is "0," that is, when the jerk has not reached the level at which it should be suppressed, the correction processing unit 23 switches the filter coefficients to the first coefficient sequence. Switching the filter coefficients to the first coefficient sequence is equivalent to turning off the filter function. When the coefficient β is "1," that is, when the jerk has reached the level at which it should be suppressed, the correction processing unit 23 switches the filter coefficients to the second coefficient sequence. Switching the filter coefficients to the second coefficient sequence is equivalent to turning on the filter function.

[0074] In this way, when the human body motion index has not reached the level at which it should be suppressed, the filter coefficients are switched to the first coefficient sequence when no filtering is performed. * When the human body motion index reaches a level at which it should be suppressed, the filter coefficients are switched to a second coefficient sequence for performing the filtering process. Therefore, the corrected longitudinal movement command value S fil *Based on this, it is possible to control the longitudinal movement of the vehicle 1. Therefore, with emphasis on the ride comfort, it is possible to suppress the human body movement index that affects the ride comfort or discomfort of the occupants of the vehicle 1.

[0075] The jerk suppression processing unit 10C may disable the function of suppressing jerk of the occupant's head based on a command from the upper control device 100. The upper control device 100 generates a disabling command to disable the determination result of the determination processing unit 22 according to the running state of the vehicle 1. The determination result to be disabled is a determination result that the jerk has reached a level that requires suppression.

[0076] For example, the host control device 100 generates a disabling command when there is a risk that the vehicle 1 will collide with an obstacle that exists in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1. This is because the execution of emergency avoidance control to avoid a collision between the vehicle 1 and the obstacle is given priority over suppressing jerk of the occupant's head.

[0077] When the jerk suppression processing unit 10C receives an invalidation command from the upper control device 100, it determines that the human body motion index has not reached a level at which it should be suppressed, regardless of the estimated value of the human body motion index that affects the ride comfort or discomfort of the occupants of the vehicle 1. Specifically, when the invalidation command is received, the determination processing unit 22 sets the coefficient β to "0" regardless of the estimated jerk value ζ. This prevents the processing of the jerk suppression processing unit 10C from interfering with the processing of the upper control device 100. This allows the upper control device 100 to appropriately execute emergency avoidance control.

[0078] The estimation processing unit 21 may calculate estimated values ​​of human body movement indicators that affect the ride comfort or discomfort of the occupants of the vehicle 1 without using a human body movement model. For example, the perimeter monitoring sensor 11 has a camera that captures the human body movement of the occupants. The camera generates captured image data of the human body movement. The captured image data is a state variable that reflects the body movement of the occupants of the vehicle 1. The estimation processing unit 21 imports the captured image data generated by the camera and calculates estimated values ​​of human body movement indicators that affect the ride comfort or discomfort of the occupants of the vehicle 1 based on the imported captured image data. The human body movement indicators include jerk of the occupants' heads. Alternatively, the estimation processing unit 21 may calculate estimated values ​​of human body movement indicators based on detection results of a sensor mounted on the vehicle 1. The sensor may be, for example, a jerk sensor that detects jerk of the occupants' heads. The jerk detection value, which is the detection result of the jerk sensor, is a state variable that reflects the body movement of the occupants of the vehicle 1.

[0079] The jerk suppression processing unit 10C calculates the longitudinal movement command value S * Alternatively, the drive signal S1 may be corrected. In this case, the jerk suppression processing unit 10C is provided on the calculation path between the longitudinal movement control unit 10B and the actuator 13 in the vehicle control device 10. When the determination processing unit 22 determines that the human body movement index that affects the ride comfort or discomfort of the occupants of the vehicle 1 has reached a level that requires suppression, the correction processing unit 23 corrects the drive signal S1 so that the human body movement index is suppressed. The drive signal S1 is an electric signal for controlling the longitudinal movement of the vehicle 1 and is also a state variable that reflects the longitudinal movement of the vehicle 1. For this reason, the corrected drive signal S1 fil By performing feedback control of the longitudinal movement of the vehicle 1 based on the above, the human body movement index that affects the ride comfort or discomfort of the occupants of the vehicle 1 is suppressed. Since the discomfort of the occupants is reduced, more appropriate comfort can be ensured for the occupants. The ride comfort of the vehicle 1 is also ensured.

[0080] <Second embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the vehicle control device will be described. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the configuration of the vehicle control device 10. Therefore, the same members and configurations as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0081] 3, the vehicle control device 10 has a longitudinal movement control unit 10B and a jerk suppression processing unit 10C. The jerk suppression processing unit 10C is provided on a calculation path between the longitudinal movement control unit 10B and the actuator 13.

[0082] The longitudinal movement control unit 10B receives an electric signal S0 generated by the periphery monitoring sensor 11. The electric signal S0 is the detection result of the periphery monitoring sensor 11. The longitudinal movement control unit 10B performs feedforward control based on the received electric signal S0 to generate a drive signal S1 for the actuator 13. The drive signal S1 is an electric signal that drives the actuator 13. The drive signal S1 is one of the state variables of the vehicle 1.

[0083] The jerk suppression processing unit 10C basically has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 2. That is, the jerk suppression processing unit 10C has an estimation processing unit 21, a determination processing unit 22, and a correction processing unit 23.

[0084] The estimation processing unit 21 calculates an estimated jerk value ζ using a human body behavior model based on the drive signal S1 generated by the longitudinal movement control unit 10B. The estimated jerk value ζ is an estimate of the jerk due to the longitudinal movement of the occupant's head in response to the drive signal S1.

[0085] The judgment processing unit 22 judges, based on the jerk estimation value ζ, whether the jerk caused by the forward and backward movement of the occupant's head has reached a level that should be suppressed, and switches the filter function of the correction processing unit 23 between on and off depending on the result of the judgment.

[0086] For example, the determination processing unit 22 sets the value of the coefficient β for the correction processing unit 23 according to the determination result of whether or not the jerk has reached a level at which it should be suppressed. When it is determined that the jerk has not reached a level at which it should be suppressed, the determination processing unit 22 sets the value of the coefficient β to "0." When it is determined that the jerk has reached a level at which it should be suppressed, the determination processing unit 22 sets the value of the coefficient β to "1."

[0087] The correction processing unit 23 corrects the drive signal S1 from the viewpoint of suppressing jerk caused by forward and backward movement of the occupant's head. For example, the correction processing unit 23 performs a filter process on the drive signal S1. The filter process is a process for removing frequency components that are thought to be likely to shake the occupant's head from the drive signal S1.

[0088] The correction processing unit 23 switches the filter function between on and off based on the determination result of the determination processing unit 22, i.e., the value of the coefficient β. The correction processing unit 23 determines the final drive signal S2 based on the following equation (2). The final drive signal S2 is a final control signal used to control the actuator 13. The following equation (2) is equivalent to the above equation (1).

[0089] S2=S1·(1-β)+S1 fil β …(2) Here, "S1" is a drive signal calculated by the forward / backward movement control unit 10B. fil " is a corrected drive signal obtained by filtering the drive signal S1 calculated by the longitudinal movement control unit 10B. " in equation (2) indicates multiplication.

[0090] When the value of the coefficient β is "0", that is, when the jerk has not reached the level at which it should be suppressed, the correction processing unit 23 sets the drive signal S1 generated by the longitudinal movement control unit 10B as the final drive signal S2. fil The best way to avoid using it 100% is to turn off the filter function.

[0091] When the value of the coefficient β is “1”, that is, when the jerk has reached a level that should be suppressed, the correction processing unit 23 calculates the corrected drive signal S1 fil is set as the final drive signal S2. fil To use 100% of the audio, turn on the filter function.

[0092] The actuator 13 operates in accordance with the final drive signal S2. <Advantages of the second embodiment> According to the second embodiment, the following effects are achieved.

[0093] (2-1) The vehicle control device 10 generates an electric signal for controlling the forward / backward movement of the vehicle 1 based on the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1. The electric signal is a drive signal S1, and is generated, for example, by executing feedforward control based on the detection results of the periphery monitoring sensor 11. The vehicle control device 10 has an estimation processing unit 21, a determination processing unit 22, and a correction processing unit 23. The estimation processing unit 21 calculates an estimate of a human body movement index that indicates human body movement that affects the ride comfort or discomfort of the occupants of the vehicle 1 based on the state variables of the vehicle 1. The state variables are the drive signal S1 for the actuator 13. The human body movement index is a jerk caused by the forward / backward movement of the occupant's head, and the estimate of the human body movement index is a jerk estimate value ζ. The determination processing unit 22 determines whether the human body movement index has reached a level that should be suppressed based on the estimate of the human body movement index calculated by the estimation processing unit 21. When the determination processing unit 22 determines that the human body motion index has reached a level at which it should be suppressed, the correction processing unit 23 corrects the electric signal, that is, the drive signal S1 for the actuator 13, so that the human body motion index is suppressed.

[0094] According to this configuration, when the determination processing unit 22 determines that the human body motion index that affects the riding comfort or discomfort of the occupants of the vehicle 1 has reached a level that requires suppression, the correction processing unit 23 corrects the drive signal S1 so that the human body motion index is suppressed. The drive signal S1 is an electric signal for controlling the longitudinal movement of the vehicle 1, and is also a state variable that reflects the longitudinal movement of the vehicle 1. For this reason, the actuator 13 corrects the corrected drive signal S1 fil By operating in accordance with the above, the human body motion index that affects the ride comfort or discomfort of the occupants of the vehicle 1 is suppressed. Therefore, the discomfort of the occupants is reduced, and more appropriate comfort can be ensured for the occupants. The ride comfort of the vehicle 1 is also ensured.

[0095] (2-2) The human body movement index is, for example, jerk caused by the forward and backward movement of the head of the occupant of the vehicle 1. Jerk is one of the human body movement indexes that affect the ride comfort or discomfort of the occupant of the vehicle 1. By suppressing the jerk caused by the forward and backward movement of the head of the occupant of the vehicle 1, the discomfort of the occupant is reduced, thereby ensuring more appropriate comfort for the occupant.

[0096] (2-3) The estimation processing unit 21 calculates an estimated value of a human body motion index that affects the ride comfort or discomfort of the occupants of the vehicle 1 based on the state variables of the vehicle 1. The state variable is the drive signal S1 for the actuator 13, and the estimated value of the human body motion index is the estimated jerk value ζ. The jerk caused by the forward and backward movement of the occupant's head is affected by the forward and backward movement of the vehicle 1. For this reason, it is preferable to calculate the estimated jerk value ζ based on the drive signal S1. Furthermore, by correcting the drive signal S1 so as to suppress the human body motion index, it is possible to suppress human body movement that affects the ride comfort or discomfort of the occupants due to the forward and backward movement of the vehicle 1.

[0097] (2-4) The correction processing unit 23 calculates the final drive signal S2 by performing a filter process on the drive signal S1. The filter process is a process for removing frequency components that are thought to be likely to shake the occupant's head from the drive signal S1. By controlling the drive of the actuator 13 based on the final drive signal S2 from which the frequency components that are likely to shake the occupant's head have been removed, it is possible to appropriately suppress jerk caused by the forward and backward movement of the occupant's head.

[0098] (2-5) The estimation processing unit 21 calculates an estimated value of the human body movement index using a human body behavior model that models the behavior of an occupant seated in a seat of the vehicle 1. The estimated value of the human body movement index is, for example, an estimated jerk value ζ. By using the human body behavior model, the estimated value of the human body movement index can be easily obtained.

[0099] (2-6) The human body behavior model is used to calculate an estimated value of a human body movement index, which is used to determine whether the human body movement index that affects the ride comfort or discomfort of the occupants of vehicle 1 has reached a level that requires suppression. The human body movement index is the jerk caused by the forward and backward movement of the occupant's head, and the estimated value of the human body movement index is the jerk estimated value ζ. Therefore, unlike when the human body behavior model is directly used to control vehicle 1, modeling errors do not affect the process of suppressing the human body movement index that affects the ride comfort or discomfort of the occupants of vehicle 1.

[0100] (2-7) If the determination processing unit 22 does not determine that the human body motion index has reached a level at which it should be suppressed, the correction processing unit 23 does not perform filtering on the drive signal S1. That is, the correction processing unit 23 turns off the filter function. If the determination processing unit 22 determines that the human body motion index has reached a level at which it should be suppressed, the correction processing unit 23 performs filtering on the drive signal S1. That is, the correction processing unit 23 turns on the filter function. Therefore, if the human body motion index has not reached a level at which it should be suppressed, the drive of the actuator 13 can be controlled based on the original drive signal S1. If the human body motion index has reached a level at which it should be suppressed, the drive signal S1 can be corrected, with emphasis on ride comfort, so as to suppress the human body motion index that affects the ride comfort or discomfort of the occupants of the vehicle 1.

[0101] (2-8) A vehicle control method includes, for example, the following four steps. That is, the first step is to generate an electrical signal for controlling the forward / backward movement of the vehicle 1 based on the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1. The electrical signal is a drive signal S1. The second step is to calculate an estimated value of a human body motion index, which indicates human body movement that affects the ride comfort or discomfort of the occupants of the vehicle 1, based on a state variable of the vehicle 1. The state variable is the drive signal S1. The human body motion index is a jerk caused by the forward / backward movement of the occupant's head, and the estimated value of the human body motion index is a jerk estimated value ζ. The third step is to determine, based on the estimated value of the human body motion index, whether the human body motion index has reached a level at which it should be suppressed. The fourth step is to correct the electrical signal, i.e., the drive signal S1, so that the human body motion index is suppressed when it is determined that the human body motion index has reached a level at which it should be suppressed. According to this vehicle control method, it is possible to obtain the same effect as in section (2-1) above.

[0102] (2-9) The vehicle control program is, for example, a program that causes a computer to execute the following four processes. That is, the first process is a process that generates an electrical signal for controlling the forward / backward movement of the vehicle 1 based on the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1. The electrical signal is the drive signal S1. The second process is a process that calculates an estimated value of a human body motion index that indicates human body movement that affects the ride comfort or discomfort of the occupants of the vehicle 1 based on the state variables of the vehicle 1. The state variable is the drive signal S1. The human body motion index is a jerk caused by the forward / backward movement of the occupant's head, and the estimated value of the human body motion index is a jerk estimated value ζ. The third process is a process that determines, based on the estimated value of the human body motion index, whether the human body motion index has reached a level that should be suppressed. The fourth process is a process that corrects the electrical signal, i.e., the drive signal S1, so that the human body motion index is suppressed when it is determined that the human body motion index has reached a level that should be suppressed. By executing this vehicle control program on a computer, it is possible to obtain the same effects as those in section (2-1) above.

[0103] <Modification of the second embodiment> The second embodiment may be modified as follows. When switching between a state in which the drive signal S1 is corrected and a state in which the drive signal S1 is not corrected, the correction processing unit 23 fil The drive signal S1 may be smoothly interpolated between the drive signal S1 before and the drive signal S1 after correction. The drive signal S1 before correction and the drive signal S1 after correction are in a state where the filter function is on, and in a state where the drive signal S1 is not corrected, the filter function is off. fil By interpolating between these, discontinuous changes in the final drive signal S2 are smoothed, thereby suppressing sudden changes in the final drive signal S2 when the filter function switches between on and off.

[0104] The determination processing unit 22 may be configured to set the coefficient β in the range of "0 (0%)" to "1 (100%)", for example, in increments of "0.1". When switching the filter function of the correction processing unit 23 from off to on, the determination processing unit 22 instantaneously switches the coefficient β from "0" to "1". Therefore, when the jerk estimation value ζ increases to or exceeds the threshold value, the filter function of the correction processing unit 23 can be immediately turned on. In other words, when transitioning from a state in which the drive signal S1 is not corrected to a state in which the drive signal S1 is corrected, the correction processing unit 23 changes the final drive signal S2 from the drive signal S1 before correction to the drive signal S1 after correction. fil Therefore, the human body movement index that affects the riding comfort or discomfort of the occupants of the vehicle 1 can be suppressed immediately.

[0105] On the other hand, when switching the filter function of the correction processing unit 23 from on to off, the determination processing unit 22 gradually changes the coefficient β from "1" to "0" in increments of "0.1". fil The distribution ratio of the final drive signal S2 is gradually decreased from "100%" to "0%". In other words, when the state where the drive signal S1 is corrected is changed to the state where the drive signal S1 is not corrected, the correction processing unit 23 adjusts the final drive signal S2 to the corrected drive signal S1. fil Therefore, the final drive signal S2 is gradually switched to the drive signal S1 after correction. fil The coefficient β can be used to suppress the sense of incongruity that occurs when the drive signal S1 after correction is switched from the drive signal S1 before correction. fil is reflected in the final drive signal S2.

[0106] The behavior of an occupant in response to the movement of the vehicle 1 varies depending on the seat in which the occupant sits. Therefore, multiple human body behavior models may be constructed according to the position of the seat. The seats may include, for example, a driver's seat, a passenger seat, a right rear seat, and a left rear seat. In this case, the estimation processing unit 21 uses multiple human body behavior models to calculate an estimated head jerk value ζ for the occupant sitting in each seat. The determination processing unit 22 determines whether the jerk due to the lateral movement of the occupant's head has reached a level that should be suppressed, based on the largest jerk estimated value ζ among the multiple jerk estimated values ​​ζ calculated based on the multiple human body behavior models. In this way, the jerk of the occupant's head can be appropriately suppressed regardless of the seat in which the occupant sits.

[0107] The human body behavior model is not limited to the estimated jerk value ζ of the occupant's head, and may be any human body behavior model that outputs a human body movement index that affects the ride comfort or discomfort of the occupant of the vehicle 1 according to the input state variables of the vehicle 1. The determination processing unit 22 determines whether the jerk of the occupant's head has reached a level that requires suppression based on the human body movement index. This also achieves the same effects as those in sections (2-1) to (2-9) of the second embodiment.

[0108] The correction processing unit 23 calculates the final drive signal S2 to be output by dividing the drive signal S1 before correction by the drive signal S1 after correction. fil However, the following may be done. That is, the correction processing unit 23 switches the filter function between on and off without using the above equation (2). The correction processing unit 23 switches the filter coefficient according to the determination result by the determination processing unit 22 as to whether the jerk has reached a level that requires suppression. The filter coefficient is, for example, a coefficient string that is a collection of multiple coefficients. The frequency characteristics of the filter are determined by the filter coefficient.

[0109] The filter coefficients have a first coefficient sequence and a second coefficient sequence. The first coefficient sequence is a coefficient sequence used in normal operation, in which processing is not performed to remove frequency components that are thought to be likely to shake the occupant's head from the drive signal S1 before correction. The second coefficient sequence is a coefficient sequence used during correction, in which processing is performed to remove frequency components that are thought to be likely to shake the occupant's head from the drive signal S1 before correction.

[0110] When the coefficient β is "0," that is, when the jerk has not reached the level at which it should be suppressed, the correction processing unit 23 switches the filter coefficients to the first coefficient sequence. Switching the filter coefficients to the first coefficient sequence is equivalent to turning off the filter function. When the coefficient β is "1," that is, when the jerk has reached the level at which it should be suppressed, the correction processing unit 23 switches the filter coefficients to the second coefficient sequence. Switching the filter coefficients to the second coefficient sequence is equivalent to turning on the filter function.

[0111] In this way, when the human body motion index has not reached a level at which it should be suppressed, the filter coefficients are switched to the first coefficient sequence when no filtering is performed. This makes it possible to control the longitudinal movement of the vehicle 1 based on the original drive signal S1 before correction. When the human body motion index has reached a level at which it should be suppressed, the filter coefficients are switched to the second coefficient sequence when filtering is performed. This makes it possible to control the longitudinal movement of the vehicle 1 based on the original drive signal S1 before correction. fil Based on this, it is possible to control the longitudinal movement of the vehicle 1. Therefore, with emphasis on the ride comfort, it is possible to suppress the human body movement index that affects the ride comfort or discomfort of the occupants of the vehicle 1.

[0112] The jerk suppression processing unit 10C may disable the function of suppressing jerk of the occupant's head based on a command from the upper control device 100. The upper control device 100 generates a disabling command to disable the determination result of the determination processing unit 22 according to the running state of the vehicle 1. The determination result to be disabled is a determination result that the jerk has reached a level that requires suppression.

[0113] For example, the host control device 100 generates a disabling command when there is a risk that the vehicle 1 will collide with an obstacle that exists in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1. This is because the execution of emergency avoidance control to avoid a collision between the vehicle 1 and the obstacle is given priority over suppressing jerk of the occupant's head.

[0114] When the jerk suppression processing unit 10C receives an invalidation command from the upper control device 100, it determines that the human body motion index has not reached a level at which it should be suppressed, regardless of the estimated value of the human body motion index that affects the ride comfort or discomfort of the occupants of the vehicle 1. Specifically, when the invalidation command is received, the determination processing unit 22 sets the coefficient β to "0" regardless of the estimated jerk value ζ. This prevents the processing of the jerk suppression processing unit 10C from interfering with the processing of the upper control device 100. This allows the upper control device 100 to appropriately execute emergency avoidance control.

[0115] The estimation processing unit 21 may calculate estimated values ​​of human body movement indicators that affect the ride comfort or discomfort of the occupants of the vehicle 1 without using a human body movement model. For example, the perimeter monitoring sensor 11 has a camera that captures the human body movement of the occupants. The camera generates captured image data of the human body movement. The captured image data is a state variable that reflects the body movement of the occupants of the vehicle 1. The estimation processing unit 21 imports the captured image data generated by the camera and calculates estimated values ​​of human body movement indicators that affect the ride comfort or discomfort of the occupants of the vehicle 1 based on the imported captured image data. The human body movement indicators include jerk of the occupants' heads. Alternatively, the estimation processing unit 21 may calculate estimated values ​​of human body movement indicators based on detection results of a sensor mounted on the vehicle 1. The sensor may be, for example, a jerk sensor that detects jerk of the occupants' heads. The jerk detection value, which is the detection result of the jerk sensor, is a state variable that reflects the body movement of the occupants of the vehicle 1.

[0116] <Other technical ideas> Next, the technical ideas that can be understood from the first and second embodiments will be added below. a command value calculation unit configured to calculate a longitudinal movement command value based on a surrounding environment of the vehicle, and a longitudinal movement control unit configured to control the longitudinal movement of the vehicle based on the longitudinal movement command value; an estimation processing unit configured to calculate an estimate of a human body movement index that indicates human body movement that affects the ride comfort or discomfort of an occupant of the vehicle based on state variables of the vehicle or the occupant of the vehicle; a determination processing unit configured to determine whether the human body movement index has reached a level that should be suppressed based on the estimate of the human body movement index calculated by the estimation processing unit; and a correction processing unit configured to correct the longitudinal movement command value so that the human body movement index is suppressed when it is determined by the determination processing unit that the human body movement index has reached a level that should be suppressed.

[0117] A vehicle control device including a longitudinal movement control unit configured to generate a drive signal for a driving actuator for controlling the longitudinal movement of the vehicle based on the vehicle's surrounding environment, the vehicle control device further comprising: an estimation processing unit configured to calculate an estimate of a human body movement index that indicates human body movement that affects the ride comfort or discomfort of an occupant of the vehicle based on state variables of the vehicle or the vehicle occupant; a determination processing unit configured to determine whether the human body movement index has reached a level that should be suppressed based on the estimate of the human body movement index calculated by the estimation processing unit; and a correction processing unit configured to correct the drive signal so that the human body movement index is suppressed when the determination processing unit determines that the human body movement index has reached a level that should be suppressed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0118] 1...Vehicle 10...Vehicle control device 10A...Command value calculation section 10B... Forward and backward movement control section 21...Estimation processing unit 22...Determination processing unit 23...Correction processing unit 100...High-level control device

Claims

1. 1. A vehicle control device configured to generate an electrical signal for controlling a forward / backward movement of a vehicle based on an ambient environment of the vehicle, an estimation processing unit configured to calculate an estimate of a human body movement index indicating a human body movement that affects the riding comfort or discomfort of the vehicle occupant based on a state variable of the vehicle or the vehicle occupant; a determination processing unit configured to determine whether the human body motion index has reached a level at which it should be suppressed, based on the estimated value of the human body motion index calculated by the estimation processing unit; a correction processing unit configured to correct the electrical signal so that the human body movement index is suppressed when the determination processing unit determines that the human body movement index has reached a level that requires suppression.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the estimation processing unit is configured to calculate the estimated value of the human body movement index using a human body behavior model that models the behavior of an occupant seated in a seat of the vehicle.

3. the human body behavior model includes a plurality of human body behavior models provided according to seat positions of the vehicle; the estimated human body motion index includes a plurality of estimated human body motion indexes calculated using a plurality of the human body behavior models; 3. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein the determination processing unit is configured to determine whether the human body movement index has reached a level at which it should be suppressed, based on the largest estimated value of the human body movement index among a plurality of estimated values ​​of the human body movement index.

4. 4. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the human body movement index is a jerk caused by a forward and backward movement of the head of the vehicle occupant.

5. the correction processing unit is configured to correct the electrical signal by performing a filter process on the electrical signal; 4. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the filtering process is a process of removing frequency components that are likely to cause the head of an occupant of the vehicle to shake from the electrical signal.

6. 6. The vehicle control device according to claim 5, wherein the correction processing unit is configured not to perform the filtering process when the determination processing unit does not determine that the human body movement index has reached a level that should be suppressed, and to perform the filtering process when the determination processing unit determines that the human body movement index has reached a level that should be suppressed.

7. 6. The vehicle control device according to claim 5, wherein the correction processing unit is configured to switch the filter coefficients of the filtering process between a first coefficient sequence when the filtering process is not performed and a second coefficient sequence when the filtering process is performed, depending on the determination result of the determination processing unit.

8. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the correction processing unit is configured to smoothly interpolate the electrical signal before and after correction when switching between a state in which the electrical signal is corrected and a state in which the electrical signal is not corrected.

9. When transitioning from a state in which the electrical signal is not corrected to a state in which the electrical signal is corrected, the correction processing unit immediately switches the electrical signal from the electrical signal before correction to the electrical signal after correction, and A vehicle control device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, configured to gradually switch the electrical signal from the corrected electrical signal to the uncorrected electrical signal when transitioning from a state in which the electrical signal is corrected to a state in which the electrical signal is not corrected.

10. A vehicle control device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the judgment processing unit is configured to judge that the human body movement index has not reached a level that should be suppressed, regardless of the estimated value of the human body movement index, when an invalidation command is received from a higher-level control device installed in the vehicle.

11. a command value calculation unit configured to calculate a longitudinal movement command value based on a surrounding environment of the vehicle; a longitudinal movement control unit configured to control the longitudinal movement of the vehicle based on the longitudinal movement command value, 4. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinal movement command value is the electrical signal and also a state variable of the vehicle.

12. a longitudinal movement control unit configured to generate a drive signal for an actuator for controlling longitudinal movement of the vehicle based on an ambient environment of the vehicle; 4. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the drive signal is the electric signal and also a state variable of the vehicle.

13. generating an electrical signal for controlling forward and backward movement of the vehicle based on an ambient environment of the vehicle; calculating an estimated value of a human body movement index indicative of a human body movement that affects the riding comfort or discomfort of the vehicle occupant based on state variables of the vehicle or the vehicle occupant; determining whether the human motion index has reached a level at which it should be suppressed based on the estimated value of the human motion index; and correcting the electrical signal so that the human body movement index is suppressed when it is determined that the human body movement index has reached a level at which it should be suppressed.

14. generating an electrical signal for controlling forward and backward movement of the vehicle based on the vehicle's surrounding environment; calculating an estimated value of a human body movement index that indicates a human body movement that affects the riding comfort or discomfort of the vehicle occupant based on state variables of the vehicle or the vehicle occupant; a process of determining whether the human body motion index has reached a level at which it should be suppressed based on the estimated value of the human body motion index; When it is determined that the human body motion index has reached a level at which it should be suppressed, a process of correcting the electrical signal so that the human body motion index is suppressed; A vehicle control program that causes a computer to execute the above.

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