Vehicle control device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control device capable of safely stopping a vehicle when an abnormality occurs to a driver.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device comprises: a radar (22) that detects surrounding vehicles including those behind a vehicle (1); and a controller (10) that is configured to control a drive power source (31), electric power steering (33), and / or brake (32) of the vehicle so as to change a lane of the vehicle to an adjacent lane when the adjacent lane exists beside a road-shoulder side relative to the lane in which the vehicle is traveling. The controller acquires an assumed speed of another vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane, calculates a required minimum speed of the vehicle at the time of lane change so that the other vehicle is behind the vehicle at a distance greater than or equal to a minimum inter-vehicle distance when the other vehicle traveling at an assumed speed behind the vehicle in the adjacent lane at a distance greater than or equal to a maximum detection distance, decelerates at a predetermined deceleration to a speed at the time of lane change of the vehicle, on the basis of the assumed speed and the maximum detection distance of peripheral sensors. When the speed of the vehicle is less than the required minimum speed, the controller prohibits the lane change of the vehicle to the adjacent lane.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] In recent years, development of an abnormal driver response system (EDSS) has been progressing, which detects an abnormality when the driver is unable to drive safely and automatically stops the vehicle. For example, when a driver abnormality is detected by detecting a change in the driver's posture, it is being considered to gradually decelerate the vehicle while maintaining the lane, and if possible, to automatically stop the vehicle by pulling over to the shoulder of the road or the like (see Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-37218 [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Road Transport Bureau, Advanced Safety Vehicle Promotion Study Group, "Basic Design Document for Driver Abnormality Response System (Roadside Evacuation Type)," March 2018 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the driver abnormality response system described above, it is also considered to change the vehicle's lane from the current lane to an adjacent lane on the shoulder side if the lane in which the vehicle is traveling is not adjacent to the shoulder, etc. In this case, in order to avoid an accident such as a collision with a nearby vehicle traveling in the lane to which the vehicle is to change lanes, if a sensor such as a radar detects another vehicle in the adjacent lane to which the vehicle is to change lanes that may collide with the vehicle, the lane change to the adjacent lane is not performed.

[0006] However, if another vehicle approaches from behind beyond the maximum detection distance of the sensor in the adjacent lane where the lane change is to be made, the other vehicle will not be detected by the sensor, and the lane change may be made. In this case, if the speed difference between the other vehicle and the subject vehicle is large, the other vehicle may have to brake suddenly to avoid a collision, or may suddenly approach the subject vehicle.

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and has as its object to provide a vehicle control device that can stop the vehicle more safely when an abnormality occurs in the driver. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a vehicle control device that causes a vehicle to pull over to the side of the road and stop when an abnormality occurs in the driver of the vehicle, and includes a peripheral sensor that detects other vehicles in the vicinity, including those behind the vehicle, and a controller configured to control the vehicle's driving force source, steering device, and / or braking device so as to cause the vehicle to change lanes to the adjacent lane when an adjacent lane is located closer to the road edge than the lane in which the vehicle is traveling.The controller acquires the estimated speed of the other vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane, and based on the estimated speed and the maximum detection distance of the peripheral sensor, calculates the minimum speed required for the vehicle to change lanes so that the other vehicle will be more than the minimum inter-vehicle distance behind the vehicle when the other vehicle traveling at the estimated speed in the adjacent lane more than the maximum detection distance behind the vehicle decelerates at a predetermined deceleration to the vehicle's lane change speed, and is configured to prohibit the vehicle from changing lanes to the adjacent lane if the vehicle's speed is less than the minimum required speed.

[0009] According to the present invention configured as described above, when a driver abnormality occurs in the vehicle, the controller calculates the minimum speed required for the vehicle to change lanes based on the expected speed of another vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane and the maximum detection distance of a periphery sensor that detects other vehicles in the vicinity, so that when another vehicle traveling at an expected speed in an adjacent lane more than the maximum detection distance behind the vehicle slows down to the vehicle's lane-changing speed at a predetermined deceleration, the other vehicle will be more than the minimum inter-vehicle distance behind the vehicle. If the vehicle's speed is less than the minimum required speed, the controller prohibits the vehicle from changing lanes to the adjacent lane. Therefore, if changing lanes to the adjacent lane could result in a sudden deceleration or a collision of another vehicle approaching from behind more than the maximum detection distance of the periphery sensor, the controller prohibits the lane change and can stop the vehicle in the lane in which it is currently traveling, for example. This allows the vehicle to be stopped more safely by avoiding a sudden deceleration or a collision of the other vehicle when a driver abnormality occurs.

[0010] In the present invention, preferably, the controller sets the assumed speed as v b , the maximum detection distance is dr max , the predetermined deceleration is d, and the minimum distance between vehicles is fd min The delay time from when the vehicle starts to change lanes until the other vehicle starts to decelerate is t d , the minimum required speed is v min In this case, the minimum required speed v is calculated from the following formula: min The method is configured to calculate TIFF2025180460000002.tif14170

[0011] According to the present invention configured in this manner, the controller can appropriately calculate the minimum required speed based on the other vehicle's expected speed, deceleration, maximum detection distance of the surrounding sensors, minimum inter-vehicle distance, and delay time, and can stop the vehicle more safely by avoiding sudden deceleration or collision of the other vehicle when a driver abnormality occurs.

[0012] In the present invention, the controller is preferably configured to obtain the estimated speed based on the speed of another vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane detected by a surrounding sensor.

[0013] According to the present invention configured in this manner, the controller obtains an estimated speed that takes into account the actual speed of other vehicles traveling in adjacent lanes, thereby enabling more appropriate calculation of the minimum required speed.

[0014] In the present invention, preferably, the controller is configured to stop the vehicle in the lane in which it is currently traveling by using the vehicle's driving force source, steering device and / or braking device when the controller prohibits the vehicle from changing lanes to an adjacent lane.

[0015] According to the present invention configured in this manner, the controller prohibits the vehicle from changing lanes to an adjacent lane if there is a possibility that changing lanes to an adjacent lane could result in a sudden deceleration or collision of another vehicle approaching from behind beyond the maximum detection distance of the surrounding sensor, and stops the vehicle in the lane in which the vehicle is currently traveling.Therefore, when a driver abnormality occurs, the controller can reliably avoid a sudden deceleration or collision of another vehicle and stop the vehicle more safely.

[0016] In the present invention, preferably, the controller is configured to decelerate the vehicle speed to the upper limit speed by the vehicle's driving force source, steering device and / or braking device when an abnormality occurs in the driver and the vehicle speed is higher than a predetermined upper limit speed.

[0017] According to the present invention configured in this manner, if an abnormality occurs in the driver, the vehicle speed will be below the upper limit speed for safe travel in the current lane, so the vehicle can be driven safely until the controller determines whether or not to change lanes and stops the vehicle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the vehicle control device of the present invention, the vehicle can be stopped more safely when an abnormality occurs in the driver. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1]1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle to which a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied; [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 3 is a flowchart of a vehicle control process executed by a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 2 is a diagram illustrating the positions of a host vehicle and other vehicles when a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention executes vehicle control processing; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0021] <System configuration> First, the overall configuration of a vehicle to which a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle to which a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a vehicle to which a vehicle control device according to this embodiment is applied. This vehicle 1 has a driving force source 31 such as an engine or an electric motor that generates driving force, a brake 32 that brakes the vehicle 1, and an electric power steering 33. The vehicle 1 is also provided with a camera 21 that photographs the surroundings of the vehicle 1 and the interior of the vehicle, and a radar 22 that detects other vehicles and obstacles in the surroundings including behind the vehicle 1. The brake 32 corresponds to an example of a "braking device" in the present invention, and the electric power steering 33 corresponds to an example of a "steering device" in the present invention. This corresponds to an example of

[0023] 2, vehicle 1 is further provided with a vehicle speed sensor 23 that detects the vehicle speed, an acceleration sensor 24 that detects the acceleration of vehicle 1, a yaw rate sensor 25 that detects the yaw rate of vehicle 1, a steering angle sensor 26 that detects the steering angle of vehicle 1, an accelerator sensor 27 that detects the operation of the accelerator pedal (e.g., the accelerator opening), a brake sensor 28 that detects the operation of the brake pedal (e.g., the amount of depression of the brake pedal), a positioning system 29 that detects the position of vehicle 1, and a navigation system 30. Image data captured by camera 21, position information of obstacles detected by radar 22, position information acquired by positioning system 29, information about roads including speed limits, the number of lanes, etc. acquired from navigation system 30, and detection data detected by each sensor are output to controller 10.

[0024] The camera 21 captures images of the surroundings of the vehicle 1 and the interior of the vehicle cabin, and outputs image data. Based on the image data of the surroundings of the vehicle 1 received from the camera 21, the controller 10 identifies objects (for example, road dividing lines (e.g., white lines and yellow lines including lane boundaries, outer roadway lines, and outermost lane lines), road edges (boundaries between the road and other objects, e.g., boundaries between pavement and soil, guardrails, curbs, etc.), other vehicles, pedestrians, traffic lights, signs, stop lines, intersections, obstacles, etc.). The controller 10 also detects the driver's posture and line of sight based on the image data of the interior of the vehicle cabin received from the camera 21.

[0025] The radar 22 is provided, for example, at the front of the vehicle 1 facing forward in the direction of travel, and at the rear of the vehicle 1 facing backward in the direction of travel. The radar 22 measures the position and speed of objects (other vehicles around the vehicle 1, road edges (boundaries between the road and other objects, for example, boundaries between pavement and soil, guardrails, curbs, etc.), pedestrians, obstacles, etc.). The radar 22 may be, for example, a millimeter-wave radar. The radar 22 transmits radio waves to the vicinity of the vehicle 1 and receives reflected waves generated when the transmitted waves are reflected by objects. The radar 22 then measures the direction and distance from the vehicle 1 to the object and the relative speed between the vehicle 1 and the object based on the transmitted waves and the received waves. The radar 22 corresponds to an example of a "periphery sensor" in the present invention. Note that instead of such radar 22, a laser radar, an ultrasonic sensor, etc. may be used to measure the distance to the object and the relative speed.

[0026] The positioning system 29 detects the position of the vehicle 1 (current vehicle position information) using a GPS system and / or a gyro system. The navigation system 30 is a navigation system that stores map information internally. The controller 10 identifies roads, intersections, traffic signals, buildings, etc. that exist around the vehicle 1 (particularly in the direction of travel) based on the map information and the current vehicle position information. The map information may be stored in the controller 10.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 2, the controller 10 is configured to receive as input image data captured by the camera 21, position and speed information of an object detected by the radar 22, position information acquired by the positioning system 29, information about roads including speed limits and the number of lanes acquired from the navigation system 30, and detection data detected by each of the sensors 23 to 28.

[0028] The controller 10 is configured by a computer having one or more processors 10a (typically a CPU), various programs interpreted and executed on the processors (including basic control programs such as an OS and application programs that are launched on the OS and realize specific functions), and memory 10b such as a ROM or RAM for storing programs and various data.

[0029] The controller 10 mainly outputs control signals to the driving force source 31, the brake 32 and the electric power steering 33 to control them based on image data of the surroundings of the vehicle 1 captured by the camera 21, position information of obstacles detected by the radar 22, position information acquired by the positioning system 29, information on the position of emergency parking lanes etc. acquired from the navigation system 30, and detection data detected by each of the sensors 23 to 28.

[0030] For example, the controller 10 controls the driving force source 31 of the vehicle 1 to adjust the driving force of the vehicle 1. For example, the controller 10 controls the engine's spark plugs, fuel injection valves, throttle valves, variable valve mechanisms, transmissions, inverters that supply power to electric motors, etc. When it is necessary to accelerate or decelerate the vehicle 1, the controller 10 sends a control signal to the driving force source 31 to adjust the driving force.

[0031] Furthermore, the controller 10 controls the driving force source 31 and the brake 32 of the vehicle 1 to perform deceleration control and attitude control of the vehicle 1. For example, the controller 10 controls the hydraulic pump and valve unit of the brake 32. When it is necessary to perform deceleration control or attitude control of the vehicle 1, the controller 10 transmits a control signal to the brake 32 to generate a braking force.

[0032] The controller 10 also controls the electric power steering 33 of the vehicle 1. For example, when the vehicle 1 needs to be steered, the controller 10 transmits a control signal to the electric power steering 33 to adjust the torque of the electric motor that applies torque (steering force) to the steering shaft.

[0033] Furthermore, the controller 10 detects an abnormal state of the driver based on image data of the driver captured by the camera 21 and signals acquired from the steering angle sensor 2, the accelerator sensor 27, and the brake sensor 28. Known methods can be used to detect an abnormal state of the driver.

[0034] <Vehicle control processing> Next, the vehicle control process executed by the vehicle control device will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. Figure 3 is a flowchart of the vehicle control process executed by the vehicle control device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating the positions of the host vehicle and other vehicles when the vehicle control device according to the embodiment of the present invention executes the vehicle control process.

[0035] The vehicle control process in Figure 3 is a process that automatically stops vehicle 1 when the emergency driver response system (EDSS) is activated by pressing the emergency button provided on vehicle 1 or detecting a driver abnormality, and is repeatedly executed by controller 10 at a predetermined interval (for example, every 0.05 to 0.2 seconds) after the power of vehicle 1 is turned on.

[0036] 3, when the vehicle control process is started, in step S1, the controller 10 acquires various information about the vehicle 1, including image data captured by the camera 21, position and speed information of objects detected by the radar 22, position information acquired by the positioning system 29, information about roads acquired from the navigation system 30, and information corresponding to detection data detected by the sensors 23 to 28. Acquisition of signals from the camera 21, radar 22, positioning system 29, navigation system 30, and sensors 23 to 28 is constantly performed in the background during the processes from step S1 onwards.

[0037] Next, in step S2, the controller 10 determines whether the EDSS is operating. For example, the controller 10 determines that the EDSS is operating when an emergency button provided on the vehicle 1 is pressed or when an abnormal state of the driver is detected based on image data of the driver captured by the camera 21 or signals acquired from the steering angle sensor 2, the accelerator sensor 27, and the brake sensor 28.

[0038] If the result of the determination in step S2 is that the EDSS is not in operation (step S2: NO), there is no need to automatically stop the vehicle 1, and so the controller 10 ends the vehicle control process.

[0039] On the other hand, if the EDSS is operating (step S2: YES), in step S3, the controller 10 determines, based on the image data acquired from the camera 21, whether or not there is an adjacent lane on the road edge side of the lane in which the vehicle 1 is currently traveling.

[0040] As a result, if there is no adjacent lane on the road edge side (step S3: NO), in step S4, the controller 10 causes the vehicle 1 to pull over to a position a predetermined distance away from the road edge and stop the vehicle 1 by known automatic driving control. Thereafter, the controller 10 ends the vehicle control process.

[0041] On the other hand, if there is an adjacent lane on the road edge side (step S3: YES), in step S5, the controller 10 calculates the estimated speed v of the other vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane. b The controller 10 calculates the average speed of other vehicles in the vicinity detected by the radar 22 during a predetermined observation time (for example, 30 seconds) as the assumed speed v b Alternatively, the controller 10 obtains the speed limit of the adjacent lane based on the position information obtained by the positioning system 29 and the road information obtained from the navigation system 30, and calculates this speed limit as the assumed speed v b Let's say.

[0042] Next, in step S6, the controller 10 calculates the minimum speed required for the vehicle 1 to safely change lanes to the adjacent lane (required minimum speed v min ) is calculated.

[0043] As shown in Figure 4, the minimum required speed v min is the maximum detection distance dr from the vehicle C1 to the radar 22 in the adjacent lane L2. max Assume the speed behind is v b When another vehicle C2 is traveling at a predetermined deceleration d (for example, 1 m / s 2 ) when the vehicle C1 slows down to the lane change speed, the other vehicle C2 is at the minimum distance fd min This is the minimum speed required when changing lanes to be at least 1.2 seconds behind the vehicle in question (e.g., 1.2 seconds in terms of the time gap).

[0044] That is, this minimum required speed v min When the host vehicle C1 changes lanes to the adjacent lane at a lower speed, the relative speed between the host vehicle C1 and the other vehicle C2 is large. max From a position further back, the assumed speed is v b When another vehicle C2 approaches the vehicle C1 and notices the lane change of the vehicle C1 and decelerates at a predetermined deceleration d, the minimum inter-vehicle distance fd min Or, the distance between the host vehicle C1 and the host vehicle C2 becomes smaller than the minimum distance fdmin In order to ensure this, the other vehicle C2 needs to rapidly decelerate at a deceleration greater than the predetermined deceleration d.

[0045] On the other hand, the required minimum speed v min When the host vehicle C1 changes lanes to the adjacent lane at the above speed, the relative speed between the host vehicle C1 and the other vehicle C2 is sufficiently small. max From a position further back, the assumed speed is v b When another vehicle C2 approaches the vehicle C1 and notices the lane change of the vehicle C1 and decelerates at a predetermined deceleration d, the minimum inter-vehicle distance fd min In other words, it is possible to avoid a sudden deceleration of the other vehicle C2 and a collision with the host vehicle C1.

[0046] The controller 10 calculates the required minimum speed v by solving the following equation: min Calculate. [Formula 1] TIFF2025180460000003.tif14170

[0047] where t d is the delay time from when the vehicle C1 starts to change lanes until the driver of the other vehicle C2 notices the lane change of the vehicle C1 and starts to decelerate, and is, for example, 1 second. Also, for example, the deceleration d=1 m / s 2 , maximum detection distance dr max =50m, minimum following distance fd min = 1.2 seconds. These values ​​and the estimated speed v of the other vehicle calculated in step S5 b By substituting into the above equation 1 and rearranging, the minimum required speed v min can be calculated.

[0048] Next, in step S7, the controller 10 determines whether the current speed v1 of the vehicle 1 is greater than or equal to a predetermined upper speed limit v max Determine whether the upper limit speed v is higher or not. max is the upper limit speed for safe travel in the current lane while the EDSS is operating, for example, 50 km / h.

[0049] As a result of this determination, the current speed v1 of vehicle 1 is equal to the upper limit speed v max If the speed is higher (step S7: YES), in step S8, the controller 10 sets the speed of the vehicle 1 to the upper limit speed v max The driving force source 31 and the brake 32 are controlled so as to decelerate the vehicle to the speed limit.

[0050] After the process of step S8, or in step S7, the current speed v1 of the vehicle 1 is set to the upper limit speed v max If the result is equal to or less than the above (step S7: NO), in step S9, the controller 10 determines whether or not another vehicle has been detected by the radar 22 behind the vehicle 1 in the adjacent lane.

[0051] As a result, if the radar 22 detects another vehicle behind the vehicle 1 in the adjacent lane (step S9: YES), in step S10, the controller 10 calculates a collision risk pc between the vehicle 1 and the other vehicle behind in the adjacent lane when the vehicle 1 changes lanes to the adjacent lane, based on the position and speed of the other vehicle behind in the adjacent lane detected by the radar 22, the speed of the vehicle 1 acquired from the vehicle speed sensor 23, and the acceleration of the vehicle 1 acquired from the acceleration sensor 24. The collision risk pc can be calculated using known evaluation indices such as the time to collision (TTC) and the margin to collision (MTC).

[0052] Next, in step S11, the controller 10 determines whether the collision risk pc calculated in step S11 is greater than or equal to a threshold p th As a result, it is determined whether the collision risk pc is equal to or less than the threshold p th If the collision risk pc is greater than the threshold value p (step S11: NO), there is a possibility of collision with another vehicle if the vehicle changes lanes to the adjacent lane. Therefore, the controller 10 returns to step S9 without changing lanes. th The controller 10 repeats the processes of steps S9 to S11 until the following occurs.

[0053] On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S11, if the collision risk pc is greater than or equal to the threshold p th If the condition is equal to or less than this (step S11: YES), the possibility of collision with another vehicle is low even if the vehicle 1 changes lanes to the adjacent lane, so in step S12, the controller 10 permits the vehicle 1 to change lanes to the adjacent lane, and in step S13, causes the vehicle 1 to change lanes to the adjacent lane by known automatic driving control (step S13). After that, the controller 10 ends the vehicle control process.

[0054] Furthermore, if the result of the determination in step S9 is that the radar 22 does not detect another vehicle behind the vehicle 1 in the adjacent lane (step S9: NO), in step S14, the controller 10 determines whether the current speed v1 of the vehicle 1 is equal to or lower than the required minimum speed v calculated in step S6. min Determine whether it is less than.

[0055] As a result, the current speed v1 of vehicle 1 is equal to the minimum required speed v calculated in step S6. min If it is equal to or greater than this (step S14: NO), the maximum detection distance dr of the radar 22 in the adjacent lane max From a position further back, the assumed speed is v b Even if there is another vehicle approaching at , if the other vehicle notices that vehicle 1 is changing lanes to the adjacent lane and decelerates at a predetermined deceleration d, it will maintain the minimum inter-vehicle distance fd min In other words, it is possible to avoid a sudden deceleration of the other vehicle and a collision with the vehicle 1. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S12, where the controller 10 permits the vehicle 1 to change lanes to the adjacent lane, and in step S13, the controller 10 causes the vehicle 1 to change lanes to the adjacent lane by known automatic driving control (step S13).

[0056] On the other hand, if vehicle 1's current speed v1 is less than its required minimum speed v min If it is less than the maximum detection distance dr of the radar 22 in the adjacent lane (step S14: YES), max From a position further back, the assumed speed is v bIf there is another vehicle approaching at , even if the other vehicle notices that vehicle 1 is changing lanes to the adjacent lane and decelerates at a predetermined deceleration d, it will still be able to maintain the minimum inter-vehicle distance fd min The other vehicle approaches the vehicle 1 to a distance smaller than the predetermined distance. In other words, there is a possibility of the other vehicle suddenly decelerating or colliding with the vehicle 1. Therefore, in step S15, the controller 10 prohibits the vehicle 1 from changing lanes to the adjacent lane, and in step S16, the controller 10 stops the vehicle 1 in the current lane by known automatic driving control. Thereafter, the controller 10 ends the vehicle control process.

[0057] [Action and effect] Next, the effects of the vehicle control device of the present embodiment will be described.

[0058] When an abnormality occurs in the driver of the vehicle, the controller calculates the minimum speed required for the vehicle to change lanes based on the expected speed of another vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane and the maximum detection distance of a periphery sensor that detects other vehicles in the vicinity, so that when another vehicle traveling at an expected speed more than the maximum detection distance behind the vehicle in the adjacent lane decelerates at a predetermined deceleration to the vehicle's lane change speed, the other vehicle will be more than the minimum inter-vehicle distance behind the vehicle, and if the vehicle's speed is less than the minimum required speed, the controller prohibits the vehicle from changing lanes to the adjacent lane.If changing lanes to the adjacent lane could result in a sudden deceleration or collision of another vehicle approaching from behind more than the maximum detection distance of the periphery sensor, the controller prohibits the lane change and can stop the vehicle in the lane in which it is currently traveling, for example.This allows the vehicle to stop more safely by avoiding a sudden deceleration or collision of the other vehicle when an abnormality occurs in the driver.

[0059] In addition, the controller calculates the minimum required speed v from the above equation [1]. min Since the required minimum speed can be calculated appropriately based on the assumed speed and deceleration of other vehicles, the maximum detection distance of the peripheral sensors, the minimum inter-vehicle distance, and the delay time, when an abnormality occurs in the driver, the vehicle can be stopped more safely by avoiding sudden deceleration or collision of other vehicles.

[0060] In addition, the controller obtains an estimated speed based on the speed of other vehicles traveling in adjacent lanes detected by surrounding sensors, thereby obtaining an estimated speed that takes into account the actual speed of other vehicles traveling in adjacent lanes, thereby enabling more appropriate calculation of the minimum required speed.

[0061] Furthermore, if changing lanes into an adjacent lane could result in a sudden deceleration or collision of another vehicle approaching from behind beyond the maximum detection distance of the surrounding sensor, the controller prohibits the vehicle from changing lanes and stops the vehicle in the lane in which it is currently traveling. This allows the vehicle to be stopped more safely by reliably avoiding a sudden deceleration or collision of another vehicle when an abnormality occurs in the driver.

[0062] In addition, if an abnormality occurs in the driver and the vehicle speed is higher than a predetermined upper speed limit, the controller will slow the vehicle speed to the upper speed limit using the vehicle's driving force source, steering device and / or braking device, allowing the vehicle to travel safely until the controller determines whether or not to change lanes and stops the vehicle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 1 vehicle 10 Controller 10a processor 10b memory 21 Camera 22 Radar 23 Vehicle speed sensor 24 Acceleration sensor 25 Yaw rate sensor 26 Steering angle sensor 27 Accelerator sensor 28 Brake sensor 29 Positioning System 30 Navigation System 31 Driving force source 32 Brake 33 Electric power steering C1 Vehicle C2 Other vehicles L1 own lane L2 adjacent lane R max Maximum Detection Range

Claims

1. A vehicle control device that causes a vehicle to pull over to the side of a road and stop when an abnormality occurs in a driver of the vehicle, a surrounding sensor that detects other vehicles in the vicinity including the rear of the vehicle; a controller configured to control a driving force source, a steering device, and / or a braking device of the vehicle so as to change lanes of the vehicle to the adjacent lane when an adjacent lane exists closer to the road edge than the lane in which the vehicle is traveling; and The controller Obtaining an estimated speed of another vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane; based on the assumed speed and the maximum detection distance of the surrounding sensor, calculate a minimum speed required for the vehicle to change lanes so that when another vehicle traveling at the assumed speed in the adjacent lane at a distance greater than the maximum detection distance behind the vehicle decelerates at a predetermined deceleration to a speed at which the vehicle will change lanes, the other vehicle will be at a minimum inter-vehicle distance behind the vehicle; prohibiting the vehicle from changing lanes into the adjacent lane if the vehicle's speed is less than the required minimum speed; It is configured as follows: Vehicle control device.

2. The controller sets the assumed speed to v b , the maximum detection distance is dr max , the predetermined deceleration is d, and the minimum inter-vehicle distance is fd min t is the delay time from when the vehicle starts to change lanes until when the other vehicle starts to decelerate. d , the required minimum speed is v min In this case, the required minimum speed v min configured to calculate The vehicle control device according to claim 1 .

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the controller is configured to obtain the assumed speed based on a speed of another vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane detected by the surrounding sensor.

4. 3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to stop the vehicle in the lane in which it is currently traveling by using a driving force source, a steering device, and / or a braking device of the vehicle when the controller prohibits the vehicle from changing lanes to the adjacent lane.

5. 3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to, when an abnormality occurs in the driver and the speed of the vehicle is higher than a predetermined upper speed limit, decelerate the speed of the vehicle to the upper speed limit by using a driving force source, a steering device, and / or a braking device of the vehicle.

Images