Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and program thereof

Abstract

The present invention provides a vehicle control device and other equipment that can improve safety while reducing the possibility of causing anxiety or discomfort to the occupants of the vehicle when a pedestrian is positioned in front of the vehicle during the execution of driver assistance control. [Solution] The vehicle control device includes a forward information acquisition device that acquires forward information regarding the situation in front of the vehicle, and a controller that performs follow-up driving control to match the distance between the vehicle and a target object located in front of the vehicle to a target distance based on the forward information. The follow-up driving control includes acceleration control to accelerate the vehicle, deceleration control to decelerate the vehicle, and constant speed control to maintain the vehicle's speed at a constant speed. If, during the execution of follow-up driving control, the forward information indicates that a pedestrian is present within the vehicle's predicted driving area, which is within the range in front of the vehicle, and the pedestrian is selected as a target object to follow, the controller does not perform acceleration control in the follow-up driving control.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a program thereof that execute driving support control for assisting a driver in driving a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] One of the conventional vehicle control devices (conventional device) calculates the degree of danger of a pedestrian when the pedestrian is present in front of the host vehicle, and suppresses the speed of the host vehicle (host vehicle speed) below a predetermined speed or reduces the host vehicle speed when the calculated degree of danger is high (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0004] However, the conventional device may accelerate the host vehicle when the degree of danger is low even though it has detected a pedestrian. Therefore, when the host vehicle rapidly approaches a pedestrian and as a result the degree of danger increases, the conventional device may decelerate the host vehicle. That is, the conventional device accelerates or decelerates the host vehicle when a pedestrian is present in front of the host vehicle. Therefore, the conventional device may give a sense of uneasiness or discomfort to the passengers of the host vehicle.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve such problems. That is, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a program thereof that can improve safety and reduce the possibility of giving a sense of uneasiness or discomfort to the passengers of the host vehicle when a pedestrian is located in front of the host vehicle during the execution of driving support control.

[0006] One aspect of the vehicle control device according to the present invention is A forward information acquisition device (20, 30) that acquires forward information regarding the situation in front of the vehicle, A controller (10) that performs driving support control including acceleration control to accelerate the vehicle and deceleration control to decelerate the vehicle (S325, S350), It is equipped with.

[0007] Even if a pedestrian is present in front of the vehicle while driver assistance control is in operation, acceleration control may be performed. As a result, the vehicle may rapidly approach the pedestrian, and then deceleration control may be performed.

[0008] Therefore, the controller, If, during the execution of the aforementioned driving assistance control, the forward information indicates that a pedestrian is located in front of the vehicle (S230, S240), the acceleration control is not performed (S330 to S340).

[0009] According to this embodiment, if a pedestrian is present in front of the vehicle while driver assistance control is being performed, acceleration control in the driver assistance control is not performed, so the vehicle does not rapidly approach the pedestrian in front of it. Therefore, when a pedestrian is present in front of the vehicle, the possibility of deceleration control being performed immediately after acceleration control is reduced. Thus, the vehicle control device according to the above embodiment can improve safety and reduce the possibility of causing anxiety or discomfort to the occupants of the vehicle.

[0010] In one embodiment of the vehicle control device according to the present invention, The aforementioned controller, As part of the aforementioned driving support control, a target located in the area in front of the vehicle and within the predicted driving area where the vehicle's movement is predicted is selected as the target target to follow (S220), and a follow driving control is performed based on the forward information to cause the vehicle to drive in such a way that it maintains a predetermined target distance from the target target to follow (S325, S350). During the execution of the follow-up driving control, if the target object being followed is a pedestrian (S230, S240), the system is configured not to perform the acceleration control that is carried out in the follow-up driving control (S330, S335, S340).

[0011] According to this embodiment, if a pedestrian appears in front of the vehicle during follow-up control and that pedestrian becomes the target object to be followed, the vehicle will not accelerate in relation to the pedestrian. Therefore, safety for the pedestrian can be improved, and since deceleration control will not occur after acceleration control, the occupants of the vehicle will not feel anxious or uncomfortable.

[0012] In one embodiment of the vehicle control device according to the present invention, The aforementioned controller, If, during the execution of the follow-up driving control, the forward information indicates that there is a high probability of collision between the vehicle and a target located in front of the vehicle (S315: Yes), the follow-up driving control is canceled (S365), and the system is configured to further execute collision avoidance control to avoid a collision between the vehicle and the pedestrian (S370).

[0013] According to this embodiment, the possibility of collision between the vehicle and a pedestrian can be reduced.

[0014] In the above description, to aid in understanding the present invention, the names and / or reference numerals used in the embodiments described later are indicated in parentheses for the components of the invention corresponding to those embodiments. However, the components of the present invention are not limited to the embodiments defined by the above names and / or reference numerals. The present invention also extends to vehicle control methods and programs thereof. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is the routine executed by the CPU of the vehicle control ECU shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This is a routine executed by the CPU of the vehicle control ECU shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] This is a routine executed by the CPU of the vehicle control ECU shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 5] This is a routine executed by the CPU of a modified example of the vehicle control ECU shown in FIG. 1.

Embodiment for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] The "vehicle control device DS (hereinafter referred to as the 'device DS')" according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the components shown in FIG. 1. The device DS is applied to the host vehicle HV. The host vehicle HV may be any of a vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine, an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, and the like.

[0017] In this specification, an "ECU" is an electronic control device including a microcomputer including a CPU (processor), a ROM, a RAM, and a writable non-volatile memory for data. The ECU is also referred to as a controller or a computer. A plurality of ECUs shown in FIG. 1 are connected to be able to exchange information with each other through a CAN (Controller Area Network). Some or all of these plurality of ECUs may be integrated into one ECU.

[0018] The vehicle control ECU 10 transmits and receives signals to and from the components shown in FIG. 1. The vehicle control ECU 10 is also referred to as a driving support ECU. The vehicle control ECU 10 is hereinafter referred to as the "DS ECU". The DS ECU executes driving support control. The driving support control includes adaptive cruise control (hereinafter referred to as "ACC"). The ACC includes an acceleration control for accelerating the host vehicle HV, a deceleration control for decelerating the host vehicle HV, and a constant speed control for maintaining the speed of the host vehicle HV at a constant speed.

[0019] The camera device 20 includes a camera 21 and an image ECU 22. The camera 21 acquires image data representing an image in front of the host vehicle HV every time a predetermined time elapses. The image ECU 22 generates camera target information based on the image data. The camera target information includes the "position and type" of a target existing in front of the host vehicle HV. The types of targets include other vehicles, motorcycles, pedestrians, etc.

[0020] The radar device 30 is a well-known device that acquires information about a target existing in front of the host vehicle HV using radio waves in the millimeter-wave band. The radar device 30 includes a radar 31 and a radar ECU 32. The radar 31 transmits millimeter waves within a predetermined detection range every time a predetermined time elapses, and receives the millimeter waves reflected by the target. The radar ECU 32 acquires radar target information based on the information about the millimeter waves transmitted and received by the radar 31. The radar target information includes the distance to the target, the azimuth of the target, the relative speed of the target, etc.

[0021] The DSECU generates final target information (i.e., fusion target information) by integrating the camera target information and the radar target information. Therefore, the camera device 20 and the radar device 30 constitute an object information acquisition device that acquires front information regarding the situation (objects and road signs, etc.) in front of the host vehicle. The fusion target information is also referred to as front information.

[0022] The power train ECU 40 adjusts the driving force generated by the driving device (internal combustion engine, electric motor, etc.) of the host vehicle HV and controls the acceleration of the host vehicle HV by driving the power train actuator 41 according to an instruction from the DSECU or an operation of the accelerator pedal by the driver.

[0023] The brake ECU 50 adjusts the braking force generated by the braking device of the host vehicle HV and controls the deceleration (negative acceleration) of the host vehicle HV by driving the brake actuator 51 according to an instruction from the DSECU or an operation of the brake pedal by the driver.

[0024] The display ECU 60 displays a predetermined information on the display 61 in response to instructions from the DSECU.

[0025] The driver monitoring device (driver monitor) 70 is a device that acquires driver information, which is information representing the state of the driver of the vehicle HV (i.e., the driver's state of the vehicle). The driver information includes the direction of the driver's gaze and the direction the driver's face is facing. The driver monitoring device 70 includes a driver monitor camera 71 and a driver monitor ECU 72, and is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-87029 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 2013-152700.

[0026] The driver monitor camera 71 captures the face of the driver of the vehicle HV at predetermined intervals and generates face image data. The driver monitor ECU 72 acquires the above driver information based on the face image data transmitted from the driver monitor camera 71 and transmits it to the vehicle control ECU 10.

[0027] DSECU receives the detected or output values ​​of the following "sensors and switches". • An accelerator pedal operation amount sensor 81 detects the amount of accelerator pedal operation AP of the vehicle's hybrid vehicle. • Brake pedal operation amount sensor 82 detects the brake pedal operation amount BP of the vehicle HV. • A vehicle speed sensor 83 that detects the speed of the vehicle HV (i.e., the vehicle speed Vh). • Steering angle sensor 84 that detects the steering angle Sa of the vehicle HV. • An ACC switch 85 is an operating switch for giving instructions to the ACC. The ACC switch 85 includes an on switch, a cancel switch, and a resume switch, etc.

[0028] (Summary of operation) The DS system executes ACC as a driver assistance control. ACC includes the well-known "follow-me driving control and constant speed driving control." Follow-me driving control is also called follow-vehicle distance control. Follow-me driving control includes automatic start control.

[0029] Follow-up driving control is a control system that maintains a predetermined target distance between the vehicle and a target object that is located directly in front of the vehicle within the vehicle's predicted driving range. Therefore, in follow-up driving control, the vehicle is accelerated, decelerated, or driven at a constant speed in response to changes in the speed of the target object. In other words, follow-up driving control includes acceleration control, deceleration control, and constant speed control. The target object is often another vehicle. However, in some cases, pedestrians, including runners, may be selected as the target object.

[0030] Automatic start control is a control system that, while following control is in operation, starts the vehicle when the target object to be followed stops, the vehicle stops behind it, and then the target object starts moving again. Therefore, acceleration control is performed in automatic start control, and the vehicle is accelerated.

[0031] Constant speed control is a control system designed to maintain the vehicle's speed at a predetermined target speed. Therefore, in constant speed control, for example, the vehicle may be accelerated, decelerated, or maintained at a constant speed depending on the road gradient. In other words, constant speed control includes acceleration control, deceleration control, and constant speed control.

[0032] Incidentally, when your vehicle is traveling at an extremely low speed using follow-me control or constant-speed control, a runner may appear in front of your vehicle. If that runner is selected as a target to follow, and the runner's speed is higher than your vehicle's speed, your vehicle may be accelerated by the follow-me control. As a result, your vehicle and the runner will come into close proximity, which may trigger deceleration control.

[0033] Therefore, the DS device determines, based on fusion target information, whether or not a pedestrian is present in the predicted driving trajectory of the vehicle and its vicinity. The predicted driving trajectory of the vehicle and its vicinity are hereinafter referred to as the "predicted driving area." If a pedestrian is present in the predicted driving area and that pedestrian is selected as a target to follow, the DS device prohibits the vehicle from accelerating during the execution of follow-up driving control. That is, if the DS device determines that a pedestrian is present in the predicted driving area in front of the vehicle during the execution of follow-up driving control, it prohibits the acceleration control required for follow-up driving control and allows the constant speed control and deceleration control required for follow-up driving control, thereby suppressing the acceleration of the vehicle. Consequently, since the vehicle is not accelerated toward the pedestrian located in front, the situation in which the vehicle is accelerated toward the pedestrian and then decelerated does not occur. Thus, the DS device can reduce the possibility of causing anxiety or discomfort to the driver during the execution of follow-up driving control as a driver assistance control.

[0034] (Specific operation) The DSECU CPU executes the routines shown in Figures 2 to 4 at predetermined time intervals (operation cycles) dt. In the following, "step" will be denoted as "S".

[0035] <Setting the acceleration suppression flag> At a predetermined timing, the CPU proceeds from S200 to S210 in Figure 2 to determine whether the conditions for ACC execution are met at that moment. The conditions for ACC execution are, for example, when the vehicle speed Vh is less than or equal to the high-speed threshold VHth (for example, 120 km / h), the brake pedal operation amount BP is "0", and the ON switch of the ACC switch 85 is in the ON state.

[0036] If the conditions for ACC execution are met, the CPU proceeds from S210 to S220. In S220, the CPU selects a target to follow based on the fusion target information. The target to follow is the target closest to the vehicle among the targets existing within the vehicle's predicted driving range. The target to follow is, for example, a single "other vehicle, motorcycle, or pedestrian." The predicted driving range is the area in front of the vehicle, and its centerline is the line through which the center of the front end of the vehicle passes. The CPU obtains the centerline of the predicted driving range based on the vehicle's current steering angle Sa. The left lane marking of the predicted driving range is the line through which a point shifted a predetermined distance (e.g., 30 cm) to the left of the vehicle's left front end passes. The right lane marking of the predicted driving range is the line through which a point shifted a predetermined distance (e.g., 30 cm) to the right of the vehicle's right front end passes. The area between this left lane marking and the right lane marking is the predicted driving range. The length of the centerline of the predicted driving area is, for example, about 200m.

[0037] Next, the CPU proceeds to S230, where it determines, based on the fusion target information, whether a target exists and whether that target is a pedestrian. If a target exists and that target is a pedestrian, the CPU proceeds from S230 to S240. In S240, the CPU sets the value of the acceleration suppression flag XS to "1". After that, the CPU proceeds to S295 and provisionally terminates this routine.

[0038] In contrast, if there is no object to follow, or if there is an object to follow but it is not a pedestrian, the CPU proceeds from S230 to S250. In S250, the CPU sets the value of the acceleration suppression flag XS to "0". After that, the CPU proceeds to S295. If the ACC execution conditions are not met, the CPU proceeds from S210 to S250 and then to S295.

[0039] <acc> At a predetermined time, the CPU proceeds from S300 to S305 in Figure 3 to determine whether the conditions for ACC execution are met at that moment. If the conditions for ACC execution are met, the CPU proceeds to S310. In S310, the CPU determines whether the vehicle speed Vh is greater than "0". That is, the CPU determines whether the vehicle is in motion.

[0040] If the vehicle speed Vh is greater than "0", the CPU proceeds to S315 to determine whether the collision avoidance condition is met. That is, the CPU determines whether the fusion target information (i.e., forward information) indicates that "there is a high probability of collision between the vehicle and an object located in front of the vehicle." This object includes pedestrians. More specifically, the CPU calculates the time until the vehicle reaches an object within the vehicle's predicted driving range (i.e., collision prediction time) TTC by dividing the distance between the vehicle and the object by the relative velocity of the object. The CPU then determines whether the collision prediction time TTC is less than or equal to the threshold time TTCth.

[0041] If the collision prediction time is greater than the threshold time TTCth, the CPU determines that the collision avoidance condition is not met and proceeds to S320. In S320, the CPU determines whether or not a target object to be followed exists.

[0042] If a target object to be followed exists, the CPU proceeds to S325. In S325, the CPU calculates the "target acceleration Gtgt of the vehicle HV" according to the following equations 1 and 2, so that the distance Dint between the target object and the vehicle matches a predetermined target distance Dtgt. The target distance Dtgt is equal to the product of the vehicle speed Vh and a predetermined interval time Tint when the vehicle speed Vh is greater than or equal to the low speed threshold VLth. When the vehicle speed Vh is less than the low speed threshold VLth, the target distance Dtgt is set to a value that decreases as the vehicle speed Vh decreases. In equation 2, Vrelative is the relative speed of the target object to the vehicle. This relative speed Vrelative takes a positive value when the target object is moving away from the vehicle. K1 and K2 are predetermined positive gains (coefficients). After that, the CPU proceeds to S330. Distance deviation ΔD = Actual distance Dint - Target distance Dtgt …(1) Target acceleration Gtgt=K1·ΔD + K2·Vrelative …(2)

[0043] In S330, the CPU determines whether the value of the acceleration suppression flag XS is "1". As mentioned above, the value of the acceleration suppression flag XS is set to "1" if a target object exists and that target object is determined to be a pedestrian.

[0044] If the value of the acceleration suppression flag XS is "1", the CPU proceeds to S335 and determines whether the target acceleration Gtgt calculated in S325 is greater than "0". In other words, the CPU determines whether the target acceleration Gtgt is a value necessary to accelerate the vehicle.

[0045] If the target acceleration Gtgt is greater than "0", the CPU proceeds to S340 and sets the target acceleration Gtgt to "0". As a result, acceleration of the vehicle is suppressed (prohibited) in S350, which will be described later. The CPU then proceeds to S350. On the other hand, if the target acceleration Gtgt is "0" or less, the CPU proceeds directly from S335 to S350. Through these processes, if a target object exists and it is determined that the target object is a pedestrian, acceleration control in the follow-up driving control is disabled, and constant speed control and deceleration control in the follow-up driving control are permitted. Therefore, the vehicle will not accelerate toward the pedestrian selected as the target object, and consequently, the vehicle will not accelerate toward the pedestrian and then decelerate.

[0046] If the CPU proceeds to S330, and the value of the acceleration suppression flag XS is not "1", the CPU proceeds directly from S330 to S350.

[0047] On the other hand, if there is no target to follow when the CPU proceeds to S320, the CPU proceeds from S320 to S345. In S345, the CPU calculates the "target acceleration Gtgt of the vehicle HV" in accordance with a well-known method in order to match the vehicle speed Vh to a predetermined target speed Vtgt. For example, when the vehicle speed Vh is lower than the target speed Vtgt, the target acceleration Gtgt is set to a positive predetermined value GP. When the vehicle speed Vh is higher than the target speed Vtgt, the target acceleration Gtgt is set to a negative predetermined value GM. When the vehicle speed Vh matches the target speed Vtgt, the target acceleration Gtgt is set to "0". After that, the CPU proceeds to S350.

[0048] In S350, the CPU controls the vehicle's acceleration by sending instructions to the powertrain ECU40 and brake ECU50 so that the actual vehicle acceleration Gact matches the target acceleration Gtgt. The CPU calculates the actual vehicle acceleration Gact from the change in vehicle speed Vh per unit time. After that, the CPU proceeds to S395 and provisionally terminates this routine.

[0049] Furthermore, if the CPU determines "No" in S305, or if it determines "No" in S310, the CPU proceeds directly to S395 from the step where it determined "No".

[0050] In addition, if the CPU proceeds to S315 and the collision prediction time TTC is less than or equal to the threshold time TTCth, and therefore the collision avoidance condition is met, the CPU proceeds from S315 to S365 and terminates ACC. Next, the CPU proceeds to S370 and sends instructions to the powertrain ECU 40 and brake ECU 50 to execute the well-known automatic brake control (collision damage mitigation brake) as collision avoidance control. That is, the CPU stops the vehicle so that it does not collide with an object (including pedestrians) that is within the predicted driving area. After that, the CPU proceeds to S395.

[0051] Furthermore, in S370, the CPU may perform automatic steering control as collision avoidance control, which automatically changes the steering angle of the vehicle to prevent a collision between the vehicle and an object (including a pedestrian). In addition, in S370, the CPU may perform warning control as collision avoidance control by sending an instruction to the display ECU 60. That is, the CPU may perform at least one of the following: display control, which displays a message on the display to inform the driver of the vehicle of the presence of a pedestrian, and warning sound generation control, which generates a warning sound from a speaker (not shown). Warning control may be performed in addition to or independently of automatic braking control and / or automatic steering control.

[0052] <Automatic Start Control> At a predetermined time, the CPU proceeds from S400 to S410 in Figure 4 to determine whether the conditions for ACC execution are met at that moment. If the conditions for ACC execution are met, the CPU proceeds to S420. In S420, the CPU determines whether the vehicle speed Vh is "0". That is, the CPU determines whether the vehicle remains stationary.

[0053] If the vehicle speed Vh is "0", the CPU proceeds from S420 to S430 to determine whether the automatic start condition is met at that moment. For example, if the target vehicle to be followed is another vehicle and that vehicle stops, the vehicle will stop behind the other vehicle. After that, when the other vehicle starts moving, the distance between the vehicle and the other vehicle will be greater than a predetermined distance or more than the "distance between the vehicle and the other vehicle at the time the vehicle stopped". In this way, when the "distance between the vehicle and the target vehicle to be followed" becomes greater than the "sum of the distance between the vehicle and the target vehicle at the time the vehicle stopped and the predetermined distance", the automatic start condition is met if at least one of the first to third conditions described below is met.

[0054] (Condition 1) The current time is within the specified time from the time the vehicle came to a stop. (Second condition) The driver information acquired by the driver monitoring device 70 indicates that the driver is keeping their eyes on the road ahead. (Condition 3) The driver operated the ACC switch 85, and as a result, the resume switch changed from the off state to the on state.

[0055] If the automatic start conditions are met, the CPU proceeds from S430 to S440. In S440, the CPU determines whether the value of the acceleration suppression flag XS is "1".

[0056] If the value of the acceleration suppression flag XS is "1", the CPU proceeds to S450 and maintains the vehicle in a stopped state. That is, acceleration control is prohibited, and the vehicle does not accelerate (start). After that, the CPU proceeds to S495 and provisionally terminates this routine.

[0057] In contrast, if the value of the acceleration suppression flag XS is not "1", the CPU proceeds from S440 to S460 and calculates the target acceleration GtgtS at startup. For example, the CPU sets the target acceleration GtgtS at startup to a positive constant value. Next, the CPU proceeds to S470 and sends instructions to the powertrain ECU40 and brake ECU50 to control the acceleration of the vehicle so that the actual acceleration Gact of the vehicle matches the target acceleration GtgtS at startup. Thus, the vehicle is accelerated (started). After that, the CPU proceeds to S495 and provisionally terminates this routine.

[0058] If the CPU determines in S430 that the conditions for automatic starting are not met, it proceeds directly from S430 to S450. As a result, the vehicle remains stationary. Furthermore, if the conditions for ACC execution are not met at this point, the CPU proceeds directly from S410 to S495. If the vehicle speed Vh is not "0", the CPU proceeds directly from S420 to S495.

[0059] As explained above, when the DS device is performing follow-up driving control as a driver assistance control, if a pedestrian is present in the predicted driving area in front of the vehicle (i.e., if the pedestrian is selected as the target object to follow), it will not perform acceleration control. Therefore, the situation in which the vehicle is accelerated to approach the pedestrian will not occur. As a result, the possibility of the vehicle being accelerated towards the pedestrian and then decelerating as it approaches the pedestrian is reduced during the execution of follow-up driving control.

[0060] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be adopted within the scope of the present invention. For example, the CPU may execute the routine shown by the flowchart in Figure 5 instead of the routine in Figure 3. The routine shown in Figure 5 is the routine shown in Figure 3 with S510 and S520 added.

[0061] More specifically, the CPU proceeds to S510 if it determines "No" in S330, if it determines "No" in S335, or if it executes the process in S340.

[0062] In S510, the CPU determines whether the target object being followed is a pedestrian and whether the vehicle is approaching that pedestrian. That is, when a pedestrian is selected as the target object being followed, the CPU determines whether the distance between the pedestrian and the vehicle is decreasing. If the vehicle is approaching the pedestrian, which is the target object being followed, the CPU proceeds to S520. In S520, the CPU sets the target acceleration Gtgt to the smaller of a predetermined negative value, Genegative, and the target acceleration Gtgt currently calculated. Min(a,b) represents a function that selects the smaller value from variables a and b. After that, the CPU proceeds to S350. In contrast, if the vehicle is not approaching the pedestrian selected as the target object being followed, the CPU proceeds directly from S510 to S350.

[0063] The target acceleration Gtgt calculated in S325 can take a positive value even when the vehicle speed Vh is higher than the speed of the pedestrian being followed (i.e., the relative speed Vrelative is negative), if the distance between the pedestrian being followed and the vehicle is considerably large (i.e., the distance deviation ΔD is considerably large). In this case, although the target acceleration Gtgt is set to "0" by the processing in S330 to S340, the vehicle approaches the pedestrian because the vehicle speed Vh is higher than the speed of the pedestrian being followed. Even in such a case, the target acceleration Gtgt is always a negative value due to the processing in S510 and S520, so the vehicle HV is always decelerated. Therefore, with this modification, the vehicle does not approach the pedestrian being followed, thus further improving safety.

[0064] Furthermore, the present invention is applicable to vehicles in autonomous driving mode, or to autonomous vehicles in a state where the driving mode has transitioned from autonomous driving to manual driving by a driver. Moreover, the forward information acquisition device may consist only of a camera device 20. The forward information acquisition device may also include a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) system.

[0065] In addition, the DSECU may determine, based on the image data acquired by the camera 21, whether the traffic light in front of the vehicle has changed from red to green, and if the traffic light has changed from red to green, it may determine that the conditions for automatic starting have been met and perform acceleration control. In this case as well, if a pedestrian is present within the predicted driving area in front of the vehicle, the DSECU will prohibit the acceleration control. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 10...Vehicle control ECU, 20...Camera system, 30...Radar system, 40...Powertrain ECU, 50...Brake ECU.< / acc>

Claims

1. A forward information acquisition device that acquires forward information regarding the situation in front of the vehicle, A controller that performs driving assistance control including acceleration control to accelerate the vehicle and deceleration control to decelerate the vehicle, In a vehicle control device equipped with, The aforementioned controller, If, during the execution of the aforementioned driving assistance control, the forward information indicates that a pedestrian is located within the area in front of the vehicle, the acceleration control is configured not to be performed. Vehicle control device.

2. In the vehicle control device according to claim 1, The aforementioned controller, As part of the aforementioned driving assistance control, a target located in the area in front of the vehicle and within the predicted driving area where the vehicle's movement is predicted is selected as the target target to follow, and a follow driving control is performed based on the forward information, causing the vehicle to drive in such a way that it maintains a predetermined target distance from the target target. During the execution of the aforementioned follow-up driving control, if the target object being followed is a pedestrian, the system is configured not to perform the acceleration control that is carried out in the aforementioned follow-up driving control. Vehicle control device.

3. In the vehicle control device according to claim 2, The aforementioned controller, If, during the execution of the follow-up driving control, the forward information indicates a high probability of collision between the vehicle and a target located in front of the vehicle, the follow-up driving control is canceled, and further, collision avoidance control is performed to avoid a collision between the vehicle and the pedestrian. Vehicle control device.

4. A vehicle control method for performing driving assistance control, which includes acceleration control to accelerate the vehicle, deceleration control to decelerate the vehicle, and constant speed control to maintain the vehicle's speed at a constant speed, The steps include: acquiring forward information regarding the situation in front of the vehicle while the aforementioned driving assistance control is being executed; If the forward information indicates that a pedestrian is located in front of the vehicle, the driver assistance control is continued while the acceleration control is not performed. A vehicle control method including the following.

5. A program to be executed by the computer installed in the vehicle, The program is sent to the computer, The steps include: executing driving assistance control including acceleration control to accelerate the vehicle, deceleration control to decelerate the vehicle, and constant speed control to maintain the vehicle's speed at a constant speed; The steps include: acquiring forward information regarding the situation in front of the vehicle while the aforementioned driving assistance control is being executed; If the forward information indicates that a pedestrian is located in front of the vehicle, the driver assistance control is continued while the acceleration control is not performed. To execute program.

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