Vehicle control system

Abstract

The present invention provides a vehicle control device that can reduce the likelihood of increased collision risk caused by insufficient deceleration of a vehicle when surrounding vehicles are likely to exhibit sudden behavior. [Solution] The vehicle control device performs deceleration control to automatically slow down the vehicle in relation to an object in the direction of travel. The vehicle control device performs deceleration control so that the start timing of the deceleration control and the deceleration-related values ​​that change due to the deceleration control satisfy the limiting conditions. Furthermore, if the specific condition is met that a traffic jam or a traffic jam-causing event occurs within a predetermined distance from the vehicle in the direction of travel, the vehicle control device relaxes the limiting conditions more than when the specific condition is not met.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device configured to execute deceleration control for automatically decelerating a vehicle with respect to an object existing in the traveling direction of the vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a vehicle control device configured to execute deceleration control for automatically decelerating a vehicle with respect to an object existing in the traveling direction of the vehicle is known. For example, a vehicle control device described in Patent Document 1 (hereinafter referred to as the "conventional device") executes deceleration control when recognizing the last vehicle in a traffic jam.

[0003] Specifically, when the conventional device recognizes the last vehicle in a traffic jam based on traffic jam information received from outside the vehicle, it executes deceleration control even when the autonomous sensor mounted on the vehicle does not recognize the last vehicle in the traffic jam.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0005] Restriction conditions for deceleration control are set to improve the riding comfort of the vehicle occupants. The deceleration control is executed so as to satisfy the restriction conditions. The restriction conditions are conditions related to the start timing of the deceleration control and deceleration-related values (deceleration and jerk of the deceleration) that change by the deceleration control.

[0006] When a traffic jam or an event that causes a traffic jam occurs in the traveling direction of the vehicle, the possibility that surrounding vehicles around the vehicle perform sudden behaviors increases. The sudden behaviors of surrounding vehicles are, for example, sudden deceleration of the preceding vehicle and sudden intrusion of an adjacent vehicle.

[0007] If deceleration control that meets the above limitations is executed when a sudden movement occurs in a surrounding vehicle, the risk of collision may increase because the vehicle will not decelerate sufficiently.

[0008] This invention was made to address the aforementioned problems. Specifically, one of the objectives of this invention is to provide a vehicle control device that can reduce the possibility of increased collision risk due to insufficient deceleration of a vehicle when the likelihood of surrounding vehicles performing sudden actions increases.

[0009] The vehicle control device of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "the present invention device") is configured to perform deceleration control to automatically decelerate the vehicle in relation to an object in the direction of travel of the vehicle (steps 400 to 495). The aforementioned vehicle control device is The deceleration control is executed (steps 415, 425 to 445, 460 to 490) such that the start timing of the deceleration control and the deceleration-related values ​​that change as a result of the deceleration control satisfy the limit conditions. If the specific condition is met that a traffic jam or a traffic jam-causing event occurring in the direction of travel is occurring within a predetermined distance from the vehicle (Step 325 "Yes", Step 345 "Yes", Step 355 "Yes", Step 365 "Yes", Step 370 "Yes"), the restriction conditions are relaxed (Step 330, Step 335) to the extent that the specific condition is not met (Step 375, Step 380).

[0010] When certain conditions are met, the limiting conditions are relaxed compared to when those conditions are not met. Therefore, even if surrounding vehicles behave suddenly, the likelihood of the deceleration control sufficiently slowing down the vehicle VA is increased. This reduces the likelihood of a collision between the vehicle and surrounding vehicles when surrounding vehicles behave suddenly. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1]This is a schematic system configuration diagram of a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of operation of a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a flowchart of the specific condition determination routine executed by the CPU of the ECU. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is a flowchart of the deceleration control routine executed by the CPU of the ECU. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] An embodiment of the present invention, the driver assistance device 10 (hereinafter referred to as "the device 10"), is applied to a vehicle VA and comprises the components shown in Figure 1. In this specification, "ECU 20" is an electronic control device that mainly comprises a microcomputer. The ECU 20 is also referred to as a control unit, controller, and computer. The microcomputer includes a CPU (processor), ROM, RAM, and interface (I / F), etc. The functions realized by the ECU 20 may be realized by multiple ECUs.

[0013] The front camera 22 acquires image data by capturing the scenery in front of the vehicle VA. The millimeter-wave radar 24 receives reflected waves from millimeter waves transmitted in front of the vehicle VA that are reflected by an object, and acquires radar data. The radar data contains data on the position of the object relative to the vehicle VA and the relative velocity of the object relative to the vehicle VA. The ECU 20 acquires image data from the front camera 22 and radar data from the millimeter-wave radar 24. Based on the image data and radar data, the ECU 20 recognizes the object in front of the vehicle VA.

[0014] The traffic data receiver 26 receives traffic data. The traffic data includes data on the locations where congestion occurs and the locations where "congestion-causing events that cause congestion" occur. For example, congestion-causing events include accidents and "lane closures due to construction, etc." For example, the traffic data is VICS (registered trademark) data.

[0015] The GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 28 receives signals from multiple satellites and determines the vehicle VA's current position (latitude and longitude) based on the received signals. The ECU 20 acquires traffic data from the traffic data receiver 26 and obtains the vehicle VA's current position from the GNSS receiver 28.

[0016] The vehicle speed sensor 30 measures the vehicle speed Vs, which represents the speed of the vehicle VA. The acceleration sensor 32 measures the acceleration G in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle VA. When the vehicle VA decelerates, the acceleration G is a negative value. The deceleration Gd of the vehicle VA is a negative acceleration G. The deceleration Gd is expressed as a positive value, and the larger the deceleration Gd, the stronger the deceleration of the vehicle VA. The vehicle speed sensor 30 measures the vehicle speed Vs, which represents the speed of the vehicle VA. The storage device 34 has a map data storage unit 34a. The map data storage unit 42a stores map data related to the road speed limit Vlmt.

[0017] The powertrain actuator 40 modifies the driving force generated by the vehicle VA's drive system (e.g., internal combustion engine and / or electric motor). The brake actuator 42 modifies the braking force applied to the vehicle VA.

[0018] <Deceleration Control> The ECU 20 of this device 10 performs deceleration control to automatically decelerate the vehicle VA with respect to an object in the direction of travel of the vehicle VA. In this deceleration control, braking force is automatically applied to the vehicle VA without the driver's operation of the brake pedal (not shown). The ECU 20 performs deceleration control so that the start timing of the deceleration control and the deceleration-related values ​​that change with the deceleration of the vehicle VA satisfy the limiting conditions. The deceleration-related values ​​are the deceleration Gd and jerk J of the vehicle VA. The jerk J is the time derivative of the deceleration Gd (i.e., the slope of the deceleration Gd).

[0019] When the TTC (Time To Collision) of an object existing in the traveling direction of the vehicle VA becomes less than or equal to a threshold time, the ECU 20 determines that the start timing has arrived and starts deceleration control. The TTC represents the time until the vehicle VA collides with the object. The ECU 20 executes deceleration control so that the deceleration Gd and the jerk J do not exceed the upper limit deceleration Glmt and the upper limit jerk Jlmt, respectively. The upper limit deceleration Glmt is the upper limit value of the deceleration Gd in deceleration control, and the upper limit jerk Jlmt is the upper limit value of the jerk J in deceleration control.

[0020] (Outline of operation) The ECU 20 determines whether or not a specific condition that a traffic jam or a traffic jam factor event is occurring within a range of a predetermined threshold distance Dth from the vehicle VA in the traveling direction of the vehicle VA is satisfied.

[0021] When the specific condition is satisfied, the ECU 20 relaxes the restriction conditions more than when the specific condition is not satisfied. Specifically, when the specific condition is satisfied, the ECU 20 advances the start timing of the deceleration control earlier than when the specific condition is not satisfied. When the specific condition is satisfied, the ECU 20 increases the upper limit deceleration Glmt and the upper limit jerk Jlmt more than when the specific condition is not satisfied.

[0022] When the specific condition is satisfied, there is a higher possibility that a traffic jam has occurred in the traveling direction of the vehicle VA than when the specific condition is not satisfied. When a traffic jam has occurred, there is a higher possibility that surrounding vehicles will perform sudden behaviors. According to the present embodiment, when the specific condition is satisfied, the restriction conditions are relaxed more than when the specific condition is not satisfied. Therefore, even if a surrounding vehicle performs a sudden behavior, it is possible to increase the possibility that the deceleration control can sufficiently decelerate the vehicle VA. As a result, when a surrounding vehicle performs a sudden behavior, the possibility that the collision risk between the surrounding vehicle and the vehicle VA increases is reduced. When the specific condition is not satisfied, the deceleration control is executed so as to satisfy the normal restriction conditions. Therefore, when the specific condition is not satisfied, the riding comfort of the passengers in the vehicle VA can be improved.

[0023] In this embodiment, the ECU 20 is configured to be capable of executing ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) deceleration control and PCS (PreCrash Safety) deceleration control. In ACC, within a range where the vehicle speed Vs does not exceed the set vehicle speed Vset, the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle VA are automatically controlled so as to maintain a constant inter-vehicle distance or inter-vehicle time between the preceding vehicle PV and the vehicle VA.

[0024] When the TTC of an object in the traveling direction of the vehicle VA becomes equal to or less than the threshold time Tacc while ACC is being executed, the ECU 20 determines that the start timing of the limitation condition of the ACC deceleration control has arrived and starts the ACC deceleration control. The ACC deceleration control is executed such that the deceleration Gd does not become greater than the upper limit deceleration Gacc and the jerk J does not become greater than the upper limit jerk Jacc.

[0025] When a specific condition is not satisfied, the ECU 20 sets the threshold time Tacc, the upper limit deceleration Gacc, and the upper limit jerk Jacc to the normal threshold time Tnoacc, the normal upper limit deceleration Gnoacc, and the normal upper limit jerk Jnoacc, respectively. On the other hand, when the specific condition is satisfied, the ECU 20 sets the threshold time Tacc, the upper limit deceleration Gacc, and the upper limit jerk Jacc to the traffic jam threshold time Ttjacc, the traffic jam upper limit deceleration Gtjacc, and the traffic jam upper limit jerk Jtjacc, respectively. The traffic jam threshold time Ttjacc, the traffic jam upper limit deceleration Gtjacc, and the traffic jam upper limit jerk Jtjacc are each greater than the normal threshold time Tnoacc, the normal upper limit deceleration Gnoacc, and the normal upper limit jerk Jnoacc.

[0026] When the TTC is equal to or less than a threshold time Tpcs which is set to a value smaller than the threshold time Tacc, the ECU 20 determines that the start timing of the limitation condition of the PCS deceleration control has arrived and starts the PCS deceleration control. The PCS deceleration control is executed such that the deceleration Gd does not become greater than the upper limit deceleration Gpcs and the jerk J does not become greater than the upper limit jerk Jpcs.

[0027] If the specific conditions are not met, the ECU20 sets the threshold time Tpcs, upper deceleration limit Gpcs, and upper jerk limit Jpcs to the normal threshold time Tnopcs, normal upper deceleration limit Gnopcs, and normal upper jerk limit Jnopcs, respectively. On the other hand, if the specific conditions are met, the ECU20 sets the threshold time Tpcs, upper deceleration limit Gpcs, and upper jerk limit Jpcs to the congestion threshold time Ttjpcs, congestion upper deceleration limit Gtjpcs, and congestion upper jerk limit Jtjpcs, respectively. The congestion threshold time Ttjpcs, congestion upper deceleration limit Gtjpcs, and congestion upper jerk limit Jtjpcs are greater than the normal threshold time Ttjpcs, normal upper deceleration limit Gtjpcs, and normal upper jerk limit Jtjpcs, respectively.

[0028] Furthermore, the threshold time Tpcs is smaller than the threshold time Tacc, while the upper deceleration limit Gpcs and upper jerk limit Jpcs are larger than the upper deceleration limit Gacc and upper jerk limit Jacc, respectively. For this reason, PCS deceleration control starts later than ACC deceleration control, and the vehicle VA deceleration is stronger than with ACC deceleration control.

[0029] An example of the operation of this device 10 will be explained with reference to Figure 2. Based on traffic data, ECU20 determines that an accident has occurred in the direction of travel of vehicle VA. The accident is a traffic congestion contributing event. ECU20 obtains the distance D between the accident location and the vehicle VA's current location and determines whether distance D is less than or equal to the threshold distance Dth. If distance D is less than or equal to the threshold distance Dth, ECU20 determines that a specific condition has been met and relaxes the restriction conditions.

[0030] In the example shown in Figure 2, after the restriction conditions are relaxed, the adjacent vehicle AV1 cuts in front of the preceding vehicle PV to avoid the accident site, causing the preceding vehicle PV to decelerate rapidly. In this case, the TTC of the preceding vehicle PV decreases, and the TTC of the preceding vehicle PV becomes less than or equal to the congestion threshold time Ttjacc. In this case, the ECU20 starts ACC deceleration control. This ACC deceleration control is performed so that the deceleration Gd and jerk J do not exceed the congestion upper limit deceleration Gtjacc and congestion upper limit jerk Jtacc, respectively.

[0031] Furthermore, if an adjacent vehicle AV2 cuts in front of vehicle VA, the TTC (Time To Collision) of the adjacent vehicle AV2 decreases, and the TTC of the adjacent vehicle AV2 becomes less than or equal to the congestion threshold time Ttjpcs. In this case, the ECU20 starts PCS deceleration control. This PCS deceleration control is performed so that the deceleration Gd and jerk J do not exceed the congestion upper limit deceleration Gtjpcs and congestion upper limit jerk Jtpcs, respectively.

[0032] (Specific operation) The CPU of ECU20 executes the routines shown in the flowcharts in Figures 3 and 4 at predetermined intervals.

[0033] <Specific Condition Determination Routine> When an appropriate time arrives, the CPU starts processing from step 300 in Figure 3 and executes steps 305 to 315. Step 305: The CPU obtains the current position of the vehicle VA from the GNSS receiver 28. Step 310: The CPU acquires traffic data from the traffic data receiver 26. Step 315: Based on traffic data, the CPU determines whether an accident, lane closure, or congestion has occurred within a predetermined range from the vehicle VA's current location. For example, the CPU determines whether an accident, lane closure, or congestion has occurred within a predetermined distance (longer than the threshold distance Dth described later) in the direction of travel of the vehicle VA in its own lane, or in an adjacent lane that is adjacent to the vehicle's lane and is permitted to travel in the same direction as the vehicle's lane.

[0034] If an accident, lane closure, or traffic congestion occurs, the CPU determines "Yes" in step 315 and executes steps 320 and 325.

[0035] Step 320: The CPU obtains the distance D between the event location and the vehicle VA's current location. The event location is the location where an accident, lane closure, or traffic congestion is occurring. The CPU obtains the event location based on traffic data. Step 325: The CPU determines whether distance D is less than or equal to the threshold distance Dth.

[0036] If distance D is less than or equal to the threshold distance Dth (step 325 "Yes"), the CPU determines that a specific condition has been met. The CPU then executes steps 330 and 335.

[0037] Step 330: The CPU sets the threshold time Tacc, upper deceleration Gacc, and upper jerk Jacc to the congestion threshold time Ttjacc, congestion upper deceleration Gtjacc, and congestion upper jerk Jtjacc, respectively. Step 335: The CPU sets the threshold time Tpcs, upper deceleration limit Gpcs, and upper jerk limit Jpcs to congestion threshold time Ttjpcs, congestion upper deceleration limit Gtjpcs, and congestion upper jerk limit Jtjpcs, respectively. The process then proceeds to step 395, and the CPU terminates this routine.

[0038] If no accidents, lane closures, or traffic congestion have occurred (step 315 "No"), and if distance D is greater than threshold distance Dth (step 325 "No"), the CPU executes steps 340 and 345.

[0039] Step 340: The CPU obtains the vehicle speed Vs. Step 345: The CPU determines whether the vehicle speed Vs is less than or equal to the threshold vehicle speed Vtj. The threshold vehicle speed Vtj is set to a vehicle speed at which congestion is estimated to occur. For example, the threshold vehicle speed Vtj is set to "20 km / h".

[0040] If the vehicle speed Vs is less than or equal to the threshold vehicle speed Vtj (step 345 "Yes"), the CPU determines that a traffic jam has occurred and that a specific condition has been met. The process proceeds to step 330. If the vehicle speed Vs is greater than the threshold vehicle speed Vtj (step 345 "No"), the CPU executes steps 350 and 355.

[0041] Step 350: The CPU obtains the vehicle speed Va of surrounding vehicles. Specifically, the CPU obtains the vehicle speed Va of surrounding vehicles based on the relative speed and vehicle speed Vs of surrounding vehicles obtained based on radar data. The vehicle speed Va of surrounding vehicles is sometimes referred to as "surrounding vehicle speed". The CPU identifies preceding vehicles traveling in its own lane and adjacent vehicles traveling in adjacent lanes in the same direction as vehicle VA as surrounding vehicles. Step 355: The CPU determines whether the vehicle speed Va of the surrounding vehicle is less than or equal to the threshold vehicle speed Vtj.

[0042] If the speed Va of surrounding vehicles is less than or equal to the threshold speed Vtj (step 355 "Yes"), the CPU determines that congestion has occurred and that a specific condition has been met. The process proceeds to step 330. If the speed Va of surrounding vehicles is greater than the threshold speed Vtj (step 355 "No"), the CPU executes steps 360 and 365.

[0043] Step 360: The CPU obtains the speed limit Vlmt indicated by the road sign or road marking based on the image data. Alternatively, in Step 360, the CPU may obtain the speed limit Vlmt by referring to map data for the vehicle VA's current location. Step 365: The CPU determines whether the first subtracted value ΔVs, obtained by subtracting the vehicle speed Vs from the limited vehicle speed Vlmt, is greater than or equal to the threshold ΔVth.

[0044] If the first subtraction value ΔVs is greater than or equal to the threshold ΔVth (step 365 "Yes"), then vehicle VA is traveling at a speed lower than the speed limit Vlmt. In this case, the CPU determines that congestion is occurring and that a specific condition is met. The process proceeds to step 330. If the first subtraction value ΔVs is less than the threshold ΔVth (step 365 "No"), the process proceeds to step 370. In step 370, the CPU determines whether the second subtraction value ΔVa, obtained by subtracting the speed of surrounding vehicles Va from the speed limit Vlmt, is greater than or equal to the threshold ΔVth.

[0045] If the second subtraction value ΔVa is greater than or equal to the threshold ΔVth (step 370 "Yes"), the surrounding vehicles are traveling at a speed lower than the speed limit Vlmt. In this case, the CPU determines that congestion is occurring and that a specific condition is met. The process proceeds to step 330. If the second subtraction value ΔVa is less than the threshold ΔVth (step 370 "No"), the specific condition is not met. In this case, the CPU executes steps 375 and 380.

[0046] Step 375: The CPU sets the threshold time Tacc, upper deceleration limit Gacc, and upper jerk limit Jacc to the normal threshold time Tnoacc, normal upper deceleration limit Gnoacc, and normal upper jerk limit Jnoacc, respectively. Step 380: The CPU sets the threshold time Tpcs, upper deceleration limit Gpcs, and upper jerk limit Jpcs to the normal threshold time Tnopcs, normal upper deceleration limit Gnopcs, and normal upper jerk limit Jnopcs, respectively. The process then proceeds to step 395, and the CPU terminates this routine.

[0047] The determination of whether the first subtraction value ΔVs or the second subtraction value ΔVa is greater than or equal to the threshold ΔVth (step 365 or step 370) is equivalent to determining whether the vehicle speed Vs or the vehicle speed Va of surrounding vehicles is greater than or equal to the "threshold obtained by subtracting the threshold ΔVth from the restricted vehicle speed Vlmt". In other words, the threshold used to compare the vehicle speed Vs or the vehicle speed Va of surrounding vehicles is changed based on the restricted vehicle speed Vlmt.

[0048] <Deceleration Control Routine> When an appropriate time arrives, the CPU starts processing from step 400 in Figure 4, and the processing proceeds to step 405. In step 405, the CPU determines, based on image data and radar, whether or not an "object that may collide with vehicle VA" is present in the direction of vehicle VA's movement.

[0049] If the above object is located in the direction of travel of the vehicle VA, the CPU determines "Yes" in step 405 and executes steps 410 and 415. Step 410: The CPU obtains the TTC of the above object. Step 415: The CPU determines whether the TTC is less than or equal to the threshold time Tpcs.

[0050] If the TTC is less than or equal to the threshold time Tpcs (step 415 "Yes"), the CPU executes steps 420 and 425. Step 420: The CPU obtains the target deceleration Gtgt for the vehicle VA to stop in front of the above object. Step 425: The CPU determines whether the target deceleration Gtgt is greater than the upper limit deceleration Gpcs.

[0051] If the target deceleration Gtgt is greater than the upper limit deceleration Gpcs (step 425 "Yes"), the process proceeds to step 430. In step 430, the CPU sets the target deceleration Gtgt to the upper limit deceleration Gpcs. This ensures that the deceleration Gd does not exceed the upper limit deceleration Gpcs. The CPU then executes steps 435 and 440.

[0052] Step 435: The CPU obtains the jerk J based on the current acceleration G and target deceleration Gtgt. Step 440: The CPU determines whether jerk J is greater than the upper limit jerk Jpcs.

[0053] If jerk J is greater than the upper limit jerk Jpcs (step 440 "Yes"), the CPU executes steps 445 and 450. Step 445: The CPU sets the target deceleration Gtgt to "a deceleration Gjpcs such that the jerk J does not exceed the upper limit jerk Jpcs". This ensures that the jerk J does not exceed the upper limit jerk Jpcs. Step 450: The CPU controls the powertrain actuator 40 and the brake actuator 42 so that the deceleration Gd of the vehicle VA matches the target deceleration Gtgt. The process then proceeds to step 495, and the CPU terminates this routine.

[0054] If the process proceeds to step 425 and the target deceleration Gtgt is less than or equal to the upper limit deceleration Gpcs (step 425 "No"), the process proceeds to step 435. If the process proceeds to step 440 and the jerk J is less than or equal to the upper limit jerk Jacc (step 440 "No"), the process proceeds to step 450.

[0055] If the TCC is greater than the threshold time Tpcs when the process proceeds to step 415 (step 415 "No"), the process proceeds to step 455. In step 455, the CPU determines whether ACC is being performed. If ACC is being performed (step 455 "Yes"), in step 460, the CPU determines whether the TTC is less than or equal to the threshold time Tacc. If the TTC is less than or equal to the threshold time Tacc (step 460 "Yes"), in step 465, the CPU obtains the target deceleration Gtgt for the vehicle VA to stop in front of the object.

[0056] In step 470, the CPU determines whether the target deceleration Gtgt is greater than the upper deceleration Gacc. If the target deceleration Gtgt is greater than the upper deceleration Gacc (step 470 "Yes"), in step 475, the CPU sets the target deceleration Gtgt to the upper deceleration Gacc. In step 480, the CPU obtains the jerk J. In step 485, the CPU determines whether the jerk J is greater than the upper jerk Jacc.

[0057] If jerk J is greater than the upper limit jerk Jacc (step 485 "Yes"), in step 490 the CPU sets the target deceleration Gtgt to "a deceleration Gjacc such that jerk J does not become greater than the upper limit jerk Jacc". Then the process proceeds to step 450.

[0058] If the target deceleration Gtgt is less than or equal to the upper limit deceleration Gacc (step 470 "No"), the process proceeds to step 480. If the jerk J is less than or equal to the upper limit jerk Jacc (step 485 "No"), the process proceeds to step 450.

[0059] If the above object does not exist in the direction of travel (step 405 "No"), if ACC is not being performed (step 455 "No"), or if TTC is greater than the threshold time Tacc (step 460 "No"), the process proceeds to step 495. Consequently, no deceleration control is performed.

[0060] As explained above, when certain conditions are met, the restrictions are relaxed compared to when those conditions are not met. This reduces the likelihood of increased collision risk due to insufficient deceleration of the vehicle when surrounding vehicles are more likely to exhibit sudden behavior.

[0061] The limiting conditions include a threshold time, an upper deceleration limit, and an upper jerk limit, which define the timing of the deceleration control's initiation. When a specific condition is met, the device 10 relaxes the limiting conditions by increasing the threshold time, upper deceleration limit, and upper jerk limit compared to when the specific condition is not met. As a result, when the specific condition is met, the deceleration control starts earlier than when the specific condition is not met, allowing the vehicle VA to be decelerated more strongly. Therefore, the possibility of increased collision risk due to insufficient vehicle deceleration is reduced.

[0062] Furthermore, if certain conditions are met, the device 10 may have at least one of the threshold time, upper deceleration limit, and upper jerk limit greater than when the specific conditions are not met.

[0063] In step 355 shown in Figure 3, the CPU may determine that a specific condition has been met if the number of surrounding vehicles with a vehicle speed Va less than or equal to the threshold vehicle speed Vtj is equal to or greater than the threshold number. In step 370, the CPU may determine that a specific condition has been met if the number of surrounding vehicles with a vehicle speed Va that satisfies the condition that the second subtraction value ΔVa is equal to or greater than the threshold ΔVth is equal to or greater than the threshold number.

[0064] Furthermore, it may be an essential condition for the specific condition to be met that the distance D between the event location and the vehicle VA is less than or equal to the threshold distance Dth, and at least one of the conditions in steps 345, 355, 365, and 370 is met.

[0065] In the above embodiment, the ECU 20 started deceleration control when the TTC fell below a threshold time. However, the ECU 20 may also determine that the start timing has arrived when the relative distance between the vehicle VA and the object falls below a threshold distance, and start deceleration control. In this case, when the specific condition is met, the threshold distance will be longer than when the specific condition is not met.

[0066] Therefore, the ECU 20 should determine that the start timing has arrived and start deceleration control when the relative relationship (TTC or relative distance), which includes at least the relative distance between the vehicle VA and the object, satisfies predetermined conditions in the direction of reducing the relative distance (TTC ≤ threshold time or relative distance ≤ threshold distance). The ECU 20 accelerates the start timing of deceleration control by making it easier for the relative relationship to satisfy predetermined conditions when certain conditions are met compared to when certain conditions are not met.

[0067] This device 10 is applicable to vehicles such as engine-powered vehicles, hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, fuel cell vehicles, and electric vehicles, and is also applicable to autonomous vehicles. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 10...Vehicle control unit, 26...Traffic data receiver, 30...Vehicle speed sensor, 40...Powertrain actuator, 50...Brake actuator.

Claims

1. In a vehicle control device configured to perform deceleration control to automatically decelerate the vehicle in relation to an object in the direction of travel of the vehicle, The aforementioned vehicle control device is The deceleration control is executed such that the start timing of the deceleration control and the deceleration-related values ​​that change as a result of the deceleration control satisfy the limiting conditions. If the specific condition is met that a traffic jam or a traffic jam-causing event occurring in the direction of travel is within a predetermined distance from the vehicle, the restriction conditions are relaxed compared to when the specific condition is not met. A vehicle control device configured as follows.

2. In the vehicle control device according to claim 1, The aforementioned vehicle control device is The deceleration-related values ​​used are the deceleration rate and the jerk of the deceleration degree. If the aforementioned specific condition is met, the limiting condition is relaxed by performing at least one of the following: a process to make the start timing earlier than when the aforementioned specific condition is not met; a process to make the upper limit of the deceleration degree greater than when the aforementioned specific condition is not met; and a process to make the upper limit of the deceleration degree jerk greater than when the aforementioned specific condition is not met. A vehicle control device configured as follows.

3. In the vehicle control device according to claim 1, The aforementioned vehicle control device is When the relative relationship, including the relative distance between the vehicle and the object, satisfies predetermined conditions in the direction in which the relative distance decreases, it is determined that the start timing has arrived, and the deceleration control is started. When the aforementioned specific condition is met, the relative relationship is made more likely to satisfy the predetermined condition than when the aforementioned specific condition is not met, thereby accelerating the start timing compared to when the aforementioned specific condition is not met. A vehicle control device configured as follows.

4. In the vehicle control device according to claim 1, The vehicle control device is configured to determine that a traffic congestion event has occurred if an accident has occurred or lane restrictions are in place within a predetermined distance from the vehicle in the direction of travel, and to satisfy the specified conditions. Vehicle control system.

5. In the vehicle control device according to claim 1, The aforementioned vehicle control device is If the vehicle speed, which represents the speed of the vehicle in question, or the surrounding vehicle speed, which represents the speed of surrounding vehicles around the vehicle, is below the threshold vehicle speed, it is determined that the traffic congestion has occurred, and the specific condition is met. The threshold speed is changed based on the speed limit of the lane in which the vehicle is traveling. A vehicle control device configured as follows.

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