vehicle

Abstract

To provide a highly practical automatic travel vehicle.SOLUTION: In a vehicle C that automatically travels on a set travel route 82 including multiple stop positions SP and whose loads are changed when stopping at those stop positions, a controller for controlling a brake device for use in applying brake force to the vehicle is configured to estimate a load weight being the weight of the load the vehicle carries on the basis of load data, and change at least either of brake force in stopping the vehicle at the stop position and a brake start position BPNOR being a position to start applying the brake force on the basis of the load weight. Estimating the weight of the load on the vehicle on the basis of the pre-registered load data and controlling brake force or timing of applying the brake force by using a result of the estimation make it possible to easily stop the vehicle accurately at the stop position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an autonomous vehicle, and more particularly to control of a braking device of the vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] In an automatically traveling vehicle (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "automatically traveling vehicle"), when stopping the vehicle at a set stopping position, it is necessary to apply an appropriate amount of braking force at an appropriate timing, i.e., at an appropriate braking start position. For example, when braking force application is started from the same position to stop the vehicle accurately at the same position, the greater the vehicle weight (which can be considered as "the sum of the vehicle body weight and the weight of the loaded object"), the greater the braking force must be, and on the other hand, when applying the same braking force to stop the vehicle accurately at the same position, the greater the vehicle weight, the further forward the braking start position must be set. In other words, in consideration of the stopping distance (which can be considered as "the distance traveled from when braking force application is started until the vehicle stops"), the timing of applying the braking force must be advanced. Therefore, it is very significant to grasp the weight of the loaded object (which can be considered as a higher concept than passengers, baggage, etc.) in terms of controlling the brake device of an automatically traveling vehicle.

[0003] For example, as described in the following patent document, there is technology that estimates the weight of luggage accompanying a person from that person's posture, and it is possible to apply this technology to estimating the weight of cargo carried in a vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-021973 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the technology described in the above patent document requires a fairly complicated system, such as image data processing. If the weight of the load on the vehicle can be easily estimated, appropriate control of the brake device can be easily performed, and the practicality of the self-driving vehicle can be improved. The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a self-driving vehicle with high practicality. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the vehicle of the present invention comprises: A vehicle that automatically travels along a set route including a plurality of stop positions and changes its on-board equipment when it stops at the stop positions, The vehicle is provided with a drive device for driving the vehicle, a brake device for applying a braking force to the vehicle, and a controller for controlling the drive device and the brake device, The controller: The vehicle brake device is configured to estimate an on-board weight, which is the weight of an on-board object mounted on the vehicle, based on the on-board object data, and to change at least one of a braking force applied by the braking device when stopping the vehicle at the stop position and a braking start position, which is a position at which application of the braking force is started, based on the on-board object weight. ,and, The system is configured to determine a target deceleration of the vehicle based on the vehicle's running speed and a standard brake start position set as a standard brake start position, and to determine a target brake force to be applied by the brake device based on the target deceleration and the vehicle's load weight. . Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the vehicle of the present invention, for example, the weight of the load of the vehicle is estimated based on preregistered load data, and the estimation result is used to control the braking force or the timing of braking force application, thereby making it possible to easily and accurately stop the vehicle at a stopping position.

[0008] In the present invention, the term "loaded object" is a concept that broadly includes people (passengers), luggage, etc. In other words, the present invention can be applied to any of vehicles that transport people, vehicles that transport luggage, and vehicles that carry both people and luggage. For example, a vehicle that transports people may be an autonomous bus that travels around a smart city, and a vehicle that transports luggage may be a towing cart that travels around a factory or business to transport products, work in progress, etc., or a vehicle that travels around a logistics warehouse to engage in the receipt and shipment of luggage. The "travel route" and "stop position" are, for example, a set patrol route and stops within the route for the autonomous bus and towing cart, and a route that travels around several shelves where luggage is stored or is stored and a location in front of the shelves for the vehicle that travels within the warehouse.

[0009] "Loaded cargo data" is data indicating from which to which of multiple stopping positions people will be boarding and luggage will be loaded onto the vehicle, and may include data such as the names of passengers, whether the passengers are adults or children, the weight of the luggage alone, the quantity of luggage, the stopping positions where people and luggage board and are loaded, and the stopping positions where people and luggage disembark and are unloaded.

[0010] In the case where the operation of the vehicle is managed by a control center (such as a control tower) and the vehicle is configured to travel while communicating with the control center, the controller of the vehicle may be configured to control the brake device based on the on-board data transmitted from the control center. Furthermore, in the case where the vehicle is equipped with an information input device that receives information for updating the on-board data, for example, for the purpose of responding to sudden boarding or loading of people or luggage, the controller may be configured to update the on-board data transmitted from the control center based on the information received by the information input device, and to control the brake device based on the updated on-board data.

[0011] The "brake device" of the vehicle is not particularly limited in its configuration, and may be, for example, a general hydraulic brake device configured to operate a piston by the pressure of hydraulic fluid supplied to a wheel cylinder to press a friction member against a rotating body that rotates together with the wheel, or a so-called electric brake device configured to operate a piston by the force of an electric motor to press a friction member against a rotating body. In addition, in an electric vehicle in which the drive device drives the wheels by the force of an electric motor, the drive device may be configured to function as a brake device by utilizing regenerative braking by the electric motor. The drive device is also not particularly limited in its configuration, and may be, for example, one that uses an electric motor as a drive source, one that uses an engine fueled by gasoline or the like as a drive source, or a hybrid vehicle that uses both an electric motor and an engine as a drive source.

[0012] Specifically, with regard to the control of the braking force, the controller may determine a target deceleration that is a target for the deceleration of the vehicle based on the vehicle's traveling speed and a standard braking start position that is set as a standard braking start position, and may determine a target braking force that is a target for the braking force applied by the braking device based on that target deceleration and the vehicle weight, and may perform control so that the braking force is set to that target braking force.

[0013] In the above brake control, the controller may be configured to change the brake force by determining the target deceleration as the upper limit deceleration when the target deceleration exceeds the upper limit deceleration set as the upper limit. In this case, a standard upper limit deceleration and a low upper limit deceleration lower than the standard upper limit deceleration may be set as the upper limit deceleration, and the controller may be configured to adopt the low upper limit deceleration instead of the standard upper limit deceleration when, for example, an object that should be prevented from being impacted by the braking force is mounted. This mode can be considered as a mode for limiting the brake force when a specific object is mounted. The "object that should be prevented from being impacted by the braking force" refers to, for example, baggage that may be damaged, malfunction, etc., by relatively strong braking, i.e., braking with a high deceleration, or baggage that may tip over, collapse, etc.

[0014] In the above brake control, the controller may be configured to change the brake force when the target brake force exceeds an upper limit brake force set as an upper limit, by determining the target brake force as the upper limit brake force. This can be considered as a mode for avoiding excessive burden on the brake device when, for example, the load weight is large.

[0015] Furthermore, in the brake control as described above, the controller may be configured to change the brake start position forward when it is assumed that the vehicle will stop beyond the stop position when the target brake force is applied to the vehicle at the standard brake start position. This is an aspect that advances the timing of brake application, and according to this aspect, even when the vehicle is carrying a large load, it is possible to accurately stop the vehicle at the stop position with an appropriate brake force.

[0016] On the other hand, regarding the control of the drive device, the controller may be configured to increase the speed of the vehicle by the drive device when the estimated arrival time at the stop position exceeds the scheduled time if the current running speed of the vehicle is maintained. Even if the running speed of the vehicle increases by controlling the drive device in this way, the above brake control makes it possible to accurately stop the vehicle at the stop position with an appropriate braking force. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of an overall configuration of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a brake device provided in a vehicle according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view of a brake actuator included in the brake device of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which a vehicle according to an embodiment travels along a set travel route. [Diagram 5] 1 is a table showing a vehicle operation plan. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart of a starting process program and a constant speed cruise process program executed in the vehicle of the embodiment. [Figure 7] 4 is a table showing data related to an on-board object mounted on a vehicle of the embodiment; [Figure 8] 4 is a flowchart of a vehicle stop processing program executed in the vehicle of the embodiment. [Figure 9] 4 is a flowchart of a brake setting program executed in the vehicle of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Hereinafter, a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition to the following embodiment, the present invention can be embodied in various forms including those described in the above section on "Modes of the Invention" and various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. EXAMPLES

[0019] [A] Overall configuration of the vehicle The vehicle of the embodiment has a configuration as shown in FIG. 1 in plan view. FIG. 1(a) shows the cabin (car room) of the vehicle, and FIG. 1(b) shows the chassis and equipment for traveling. The upper side of the figure is the front side of the vehicle, and the lower side of the figure is the rear side of the vehicle. Explaining with reference to FIG. 1(a), a portion for passengers (a type of passenger, a type of crew member, a type of loaded item) is provided in front of the cabin, and three seats 10a on which multiple people (for example, 2 to 3 adults) can sit side by side are arranged in a front-to-back manner on the left side of the vehicle, and four seats 10b on which one person can sit are arranged in a front-to-back manner on the right side of the vehicle. A portion for carrying luggage (a type of loaded item) is provided in the rear, and luggage shelves 12 on which luggage is placed are provided on the left and right sides of the vehicle, respectively. An entrance / exit 14 and a sliding door 16 for closing it are provided on the left side of the vehicle, and passengers enter and exit the vehicle and load / unload luggage through the entrance / exit 14. An information panel 18 (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "panel 18") serving as an information input device is provided at the entrance to the cabin through the entrance / exit 14. The function of this panel 18 will be described in detail later.

[0020] 1(b), the vehicle is a four-wheel vehicle having two front wheels 20f and two rear wheels 20r, where the front wheels 20f are steerable and non-driven wheels, and the rear wheels 20r are driven and non-steerable wheels. In the following description, the front wheels 20f and the rear wheels 20r may be collectively referred to as wheels 20.

[0021] The vehicle has a drive device 24 having a drive unit 22 with an electric motor as a drive source to rotate and drive the rear wheels 20r, and a steering device 28 having a steering actuator 26 with an electric motor as a drive source to steer the front wheels 20f. A wheel brake device 30w is provided for each wheel 20. Since it can be considered that one brake device 30 for braking the vehicle is constituted by the four wheel brake devices 30w, in the following description, the functions, operations, control, etc. of the four wheel brake devices 30w may be treated as the functions, operations, control, etc. of one brake device 30. The drive device 24 and the steering device 28 have a general structure, so the description here will be omitted. The structure of the wheel brake device 30w will be briefly described later.

[0022] The vehicle in question is a vehicle that runs automatically without a driver, that is, an autonomous vehicle, and the drive device 24, steering device 28, and brake device 30 are controlled by a drive electronic control unit 32, a steering electronic control unit 34, and a brake electronic control unit 36, respectively. Note that hereinafter, the drive electronic control unit 32, the steering electronic control unit 34, and the brake electronic control unit 36 ​​will be abbreviated as the drive ECU 32, the steering ECU 34, and the brake ECU 36. Incidentally, the drive ECU 32, the steering ECU 34, and the brake ECU 36 are represented in the figure as the DR-ECU, the ST-ECU, and the EB-ECU, respectively.

[0023] Furthermore, in order to realize the automatic driving, the vehicle has a camera 38 for recognizing the front of the vehicle, a LiDAR (lidar) sensor (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as "LiDAR") 40, and an automatic driving electronic control unit 42 that issues commands regarding the position, attitude, etc. of the vehicle based on the recognition and detection by the camera 38 and the LiDAR 40. The vehicle also has a mounted object related processing electronic control unit 44 that executes a special process, which will be described in detail later, that is, a process regarding the weight of the mounted object (vehicle weight) (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "mounted object related processing"). Hereinafter, the automatic driving electronic control unit 42 and the mounted object related processing electronic control unit 44 may be abbreviated as the automatic driving ECU 42 and the mounted object related processing ECU 44. Incidentally, the automatic driving ECU 42 and the mounted object related processing ECU 44 are represented as the AD-ECU and the OW-ECU, respectively, in the figure.

[0024] Each of the ECUs 32, 34, 36, 42, 44 has a computer as its main component, and the drive ECU 32, steering ECU 34, and brake ECU 36 also have a driver (drive circuit) of the drive source to be controlled. The ECUs 32, 34, 36, 42, 44 are connected to a CAN ("car area network" or "controllable area network") 46 provided in the vehicle to execute control processing while communicating with each other. The vehicle also includes a communication device 48 to communicate with a control center to be described later while traveling, and the communication device 48 is also connected to the CAN 46. The ECUs 32, 34, 36, 42, 44 can be considered as controllers individually, or the ECUs 32, 34, 36, 42, 44 can be considered as constituting one controller of the vehicle.

[0025] [B] Wheel brake device structure The wheel braking device 30w is provided for each wheel 20 to stop the rotation of the corresponding wheel 20, and is a braking device that operates by the force of an electric motor that is a driving source, that is, a so-called electric braking device. As shown in Fig. 2, the wheel braking device 30w includes a disc rotor 50 that is a rotating body that rotates together with the wheel 20, and a brake caliper (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as "caliper") 52 arranged to straddle the disc rotor 50. The caliper 52 has brake pads 54a, 54b (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as "pads 54a, 54b") as friction members, and a brake actuator (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as "actuator") 56 that has a brake motor that is an electric motor and presses the pads 54a, 54b against the disc rotor 50 with the force of the brake motor to stop the rotation of the wheel 20.

[0026] For convenience, the left side of the figure is the front side and the right side is the rear side. The front pad 54a is supported by a claw portion 60, which is the front end portion of the caliper body 58. The actuator 56 is held in a rear portion of the caliper body 58 such that a housing 62 of the actuator 56 is fixed thereto. The actuator 56 has a piston 64 held in the housing 62 so as to be movable forward and backward. When the piston 64 advances, the tip of the piston 64 engages with the rear pad 54b. When the piston 64 advances further in this state, the pair of pads 54a, 54b are pressed against the disc rotor 50 so as to pinch the pads 54a, 54b. This pressing generates a braking force against the rotation of the wheel 10 that depends on the frictional force between the disc rotor 50 and the pads 54a, 54b, that is, a braking force for decelerating and stopping the vehicle.

[0027] To briefly explain the actuator 56 with reference to Figure 3 which shows a cross section, the actuator 56 is an electric brake actuator, and in addition to the housing 62 and piston 64 described above, it is composed of a brake motor 66 which is an electric motor serving as a drive source, a reduction mechanism 70 for reducing the rotation of the brake motor 66 (more specifically, the rotation of a hollow motor shaft 68), and a motion conversion mechanism 74 which has a rotating shaft 72 which is rotated by the rotation of the brake motor 66 via the reduction mechanism 70, and which converts the rotational motion of the rotating shaft 72 into the forward and backward motion of the piston 64.

[0028] The piston 64 advances and retreats by controlling the current supplied to the brake motor 66, and the pressing force of the pads 54a, 54b against the disc rotor 50, i.e., the magnitude of the braking force, is roughly proportional to the magnitude of the current supplied. Incidentally, the reduction mechanism 70 is a differential reduction mechanism including two internal planetary gear mechanisms arranged in series, and the motion conversion mechanism 74 is a screw mechanism.

[0029] The wheel brake device 30w is controlled by the brake ECU 36. In brief, the brake ECU 36 controls the wheel brake device 30w based on a commanded target brake force F * Based on this, the target brake force F * The pressing force of the pads 54a, 54b required to generate the force, i.e., the axial force (thrust force) S to be applied to the piston 64 of the actuator 56, is the target axial force S * The brake ECU 36 detects the actual axial force S by the axial force sensor 76, and determines the target axial force S * The brake ECU 36 specifies an axial force deviation ΔS, which is the difference between the actual axial force S and the axial force deviation ΔS, and determines a supply current I to be supplied to the brake motor 66 according to a method based on the axial force deviation ΔS and a feedback control law (PID control law).The brake ECU 36 then supplies the supply current I to the brake motor 66. This control is a common control, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0030] [C] Vehicle operation The vehicle in question is a vehicle that travels around a town (city), and as shown in Fig. 4, vehicle C automatically travels along a travel route 82 that is set to weave through facilities 80. In the figure, only a part of the town, i.e., a part of the travel route 82, is shown, but a plurality of stop positions SP are set on the travel route 82 corresponding to a plurality of stations ST (only two stations, ST1 and ST2, are shown in the figure). In the town, there is a control center 84 that manages the travel of vehicle C, and vehicle C travels while communicating with the control center 84.

[0031] Each vehicle C is operated according to a timetable, i.e., an operation plan, as shown in Fig. 5. The operation plan includes the scheduled arrival time t A , the scheduled departure time t of vehicle C from each station ST S In addition, the distance L that vehicle C travels to the next stop position SP is included. S The operation plans for all the vehicles C are stored in the control center 84, and the corresponding operation plans are transmitted from the control center 84 to each vehicle C, and the corresponding operation plans are also stored in the automatic driving ECU 42 of each vehicle C.

[0032] The technology related to automatic driving is a general technology currently under consideration, and detailed description here is omitted. In addition, in FIG. 4, the road that is the driving route 82 is drawn as a one-way road, but in reality, it is a road that has an oncoming lane and allows driving in both directions. In addition, there are other driving routes in the city, and there are intersections on the roads. In order to avoid a collision with another vehicle at the intersection, the control center 84 issues a command to the vehicle C to wait in front of the intersection, and the vehicle C is made to stop based on the command. In the description of this embodiment, for the sake of simplicity, these things will not be mentioned.

[0033] [D] Control of vehicle start, drive, and stop The starting, running, and stopping of the vehicle C are controlled by a controller of the vehicle. These will be described in detail below. Note that, unless otherwise specified, the various programs described below are all executed repeatedly at short time intervals.

[0034] (a) Starting the vehicle The control for starting the vehicle C is performed by the drive ECU 32 based on a command from the automatic travel ECU 42. The automatic travel ECU 42 determines whether the starting conditions are met, and when it determines that the starting conditions are met, issues a command to the drive ECU 32. Specific starting conditions include, for example, a) the scheduled departure time is reached at the station ST, b) the sliding door 16 is closed, and c) travel permission is issued from the control center 84.

[0035] Upon receiving a start command from the automatic travel ECU 42, the drive ECU 32 executes a start processing program shown in the flowchart of Fig. 6. In the processing according to the start processing program, in step 1 (hereinafter abbreviated as "S1", the same applies to the other steps), it is determined whether or not a drive stop command has been received from the other ECUs 34, 36, 42, 44. If a drive stop command has been received, in S2, the drive of the vehicle C by the drive unit 24 is stopped, and the execution of the start processing program is suspended.

[0036] If it is determined in S1 that the drive stop command has not been received, the traveling speed (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "vehicle speed") v of the vehicle C is detected in S3. The vehicle speed v is detected based on the rotation speed of the drive motor of the drive unit 22. In the following S4, the vehicle speed v is detected as a standard vehicle speed v NOR It is determined whether the vehicle speed v reaches the standard vehicle speed v NOR If it is determined that the vehicle speed v has reached the standard vehicle speed v, the repeated execution of the start processing program is terminated in S5. NOR If it is determined that the vehicle speed v has not reached the standard vehicle speed v, the drive unit 24 increases the vehicle speed v of the vehicle C in S6. NORThe vehicle C accelerates until it reaches the standard speed v NOR When the vehicle is traveling at the next stop ST, the vehicle will arrive at the next stop ST at the scheduled arrival time t A Arrives at . Estimated arrival time t A has been so determined.

[0037] (b) Vehicle operation Vehicle speed v is standard vehicle speed v NOR After reaching the predetermined time, the drive ECU 32 executes a constant speed cruise processing program shown in the flowchart of Fig. 6. In the processing according to the constant speed cruise processing program, in S11, it is determined whether or not a drive stop command has been received from the other ECUs 34, 36, 42, 44. If a drive stop command has been received, in S12, the drive of the vehicle C by the drive device 24 is stopped, and the execution of the constant speed cruise processing program is suspended.

[0038] If it is determined in S11 that a drive stop command has not been received, then in S13, the vehicle speed v of the vehicle C is detected. The automatic driving ECU 42 accurately knows where the vehicle C is currently traveling. In other words, it has information about the current position (hereinafter, may be referred to as "current position information"), and based on that information, in S14, the planned travel distance L to the next stop position SP is determined. Next, in S15, the estimated arrival time t is determined based on the planned travel distance L and the detected vehicle speed v. E In step S16, the estimated arrival time t of the vehicle C at the next station ST is calculated based on the operation plan stored in the automatic travel ECU 42. A In the next step S17, the estimated arrival time t E From estimated arrival time t A is subtracted to calculate the delay time Δt.

[0039] Due to traffic congestion, the operation of the vehicle C may be delayed. In the next step S18, the delay time Δt is set to a threshold time Δt that is not desirable to exceed. THIt is determined whether the delay time Δt exceeds the threshold time Δt TH If it is determined that the delay time Δt does not exceed the threshold time Δt, the current vehicle speed v is maintained in S19. TH If the vehicle speed v exceeds the upper limit speed v set as the upper limit of the safe driving speed, in S20, LIM It is determined whether the vehicle speed v is equal to or lower than the upper limit speed v LIM If the vehicle speed v exceeds the upper limit speed v, the current vehicle speed is maintained in S19. LIM If the vehicle speed v of the vehicle C is equal to or lower than the upper limit speed v LIM The vehicle speed v is increased until this occurs.

[0040] (c) Stopping a Vehicle i) Payload Management Next, the stopping of the vehicle C, specifically, the stopping control at the station ST, will be described. When the vehicle C is stopped accurately at the stop position SP corresponding to the station ST, the total weight W TOTAL It is necessary to consider the total weight W TOTAL is the vehicle weight W BODY and the weight of the payload (the total weight of the payload, hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "payload weight") W LOAD In other words, the loaded weight W LOAD Specifically, when stopping vehicle C in a certain stopping distance (the distance the vehicle travels from when braking force is applied to the vehicle until it stops), that is, when stopping the vehicle at a certain deceleration G, the loaded weight W LOAD On the other hand, in cases where an upper limit is set on the deceleration G in consideration of the loading of fragile items or other payloads that need to be prevented from being impacted by braking, or in cases where an upper limit is set on the braking force F in consideration of the load on the brake device 30, the loading weight W LOAD If the braking distance is large, it may become necessary to increase the stopping distance.

[0041] Therefore, when the vehicle C is operated, the on-board items are managed. To be more specific, the control center 84 has on-board item data for each vehicle C as shown in Fig. 7. On-board items are classified into people (passengers) and baggage, and the on-board item data for people includes the passenger's name, whether the passenger is an adult or a child, the time of boarding the vehicle C, the boarding station ST, and the disembarking station ST, and for baggage, the name of the baggage, the number of pieces, the weight per piece (unit weight), the time of loading onto the vehicle C, the loading station ST, and the disembarking station ST.

[0042] When a person gets on, the person inputs information about the person's name, whether the person is an adult or a child, the boarding time, the boarding stop ST, and the disembarking stop ST from a terminal such as a smartphone, thereby making a reservation with the control center 84. When loading luggage, the person loading the luggage inputs the name of the luggage, the number of pieces, the unit weight, the loading time to the vehicle C, the loading stop ST, and the disembarking stop ST from a terminal such as a smartphone, thereby making a reservation with the control center 84. Based on the input information, the control center 84 creates and updates the above-mentioned on-board item data for each vehicle C so as to allocate the person and their luggage to a matching vehicle C. The on-board item data created and updated by the control center 84 is sent to the vehicle C by communication and stored in the on-board item related processing ECU 44.

[0043] When a person gets on or off the vehicle, or when a person loads or unloads luggage, the person is prompted to input data for verification (confirmation processing) into the information panel 18 installed in the cabin of the vehicle C. On the other hand, when a person suddenly gets on the vehicle without a reservation or loads luggage, the person is prompted to input the above-mentioned data into the information panel 18. The payload-related processing ECU 44 updates the stored payload data based on the data input from the information panel 18, and transmits the updated payload data to the control center 84.

[0044] The above-mentioned processing related to the on-board item is performed by the on-board item processing ECU 44 by executing the on-board item processing program, the flow chart of which is shown in FIG. 8, only once when the vehicle C stops at the station ST. In the processing according to the on-board item processing program, first, in S31, on-board item data is acquired from the control center 84. After the on-board item data is acquired, in S32, the time counter TC is reset. In S33, information input to the information panel 18 is accepted. In S34, the time counter TC is counted up by a count-up value ΔTC, and in S35, it is determined whether the time counter TC has reached a count end value TC0. Information input to the information panel 18 is accepted until the time counter TC reaches the count end value TC0. Incidentally, the count end value TC0 is a value that is equal to or greater than the scheduled departure time t S After the input of information into the information panel 18 is completed, in S36, the payload data is updated based on the input information.

[0045] Based on the updated loaded item data, in S37, it is determined whether or not there is any baggage that should be prevented from impact due to braking force (hereinafter, may be referred to as "impact avoidance object") among the loaded items to the next station ST. If an impact avoidance object is present, in S38, the impact avoidance flag FS is set to "1", and if an impact avoidance object is not present, in S39, the impact avoidance flag FS is set to "0".

[0046] Next, in S40, the payload weight W based on the updated payload data is calculated. LOAD and the preset vehicle weight W of the vehicle C. BODY The total weight W of the vehicle C in the travel section from the current stop ST to the next stop ST is calculated by adding these two. TOTAL is determined. The updated payload data is then transmitted to the control center 84 in S41.

[0047] ii) Brake settings In the vehicle C, the brakes are set in order to stop accurately at the stop position SP. More specifically, an appropriate braking force F and the timing of applying the braking force F are set according to the load.

[0048] The brake setting is performed by the load-related processing ECU 44 executing a brake setting program, the flow chart of which is shown in Fig. 9, only once. As shown in Fig. 4 for the station ST2, the standard brake start position BP NOR is set, and the standard brake start position BP NOR The brake is set when the vehicle C approaches a position that is set forward of the stop position SP by a distance twice the distance between the stop position SP and the vehicle C.

[0049] In the process according to the brake setting program, first, in S51, it is determined whether the impact avoidance flag FS is "1". If the impact avoidance flag FS is not "1", that is, if the vehicle C is not equipped with an impact avoidance object, in S52, the upper limit deceleration G, which is set as a deceleration G that is not preferable, is set. LIM However, the standard upper deceleration limit G is set relatively high. H On the other hand, if the impact avoidance flag FS is "1", that is, if the vehicle C is equipped with an impact avoidance object, the upper limit deceleration G LIM However, the upper deceleration limit G is set relatively low in consideration of impact avoidance. L In other words, if a shock avoidance device is installed, the upper deceleration limit G LIM As the standard upper limit deceleration G H Instead, a low upper deceleration limit G L is adopted.

[0050] Next, in S54, the vehicle speed v of the vehicle C is detected, and in S55, the standard brake start position BP corresponding to the next stop position SP is detected. NOR Then, in S56, the standard brake start position BP NORThe deceleration G when braking is started from the target deceleration G and the vehicle C is stopped at the stop position SP is defined as the target deceleration G * Then, in step S57, the target deceleration G * is the upper limit deceleration G LIM It is judged whether the target deceleration G * is the upper limit deceleration G LIM If it exceeds the target deceleration G * is the upper limit deceleration G LIM The target deceleration G * is the upper limit deceleration G LIM If it does not exceed the target deceleration G * is maintained.

[0051] In the next step S59, the total weight W of the vehicle C is determined based on the on-board data. TOTAL is specified, and in S60, its total weight W TOTAL and the target deceleration G * Based on this, a target brake force F, which is the brake force F to be applied by the brake device 30, is calculated. * Then, in step S61, the target brake force F * However, the upper limit brake force F is set in consideration of the load of the brake device 30, etc. LIM It is judged whether the target braking force F * is the upper limit of braking force F LIM If it exceeds the target brake force F * However, the upper limit of braking force F LIM The target brake force F * is the upper limit of braking force F LIM If it does not exceed the target braking force F * is maintained.

[0052] In the S63, the target brake force F * Standard brake start position BP NORIf it is determined that the vehicle C can be stopped at the stop position SP, the target braking start position BP is set as a position where the braking should be started in S64. * is the standard brake start position BP NOR On the other hand, the target brake force F * Standard brake start position BP NOR If it is determined that the vehicle C cannot be stopped at the stop position SP even if the brake is applied from the target brake start position BP * is the standard brake start position BP NOR In other words, the target brake force F * In order to stop vehicle C at the stop position SP, the target brake start position BP * is the standard brake start position BP NOR The target brake start position BP determined in this way is * , target brake force F * In step S66, these are sent to the automatic driving ECU 42 and the brake ECU 36, respectively, and the execution of the brake setting program is terminated.

[0053] The automatic driving ECU 42 detects the target brake start position BP * When the brake ECU 36 is positioned at the target position, the brake ECU 36 issues a command to apply the brake force F to the brake ECU 36. The brake ECU 36 uses the command as a trigger to apply the target brake force F * Based on this, the braking force F is applied as described above.

[0054] In the vehicle C, the vehicle stop processing program and the brake setting program are executed to calculate the weight of the load on the vehicle C based on the load data. LOAD is estimated, and its payload W LOAD Based on this, at least one of the braking force F applied by the braking device 30 when stopping the vehicle C at a stop position and the braking start position BP, which is the position at which application of the braking force F begins, is changed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 10a, 10b: seats 12: luggage rack 14: entrance 18: information panel (information input device) 20: wheels 24: drive unit 28: steering unit 30: brake unit 30w: wheel brake unit 32: drive electronic control unit (drive ECU) (controller) 34: steering electronic control unit (steering ECU) (controller) 36: brake electronic control unit (brake ECU) (controller) 42: automatic driving electronic control unit (automatic driving ECU) (controller) 44: payload related processing electronic control unit (payload related processing ECU) (controller) 46: CAN 48: communication device 82: driving route 84: control center ST: station SP: stopping position BP: braking start position BP NOR : Standard brake start position BP * : Target brake start position v: Travel speed (vehicle speed) v NOR :Standard vehicle speed v LIM : Upper limit speed L S : Distance to the next stop t A :Estimated arrival time t E : Estimated arrival time Δt: Delay time Δt TH : Threshold time t S :Scheduled departure time W TOTAL : Total vehicle weight W BODY :Vehicle weight W LOAD : Loaded weight G : Deceleration G LIM :Upper limit deceleration G H :Standard upper limit deceleration G L :Low upper limit deceleration G * : Target deceleration F: Braking force F * : Target braking force F LIM : Upper limit brake force FS: Impact avoidance flag

Claims

1. A vehicle that automatically travels along a set route including a plurality of stop positions and changes its on-board equipment when it stops at the stop positions, The vehicle is provided with a drive device for driving the vehicle, a brake device for applying a braking force to the vehicle, and a controller for controlling the drive device and the brake device, The controller: a load weight, which is the weight of the load mounted on the vehicle, is estimated based on the load data, and at least one of a braking force applied by the braking device when stopping the vehicle at the stop position and a braking start position, which is a position at which application of the braking force is started, is changed based on the load weight; and A vehicle configured to determine a target deceleration that is a target for the deceleration of the vehicle based on the vehicle's traveling speed and a standard braking start position that is set as a standard braking start position, and to determine a target braking force that is a target for the braking force applied by the braking device based on the target deceleration and the vehicle's loaded weight.

2. The controller:

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein when the target deceleration exceeds an upper limit deceleration set as an upper limit, the target deceleration is determined to be the upper limit deceleration, thereby changing the braking force.

3. A standard upper limit deceleration and a low upper limit deceleration lower than the standard upper limit deceleration are set as the upper limit deceleration, 3. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to adopt the low upper limit deceleration rate instead of the standard upper limit deceleration rate when an object that needs to be prevented from being subjected to an impact due to a braking force is mounted on the vehicle.

4. The controller:

4. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein when the target brake force exceeds an upper limit brake force set as an upper limit, the target brake force is determined to be an upper limit brake force, thereby changing the brake force.

5. The controller:

5. A vehicle as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, configured to change the braking start position to a forward position when it is expected that the vehicle will stop beyond the stopping position when the target braking force is applied to the vehicle at the standard braking start position.

6. The controller:

6. A vehicle as described in claim 1, wherein the drive device is configured to increase the speed of the vehicle when the estimated arrival time at the stop position exceeds the scheduled time if the current traveling speed of the vehicle is maintained.

7. The vehicle is configured to travel while communicating with a control center that manages vehicle operation management, 7. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control the brake device based on the on-board data transmitted from the control center.

8. The vehicle includes an information input device that receives information for updating the on-board data, 8. The vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to update on-board data transmitted from the control center based on the information received by the information input device, and to control the brake device based on the updated on-board data.

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