Vehicle control device

Abstract

To predict the condition of each road surface in detail to assist driving operation according to the road surface condition, thereby providing appropriate vehicle control assistance.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device to be installed in a vehicle is provided, comprising: a risk map acquisition unit configured to acquire a risk map associating map information with road surface information obtained by predicting the road surface condition of a given area including the surroundings of a host vehicle; a risk level acquisition unit configured to acquire a risk level of a slippery area existing in a traveling direction on a road the host vehicle is traveling on, on the basis of the risk map and the traveling condition of the host vehicle; a recommended speed acquisition unit configured to acquire a recommended speed corresponding to the risk level of the slippery area for the host vehicle; and a notification control unit configured to control a notification unit to notify a driver of driving assistance information including the recommended speed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, there are known techniques for controlling a vehicle according to the state of the road surface. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle speed control device that controls the vehicle speed so that the lower the road surface friction coefficient calculated by the vehicle itself or obtained from another vehicle, the lower the upper vehicle speed limit value during vehicle speed control is set. Patent Document 2 discloses a vehicle control system that distributes driving force to each wheel of the vehicle itself based on the position information of the vehicle itself, the road surface estimated μ by a laser radar, and the unevenness of the road surface based on the road surface information received from another vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-19489 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2020-44939 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Meanwhile, road surface conditions change depending on environmental conditions including weather conditions, and for example, the road surface may become slippery due to rainfall or snowfall. In such cases, it is desirable to grasp in advance the detailed conditions of each road surface, such as slippery areas and lanes on the road surface, and the degree of slipperiness, and to perform appropriate vehicle control. Although it is possible to predict to some extent whether the road surface is slippery or not based on weather forecasts, etc., since weather forecasts are information for relatively large areas, it is not possible to predict the detailed conditions of each road surface as described above. Therefore, it is not possible for a vehicle traveling to accurately grasp the detailed conditions of the road surface, and it is not always possible to perform appropriate driving operations or vehicle control according to the road surface.

[0005] The present invention aims to deal with such a situation by predicting the detailed conditions of each road surface, supporting driving operations according to the road surface conditions, and supporting appropriate vehicle control. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve such problems, a vehicle control device according to the present invention has the following configuration. That is, one aspect of the present invention provides a vehicle control device that is provided in a vehicle, the vehicle control device comprising: a risk map acquisition unit that acquires a risk map in which map information is associated with road surface information that predicts the condition of the road surface in a specified area including the surroundings of the vehicle; a risk level acquisition unit that acquires the risk level of slippery areas present in the direction of travel of the vehicle based on the risk map and the driving state of the vehicle; a recommended speed acquisition unit that acquires a recommended speed for the slippery area of ​​the vehicle according to the risk level; and an alarm control unit that controls the alarm unit to alert the driver of at least the recommended speed. Effect of the Invention

[0007] A vehicle control device having such characteristics can predict detailed conditions for each road surface, assist in driving operations according to the road surface conditions, and assist in appropriate vehicle control. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle control assistance system including a road surface information providing device and a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle control assistance system including a road surface information providing device and a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3]An explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the risk level, notification method, and slip information defined in a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention, where (A) shows the notification method defined in accordance with the risk level, and (B) shows the slip information notified according to the risk level. [Figure 4] 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of a risk map generation process in the road surface information providing device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of a risk level determination process in the road surface information providing device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] In a vehicle control device 21 according to an embodiment of the present invention, (A) is a flowchart showing the flow of a vehicle information transmission process, and (B) is a flowchart showing the flow of processing after acquiring a risk map and a danger level. [Figure 7] 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of a process for notifying driving support information according to a risk level in the vehicle control device according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals in different drawings indicate parts having the same function, and duplicated descriptions in each drawing will be omitted as appropriate.

[0010] The vehicle control device 21 and the road surface information providing device 3 mounted on the vehicle 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention function as a part of the vehicle control assistance system 1. In other words, the vehicle control assistance system 1 includes the vehicle control device 21 mounted on the vehicle 2, and the road surface information providing device 3 that transmits and receives various information to and from the vehicle control device 21.

[0011] 1 and 2, the road surface information providing device 3 communicates with vehicle control devices 21 mounted on a plurality of traveling vehicles 2A, 2B, 2C, etc. (hereinafter, when it is not necessary to distinguish between the vehicles, they will simply be referred to as "vehicles 2") and acquires vehicle information from each of the vehicle control devices 21 mounted on the plurality of vehicles 2. In addition, the road surface information providing device 3 generates information indicating the state of the road surface based on the vehicle information acquired from the vehicle control devices 21, and provides the generated information to the vehicle control devices 21.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the road surface information providing device 3 includes a communication unit 31, an information acquisition unit 32, a road surface condition prediction unit 33, a risk map generation unit , and a risk level determination unit . The communication unit 31 communicates with multiple vehicles 2 in motion, a weather information providing server (not shown) managed by a private or public institution, and other predetermined information providing servers, etc., to send and receive various types of information.

[0013] The information acquisition unit 32 acquires, via the communication unit 31, vehicle information from at least one vehicle 2 that has detected wheel spin of its own vehicle, among the multiple vehicles 2. The vehicle information includes position information indicating the traveling position when the wheel slip was detected in the vehicle 2, and traveling information indicating the traveling state. The traveling information includes, for example, the vehicle speed, information about the wheel slip, the road surface μ value which is the friction coefficient of the road surface where the wheel slip was detected, the steering amount, the operation state of the wipers, the traveling mode, and information about the traveling route (such as a set destination). The vehicle information may also include information about the surrounding environment, such as the outside temperature, acquired by the vehicle 2.

[0014] In addition, the information acquisition unit 32 acquires, via the communication unit 31, from the vehicle 2 or a weather information providing server, current weather information on the area including the driving position of the vehicle 2, and observation information including outside temperature, precipitation amount, snowfall amount, etc.

[0015] The road surface condition prediction unit 33 generates road surface information that predicts the condition of the road surface in a predetermined area including the periphery of the vehicle 2 while it is traveling, based on the vehicle information and weather information acquired by the information acquisition unit 32.

[0016] For example, the road surface condition prediction unit 33 predicts the position on a map of a roadway including a slippery area based on the position information of the vehicle 2. The road surface condition prediction unit 33 also grasps the position of the spinning wheel (front wheel, rear wheel, right side or left side in the traveling direction) based on information regarding the wheel spin of the vehicle 2, and predicts a slippery position on the roadway. The road surface condition prediction unit 33 also predicts the degree of slipperiness at the slippery position based on the road surface μ value of the position on the roadway where the vehicle 2 detects wheel spin.

[0017] Furthermore, by acquiring vehicle information from each of the multiple vehicles 2, the road surface condition prediction unit 33 can identify slippery areas on the road (for example, the entire width of the road, only specific lanes, only the right or left side of a specific lane in the direction of travel, etc.), the range of the slippery areas, the number of vehicles that have slipped in the slippery areas, etc. from the slippery positions identified from each vehicle, and can accurately predict the road surface conditions.

[0018] The road surface condition prediction unit 33 includes the above-mentioned prediction results, i.e., prediction results regarding a road including slippery areas (slip points), the range of slippery areas on the road, and the degree of slipperiness, in the road surface information as slip information. In addition, the road surface condition prediction unit 33 can estimate the environment around the vehicle 2 from, for example, weather information and observation information. Therefore, the road surface condition prediction unit 33 can predict the state of the road surface several tens of minutes or several hours from now from the estimated surrounding environment, and can also include information regarding the predicted future road surface state as part of the road surface information.

[0019] The risk map generating unit 34 generates a risk map in which road surface information is associated with map information. That is, the risk map generating unit 34 generates a risk map by, for example, overlaying road surface information including the same position information as the position information of the map information on the map information. When overlaying, letters, numbers, images, etc. can be appropriately selected.

[0020] By generating such a risk map, it is possible to provide a map that allows the driver or the like to intuitively grasp the road surface condition. In the vehicle 2 that has received the risk map, the risk map is displayed on a display provided in the vehicle 2, and when there is a slippery area on the road surface during driving or nearby, the slippery area is displayed on the map, and the driver or the like can be notified.

[0021] The map information can be stored in advance in a storage device (not shown) provided in the road surface information providing device 3, or can be sequentially acquired from an external map information management server via the communication unit 31. Furthermore, by using high-precision three-dimensional map information such as a dynamic map as the map information, a more detailed risk map can be generated. The generated risk map is transmitted to the vehicle 2 by the communication unit 31.

[0022] The risk level determination unit 35 identifies the vehicle 2 on the risk map, and determines the risk level indicating the degree of risk in the traveling direction of the vehicle 2 traveling on the risk map for each vehicle. The risk level can be determined, for example, in multiple stages (for example, three stages such as large, medium, and small) based on whether or not there is a slippery area (slip spot) in the traveling direction of the vehicle 2 traveling on the risk map, and if there is a slip spot, the range of the slip spot, the distance from the vehicle 2 to the slip spot, the number of slipping vehicles at the slip spot, etc. The risk level for each vehicle, which is the determination result, is transmitted to each vehicle via the communication unit 31.

[0023] The risk level does not necessarily have to be determined by the road surface information providing device 3, and the risk level of the vehicle itself may also be determined by the vehicle 2 that has received the risk map.

[0024] Next, an example of the vehicle control device 21 will be described. The vehicle control device 21 provided in the vehicle 2 is connected to various electronic devices (described later) necessary for driving the vehicle 2, and includes a plurality of on-board ECUs (Electronic Control Units) that control these electronic devices. These electronic devices and on-board ECUs are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via an on-board network such as a CAN (Controller Area Network) or a LIN (Local Interconnect Network).

[0025] Each vehicle-mounted ECU may be configured to include, for example, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), an electric circuit, and a storage element such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory). In addition, some or all of the operations executed by the vehicle-mounted ECU may be realized by hardware such as an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), an FPGA (field-programmable gate array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). In the following description, explanations and illustrations of electronic devices and vehicle-mounted ECUs that are not directly involved in the control operation of the vehicle 2 by the vehicle control device 21 in this embodiment will be omitted.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle control device 21 includes a vehicle drive system and electronic devices necessary for driving the vehicle 2, which are connected via an in-vehicle network, including a communication unit 41, a wiper operation unit 42, a vehicle drive unit 43 (powertrain system 431, brake stem 432, steering system 433, etc.), an alarm unit 44 (display unit 441, alarm sounding unit 442, vibrator 443), a memory unit 45, an outside air temperature sensor 51, a vehicle speed sensor 52, a wheel speed sensor 53, a steering angle sensor 54, an acceleration sensor 55, a gyro sensor 56, and a GPS sensor 57.

[0027] The communication unit 41 is an interface for transmitting and receiving various information to and from an external server such as the road surface information providing device 3, other vehicles, and the like. The wiper operating unit 42 detects, for example, the amount of rainfall, and operates the wipers at predetermined time intervals according to the detected amount of rainfall.

[0028] The vehicle drive unit 43 includes drive units such as a power train system 431, a brake stem 432, and a steering system 433, and is driven (steered, accelerated, decelerated, stopped, etc.) and controlled according to control signals from the drive control unit 270.

[0029] The notification unit 44 includes a display unit 441, an alarm sounding unit 442, and a vibrator 443, and, under the control of the notification control unit 260, notifies the driver of the vehicle 2 of driving assistance information including a recommended speed (described later) for avoiding danger in a manner according to the degree of danger.

[0030] The display unit 441 is composed of, for example, a display panel provided on a dashboard or a HUD (Head-Up Display) projected onto the windshield, and displays an image that can be seen by the occupants. When the display unit 441 is a HUD, it can display a speed display, a navigation image, etc. on the windshield of the vehicle 2, and present various information to the occupants of the vehicle 2, particularly the driver.

[0031] In addition, the display unit 441 can display driving assistance information including slip information and recommended speed in the direction of travel of the vehicle 2 so that the driver, etc. can see it, in accordance with a notification instruction from the notification control unit 260 of the vehicle control device 21, to encourage the driver, etc. to avoid danger.

[0032] The alarm sounding unit 442 can be, for example, a general speaker, and can output voice or a predetermined ringing sound to notify the presence of slip information or danger information in the traveling direction in accordance with a notification instruction from the notification control unit 260. The alarm sounding unit 442 does not necessarily have to be provided exclusively for notification purposes, and can also be used as a speaker of an in-vehicle audio device or a navigation system, for example.

[0033] The vibrator 443 includes a seat vibrator that vibrates the driver's seat where the driver sits, and a steering vibrator that vibrates the steering wheel. By vibrating the seat vibrator or the steering vibrator, the driver of the vehicle 2 can be notified of driving support information including the recommended speed and slip information for the vehicle 2, and the driver can be prompted to perform a danger avoidance operation.

[0034] The memory unit 45 stores information necessary for the vehicle control device 21 to operate, information transmitted and received by the communication unit 41, slip information according to the danger level, and a notification method reported according to the danger level (see FIG. 3).

[0035] The group of sensors (outside air temperature sensor 51, vehicle speed sensor 52, wheel speed sensor 53, steering angle sensor 54, acceleration sensor 55, gyro sensor 56, and GPS sensor 57) detects the running state of the vehicle 2 according to the characteristics of each sensor.

[0036] The vehicle control device 21 realizes each of the following sections using each on-board ECU included in the vehicle control device 21: a vehicle information collection unit 210, a slip detection unit 220, a risk map acquisition unit 230, a risk level acquisition unit 240, a recommended speed acquisition unit 250, an alarm control unit 260, and a drive control unit 270, and controls the drive system and electronic devices connected to the vehicle control device 21 described above.

[0037] The vehicle information collection unit 210 acquires, as vehicle information of the vehicle 2, position information indicating the driving position of the vehicle 20, driving information indicating, for example, the vehicle speed, wheel spin information, road surface μ value, steering amount, outside air temperature, wiper operation status, driving route (destination setting) and driving mode, and other vehicle specific information indicating the vehicle model, vehicle weight, type of wheels equipped on the vehicle, etc.

[0038] The vehicle speed is information about the traveling speed of the vehicle 2 obtained by periodically monitoring the output of the vehicle speed sensor 52. The position information is information about the position of the vehicle, including the latitude and longitude obtained based on the output of the gyro sensor 56 and radio waves received by the GPS sensor 57 from artificial satellites constituting the GPS (Global Positioning System).

[0039] The wheel spin information is information related to the rotation speed or number of revolutions of each wheel based on the output of the wheel speed sensor 53 provided on each wheel when a spin is detected by a spin detection unit 220 described later.

[0040] The road surface μ value is the friction coefficient of the road surface on which the vehicle 2 is traveling, and can be obtained, for example, by calculating the road surface μ value while traveling at a predetermined period based on the vehicle speed obtained from the vehicle speed sensor 52 of the vehicle 2, the wheel rotation speed obtained from the wheel speed sensor 53, and the steering angle obtained from the steering angle sensor 54.

[0041] The steering amount is information obtained based on, for example, the output of the steering angle sensor 54 or a steering torque sensor (not shown) provided in the steering system 433. The outside air temperature is the current outside air temperature in the area where the vehicle 2 is traveling, and is obtained by monitoring the output of the outside air temperature sensor 51 at regular intervals.

[0042] The wiper operation state is, for example, information about the wiper operation interval. The travel route is information about a travel route from a starting point to a destination point that is input by an occupant of the vehicle 2 from a predetermined input unit (not shown) or that is proposed by an external server in response to the occupant inputting the destination.

[0043] The driving mode as vehicle information is information for identifying the driving mode selected by the occupant from a plurality of driving modes previously set in the vehicle control device 21 and currently used for driving. As the driving mode, for example, the responsiveness to input operations is determined in advance according to the occupant's preference, the environment and condition of the road, the weather, etc., and there are, for example, a mode that emphasizes comfort, a mode that is optimal for sports driving, a mode that emphasizes energy saving, etc., and usually, a plurality of types are set for each vehicle.

[0044] Such vehicle information is temporarily stored in the memory unit 45, and when wheel spin is detected by the wheel spin detection unit 220 described below, it is transmitted to the road surface information providing device 3 by the communication unit 41. As described above, the road surface information providing device 3 collects information on slippery areas on the road surface from the position on the road surface where the vehicle 2 has spun and the road surface μ value, based on the vehicle information transmitted from the vehicle 2, and generates a risk map.

[0045] The spin detection unit 220 monitors the rotation speed or number of rotations of all rotating wheels based on the output from the wheel speed sensors 53 attached to each wheel of the vehicle 2 and detecting the rotation of the wheels, and detects the spin of any wheel when the rotation speed or number of any wheel becomes extremely high compared to the other wheels.

[0046] The risk map acquisition unit 230 acquires a risk map from the road surface information providing device 3 via the communication unit 41. As described above, the risk map is made to correspond to road surface information that predicts the road surface condition of a predetermined area including the periphery of the vehicle and map information. In the vehicle control device 21, by displaying the risk map on the display unit 441, the driver can intuitively grasp the road surface condition, such as whether there is a slippery area on the road surface in the traveling direction, on the displayed map.

[0047] The risk level acquisition unit 240 receives and acquires a risk level for the vehicle 2 together with the risk map from the road surface information providing device 3. When the risk level acquisition unit 240 does not receive a risk level from the road surface information providing device 3, it evaluates a risk level indicating the degree of danger of the road surface in the traveling direction of the host vehicle based on the risk map.

[0048] Specifically, the risk level acquisition unit 240 refers to the risk map to identify slippery areas (slip points) that exist in the traveling direction of the vehicle 2, predicts the range and degree of slipperiness of the identified slip points, and evaluates the risk level in multiple stages (for example, three stages). The evaluation of the risk level by the risk level acquisition unit 240 can be performed in the same manner as the determination of the risk level by the road surface information providing device 3 described above.

[0049] A description will be given of an example of the evaluation of the risk level by the risk level acquisition unit 240. That is, the risk level acquisition unit 240 refers to the risk map to determine whether or not there is a slip point in the traveling direction of the vehicle 2, and if there is no slip point, evaluates the risk level as "low".

[0050] The risk level acquisition unit 240 determines whether there is a slip point and the distance of the vehicle to the slip point is less than a predetermined distance, or whether the time it will take for vehicle 2 to reach the slip point when traveling at the current vehicle speed is less than a predetermined time, and if the distance is equal to or greater than the predetermined distance or the time is equal to or greater than the predetermined time, it evaluates the risk level to be "medium."

[0051] Furthermore, when the distance to the slip point is less than a predetermined distance or the time to reach the slip point is less than a predetermined time, and the number of slipped vehicles at the slip point is less than a predetermined number, the risk level acquisition unit 240 evaluates the risk level to be "medium." Furthermore, when the distance to the slip point is less than a predetermined distance or the time to reach the slip point is less than a predetermined time, and the number of slipped vehicles at the slip point is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, the risk level acquisition unit 240 evaluates the risk level to be "high."

[0052] The recommended speed acquisition unit 250 acquires a recommended speed according to the danger level of the slippery area for the vehicle. In other words, when the vehicle 2 travels through a slip area, the recommended speed acquisition unit 250 calculates a recommended speed according to the danger level of the slip area and the vehicle. The recommended speed is determined based on slip information (the range of the slippery area on the road and the degree of slipperiness), vehicle identification information (the type and weight of the vehicle 2, the type of wheels equipped on the vehicle 2), the gradient of the road surface, weather information, etc. The recommended speed acquisition unit 250 may receive the recommended speed of the vehicle from the road surface information providing device 3.

[0053] The notification control unit 260 controls the notification unit 44 to notify the driver of the vehicle 2 of the driving support information. In particular, the notification control unit 260 controls the notification unit 44 to notify the driver of the vehicle 2 of at least the recommended speed among the driving support information. At this time, the notification control unit 260 can control the notification unit 44 to vary the method of notifying the driving support information according to the risk level, so that the higher the risk level, the stronger the notification of the driving support information to the driver. This makes it possible to notify the driver of the recommended speed with varying strength according to the risk level, and to notify the driver that a risk avoidance operation is required, specifically, that the driving speed of the vehicle needs to be reduced.

[0054] For example, when the danger level is "low", the display unit 441 is controlled to display driving assistance information, and when the danger level is "medium", the driving assistance information is displayed on the display unit 441 and an alert is given by voice or alarm from the alarm sounding unit 442, and when the danger level is "high", the display on the display unit 441 is enlarged and the volume of the voice or alarm from the alarm sounding unit 442 is increased, and the seat vibrator or steering vibrator is vibrated by the vibrator 443, etc.

[0055] Such different notification methods according to the danger level can be stored in advance in the storage unit 45 in association with the danger level, as shown in FIG. 3(A). As described above, the driving assistance information includes slip information in addition to the recommended speed. Therefore, the notification control unit 260 may notify the vehicle 2 of specific information among the slip information in accordance with the risk level, in addition to the recommended speed (FIG. 3(B)).

[0056] In addition, the notification control unit 260 controls the notification unit 44 to notify the driver that the vehicle will be decelerated when the current traveling speed of the vehicle 2 is greater than the recommended speed, or when the drive control unit 270 performs deceleration control to bring the vehicle 2 to the recommended speed.

[0057] The drive control unit 270 controls the driving of the vehicle 2 by controlling the steering, acceleration / deceleration, stopping, etc. of the vehicle drive unit 43. In particular, when the current traveling speed of the vehicle 2 is higher than the recommended speed, the drive control unit 270 controls the vehicle 2 to decelerate so as to reach the recommended speed. The deceleration control by the drive control unit 270 may be performed automatically or according to an operation by the driver.

[0058] (Processing in the road surface information device and vehicle control device) The processes in the road surface information providing device 3 and the vehicle control device 21 will be described below.

[0059] First, the flow of the risk map generation process in the road surface information providing device 3 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the road surface information providing device 3, the information acquiring unit 32 acquires vehicle information of the vehicle 2 from the vehicle control device 21 provided in the vehicle 2 that has detected wheel spinning of the vehicle among a plurality of vehicles 2 currently traveling, via the communication unit 31 (step S101). In addition, the information acquiring unit 32 acquires real-time weather information for a predetermined area including the periphery of the vehicle 2 from the vehicle 2 or a weather information providing server (step S102).

[0060] Next, a risk map is generated by the risk map generating unit 34 (step S103). Prior to generating the risk map, the road surface condition predicting unit 33 generates road surface information including slip information and the like that predicts the road surface condition of a predetermined area including the periphery of the traveling vehicle 2 based on the vehicle information and weather information respectively acquired from the multiple vehicles 2. The risk map generating unit 34 associates the road surface information with the map information and generates a risk map by overlaying the road surface information on the map information (step S103).

[0061] The risk level determination unit 35 identifies the vehicles 2 traveling on the generated risk map (step S104), and determines the risk level in the traveling direction of each vehicle 2 (step S105). The determination of the risk level will be described later. The communication unit 31 transmits the risk map generated by the risk map generation unit 34 and the risk level related to the determination result by the risk level determination unit 35 to each vehicle 2 (step S106).

[0062] Next, the risk level determination process by the risk level determining unit 35 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The risk level determination unit 35 determines whether or not there is a slip point in the traveling direction of the traveling vehicle 2 based on the risk map (step S201), and if there is no slip point, determines the risk level to be "low" (step S202).

[0063] When there is a slip point in the traveling direction of vehicle 2 (step S201), it is determined whether the distance from vehicle 2 to the slip point is less than a predetermined distance, or whether the time until vehicle 2 reaches the slip point is less than a predetermined time (step S203). When the distance between vehicle 2 and the slip point in the traveling direction of vehicle 2 is equal to or greater than the predetermined distance, or the time until vehicle 2 reaches the slip point is equal to or greater than the predetermined time, the risk level is determined to be "medium" (step S204).

[0064] If the distance between vehicle 2 and a slip point in the traveling direction of vehicle 2 is less than a predetermined distance, or if the time it takes vehicle 2 to reach the slip point is less than a predetermined time, it is determined whether the number of slipping vehicles at the slip point is equal to or greater than a predetermined number (step S205). If the number of slipping vehicles is less than the predetermined number, the risk level is determined to be "medium" (step S206), and if the number of slipping vehicles is equal to or greater than the predetermined number, the risk level is determined to be "high" (step S207).

[0065] The risk level evaluation by the risk level acquisition unit 240 of the vehicle control device 21 can be performed in the same manner as the risk level determination process in the road surface information providing device shown in FIG.

[0066] Next, the process flow in the vehicle control device 21 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIG. 5 and FIG. Figure 6(A) is a flowchart showing the process of transmitting vehicle information to the road surface information providing device 3 in the vehicle control device 21, and Figure 6(B) is a flowchart showing the process after receiving a risk map and danger level from the road surface information providing device 3.

[0067] 6(A), in the vehicle control device 21, when the spin detection unit 220 detects a spin of the wheels (step S301), the vehicle information collection unit 210 acquires vehicle information to be transmitted to the road surface information providing device 3 from the output of the sensor group, and stores the vehicle information in the storage unit 45 (step S302). The vehicle information collection unit 210 transmits the vehicle information collected from the sensor group and stored in the storage unit 45 to the road surface information providing device 3 via the communication unit 41 (step S303).

[0068] 6(B), the vehicle control device 21 receives a risk map and a risk level from the road surface information providing device 3 (step S401), and if the vehicle is traveling at a recommended speed according to the risk level (step S402), notifies the driver that there is a slip point in the traveling direction (step S403).If the vehicle is traveling at a speed higher than the recommended speed according to the risk level (step S402), notifies the driver to decelerate (step S404).

[0069] As shown in FIG. 7, the vehicle control device 21 can adjust the intensity of the notification of the driving support information depending on the risk level. That is, when the risk level is "low" (step S501), the notification control unit 260 controls the display unit 441 to display the slip points together with the recommended speed and to highlight the slip points on the risk map (step S502).

[0070] If the risk level is "medium" (step S503), the slip location is displayed along with the recommended speed, and the alarm sounder 442 issues an alarm or sounds a voice to notify the driver of the existence of the slip location, the distance to the slip location, etc. (step S504).

[0071] If the risk level is "high" (step S505), the recommended locations and slip locations are displayed, an alarm is sounded, and the driver's seat is vibrated (step S506).

[0072] As described above, the road surface information providing device according to this embodiment can obtain information about slippery parts of the road surface by acquiring vehicle information from a traveling vehicle when the vehicle detects a wheel slip. By acquiring vehicle information from multiple vehicles, information about slippery parts can be aggregated, and by acquiring surrounding weather information, the road surface condition can be accurately predicted.

[0073] In addition, by generating a risk map that matches predicted road surface information with map information, it is possible to provide a map that allows drivers to intuitively identify slippery areas, helping to provide control support according to road surface conditions.

[0074] Once a vehicle has received the risk map, the risk map can be displayed on a display installed in the vehicle. If there are slippery areas on the road surface while driving or in the vicinity, the slippery areas can be displayed on the map to alert the driver, etc.

[0075] By determining the risk level for each vehicle from the risk map and obtaining a recommended vehicle speed based on the risk level, it is possible to provide a driving speed that reduces risk for each vehicle, and to assist in appropriate driving control according to road conditions.

[0076] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and the present invention includes design changes and the like that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention. In addition, the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined by utilizing each other's technologies as long as there are no particular contradictions or problems in the purpose, configuration, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0077] 1: vehicle control assistance system, 2, 2A, 2B, 2C: vehicle, 3: road surface information providing device, 21: vehicle control device, 31: communication unit, 32: information acquisition unit, 33: road surface condition prediction unit, 34: risk map generation unit, 35: danger level determination unit, 41: communication unit, 42: wiper operation unit, 43: vehicle drive unit, 44: notification unit, 45: memory unit, 51: outside air temperature sensor, 52: vehicle speed sensor, 53: wheel speed sensor, 54: steering angle sensor, 55 : acceleration sensor, 56: gyro sensor, 57: GPS sensor, 210: vehicle information collection unit, 220: slip detection unit, 230: risk map acquisition unit, 240: risk level acquisition unit, 250: recommended speed acquisition unit, 260: notification control unit, 270: drive control unit, 431: power train system, 432: brake stem, 433: steering system, 441: display unit, 442: alarm sounding unit, 443: vibrator

Claims

1. A vehicle control device provided in a vehicle, a risk map acquisition unit that acquires a risk map in which map information is associated with road surface information that predicts the state of a road surface in a predetermined area including the vicinity of the vehicle; a risk level acquisition unit that acquires a risk level based on the risk map and a distance to a slippery area present in a traveling direction of the vehicle's road or a time required for the vehicle to reach the slippery area when traveling at a current speed; a recommended speed acquisition unit that acquires a recommended speed of the host vehicle according to the risk level for the slippery area; and a notification control unit that controls the notification unit to notify the driver of at least the recommended speed.

2. The risk level used to obtain the recommended speed includes: The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the information includes at least the weight of the vehicle, a gradient of a road surface, or weather information.

3. 3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, further comprising a drive control unit that, when a current traveling speed of the host vehicle is higher than the recommended speed, controls the host vehicle to decelerate so as to reach the recommended speed.

4. 4. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the notification control unit controls the notification unit to notify the driver that the vehicle is to be decelerated when a current traveling speed of the vehicle is greater than the recommended speed.

5. 4. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the notification control unit controls the notification unit to notify the driver of at least information regarding the position of the slippery area when the current traveling speed of the vehicle is equal to or lower than the recommended speed.

6. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the notification control unit controls the notification unit so as to notify the driver of the recommended speed more strongly as the risk level increases.

7. The risk map includes: Road surface information predicting the state of the road surface in a predetermined area is generated in association with the map information; The road surface information is generated based on vehicle information acquired from a plurality of vehicles traveling in a predetermined area and meteorological information for the predetermined area, 7. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle information includes information indicating a traveling position and a traveling state of the vehicle, obtained from a vehicle among the plurality of vehicles in which wheel spin is detected while the vehicle is traveling.

8. The risk map, The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the information is always displayed on a display unit provided in the vehicle while the vehicle is traveling.

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