Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and program

Abstract

To realize vehicle control according to the intention of a driver.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device includes a control section for performing support control which is one or both of deceleration control to decelerate a vehicle so as to allow a speed of the vehicle to be close to a target speed based on first information and report control to report that the speed of the vehicle is made to approach the target speed while the vehicle is traveling in a zone from an entrance of a curve road to a point before a predetermined distance from the entrance or while the vehicle is traveling on the curve road. The control section accelerates the vehicle with a first acceleration when second information is acquired in a case where the vehicle is not traveling in the zone and on the curve road and also the support control is not actuated, and accelerates the vehicle with a second acceleration which is suppressed compared with the first acceleration after terminating the support control when the second information is acquired during performing the support control.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, efforts to provide a sustainable transportation system that takes various situations into consideration have been gaining momentum. To achieve this, efforts are being focused on research and development to further improve traffic safety and convenience through research and development of driving assistance technologies. For example, an automatic braking device has been disclosed that applies braking force to a vehicle before entering a curve until the vehicle reaches a safe speed at which the vehicle can safely enter the curve (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This automatic braking device determines whether the distance to the entrance to the curve is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance, and if it determines that the distance is equal to or greater than the predetermined distance, determines whether the driver intends to accelerate, and reduces the braking force depending on whether or not the driver intends to accelerate. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5190022 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventional devices have sometimes been unable to realize vehicle control according to the driver's intentions. For example, they have sometimes been unable to cause the vehicle to accelerate according to the driver's intentions.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and can realize vehicle control according to the driver's intention. For example, the vehicle can be accelerated according to the driver's intention. This can contribute to the development of a sustainable transportation system that takes into consideration the passengers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle control device, the vehicle control method, and the program according to the present invention employ the following configuration. (1): A vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a first acquisition unit that acquires first information related to a curved road in the direction of travel of the vehicle, a second acquisition unit that acquires second information related to an acceleration operation by a driver of the vehicle, and a control unit that performs assistance control, which is one or both of deceleration control that decelerates the vehicle so that the speed of the vehicle approaches a target speed based on the first information and notification control that notifies the driver that the speed of the vehicle is approaching the target speed, while the vehicle is traveling in a section from the entrance of the curved road to a predetermined distance before the entrance or while the vehicle is traveling on the curved road, and when the control unit acquires the second information when the vehicle is not traveling in the section or on the curved road and the assistance control is not operating, accelerates the vehicle at a first acceleration, and when the control unit acquires the second information while the assistance control is being performed, terminates the assistance control and accelerates the vehicle at a second acceleration that is slower than the first acceleration.

[0007] (2): In the above aspect (1), when the control unit acquires the second information indicating that a first acceleration operation has been performed to bring the vehicle closer to a target speed when the vehicle is not traveling in the section and the curved road and the assistance control is not operating, the control unit accelerates the vehicle at the first acceleration so that the acceleration of the vehicle reaches the target acceleration at a first time, and when the control unit acquires the second information indicating that the first acceleration operation has been performed while the assistance control is being performed, the control unit terminates the assistance control and accelerates the vehicle at the second acceleration so that the acceleration of the vehicle reaches the target acceleration at a second time that is later than the first time.

[0008] (3): In the above aspect (1), the acceleration operation is performed by the driver operating an operator, and the control unit obtains information indicating the operation speed of the operator included in the second information, and increases the second acceleration as the operation speed becomes faster.

[0009] (4): In the above aspect (1), the acceleration operation is performed by the driver operating an operator, and the control unit obtains information indicating the amount of operation of the operator contained in the second information, and accelerates the vehicle until it reaches an acceleration corresponding to the amount of operation.

[0010] (5): In the above aspect (1), the acceleration operation is performed by the driver operating an operator, and the control unit acquires operation information indicating one or both of the amount and speed of operation of the operator contained in the second information, and when the operation information satisfies a condition, stops the assistance control and accelerates the vehicle.

[0011] (6): In the above aspect (5), the condition is any one of (1) to (3), in which (1) is that the amount of operation in a predetermined period of time reaches a first threshold value, (2) is that the operator is operated at an operation speed equal to or greater than a second threshold value and the amount of operation reaches a third threshold value, and (3) is that an operation with an amount of operation equal to or greater than a fourth threshold value is performed multiple times.

[0012] (7): In any of the aspects of (1) above, the acceleration operation is performed by the driver operating an operator, and the control unit acquires information indicating an amount of operation of the operator to accelerate the vehicle, which is included in the second information, and stops the assistance control when a cumulative value of the amount of operation over a predetermined period of time reaches a threshold value.

[0013] (8): In the above aspect (7), the control unit accumulates the amount of operation of the operator for accelerating the vehicle from the time the operator is operated to accelerate the vehicle until a set time has elapsed, and if the accumulated amount of operation reaches a threshold, stops the assistance control, and if the accumulated amount of operation does not reach the threshold before the set time has elapsed, continues the assistance control even if the operator is operated.

[0014] (9): In any of the aspects of (1) above, the control unit acquires information on the gradient of the curved road, and if the gradient is a downward gradient and the second information is acquired while the assistance control is being performed, terminates the assistance control and accelerates the vehicle at a third acceleration, and if the curved road is not a downward gradient or is a flat road and the second information is acquired while the assistance control is being performed, terminates the assistance control and accelerates the vehicle at the second acceleration, and the third acceleration is an acceleration that is slower than the second acceleration.

[0015] (10): In any of the aspects of (1) above, the control unit suppresses the third acceleration when the downward gradient of the curved road is steeper than when the downward gradient of the curved road is shallower.

[0016] (11): In any of the aspects of (9) above, the acceleration operation is performed by the driver operating an operator, and the control unit acquires operation information indicating one or both of the amount and speed of operation of the operator included in the second information, and when the operation information satisfies a condition, stops the assistance control and accelerates the vehicle, and relaxes the condition as the gradient becomes larger.

[0017] (12): In another aspect of the present invention, a vehicle control method includes a computer that acquires first information regarding a curved road in the direction of travel of a vehicle, acquires second information regarding an acceleration operation by a driver of the vehicle, and performs assistance control, which is one or both of deceleration control for decelerating the vehicle to bring the speed of the vehicle closer to a target speed based on the first information and notification control for notifying the driver that the speed of the vehicle is approaching the target speed, while the vehicle is traveling in a section from the entrance of the curved road to a predetermined distance before the entrance or while the vehicle is traveling on the curved road, and if the second information is acquired when the vehicle is not traveling in the section or on the curved road and the assistance control is not operating, accelerates the vehicle at a first acceleration, and if the second information is acquired while the assistance control is being performed, terminates the assistance control and accelerates the vehicle at a second acceleration that is slower than the first acceleration.

[0018] (13): A program according to another aspect of the present invention causes a computer to obtain first information regarding a curved road in the direction of travel of a vehicle, obtain second information regarding an acceleration operation by a driver of the vehicle, and perform assistance control, which is one or both of deceleration control for decelerating the vehicle to bring the speed of the vehicle closer to a target speed based on the first information and notification control for notifying the user that the speed of the vehicle is approaching the target speed, while the vehicle is traveling in a section from the entrance of the curved road to a predetermined distance before the entrance or while the vehicle is traveling on the curved road, and if the second information is obtained when the vehicle is not traveling in the section or on the curved road and the assistance control is not operating, accelerate the vehicle at a first acceleration, and if the second information is obtained while the assistance control is being performed, terminate the assistance control and accelerate the vehicle at a second acceleration that is slower than the first acceleration. Effect of the Invention

[0019] According to the aspects (1) to (13), when the second information is acquired while the assist control is being performed, the vehicle control device, the vehicle control method, or the program can realize vehicle control according to the driver's intention by terminating the assist control and accelerating the vehicle at a second acceleration that is less than the first acceleration. For example, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of acceleration greater than the acceleration expected by the driver, so that the driver can override with confidence.

[0020] According to the aspect (3), the vehicle control device can accelerate the vehicle at an acceleration according to the driver's intention, or at an acceleration expected by the driver, or at an acceleration close to these.

[0021] According to the aspect (4), the vehicle control device can accelerate the vehicle until it reaches an acceleration corresponding to the amount of operation, thereby suppressing the occurrence of acceleration that exceeds the acceleration corresponding to the driver's intention, acceleration that exceeds the acceleration expected by the driver, or acceleration that exceeds a close acceleration to these immediately after override.

[0022] According to the aspects (5) to (8), the vehicle control device can accelerate according to the driver's intention. For example, when the driver's intention to accelerate is clear, the assist control is released, so that the control reflecting the driver's intention is realized.

[0023] According to the aspects (9) to (11), the vehicle control device can realize control of the vehicle according to the driver's intention on a downhill slope. For example, unintended acceleration by the driver on a downhill slope is suppressed, and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of acceleration exceeding the acceleration according to the driver's intention, acceleration exceeding the acceleration expected by the driver, or acceleration close to these, immediately after override. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system 1 that utilizes a vehicle control system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of driving assistance control. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a brake override. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining overriding of an acceleration operation. [Diagram 5] 4 is a diagram for explaining an accelerator pedal opening degree by a driver's operation. FIG. [Figure 6] 13 is a diagram for explaining the transition of acceleration in Pattern 1 and Pattern 2. FIG. [Figure 7] 11A and 11B are diagrams for explaining a change in acceleration when the acceleration is not suppressed. [Figure 8]FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining conditions for accelerator override. [Figure 9] 10 is a diagram for explaining the vehicle speed according to the operation of the accelerator pedal 84 in a comparative example. FIG. [Figure 10] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of processing executed by the driving assistance device 100. [Figure 11] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of an accelerator override process executed by the driving assistance device 100. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining control when a curved road is downhill. [Figure 13] 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of processing executed by a driving assistance device 100 of a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a program according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0026] <Embodiment> [Overall configuration] 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system 1 that utilizes a vehicle control system according to an embodiment. The vehicle on which the vehicle system 1 is mounted is, for example, a two-wheeled, three-wheeled, or four-wheeled vehicle, and its drive source is an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine or a gasoline engine, an electric motor, or a combination of these. The electric motor operates using power generated by a generator connected to the internal combustion engine, or discharged power from a secondary battery or a fuel cell.

[0027] The vehicle system 1 includes, for example, a camera 10, a radar device 12, a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) 14, an object recognition device 16, a communication device 20, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 30, a vehicle sensor 40, a navigation device 50, an MPU 60, a driver monitor camera 70, a driving operation device 80, a driving support device 100, a driving force output device 200, a brake device 210, and a steering device 220. These devices and devices are connected to each other by a multiplex communication line such as a CAN (Controller Area Network) communication line, a serial communication line, a wireless communication network, or the like. The configuration shown in FIG. 1 is merely an example, and some of the configuration may be omitted, or other configuration may be added. The driving support device 100 is an example of a "vehicle control device."

[0028] The camera 10 is, for example, a digital camera using a solid-state imaging element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). The camera 10 is attached to an arbitrary location of a vehicle (hereinafter, vehicle M) in which the vehicle system 1 is mounted. When capturing an image of the front, the camera 10 is attached to the top of the front windshield, the back of the rearview mirror, or the like. The camera 10, for example, periodically and repeatedly captures images of the periphery of the vehicle M. The camera 10 may be a stereo camera.

[0029] The radar device 12 emits radio waves such as millimeter waves around the vehicle M and detects radio waves reflected by an object (reflected waves) to detect at least the position (distance and direction) of the object. The radar device 12 is attached to an arbitrary location of the vehicle M. The radar device 12 may detect the position and speed of an object by an FM-CW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) method.

[0030] The LIDAR 14 irradiates light (or electromagnetic waves with a wavelength close to that of light) around the vehicle M and measures the scattered light. The LIDAR 14 detects the distance to the target based on the time between light emission and light reception. The irradiated light is, for example, a pulsed laser light. The LIDAR 14 is attached to an arbitrary location of the vehicle M.

[0031] The object recognition device 16 performs sensor fusion processing on some or all of the detection results from the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the LIDAR 14 to recognize the position, type, speed, etc. of the object. The object recognition device 16 outputs the recognition result to the driving assistance device 100. The object recognition device 16 may output the detection results from the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the LIDAR 14 directly to the driving assistance device 100. The object recognition device 16 may be omitted from the vehicle system 1.

[0032] The communication device 20 communicates with other vehicles in the vicinity of the vehicle M, or with various server devices via a wireless base station, for example, using a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth (registered trademark), DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication), etc.

[0033] The HMI 30 presents various information to the occupant of the vehicle M and accepts input operations by the occupant. The HMI 30 includes various display devices, a speaker, a buzzer, a touch panel, switches, keys, etc. The HMI 30 is equipped with a display device. The display device (display unit) is, for example, a display device provided in the center of the instrument panel of the vehicle M, which displays various information on the vehicle M, such as a speedometer indicating the traveling speed of the vehicle M or a tachometer indicating the number of revolutions (rotation speed) of the internal combustion engine equipped in the vehicle M, a so-called multi-information display.

[0034] The vehicle sensor 40 includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the vehicle M, an acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration, a yaw rate sensor that detects the angular velocity around a vertical axis, a direction sensor that detects the direction of the vehicle M, and the like.

[0035] The navigation device 50 includes, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 51, a navigation HMI 52, and a route determination unit 53. The navigation device 50 holds first map information 54 in a storage device such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a flash memory. The GNSS receiver 51 identifies the position of the vehicle M based on a signal received from a GNSS satellite. The position of the vehicle M may be identified or complemented by an INS (Inertial Navigation System) using the output of the vehicle sensor 40. The navigation HMI 52 includes a display device, a speaker, a touch panel, keys, and the like. The navigation HMI 52 may be partially or entirely shared with the above-mentioned HMI 30. The route determination unit 53, for example, determines a route (hereinafter, a route on a map) from the position of the vehicle M identified by the GNSS receiver 51 (or an arbitrary input position) to a destination input by a driver using the navigation HMI 52, with reference to the first map information 54. The first map information 54 is, for example, information in which road shapes are expressed by links indicating roads and nodes connected by the links. The first map information 54 may include road curvature and POI (Point Of Interest) information. The route on the map is output to the MPU 60. The navigation device 50 may perform route guidance using the navigation HMI 52 based on the route on the map. The navigation device 50 may be realized by, for example, a function of a terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet terminal owned by a passenger. The navigation device 50 may transmit a current position and a destination to a navigation server via the communication device 20, and obtain a route equivalent to the route on the map from the navigation server.

[0036] The MPU 60 includes, for example, a recommended lane determination unit 61, and holds second map information 62 in a storage device such as an HDD or a flash memory. The recommended lane determination unit 61 divides the route on the map provided by the navigation device 50 into a plurality of blocks (for example, by dividing it into 100 m intervals in the vehicle travel direction), and determines a recommended lane for each block by referring to the second map information 62. The recommended lane determination unit 61 determines, for example, which lane from the left the vehicle should travel in. When a branch point is present on the route on the map, the recommended lane determination unit 61 determines a recommended lane so that the vehicle M can travel along a reasonable route to proceed to the branch point.

[0037] The second map information 62 is map information with higher accuracy than the first map information 54. The second map information 62 includes, for example, information on the center of a lane or information on a boundary between a lane. The second map information 62 may include road information, traffic regulation information, address information (address and postal code), facility information, telephone number information, and the like. The second map information 62 may be updated at any time by the communication device 20 communicating with another device. The second map information 62 includes information on the position of a curved road, the curvature of the curved road, the curve radius of the curved road, the gradient of the curved road, and the like. These pieces of information may be included in the first map information 54. In addition, the second map information 62 or the first map information 54 may include information indicating whether or not the curved road is a target of the assistance control described later.

[0038] The driver monitor camera 70 is, for example, a digital camera using a solid-state imaging element such as a CCD or a CMOS. The driver monitor camera 70 is attached to an arbitrary location in the vehicle M in a position and orientation that allows the head of an occupant (hereinafter, the driver) seated in the driver's seat of the vehicle M to be imaged from the front (in an orientation that images the face). For example, the driver monitor camera 70 is attached to an upper portion of a display device provided in the center of the instrument panel of the vehicle M. The driver monitor camera 70 outputs an image of the interior of the vehicle including the driver of the vehicle M captured from the installed position to the driving assistance device 100.

[0039] The driving operators 80 include, for example, a brake pedal 82, an accelerator pedal 84, a steering wheel, a turn signal switch, a shift lever, and other operators. The driving operators 80 are fitted with sensors that detect the amount of operation or the presence or absence of operation, and the detection results are output to the driving support device 100, or some or all of the driving force output device 200, the brake device 210, and the steering device 220. The steering wheel does not necessarily have to be annular, and may be in the form of an irregularly shaped steering wheel, a joystick, buttons, or the like. A brake pedal sensor (BP sensor) 86 is attached to the brake pedal 82. An accelerator pedal sensor (AP sensor) 88 is attached to the accelerator pedal 84.

[0040] The BP sensor 86 detects the opening degree of the brake pedal 82, which changes in response to the driver's operation of the brake pedal 82. The AP pedal sensor 88 detects the opening degree of the accelerator pedal 84, which changes in response to the driver's operation of the accelerator pedal 84.

[0041] The driving support device 100 includes, for example, a recognition unit 110, a driver recognition unit 120, a curve determination unit 130, an operation information processing unit 140, an assistance control unit 150, and a storage unit 190. Some or all of these functional units are realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including a circuit unit; circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be realized by cooperation between software and hardware. The program may be stored in a storage device (storage device having a non-transient storage medium) such as an HDD or flash memory of the driving support device 100 in advance, or may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and installed in the HDD or flash memory of the driving support device 100 by mounting the storage medium (non-transient storage medium) in a drive device. The curve determination unit 130 is an example of a first acquisition unit, the operation information processing unit 140 is an example of a second acquisition unit, and the assistance control unit 150 is an example of a control unit.

[0042] The storage unit 190 is realized by, for example, a HDD, a flash memory, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), or a RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0043] The recognition unit 110 recognizes the position, speed, acceleration, and other states of objects around the vehicle M based on information input from the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the LIDAR 14 via the object recognition device 16. The position of the object is recognized as a position on an absolute coordinate system with a representative point of the vehicle M (such as the center of gravity or the center of the drive shaft) as the origin, and is used for control. The position of the object may be represented by a representative point such as the center of gravity or a corner of the object, or may be represented by an area. The "state" of the object may include the acceleration or jerk of the object, or the "behavioral state" (for example, whether or not the object is changing lanes or is about to change lanes).

[0044] The recognition unit 110 recognizes, for example, the lane in which the vehicle M is traveling (driving lane). For example, the recognition unit 110 recognizes the driving lane by comparing a pattern of road dividing lines (for example, an arrangement of solid lines and dashed lines) obtained from the second map information 62 with a pattern of road dividing lines around the vehicle M recognized from an image captured by the camera 10. The recognition unit 110 may recognize the driving lane by recognizing road boundaries (road boundaries) including not only road dividing lines but also road dividing lines, shoulders, curbs, median strips, guardrails, etc. In this recognition, the position of the vehicle M obtained from the navigation device 50 and the processing results by the INS may be taken into consideration. The recognition unit 110 recognizes stop lines, obstacles, red lights, toll booths, and other road phenomena.

[0045] When recognizing the travel lane, the recognition unit 110 recognizes the position and attitude of the vehicle M with respect to the travel lane. For example, the recognition unit 110 may recognize the deviation of the reference point of the vehicle M from the center of the lane and the angle with respect to a line connecting the centers of the lanes in the traveling direction of the vehicle M as the relative position and attitude of the vehicle M with respect to the travel lane. Alternatively, the recognition unit 110 may recognize the position of the reference point of the vehicle M with respect to either side end of the travel lane (a road division line or a road boundary) as the relative position of the vehicle M with respect to the travel lane.

[0046] The driver recognition unit 120 detects whether the driver is in a predetermined state based on an image captured by the driver monitor camera 70. The predetermined state is a state in which a hands-off lane keeping control, which will be described later, can be executed. Hands-off is a state in which the driver does not grip the steering wheel, and hands-on is a state in which the driver grips the steering wheel. A state in which the hands-off lane keeping control can be executed is a state in which the driver monitors the front (or the periphery of the vehicle M). Monitoring the front means, for example, that the driver monitors the front so that the driver can quickly take over from the control of the vehicle M by the vehicle system 1 to the operation of the vehicle M by the driver. Monitoring the front means, for example, that the driver's line of sight is directed forward. Whether the driver is hands-on or hands-off is determined based on the detection result of a grip sensor that detects the grip state of the steering wheel (not shown).

[0047] The curve determination unit 130 acquires first information about a curved road that exists in the traveling direction of the vehicle M. The first information about the curved road is, for example, information about the position of the curved road, the shape of the curved road, etc. The curve determination unit 130 identifies the position of the curved road relative to the vehicle M based on, for example, the position of the vehicle M and the first information.

[0048] The operation information processing unit 140 acquires second information regarding an acceleration operation of the driver of the vehicle M. The second information is, for example, information indicating an accelerator pedal opening degree output from the AP pedal sensor 88. The operation information processing unit 140 acquires information regarding a deceleration operation of the driver of the vehicle M. For example, the operation information processing unit 140 acquires information indicating a brake pedal opening degree output from the BP sensor 86.

[0049] The assistance control unit 150 assists the driver in controlling the vehicle M. For example, the assistance control unit 150 automatically controls the driving force output device 200 and the brake device 210 without relying on the driver's operation, and automatically controls the speed of the vehicle M. The assistance control unit 150 executes so-called ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control).

[0050] For example, when there are no other vehicles in front of vehicle M within a predetermined distance from vehicle M, the assistance control unit 150 automatically controls the driving force output device 200 and the brake device 210 without the driver's operation so that vehicle M travels at a speed set by the driver, the legal speed, or a speed that is preset in accordance with the road.

[0051] For example, when there is another vehicle ahead of the vehicle M within a predetermined distance from the vehicle M, the assistance control unit 150 automatically controls the driving drive force output device 200 and the brake device 210 without the driver's operation so as to follow the other vehicle. Following means that the vehicle M travels behind the other vehicle while maintaining a position at a predetermined distance from the other vehicle.

[0052] The assistance control unit 150 controls the steering device 220 so that the vehicle M does not deviate from the driving lane. For example, the assistance control unit 150 controls the steering device 220 so that the vehicle M drives in the center or near the center of the driving lane recognized by the recognition unit 110. The assistance control unit 150 executes, for example, hands-off lane keeping control that can control the steering of the vehicle M in a state where the driver is not gripping the steering wheel, or hands-on lane keeping control that can control the steering of the vehicle M in a state where the driver is gripping the steering wheel.

[0053] The assistance control unit 150 automatically changes lanes of the vehicle M. For example, the assistance control unit 150 generates a trajectory for lane change and changes lanes of the vehicle M so that the vehicle M travels along the generated trajectory. The assistance control unit 150 changes lanes of the vehicle M (ALC; automatic lane change) based on a destination set by the occupant or a recommended lane output to the MPU 60.

[0054] The assistance control unit 150 may automatically change lanes of the vehicle M when a lane change instruction is given by the driver. The lane change instruction is the operation of a lever part of a turn signal operating switch. For example, when the driver operates the lever part in a direction in which the vehicle M wants to change lanes, the vehicle M changes lanes in a direction corresponding to the operation. The lane change instruction may be an operation different from the operation of the lever part of the turn signal operating switch. For example, a lane change may be performed when a specified operating button is pressed. A part or all of the control of the assistance control unit 150 described above may be omitted.

[0055] Furthermore, when entering a curved road or while traveling on a curved road, the assistance control unit 150 decelerates the vehicle M to a speed appropriate for the curved road and notifies the driver of the deceleration, thereby assisting the driver so that the vehicle M can travel smoothly on the curved road. Hereinafter, this control may be referred to as assistance control.

[0056] The driving force output device 200 outputs a driving force (torque) for driving the vehicle M to the driving wheels. The driving force output device 200 includes, for example, a combination of an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, a transmission, and an ECU that controls these. The ECU controls the above components according to information input from the assistance control unit 150 or information input from the driving operator 80.

[0057] Brake device 210 includes, for example, a brake caliper, a cylinder that transmits hydraulic pressure to the brake caliper, an electric motor that generates hydraulic pressure in the cylinder, and a brake ECU. The brake ECU controls the electric motor according to information input from assistance control unit 150 or information input from driving operator 80, so that a brake torque corresponding to the braking operation is output to each wheel.

[0058] The steering device 220 includes, for example, a steering ECU and an electric motor. The electric motor changes the direction of the steered wheels by applying a force to, for example, a rack and pinion mechanism. The steering ECU drives the electric motor according to information input from the assistance control unit 150 or information input from the driving operator 80 to change the direction of the steered wheels.

[0059] [Assistive Control] The assistance control unit 150 performs assistance control, which is one or both of deceleration control for decelerating the vehicle M so that the speed of the vehicle M approaches a target speed according to the curved road while the vehicle M is traveling in a section (predetermined section) from the entrance of the curved road to a predetermined distance before the entrance or while the vehicle M is traveling on the curved road, and notification control for notifying (warning) that the speed of the vehicle M approaches the target speed. The assistance control is a process that is executed, for example, when the driving assistance device 100 does not automatically control the speed of the vehicle M (for example, the ACC is not operating) and the driver controls the speed of the vehicle M. The target speed is a speed that is determined by the shape of the curved road, the legal speed limit of the road on the curved road, etc.

[0060] The target of the assistance control may be a curved road that satisfies a condition, for example, that the curve radius is within a predetermined range. The predetermined range is a curve radius at which the vehicle M needs to decelerate when traveling.

[0061] The assistance control may be performed on the condition that the speed of the vehicle M is equal to or lower than a predetermined speed. The predetermined speed is a speed that does not deviate by more than a predetermined speed from the speed limit or recommended speed of the curved road or the roads before and after the curved road. The predetermined speed is, for example, a set speed (e.g., 30 km / h) added to the above-mentioned speed limit or recommended speed.

[0062] The assist control may be performed when the road surface condition meets a criterion. For example, the criterion means that no event that affects the braking operation, such as the road surface not being frozen, has occurred. For example, the recognition unit 110 may recognize the road surface condition based on the detection result of the object recognition device 16, or the driving assistance device 100 may recognize the road surface condition based on information provided by another device. The assist control may be performed when the gradient of the curved road is less than a threshold value.

[0063] 2 is a diagram for explaining the assistance control. Time T is the timing when the vehicle M reaches a position P a predetermined distance before the entrance of the curved road. The predetermined distance before is a position that is preset according to the target speed. For example, the greater the difference between the speed of the vehicle M and the target speed, the farther the predetermined distance before is set from the entrance of the curved road. The predetermined distance before is set at a position that can ensure the time for a preset notification, the time for a preset first warning, and the time for a preset second warning when a brake override or an accelerator override is not performed, as described below.

[0064] After passing position P, vehicle M passes positions P1, P2, and P3 in that order. The time when vehicle M reaches position P is time T, the time when vehicle M reaches position P1 is time T+1, the time when vehicle M reaches position P2 is time T+2, and the time when vehicle M reaches position P3 is time T+3. An entrance to a curved road is provided between positions P2 and P3. The entrance to a curved road is, for example, a position where a road (lane) starts to curve or a position where the road curves by more than a threshold value.

[0065] If the speed of the vehicle M is greater than the target speed at time T, the assistance control unit 150 notifies the driver and decelerates the vehicle M at a first deceleration rate. The notification is a notification that makes the driver aware of a curved road. The notification is, for example, a notification that the vehicle M approaches a curved road in a state where the speed of the vehicle M is greater than the target speed, or a notification to start assistance control that decelerates the vehicle M so that the speed of the vehicle M approaches the target speed. The notification is, for example, performed via the HMI 30. The notification may be a notification by an image, or a notification by sound or vibration (for example, vibrating the seat belt).

[0066] At time T+1, the assistance control unit 150 issues a first warning to the driver. The first warning is a warning to make the driver aware of the curved road. The first warning is, for example, a warning to the driver to decelerate the vehicle M so that the speed of the vehicle M approaches the target speed.

[0067] At time T+2, the assistance control unit 150 issues a second warning to the driver, decelerates the vehicle M at a second deceleration rate, and makes the speed of the vehicle M match the target speed at time T+3. The second deceleration rate is a deceleration rate greater than the first deceleration rate. The second warning is a warning to the driver to recognize the curved road. The second warning is a warning to the driver to decelerate the vehicle M so that the speed of the vehicle M approaches the target speed. The second warning is a warning with a stronger intensity than the first warning. A stronger warning is a warning in a manner that makes the driver feel the need to decelerate more. For example, a stronger warning is when the assistance control unit 150 provides an image that encourages the driver to decelerate, outputs a louder sound, or applies a larger vibration to the driver.

[0068] As described above, the assistance control unit 150 assists the vehicle M in traveling on a curved road. This makes it possible to assist the driver's operation so that the vehicle M travels on a curved road smoothly at a target speed.

[0069] [Deceleration operation override] When the driver operates the brake pedal 82 to a predetermined degree or more while the assistance control is being performed, the assistance control unit 150 stops the assistance control and controls the brake device 210 in response to the driver's operation to decelerate the vehicle M. Hereinafter, this control may be referred to as brake override.

[0070] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining brake override. Between time T and time T+2, the support control unit 150 decelerates the vehicle M at a first deceleration rate and issues a notification or a first warning via the HMI 30. The driver feels a change in gravity (longitudinal G) in the traveling direction of the vehicle M as the vehicle M decelerates, and further recognizes that a curved road is approaching due to the notification or the first warning via the HMI. When the driver operates the brake pedal 82 to a predetermined operation degree or more and for a predetermined time PT (for example, 2 seconds or 3 seconds) due to the above recognition, the support control is stopped at time T+2#. When the brake pedal 82 is operated as described above, the support control unit 150 assumes that the driver recognizes the curved road and is trying to decelerate the vehicle M to a speed appropriate for the curved road, and stops the support control. As a result, the notification and warning are stopped, and further the deceleration control by the support control unit 150 is stopped.

[0071] For example, even if the driver is not aware of the curved road, the driver may reflexively operate the brake pedal 82 due to a notification or warning. In this case, brake override is not appropriate. In this embodiment, as described above, when the driver operates the brake pedal 82 to a predetermined degree or more for a predetermined time PT, the assist control is stopped, so that the driver can recognize the curved road and then brake override can be established. In this way, the assist control unit 150 can stop the assist control at an appropriate timing.

[0072] [Acceleration operation override] When the assist control unit 150 acquires information indicating that the driver performed an acceleration operation while the vehicle M is not traveling in the above-mentioned predetermined section or curved road and the assist control is not operating, the assist control unit 150 accelerates the vehicle M at a first acceleration, and when the assist control unit 150 acquires information indicating that the driver performed the above-mentioned acceleration operation while the assist control is being performed, the assist control unit 150 terminates the assist control and accelerates the vehicle M at a second acceleration that is slower than the first acceleration. Hereinafter, this control may be referred to as accelerator override.

[0073] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the override of the acceleration operation. At time Tx1, the assistance control unit 150 starts assistance control and starts decelerating the vehicle M. At time Tx2, the driver starts operating the accelerator pedal 84 to accelerate the vehicle M. At time Tx3, when the operation of the accelerator pedal 84 satisfies the accelerator override condition (AP O / R state), the assistance control unit 150 accelerates the vehicle M at a second acceleration until the acceleration of the vehicle M reaches a predetermined acceleration. In the example of FIG. 4, in the period from time Tx3 to time Tx4, the assistance control unit 150 accelerates the vehicle M at the second acceleration. The condition for the accelerator override may be that a condition described later is satisfied, or that the accelerator pedal opening degree reaches a threshold value.

[0074] The predetermined acceleration is, for example, an acceleration corresponding to the accelerator pedal opening degree when the acceleration is not suppressed as described above. In other words, it is the original acceleration of the vehicle M corresponding to the accelerator pedal opening degree (amount of accelerator pedal operation). The greater the amount of accelerator pedal operation by the driver, the greater the predetermined acceleration is, and the smaller the amount of accelerator pedal operation by the driver, the smaller the predetermined acceleration is. In this way, the assistance control unit 150 accelerates the vehicle M until it reaches an acceleration corresponding to the amount of accelerator pedal operation.

[0075] The first acceleration and the second acceleration will be described with reference to Fig. 5 and Fig. 6. Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining the accelerator pedal opening caused by the driver's operation. The vertical axis represents the accelerator pedal opening, and the horizontal axis represents time. For example, in the case where it is assumed that the assist control is being executed (in the case of pattern 1) and in the case where it is assumed that the assist control is not being executed (in the case of pattern 2), the driver operates the accelerator pedal and the accelerator pedal opening changes as shown in Fig. 5. The change in the accelerator pedal opening from time Tx3 to time Tx4 is shown. In this case, the acceleration changes as shown in Fig. 6.

[0076] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the transition of acceleration in pattern 1 and pattern 2. The vertical axis represents acceleration, and the horizontal axis represents time. The acceleration in pattern 1 (second acceleration) is suppressed more than the acceleration in pattern 2 (first acceleration). Even if the accelerator pedal opening changes in the same way in pattern 1 and pattern 2, the increase in acceleration is suppressed more in pattern 1 than in pattern 2, and the speed of vehicle M is controlled to reach a predetermined acceleration in a longer time than in pattern 2.

[0077] The acceleration of the above-mentioned pattern 1 is, for example, an acceleration at which the driver can suppress the acceleration within a predetermined time even if the acceleration is unintended by the driver. For example, when unintended acceleration occurs, the movement time from when the driver removes his / her foot from the accelerator pedal to when he / she moves his / her foot to the brake pedal 82 is taken into consideration. The acceleration of the pattern 1 is set to an acceleration at which the acceleration can be suppressed within a predetermined time (at which the vehicle M can be decelerated) or less when the brake operation is performed after the movement time as described above, for example.

[0078] The acceleration of pattern 2 is an example of "a first acceleration when the second information is acquired when the vehicle is not traveling in the section or on the curved road and the assist control is not operating". The acceleration of pattern 1 is an example of "a second acceleration when the second information is acquired while the assist control is being performed, the second acceleration being reduced from the first acceleration by terminating the assist control".

[0079] The acceleration of the above-mentioned pattern 1 may be an acceleration that is suppressed more than the acceleration when the override is established while the ACC is being executed. For example, when the ACC is being executed and the operation of the accelerator pedal 84 satisfies a condition, the assistance control unit 150 stops the ACC and accelerates the vehicle M according to the driver's operation of the accelerator pedal 84. The acceleration at this time may be an acceleration that is larger than the acceleration of the pattern 1.

[0080] The assistance control unit 150 may adjust the acceleration of the above pattern 1 according to the manner in which the driver operates the accelerator pedal during the set period. The assistance control unit 150 adjusts the acceleration of pattern 1 according to the amount or speed of operation of the accelerator pedal by the driver during the set period. The set period is any one of the periods before the accelerator override is established, when the accelerator override is established, or after the accelerator override is established, or a combination of these periods, or a period including these periods.

[0081] For example, as the operation speed is faster, the acceleration of pattern 1 is adjusted to approach the acceleration of pattern 2. For example, as the operation amount is larger, the acceleration of pattern 1 is adjusted to approach the acceleration of pattern 2. The assistance control unit 150 adjusts the acceleration by adding a gain according to the operation speed or the operation amount to the acceleration of pattern 1. In this way, the assistance control unit 150 can realize control of the vehicle M that reflects the driver's intention.

[0082] For example, when the assist control unit 150 acquires second information indicating that a first acceleration operation has been performed to bring the vehicle M closer to the target speed when the vehicle M is not traveling near or on a curved road and the assist control is not operating, the assist control unit 150 accelerates the vehicle M at the first acceleration to make the acceleration of the vehicle M reach the target acceleration at the first time. When the assist control unit 150 acquires second information indicating that a first acceleration operation has been performed while the assist control is being performed, the assist control unit 150 ends the assist control and accelerates the vehicle M at a second acceleration in which the acceleration is suppressed more than the first acceleration to make the acceleration of the vehicle M reach the target acceleration at the second time after the first time. In this way, when the accelerator override is established, the assist control unit 150 controls the acceleration of the vehicle M to be more suppressed and to be gradually (over a long time) closer to the acceleration intended by the driver. As a result, the assist control unit 150 suppresses the acceleration of the vehicle M from deviating from the target acceleration and can reliably bring the acceleration of the vehicle M closer to the acceleration intended by the driver.

[0083] [Comparative Example] Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining a change in acceleration when the acceleration is not suppressed. As shown in Fig. 7, when the acceleration is not suppressed, the vehicle M may accelerate at an acceleration greater than the acceleration intended by the driver. Between time Tx2 and time Tx3, the driver may depress the accelerator pedal even harder because the acceleration is suppressed by the assistance control even though the driver is depressing the accelerator pedal. As a result, the accelerator pedal override is established, and the vehicle M may accelerate at an acceleration (AC in Fig. 7) that exceeds the acceleration intended by the driver.

[0084] In contrast, in this embodiment, as described in Figures 4 to 6, the assistance control unit 150 suppresses acceleration in the accelerator override of the assistance control, so that the vehicle M can be accelerated at the acceleration intended by the driver. As a result, the assistance control unit 150 can realize control of the vehicle M according to the driver's intention.

[0085] [Accelerator override conditions] When operation information indicating one or both of the amount of operation of the accelerator pedal by the driver and the operation speed of the accelerator pedal satisfies a condition, the assistance control unit 150 stops the assistance control and accelerates the vehicle M. The condition is, for example, any one of (1) to (3). (1) The amount of operation for a predetermined period of time reaches a first threshold value. (2) The accelerator pedal is operated at an operation speed equal to or greater than the second threshold value, and the operation amount reaches a third threshold value. For example, when the driver kicks down the accelerator pedal, (2) is satisfied. The third threshold value is, for example, a threshold value larger than the first threshold value. (3) An operation with an amount of operation equal to or greater than a fourth threshold is performed multiple times. The fourth threshold is, for example, a threshold greater than the first threshold.

[0086] The above (1) may be determined based on a cumulative value of the operation amount of the accelerator pedal. The assist control unit 150 establishes the accelerator override when the cumulative change amount (operation amount) of the accelerator pedal opening in a predetermined time reaches a threshold value. The cumulative change amount is, for example, the change amount (operation amount) of the accelerator pedal opening in response to the operation of the accelerator pedal 84 so as to accelerate the vehicle M. The cumulative change amount is, for example, the cumulative value of the depression amount of the accelerator pedal 84 by the driver. As described above, the assist control unit 150 establishes the accelerator override when the accelerator pedal 84 is operated with an operation amount equal to or greater than a predetermined degree and the cumulative amount of the depression amount reaches a threshold value within a predetermined time.

[0087] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the conditions of the accelerator override. The vertical axis indicates the accelerator pedal opening degree, and the horizontal axis indicates time. The assistance control unit 150 accumulates the operation amount of the accelerator pedal 84 for accelerating the vehicle M from when the accelerator pedal 84 is operated to accelerate the vehicle M until the set time PT1 has elapsed, and stops the assistance control when the accumulated operation amount reaches a threshold. The start point of the set period PT may be when the driver operates the accelerator pedal 84, or may be when the driver operates the accelerator pedal 84 with an operation amount equal to or greater than a predetermined degree. As described above, the accelerator override is established. If the accumulated operation amount does not reach the threshold before the set time P1 has elapsed, the assistance control continues even if the driver operates the accelerator pedal 84.

[0088] The accelerator override condition is satisfied even when accelerator pedal 84 is operated so that the accelerator pedal opening degree changes greatly in a short period of time, as shown by line L1, or when accelerator pedal 84 is operated so that the accelerator pedal opening degree accumulates gradually and changes by more than a predetermined degree, as shown by line L2. Also, when accelerator pedal 84 is depressed by the driver, released, and then immediately depressed again by the driver, if the cumulative total of the amount of change (amount of depression) over two (multiple) times is equal to or greater than a threshold value, accelerator override is established.

[0089] [Comparative Example] FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the speed of the vehicle M according to the operation of the accelerator pedal 84 in the comparative example. The vertical axis indicates the speed of the vehicle M, and the horizontal axis indicates the time. After the assistance control is started, the driver may want to perform accelerator override in order to run the vehicle M without decelerating. In this case, the driver assumes the following: "I want to run the vehicle M with an acceleration like the transition line L4, but if I operate the accelerator pedal 84 with a certain degree of operation to make the magnitude of the accelerator pedal opening equal to or greater than the threshold (to establish the accelerator override), the acceleration may be greater than the intended speed like the transition line L3." Because of the above-mentioned consideration, the driver may hesitate to operate the accelerator pedal 84 for the accelerator override.

[0090] In this embodiment, the assistance control unit 150 suppresses acceleration as described in Fig. 4-6, so that even if the driver operates the accelerator pedal 84 to a certain degree, the vehicle M does not reach a speed like the transition line L3 in Fig. 9, but can control the vehicle M so that the vehicle M gradually approaches the intended speed. This makes it possible to realize control of the vehicle M according to the driver's intention.

[0091] For example, the driver may not expect that acceleration will be suppressed, and may not operate the accelerator pedal 84 at a constant operation degree, but may gradually operate the accelerator pedal 84 at an operation amount smaller than the constant amount as shown by the change line L2 in Fig. 8 described above. In this case, the assistance control unit 150 establishes an accelerator override when the cumulative change amount of the accelerator pedal opening degree within a specified time period becomes equal to or exceeds a threshold value. This makes it possible to realize control of the vehicle M according to the driver's intention.

[0092] [flowchart] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the driving assistance device 100. The order of the processing in this flowchart may be changed, and some of the processing may be omitted.

[0093] First, the driving assistance device 100 determines whether or not a curved road exists a predetermined distance ahead from the position of the vehicle M (step S100). If a curved road exists, the driving assistance device 100 determines whether or not the curved road satisfies a condition (step S102). If the curved road satisfies a condition, the driving assistance device 100 determines whether or not the speed of the vehicle M satisfies a condition (step S104). If the determination in step S100, S102, or S104 is negative, the processing of one routine of this flowchart ends.

[0094] If the vehicle speed satisfies the condition, the driving support device 100 determines whether the vehicle M has reached a first position (e.g., position P in FIG. 2) (step S106). If the vehicle M has reached the first position, the driving support device 100 issues a notification (step S108) and decelerates the vehicle M at a first deceleration rate (step S110).

[0095] Next, the driving assistance device 100 determines whether the vehicle M has reached a second position (e.g., position P1 in FIG. 2) (step S112). If the vehicle M has reached the second position, the driving assistance device 100 issues a first warning (step S114). Next, the driving assistance device 100 determines whether the vehicle M has reached a third position (e.g., position P2 in FIG. 2) (step S116).

[0096] When the vehicle M reaches the third position, the driving support device 100 issues a second warning (step S118) and decelerates the vehicle M at a second deceleration rate (step S122). Next, it is determined whether the speed of the vehicle M has reached the target speed (step S122). When the speed of the vehicle M has not reached the target speed, the process returns to step S118. When the speed of the vehicle M has reached the target speed, the driving support device 100 stops the deceleration of the vehicle M (step S124). This ends the process of one routine of this flowchart.

[0097] As described above, when the vehicle M and the curved road satisfy the conditions, the driving assistance device 100 can assist the driver so that the vehicle M can travel on the curved road more smoothly by executing assistance control (steps S106-S124).

[0098] In the process of the above flowchart, if a brake override or an accelerator override is established, the assistance control is stopped.

[0099] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the accelerator override process executed by the driving support device 100. Some of the processes in this flowchart may be omitted, or some of the processes may be omitted. For example, the process of step S214 may be omitted. For example, the processes of steps S204, S206, and S210 may be omitted, and in step S208, it may be determined whether the operation amount of the accelerator pedal 84 has reached a threshold value.

[0100] First, the driving support device 100 determines whether or not the assist control is being performed (step S200). If the assist control is being performed, the driving support device 100 determines whether or not the accelerator pedal 84 is operated (step S202). If the accelerator pedal 84 is operated, the driving support device 100 starts counting a timer (step S204).

[0101] Next, the driving support device 100 accumulates the amount of change in the accelerator pedal opening (step S206). The amount of change is the amount of change (e.g., the amount of depression) when the accelerator pedal 84 is operated to accelerate the vehicle M as described above. Next, the driving support device 100 determines whether or not the accumulated value of the amount of change in the accelerator pedal opening has reached a threshold value (step S208). If the accumulated value of the amount of change in the accelerator pedal opening has not reached the threshold value, the driving support device 100 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of counting (step S210). If the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process returns to step S206. If the predetermined time has elapsed, the process for one routine of this flowchart ends.

[0102] If the cumulative value of the amount of change in the accelerator pedal opening reaches the threshold in step S208, the driving support device 100 establishes the accelerator override (step S212). This stops the process of the flowchart in FIG. 10 described above, and the support control stops. Next, the driving support device 100 accelerates the vehicle M by suppressing the acceleration according to the accelerator pedal opening (step S214). This ends the process of one routine of this flowchart.

[0103] As described above, the driving assistance device 100 establishes accelerator override based on the accumulated value of the change in the accelerator pedal opening degree, and further suppresses acceleration when the accelerator override is established, thereby realizing control of the vehicle M in accordance with the driver's intention.

[0104] According to the embodiment described above, when the driver accelerates while assistance control is being performed, the assistance control unit 150 can realize control of the vehicle M in accordance with the driver's intentions by terminating the assistance control and accelerating the vehicle M with a suppressed acceleration.

[0105] <Second embodiment> A second embodiment will be described below. In the second embodiment, control when the curved road is a downhill road will be described. The following mainly describes the differences from the first embodiment. The processing of the first embodiment and the processing of the second embodiment may be appropriately combined and performed.

[0106] The assistance control unit 150 acquires information on the gradient of the curved road, and if the gradient is a downward gradient and information on an accelerating operation is acquired while assistance control is being performed, ends the assistance control and accelerates the vehicle M at a third acceleration, and if the curved road is not a downward gradient or is a flat road and information on an accelerating operation is acquired while assistance control is being performed, ends the assistance control and accelerates the vehicle M at a suppressed second acceleration. The third acceleration is an acceleration that is suppressed more than the second acceleration.

[0107] FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining control when the curved road is a downhill road. FIG. 12 shows changes in the speed of the vehicle M, the accelerator pedal opening, and the acceleration of the vehicle M over time. At time Tx11, the assist control is started. It is assumed that the driver operates the accelerator pedal 84 before time Tx12. At time Tx12, the cumulative value of the change in the accelerator pedal opening reaches the threshold value Th, and the assist control is stopped. At this time, the assist control unit 150 suppresses the acceleration of the vehicle M. For example, the assist control unit 150 suppresses the acceleration to a greater extent than the suppression degree of acceleration described in the first embodiment (suppresses the acceleration to a third acceleration that is more suppressed than the second acceleration).

[0108] The transition line L5 in Fig. 12 is a transition line of the change in the suppressed acceleration described in the first embodiment. The transition line L6 in Fig. 12 is a transition line of the change in the suppressed acceleration when the curved road is a downhill road in the second embodiment. In this way, when the curved road is a downhill road, the assistance control unit 150 suppresses the acceleration of the vehicle M more than when the curved road is not a downhill road.

[0109] The assistance control unit 150 acquires operation information indicating one or both of the amount and speed of operation of the accelerator pedal 84 by the driver, and when the operation information satisfies a condition, stops the assistance control and accelerates the vehicle M. For example, when any of the above-mentioned conditions (1) to (3) is satisfied, the assistance control is stopped. At this time, the condition may be relaxed as the downward gradient becomes larger. Relaxation means that the condition is more easily satisfied. For example, the thresholds included in the conditions (1) to (3) may be reduced.

[0110] In the above process, the assistance control unit 150 may suppress the third acceleration when the gradient of the curved road is large, more than when the downward gradient of the curved road is small. For example, the assistance control unit 150 makes the gradient of the above-mentioned transition line L5 gentler as the downward gradient of the curved road is large. This allows the assistance control unit 150 to realize control of the vehicle M according to the gradient.

[0111] The assistance control unit 150 may adjust the acceleration (the acceleration of the transition line L5) according to the operation mode of the accelerator pedal by the driver during the set period as described in the first embodiment. The assistance control unit 150 adjusts the acceleration according to the operation amount or operation speed of the accelerator pedal by the driver during the set period. For example, the faster the operation speed is, the higher the acceleration is increased, and the larger the operation amount is, the higher the acceleration is increased. This allows the assistance control unit 150 to realize control of the vehicle M that reflects the driver's intention.

[0112] [summary] For example, on a downhill road, the acceleration behavior is more likely to cause the driver to feel fear than on a flat road. In particular, there are drivers who do not want to decelerate or accelerate, and would be happy to keep the current vehicle speed, but would like to cancel the assistance control. For this driver, operating the accelerator pedal 84 to stop the assistance control can be a psychological burden.

[0113] In this embodiment, in order to further alleviate such psychological anxiety, the assistance control unit 150 suppresses acceleration on a curved road more than when suppressing acceleration on a flat road. As a result, the vehicle M is prevented from accelerating, which the driver feels as a psychological burden due to the operation of the accelerator pedal 84. This makes it possible to realize control of the vehicle M in coordination with the operation and intention of the driver.

[0114] [flowchart] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the driving support device 100 of the second embodiment. First, the driving support device 100 judges whether the curved road is a downhill road (step S300). If the curved road is a downhill road, the driving support device 100 sets an accelerator override threshold value according to the gradient (step S302). Next, the driving support device 100 executes the processing of steps S200 to S206 in FIG. 11. After the processing of step S206, the driving support device 100 judges whether the accumulated value of the change amount of the accelerator pedal opening has reached the threshold value set in step S302 (step S208#). If the accumulated value of the change amount of the accelerator pedal opening has not reached the threshold value set in step S302, the processing proceeds to step S210.

[0115] When the cumulative value of the change in the accelerator pedal opening reaches the threshold value set in step S302, the driving support device 100 establishes the accelerator override (step S212). Next, the driving support device 100 suppresses the acceleration of the vehicle M in accordance with one or both of the gradient of the downhill slope and the operation mode, and accelerates the vehicle M (step S214#). This ends the processing of one routine of this flowchart.

[0116] According to the second embodiment described above, the driving assistance device 100 can realize control of the vehicle M in coordination with the operation and intention of the driver.

[0117] <Modification> In the above-described embodiments, the assistance control unit 150 has been described as decelerating the vehicle M before entering a curved road and on the curved road, but the assistance control unit 150 may issue a notification or a warning without decelerating the vehicle M. In this case, an acceleration operation may be a condition for stopping the notification or warning. For example, the assistance control unit 150 may perform assistance control, which is a notification control that notifies the vehicle M that the speed of the vehicle M is approaching a target speed while the vehicle M is traveling in a section from the entrance of a curved road to a predetermined distance before the entrance or while the vehicle M is traveling on a curved road, and may accelerate the vehicle M at a first acceleration when the vehicle M is not traveling on the above-described section or on the curved road and the assistance control is not operating and information on the acceleration operation is acquired, and may terminate the assistance control and accelerate the vehicle M at a second acceleration that is less than the first acceleration when the assistance control is being performed and information on the acceleration operation is acquired.

[0118] As a result, when the driver performs an acceleration operation to accelerate and stop notifications or warnings while assistance control is being performed, the assistance control unit 150 can realize control of the vehicle M in accordance with the driver's intentions by terminating the assistance control and accelerating the vehicle M at a suppressed acceleration.

[0119] The above-described embodiment can be expressed as follows. A storage device storing a program; a hardware processor; The hardware processor executes the program stored in the storage device, Acquire first information regarding a curved road in a traveling direction of the vehicle; obtaining second information regarding an acceleration operation of a driver of the vehicle; When the vehicle is traveling in a section from the entrance of the curved road to a predetermined distance before the entrance, or when the vehicle is traveling on the curved road, performing an assistance control including one or both of a deceleration control for decelerating the vehicle so as to bring the speed of the vehicle closer to a target speed based on the first information and a notification control for notifying the driver that the speed of the vehicle is approaching the target speed; When the second information is acquired while the vehicle is not traveling on the section and the curved road and the assistance control is not operating, the vehicle is accelerated at the first acceleration; When the second information is acquired while the assist control is being performed, the assist control is terminated, and the vehicle is accelerated at a second acceleration that is lower than the first acceleration. The control device is configured as follows.

[0120] The above describes the form for carrying out the present invention using an embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and various modifications and substitutions can be made within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0121] 1 Vehicle Systems 100 Driving support device 110 Recognition part 130 Curve Judgment Section 140 Operation information processing section 150 Support control section

Claims

1. a first acquisition unit that acquires first information regarding a curved road present in a traveling direction of the vehicle; A second acquisition unit that acquires second information regarding an acceleration operation of a driver of the vehicle; While the vehicle is traveling in a section from an entrance of the curved road to a predetermined distance before the entrance or while the vehicle is traveling on the curved road, a control unit that performs assistance control that is one or both of a deceleration control that decelerates the vehicle so that the speed of the vehicle approaches a target speed based on the first information, and a notification control that notifies the driver that the speed of the vehicle is approaching the target speed, The control unit is When the second information is acquired while the vehicle is not traveling on the section and the curved road and the assistance control is not operating, the vehicle is accelerated at a first acceleration; When the second information is acquired while the assist control is being performed, the assist control is stopped and the vehicle is accelerated at a second acceleration that is lower than the first acceleration, Acquire information on the gradient of the curved road; when the gradient is a downward gradient and the second information is acquired while the assist control is being performed, the assist control is stopped and the vehicle is accelerated at a third acceleration; When the curved road is not a downward slope or the curved road is a flat road and the second information is acquired while the assist control is being performed, the assist control is stopped and the vehicle is accelerated at the second acceleration; the third acceleration is an acceleration that is suppressed more than the second acceleration, the acceleration operation is performed by the driver operating an operator; obtaining operation information indicating one or both of an operation amount and an operation speed of the operator included in the second information, and stopping the assistance control and accelerating the vehicle when the operation information satisfies a condition; The larger the gradient, the more relaxed the condition. Vehicle control device.

2. The control unit is When the downward gradient of the curved road is large, the third acceleration is suppressed more than when the downward gradient of the curved road is small. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 .

3. The control unit is When the vehicle is not traveling in the section or the curved road and the assistance control is not operating, if the second information indicating that a first acceleration operation has been performed to bring the vehicle closer to a target acceleration is acquired, the vehicle is accelerated at the first acceleration, and the acceleration of the vehicle reaches the target acceleration at a first time; When the second information indicating that the first acceleration operation has been performed is acquired while the assist control is being performed, the assist control is stopped and the vehicle is accelerated at the second acceleration, so that the acceleration of the vehicle reaches the target acceleration at a second time that is later than the first time. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the acceleration operation is performed by the driver operating an operator; the control unit acquires information indicating an operation speed of the operator, which is included in the second information, and increases the second acceleration as the operation speed becomes faster. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. the acceleration operation is performed by the driver operating an operator; The control unit acquires information indicating an amount of operation of the operator, which is included in the second information, and accelerates the vehicle until an acceleration corresponding to the amount of operation is reached. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2.

6. the acceleration operation is performed by the driver operating an operator; The control unit acquires operation information indicating one or both of an operation amount and an operation speed of the operator included in the second information, and stops the assistance control and accelerates the vehicle when the operation information satisfies a condition. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2.

7. The condition is any one of (1) to (3), (1) is that the operation amount for a predetermined period of time reaches a first threshold value, (2) The operation element is operated at an operation speed equal to or greater than a second threshold value and the operation amount reaches a third threshold value; (3) is that an operation with an amount of operation equal to or greater than the fourth threshold has been performed multiple times; The vehicle control device according to claim 6.

8. the acceleration operation is performed by the driver operating an operator; The control unit acquires information indicating an amount of operation of the operation element to accelerate the vehicle, which is included in the second information, and stops the assistance control when a cumulative value of the amount of operation in a predetermined time period reaches a threshold value. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2.

9. the control unit accumulates an amount of operation of the operator for accelerating the vehicle during a period from when the operator is operated to accelerate the vehicle until a set time has elapsed, and when the accumulated amount of operation reaches a threshold, stops the assistance control, and when the accumulated amount of operation does not reach the threshold before the set time has elapsed, continues the assistance control even if the operator is operated. The vehicle control device according to claim 8.

10. The computer Acquire first information regarding a curved road in a traveling direction of the vehicle; obtaining second information regarding an acceleration operation of a driver of the vehicle; While the vehicle is traveling in a section from an entrance of the curved road to a predetermined distance before the entrance or while the vehicle is traveling on the curved road, performing an assistance control including one or both of a deceleration control for decelerating the vehicle so as to bring the speed of the vehicle closer to a target speed based on the first information and a notification control for notifying the driver that the speed of the vehicle is approaching the target speed; When the second information is acquired while the vehicle is not traveling on the section and the curved road and the assistance control is not operating, the vehicle is accelerated at a first acceleration; When the second information is acquired while the assist control is being performed, the assist control is stopped and the vehicle is accelerated at a second acceleration that is lower than the first acceleration, Acquire information on the gradient of the curved road; when the gradient is a downward gradient and the second information is acquired while the assist control is being performed, the assist control is stopped and the vehicle is accelerated at a third acceleration; When the curved road is not a downward slope or the curved road is a flat road and the second information is acquired while the assist control is being performed, the assist control is stopped and the vehicle is accelerated at the second acceleration; the third acceleration is an acceleration that is suppressed more than the second acceleration, the acceleration operation is performed by the driver operating an operator; obtaining operation information indicating one or both of an operation amount and an operation speed of the operator included in the second information, and stopping the assistance control and accelerating the vehicle when the operation information satisfies a condition; The larger the gradient, the more relaxed the condition. A vehicle control method.

11. On the computer, acquiring first information regarding a curved road in a traveling direction of the vehicle; acquiring second information regarding an acceleration operation of a driver of the vehicle; While the vehicle is traveling in a section from an entrance of the curved road to a predetermined distance before the entrance or while the vehicle is traveling on the curved road, performing an assistance control including one or both of a deceleration control for decelerating the vehicle so as to bring the speed of the vehicle closer to a target speed based on the first information and a notification control for notifying the driver that the speed of the vehicle is approaching the target speed; When the second information is acquired while the vehicle is not traveling on the section and the curved road and the assistance control is not operating, the vehicle is accelerated at a first acceleration; When the second information is acquired while the assist control is being performed, the assist control is stopped and the vehicle is accelerated at a second acceleration that is lower than the first acceleration, acquiring information on the gradient of the curved road; when the gradient is a downward gradient and the second information is acquired while the assist control is being performed, the assist control is stopped and the vehicle is accelerated at a third acceleration; When the curved road is not a downward slope or the curved road is a flat road and the second information is acquired while the assist control is being performed, the assist control is stopped and the vehicle is accelerated at the second acceleration; the third acceleration is an acceleration that is suppressed more than the second acceleration, the acceleration operation is performed by the driver operating an operator; obtaining operation information indicating one or both of an operation amount and an operation speed of the operator included in the second information, and stopping the assistance control and accelerating the vehicle when the operation information satisfies a condition; The larger the gradient, the more relaxed the condition. program.

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