Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and vehicle control system

Abstract

One aspect of a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a vehicle control system according to the present invention includes: acquiring a control condition including at least information related to a traveling environment or information related to a driving state of the vehicle in a preview region ahead on a traveling road on which the vehicle travels; starting, before the vehicle reaches the preview region, output of a control command for generating a vehicle behavior which is in accordance with the control condition; and ending the output when the vehicle enters the preview region. Due to this configuration, a passenger of the vehicle can easily obtain a posture in anticipation of a change in the traveling environment or the driving state of the vehicle.

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] The motion sickness prevention device of Patent Document 1 includes a vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle information related to the vehicle, a map information acquisition unit that acquires map information of the location where the vehicle is traveling, a head position detection unit that detects the head position of the vehicle occupant, and a guidance unit that guides the occupant's head to a position that suppresses motion sickness based on the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit, the map information acquired by the map information acquisition unit, and the head position detected by the head position detection unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-131882 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, if vehicle occupants could predict the acceleration that would be applied to them in accordance with the vehicle behavior and adopt a posture that would prepare them for said acceleration, the occupants would be prevented from inadvertently changing their posture, and the occupants' discomfort would be reduced. However, when using a method of guiding the occupant's posture by display, vibration, sound, smell, or the like, the occupant needs to understand the meaning of the display, etc. and take action according to the content. For this reason, in the case of the above-mentioned guidance method, it is difficult for the occupant to intuitively respond to changes in the driving environment and motion state, such as turning or deceleration of the vehicle, and there is a possibility that the occupant may feel annoyed.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the current situation, and its purpose is to provide a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a vehicle control system that enable vehicle occupants to easily assume a posture that prepares for changes in the vehicle's driving environment and motion state. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and vehicle control system According to one embodiment, in a preview area ahead of the road along which the vehicle travels, Information on estimated lateral acceleration calculated based on the curvature of the road and the speed of the vehicle Get A driving device and a braking device provided in the vehicle for generating a roll behavior according to the estimated lateral acceleration. The output of the control command is started before the vehicle reaches the preview area and is ended when the vehicle enters the preview area. At the same time, the control commands are output to the drive device and the braking device so that the rate of change of the drive force generated by the drive device and the braking force generated by the braking device is slower when the output of the control commands begins than when the output of the control commands ends. In addition, in another aspect of the vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and vehicle control system of the present invention, information on an estimated lateral acceleration calculated based on the curvature of a road in a preview area ahead of the road on which the vehicle is traveling and the speed of the vehicle is acquired, and the output of a control command for generating a roll behavior corresponding to the estimated lateral acceleration is started before the vehicle reaches the preview area and terminated when the vehicle enters the preview area, and the control command is output on the condition that the duration of the vehicle's straight-line state determined based on the steering angle of the vehicle exceeds a threshold value. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, a vehicle occupant can easily assume a posture that is prepared for changes in the vehicle's driving environment and motion state. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a vehicle control system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a driving pattern in which a vehicle turns. [Diagram 3] 4 is a time chart showing changes in lateral acceleration, roll angle, braking force, driving force, etc. when the vehicle turns. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a driving pattern in which a vehicle decelerates; [Diagram 5] 4 is a time chart showing changes in deceleration, pitch angle, braking force, driving force, etc. when the vehicle decelerates. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing settings of braking force and driving force for generating a roll moment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing settings of braking force and driving force for generating a pitch moment. [Figure 8]4 is a time chart showing an occurrence pattern of a roll behavior. [Figure 9] 4 is a time chart showing the change in acceleration depending on the rate of change of braking force and driving force. [Figure 10] 5 is a time chart showing a pattern of the end timing of the vehicle behavior occurrence control. [Figure 11] 4 is a flowchart showing a process of vehicle behavior occurrence control. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing in detail the function of a control command setting unit. [Figure 13] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing details of a desired roll moment calculation unit. [Figure 14] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing details of a target pitch moment calculation unit. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a travel route of a vehicle when taking emergency avoidance action. [Figure 16] 4 is a time chart showing changes in lateral acceleration, roll angle, driving force, braking force, etc. when the vehicle takes emergency avoidance action. [Figure 17] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a driving route with successive curves on the left and right. [Figure 18] 4 is a time chart showing changes in steering angle, lateral acceleration, roll angle, driving force, braking force, etc. on a driving route with a series of left and right curves. [Figure 19] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a driving pattern in which a vehicle decelerates before a curve. [Figure 20] 4 is a time chart showing changes in lateral acceleration, roll angle, pitch angle, deceleration, driving force, braking force, etc. when a vehicle decelerates before a curve. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a vehicle control system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a vehicle control system 200 mounted on a vehicle 100. As shown in FIG. The vehicle 100 is a four-wheeled automobile having a pair of left and right front wheels 101, 102 and a pair of left and right rear wheels 103, 104.

[0010] The vehicle control system 200 includes an external environment recognition unit 300, a vehicle motion state acquisition unit 400, a vehicle control device 500, and an actuator unit 600. The external environment recognition unit 300 is a device that collects external environment information ahead of the vehicle 100 on the road on which the vehicle 100 is traveling, and outputs the collected external environment information as an electrical signal or data.

[0011] In one embodiment, the external environment recognition unit 300 includes a stereo camera 310, a navigation device 320, and a wireless communication device 330. The stereo camera 310 captures images of the surroundings of the vehicle 100 to obtain image information of the surroundings of the vehicle 100, and also measures the distance to an object by triangulation.

[0012] The navigation device 320 includes a GPS receiver 321 and a map database 322 . The GPS receiver 321 measures the latitude and longitude of the position of the vehicle 100 by receiving signals from GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites.

[0013] The map database 322 is formed in a storage device installed in the vehicle 100 . The map information in the map database 322 includes information on road positions, road shapes, intersection positions, and the like. The navigation device 320 then refers to the map database 322 based on the information on the position of the vehicle 100 measured by the GPS receiving unit 321, identifies the road on which the vehicle 100 is traveling, and sets a route to the destination of the vehicle 100.

[0014] The wireless communication device 330 is a device for performing road-to-vehicle communication and / or vehicle-to-vehicle communication. Road-to-vehicle communication is wireless communication between the vehicle 100 (in other words, the vehicle itself) and a roadside device installed on the roadway. Moreover, the inter-vehicle communication is wireless communication between the vehicle 100 (in other words, the vehicle itself) and another vehicle.

[0015] In road-to-vehicle communication, the wireless communication device 330 transmits information about the vehicle, such as the vehicle's speed and driving position, to the roadside unit, and also receives road traffic information, such as curves and intersections, and information about other vehicles, from the roadside unit. Furthermore, in inter-vehicle communication, the wireless communication device 330 transmits information about its own vehicle to other vehicles and receives information about the vehicle from other vehicles.

[0016] The vehicle motion state acquisition unit 400 includes a sensor that acquires information regarding the motion state of the vehicle 100, converts the information into an electric signal or data, and outputs the electric signal or data. In one embodiment, the vehicle motion state acquisition unit 400 includes a wheel speed sensor 410 , an acceleration sensor 420 , a yaw rate sensor 430 , and a steering angle sensor 440 .

[0017] The wheel speed sensor 410 detects the rotational speed of each of the wheels 101 - 104 of the vehicle 100 . The acceleration sensor 420 detects the acceleration in the forward / rearward direction and the acceleration in the lateral direction (in other words, the acceleration in the left / right direction) of the vehicle 100.

[0018] Further, the yaw rate sensor 430 detects the yaw rate of the vehicle 100 . The steering angle sensor 440 detects the steering angle of a steering device 640, which will be described later. The steering angle sensor 440 detects a physical quantity related to the turning angle of the tires or the steering wheel.

[0019] The actuator unit 600 is a device that controls the motion state of the vehicle 100 based on a control command. In one embodiment, the actuator section 600 has a drive device 610 that applies a drive force to the drive wheels of the vehicle 100, a braking device 620 that applies a braking force to each wheel 101-104 of the vehicle 100, a suspension device 630 that can adjust the damping force for each wheel 101-104, and a steering device 640 that changes the steering angle of the front wheels 101, 102, which are the steered wheels of the vehicle 100.

[0020] The driving device 610 is, for example, an in-wheel motor provided on each of the wheels 101-104. Brake device 620 is a hydraulic braking device that includes a hydraulic energy source such as a hydraulic pump and can individually adjust the braking force applied to each of wheels 101-104 by adjusting the hydraulic pressure supplied to the brake cylinders of each of wheels 101-104.

[0021] The suspension system 630 is, for example, a full active suspension equipped with an energy source such as a hydraulic pump or an air pump, and capable of adjusting the damping force and vehicle height, or a semi-active suspension capable of adjusting the damping force. The steering device 640 is, for example, an electric steering device equipped with a motor that generates a steering force for the front wheels 101, 102.

[0022] The vehicle control device 500 includes a microcomputer 510 (in other words, a control section or control unit) that outputs the results of calculations based on acquired information. The microcomputer 510 includes a microprocessor unit (MPU), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), and the like, all of which are not shown. The microcomputer 510 can be referred to as an MCU (Micro Controller Unit), a processor, a processing device, an arithmetic device, or the like.

[0023] The vehicle control device 500 (more specifically, the microcomputer 510) acquires from the external environment recognition unit 300 external environment information about the road ahead on which the vehicle 100 is traveling, and also acquires from the vehicle motion state acquisition unit 400 information about the motion state of the vehicle 100. Then, the vehicle control device 500 calculates control commands for operating the actuator unit 600 based on the acquired information, specifically, drive commands, braking commands, damping force commands, vehicle height commands, steering angle commands, etc., and controls the motion state of the vehicle 100 by outputting the calculated control commands to the actuator unit 600.

[0024] Here, the vehicle control device 500 has a function of generating a vehicle behavior to notify the occupants of the vehicle 100 in advance of a change in the driving environment or motion state, such as turning or deceleration of the vehicle 100, before such a change occurs. In other words, when the vehicle control device 500 predicts a change in the driving environment or motion state of the vehicle 100, such as turning or deceleration, it outputs a control command to the actuator unit 600 to generate a vehicle behavior corresponding to the prediction result, and by intentionally generating a specific vehicle behavior before the change occurs, it notifies the occupants of the occurrence of the change in advance through the vehicle behavior.

[0025] Hereinafter, the control by the vehicle control device 500 to intentionally cause a specific vehicle behavior to occur in order to notify the occupants in advance of the occurrence of a change in the driving environment or motion state of the vehicle 100 will be referred to as vehicle behavior occurrence control. By the vehicle control device 500 executing vehicle behavior occurrence control, the occupants of the vehicle 100 can recognize in advance that changes will occur in the driving environment and motion state of the vehicle 100, and can easily consciously or unconsciously adopt a posture that prepares for changes in the driving environment and motion state of the vehicle 100, in other words, a posture that suppresses their own body movements.

[0026] As will be described in detail later, the vehicle behavior generation control applies a moment to the vehicle 100 by controlling the braking force, driving force, etc., to generate a roll behavior, a pitch behavior, etc. The braking / driving control by the vehicle behavior occurrence control is incorporated into braking / driving control that calculates a drive command value and a braking force command value from an acceleration target value calculated by, for example, the driver's operation or automatic driving control. In autonomous driving control, a target trajectory including information on a driving route, a target speed, and a target acceleration / deceleration is planned based on external environment information acquired by the external environment recognition unit 300, and a control command is output to the actuator unit 600 so that the vehicle 100 drives in accordance with the target trajectory.

[0027] The vehicle behavior occurrence control will be described in detail below. The vehicle control device 500 (more specifically, a microcomputer 510) has a state estimation unit 520, a control execution determination unit 530, a target moment calculation unit 540, and a control command setting unit 550 as functional units for implementing vehicle behavior generation control.

[0028] The state estimation unit 520 is a functional unit that acquires control conditions including at least one of information about the driving environment or information about the motion state of the vehicle 100 in a preview area ahead of the road on which the vehicle 100 is traveling. The control execution determination unit 530 is a functional unit that determines whether or not to execute the vehicle behavior occurrence control.

[0029] The target moment calculation unit 540 is a functional unit that calculates a target moment for generating a vehicle behavior according to the control conditions acquired by the state estimation unit 520. The control command setting unit 550 is a functional unit that calculates control commands such as a drive command and a braking command so as to generate the target moment calculated by the target moment calculation unit 540, and outputs the calculated control commands to the actuator unit 600.

[0030] Here, the control command setting unit 550 starts outputting a control command for generating a vehicle behavior according to the control condition before the vehicle 100 reaches the preview area where the control condition was acquired, and ends the output when the vehicle 100 enters the preview area. The control conditions include an estimated lateral acceleration, which is the lateral acceleration predicted to occur in the preview area, and an estimated deceleration, which is the deceleration predicted to occur in the preview area. The vehicle behavior according to the control conditions includes roll behavior, pitch behavior, yaw behavior, vertical movement, and the like.

[0031] For example, when the vehicle 100 approaches a curved area, the vehicle control device 500 calculates a target roll moment for generating a roll behavior of the vehicle 100 based on information about the lateral acceleration of the vehicle 100 expected in the curved area ahead of the vehicle 100, in other words, in the preview area where the curvature of the driving route exceeds a predetermined value. The vehicle control device 500 then determines a control command for generating a target roll moment, and starts outputting the control command to the actuator unit 600 when the vehicle 100 is located before the curved area, in other words, before the vehicle 100 starts turning, and ends when the vehicle 100 enters the curved area.

[0032] That is, before the vehicle 100 enters the curved area, the vehicle control device 500 generates a roll behavior of the vehicle 100 to notify the occupants in advance of the entry into the curved area, i.e., the turning of the vehicle 100. In the vehicle behavior generation control that notifies of the approach of the above-mentioned curve, the vehicle control device 500 can calculate the estimated lateral acceleration based on the curvature of the curve, which is information regarding the driving environment of the vehicle 100, and the speed of the vehicle 100, which is information regarding the motion state of the vehicle 100.

[0033] Furthermore, the vehicle control device 500 can use information on the curvature of the travel route, which is information on the travel environment of the vehicle 100, as a control condition in the vehicle behavior generation control when notifying the approach of a curve. The vehicle control device 500 can perform vehicle behavior generation control that provides advance notification of turns based on the above control conditions both in an autonomous driving state and when the vehicle 100 is manually driven by the driver.

[0034] In addition, the vehicle control device 500 calculates a target pitch moment for generating pitch behavior of the vehicle 100 based on, for example, information on the deceleration of the vehicle 100 expected in the deceleration area ahead of the vehicle 100, in other words, in the preview area where the vehicle 100 is predicted to decelerate. Then, the vehicle control device 500 calculates a control command for generating the target pitch moment, starts outputting the control command to the actuator unit 600 when the vehicle 100 is located just before the deceleration area, and ends the output when the vehicle 100 enters the deceleration area. That is, before the vehicle 100 enters the deceleration area, the vehicle control device 500 generates a pitch behavior of the vehicle 100 in order to notify the occupants in advance of the entry into the deceleration area.

[0035] The vehicle control device 500 can use, as the information on the estimated deceleration, information on a target deceleration in a target trajectory that is obtained based on information on the driving environment in automatic driving control. In this case, the vehicle control device 500 determines the deceleration region as a preview region in which deceleration traveling is planned in which the target deceleration exceeds a predetermined value, and calculates the target pitch moment based on the target deceleration in the deceleration region.

[0036] In addition, even when the vehicle 100 is being manually driven by the driver, for example, the external environment recognition unit 300 may recognize that a traffic light ahead of the vehicle 100 is red or that there is a stop position ahead of the vehicle 100, and the vehicle control device 500 may be able to estimate the stopping position of the vehicle 100. In such a case, the vehicle control device 500 estimates the deceleration from the speed of the vehicle 100 and the distance to the stopping position, and can notify the occupants of the deceleration in advance by the occurrence of vehicle behavior such as pitch behavior before the driver performs a deceleration operation, in other words, before entering the deceleration area. In addition, in the case of manual driving, the vehicle control device 500 stops the vehicle behavior generation control at the latest when the driver starts a deceleration operation.

[0037] In addition, when the vehicle is being manually driven, if the estimated lateral acceleration calculated from the current vehicle speed and the curvature of the curve ahead is equal to or greater than a set value, the vehicle control device 500 can estimate deceleration to a speed at which the lateral acceleration when traveling around a curve will be below a set value. Furthermore, when there is a preceding vehicle, the vehicle control device 500 can estimate the relative speed between the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle, and further, the deceleration from the inter-vehicle distance.

[0038] In this way, the microcomputer 510 of the vehicle control device 500 acquires control conditions in vehicle behavior generation control, the control conditions including at least one of information regarding the driving environment or information regarding the motion state of the vehicle 100 in the preview area ahead of the driving road on which the vehicle 100 is traveling. Then, the microcomputer 510 starts outputting control commands to generate vehicle behavior in accordance with the control conditions before the vehicle 100 reaches the preview area, and ends the output when the vehicle 100 enters the preview area.

[0039] The vehicle behavior occurrence control is not limited to the control of notifying the driver of turning or deceleration of the vehicle 100 in advance. For example, the vehicle control device 500 can generate vehicle behaviors to notify the occupants in advance of a transition to accelerated driving, a change in road gradient, a change in the cross-slope of the road surface, going over a hump, road surface irregularities, a change in the coefficient of friction of the road surface, etc. A change in the coefficient of friction of a road surface is, for example, a transition from a dry road surface with a large coefficient of friction to a wet road surface with a small coefficient of friction.

[0040] "Roll behavior notifies occupants of turning" Here, a detailed description will be given of the vehicle behavior generation control for notifying the occupants in advance that the vehicle 100 will be turning, in other words, that the vehicle 100 will be traveling around a curve. FIG. 2 shows an example in which the road on which the vehicle 100 is currently traveling moves from a first straight section, along which the vehicle 100 is currently traveling, to a second straight section via a curved section (in other words, a curved area).

[0041] FIG. 3 is a time chart showing the changes in the motion state of vehicle 100 (more specifically, lateral acceleration, roll angle, yaw rate, and speed) and the changes in braking and driving forces when vehicle behavior generation control is executed while vehicle 100 is traveling on the road shown in FIG. 2. When the vehicle 100 travels at a constant speed on the road shown in FIG. 2, lateral acceleration, roll angle, and yaw rate are generated in curved sections (curve regions).

[0042] Here, when the vehicle 100 is traveling on a first straight section just before a curved section, the vehicle control device 500 acquires curvature information at a preview position (in other words, an estimated point) ahead of the vehicle 100 and information on the speed of the vehicle 100. Then, based on the acquired curvature and speed information, the vehicle control device 500 sequentially calculates an estimated lateral acceleration, which is the lateral acceleration that is estimated to occur when the vehicle 100 travels along a curved section.

[0043] The preview position is, for example, the position of the vehicle 100 after a predetermined forward gaze time (forward gaze time=forward gaze distance / vehicle speed). Furthermore, the vehicle control device 500 can obtain curvature information as information on the curvature of the white line recognized by the stereo camera 310. Furthermore, the vehicle control device 500 can identify the road on which the vehicle is traveling from the map database 322, and search for information on the road curvature included in the map information.

[0044] Furthermore, when planning a target trajectory in automatic driving control is executed, the vehicle control device 500 can set the curvature of the target trajectory (specifically, the target route) as a control condition for vehicle behavior generation control. Moreover, the information on the speed of the vehicle 100 is information on the actual speed at the current time point or the target speed at the preview position.

[0045] Here, when the preview position is within the first straight section, the vehicle control device 500 calculates the estimated lateral acceleration to be approximately zero because the curvature of the preview position is small. When the preview position is within a curved section, the curvature at the preview position increases, causing the estimated lateral acceleration calculated by the vehicle control device 500 to increase, and when the preview position is within a second straight section, the vehicle control device 500 calculates the estimated lateral acceleration to be approximately zero.

[0046] When the estimated lateral acceleration exceeds a threshold value (time t1 in FIG. 3), the vehicle control device 500 predicts that the vehicle 100 will turn in the future, in other words, that the vehicle 100 will travel around a curve, and determines to implement control that generates a vehicle behavior to notify the occupants in advance that the vehicle 100 will turn, that is, vehicle behavior generation control. In detail, the vehicle control device 500 generates a roll behavior of the vehicle 100 before the vehicle 100 turns by outputting a control command (see FIG. 3) of the driving force and braking force corresponding to the target roll moment calculated based on the estimated lateral acceleration to the actuator unit 600. The vehicle control device 500 generates a roll behavior in the same direction as the roll behavior that occurs when the vehicle 100 travels around a curve ahead, before the curve.

[0047] In this manner, the vehicle control device 500 outputs a control command to generate a roll behavior to notify the occupants of the vehicle 100 entering the curve, even before the vehicle 100 actually enters the curve. Then, when the vehicle 100 enters a curve (time t2 in FIG. 2), the output of the control command to generate a roll behavior to notify the occupants of the vehicle entering the curve is terminated.

[0048] The occupants of the vehicle 100 can recognize the approach of a curve in advance based on the occurrence of roll behavior, and can easily consciously or unconsciously assume a posture that prepares the vehicle 100 for traveling around a curve, in other words, a posture that suppresses the body movements that accompany traveling around a curve. The vehicle control device 500 can terminate the output of the control command for causing the roll behavior before the vehicle 100 enters the curve, that is, before time t2 in FIG. In addition, the vehicle control device 500 can start a process of terminating the output of a control command for generating a roll behavior when the vehicle 100 enters the curve (time t2 in FIG. 3), for example, a process of gradually reducing the driving force and braking force for generating the roll behavior.

[0049] Furthermore, the vehicle control device 500 can generate a roll behavior before the vehicle 100 turns by outputting a control command according to a target roll moment calculated based on the curvature information to the actuator unit 600. In addition, the vehicle behavior used to notify the occupants of the approach of a curve is not limited to roll behavior. For example, the vehicle control device 500 can notify the occupants of the approach of a curve by the occurrence of yaw behavior or a combination of roll behavior and yaw behavior. Furthermore, the vehicle control device 500 can notify the occupants of the approach of a curve by outputting a control command to the suspension device 630 to generate vehicle behavior in the vertical direction.

[0050] "Notifying crew members of deceleration through pitch behavior" Next, the vehicle behavior occurrence control for notifying the occupants of the deceleration of the vehicle 100 in advance will be described in detail. FIG. 4 shows a driving pattern in which the vehicle 100 starts decelerating from a second point ahead on a straight road.

[0051] FIG. 5 is a time chart showing the changes in the motion state of vehicle 100 (more specifically, deceleration, pitch angle, pitch rate, and speed) and the changes in braking and driving forces when vehicle behavior generation control is executed while vehicle 100 is traveling in the driving pattern shown in FIG. 2. When vehicle 100 travels in the driving pattern shown in FIG. 4, a braking force is applied to vehicle 100 in the deceleration section after point 2 (after time t2 in FIG. 5), causing vehicle 100 to decelerate, resulting in a pitch angle, i.e., nose dive.

[0052] Here, the vehicle control device 500 acquires information on the estimated deceleration, which is information on the deceleration at the preview point, when the vehicle 100 is traveling just before the second point, which is the deceleration start point. Then, at the point where the estimated deceleration exceeds the threshold value, i.e., at the first point (time t1 in Figure 5) before the second point, the vehicle control device 500 predicts future deceleration and decides to implement control to generate a vehicle behavior to notify the occupants of the deceleration of the vehicle 100 in advance, i.e., vehicle behavior generation control.

[0053] In detail, the vehicle control device 500 outputs a control command (see FIG. 5) for the driving force and braking force corresponding to the target pitch moment calculated based on the estimated deceleration to the actuator unit 600, thereby generating a pitch behavior of the vehicle 100 before the vehicle 100 decelerates, that is, from the first point in FIG. 4. The vehicle control device 500 generates a pitch behavior (in other words, nose dive) in the same direction as the deceleration state as the pitch behavior due to the vehicle behavior generation control. Then, when the vehicle 100 reaches a second point, which is a deceleration start point, the output of the control command to generate a pitch behavior for notifying the occupants of the deceleration of the vehicle 100 is terminated.

[0054] The occupants of the vehicle 100 can recognize in advance the start of deceleration of the vehicle 100 based on the occurrence of pitch behavior of the vehicle 100, and are more likely to consciously or unconsciously assume a posture in preparation for the deceleration of the vehicle 100, in other words, a posture that suppresses body movements associated with decelerating driving. In addition, the vehicle control device 500 can terminate the output of the control command for generating the pitch behavior before the vehicle 100 starts to decelerate, and can start the process of terminating the output of the control command for generating the pitch behavior after the vehicle 100 starts to decelerate. Furthermore, the vehicle behavior for notifying the occupant of the deceleration of the vehicle 100 is not limited to the pitch behavior. For example, the vehicle control device 500 can notify the occupant of the start of deceleration by the yaw behavior or the vertical vehicle behavior.

[0055] "Roll behavior control" FIG. 6 shows one embodiment of a method for applying a roll moment to the vehicle 100 by controlling the braking / driving forces of the individual wheels 101-104 in the vehicle behavior generation control, thereby generating a roll behavior of the vehicle 100. FIG. 6 shows a state in which the braking / driving forces are controlled to cause a roll behavior in which the right side of the vehicle 100 is lower than the left side in the vehicle 100 having at least the front wheels 101, 102 as drive wheels. In addition, in FIG. 6, the angle of the virtual link at the front wheels 101, 102 is set to θf, and the angle of the virtual link at the rear wheels 103, 104 is set to θr (θr>θf).

[0056] Here, the vehicle control device 500 applies a driving force FΦ to the left front wheel 101 and the right front wheel 102 which are driving wheels, and applies a braking force −FΦ to the left front wheel 101 and the right rear wheel 104 . When such braking / driving forces are applied to the wheels 101-104, an anti-squat force Fas (Fas=-FΦ·tan θf) acts on the right front wheel 102 due to the driving force FΦ.

[0057] On the other hand, since the driving force FΦ and the braking force -FΦ are simultaneously applied to the left front wheel 101, the driving force FΦ and the braking force -FΦ are balanced, and as a result, no anti-squat force Fas acts. In other words, the microcomputer 510 applies a driving force FΦ to the right front wheel 102 to apply an anti-squat force Fas to the right front wheel 102, but at this time applies a braking force -FΦ to the left front wheel 101 that is balanced with the driving force FΦ so that the anti-squat force Fas is not applied to the left front wheel 101 due to the driving force FΦ also applied to the left front wheel 101.

[0058] Further, an anti-squat force Fas (Fas=-FΦ·tan θr) acts on the right rear wheel 104 due to the braking force -FΦ. On the other hand, since no braking force -FΦ and no driving force FΦ are applied to the left rear wheel 103, the anti-dive force Fad and the anti-squat force Fas do not act on the left rear wheel 103.

[0059] In other words, in the braking / driving state shown in Figure 6, no anti-dive force Fad or anti-squat force Fas acts on the left front wheel 101 or the left rear wheel 103, but an anti-squat force Fas (Fas = -FΦ tan θf) acts on the right front wheel 102, and an anti-squat force Fas (Fas = -FΦ tan θr) also acts on the right rear wheel 104. Therefore, the vehicle control device 500 applies a roll moment to the vehicle 100 by applying braking / driving forces to each wheel 101-104 as shown in FIG. 6, thereby causing the vehicle 100 to roll in a manner in which the left side is higher than the right side. In other words, the vehicle 100 can be made to assume a roll posture in which the left side is higher than the right side.

[0060] In addition, the vehicle control device 500 applies a driving force FΦ and a braking force -FΦ to the left front wheel 101, a driving force FΦ to the right front wheel 102, and a braking force -FΦ to the right rear wheel 104, so that the driving force FΦ and the braking force -FΦ are balanced on the left and right sides of the vehicle 100. Therefore, the vehicle control device 500 can generate a roll behavior in the vehicle 100 without generating acceleration in the front / rear and left / right directions. When the vehicle 100 is rolled in the direction opposite to the roll direction in FIG. 6, the vehicle control device 500 applies a driving force FΦ to the left front wheel 101 and right front wheel 102, which are the driving wheels, while applying a braking force -FΦ to the right front wheel 102 and left rear wheel 103.

[0061] In this way, the vehicle control device 500 can generate a roll behavior before the vehicle 100 enters the turning area by controlling the braking and driving forces of each wheel 101-104, and can control the roll angle to an angle corresponding to the lateral acceleration in the turning area by setting the driving force Fθ and braking force -Fθ according to the target roll moment. Therefore, the vehicle control device 500 can control the magnitude of the roll angle in the roll behavior to notify the occupants in advance of the turning of the vehicle 100 to a magnitude corresponding to the lateral acceleration generated in the turning area, and can notify the occupants in advance of the magnitude of the lateral acceleration in the turning area as they enter the turning area. In addition, when the vehicle control device 500 notifies the occupant of the entry into the turning area by roll behavior, the vehicle 100 is rolled in the same direction as the roll angle associated with the turning of the vehicle 100, thereby allowing the occupant to preliminarily assume the posture that the vehicle 100 will assume when turning, and the posture can be maintained stably before and after entering the turning area.

[0062] "Controlling the occurrence of pitch behavior" FIG. 7 shows one embodiment of a method for applying a pitch moment to the vehicle 100 having at least the rear wheels 103, 104 as drive wheels to generate a pitch behavior of the vehicle 100 in the vehicle behavior generation control. FIG. 7 shows the control state of the braking / driving forces for generating a pitch behavior that causes the attitude of the vehicle 100 to lower the front, that is, to enter a nose dive state.

[0063] In the case of FIG. 7, the vehicle control device 500 applies a braking force −Fθ to the left front wheel 101, a braking force −Fθ to the right front wheel 102, a driving force Fθ to the left rear wheel 103, and a driving force Fθ to the right rear wheel 104. In the braking / driving state shown in FIG. 7, an anti-dive force Fad (Fad=Fθ·tan θf) acts on the left front wheel 101 and the right front wheel 102, and an anti-dive force Fad (Fad=Fθ·tan θr) acts on the left rear wheel 103 and the right rear wheel 104.

[0064] Here, due to the difference in virtual link angles θf, θr (θf<θr) between the front and rear wheels, a difference occurs between the anti-dive force Fad acting on the left front wheel 101 and the right front wheel 102, and the anti-dive force Fad acting on the left rear wheel 103 and the right rear wheel 104, generating a pitch moment, which is a force that rotates the body around the Y axis that passes through the center of gravity of the vehicle 100 from left to right. In the case of FIG. 7, since the virtual link angles θf, θr satisfy θf<θr, the anti-dive force Fad acting on the left front wheel 101 and the right front wheel 102 is smaller than the anti-dive force Fad acting on the left rear wheel 103 and the right rear wheel 104.

[0065] Therefore, by applying braking and driving forces to each wheel 101-104 as shown in FIG. 7, the vehicle control device 500 can obtain a pitch moment that causes the front of the vehicle 100 to pitch downward, thereby generating pitch behavior in the same direction as the nose dive that accompanies deceleration. In addition, the vehicle control device 500 applies a braking force -FΦ to the left front wheel 101, a driving force FΦ to the left rear wheel 103, a braking force -FΦ to the right front wheel 102, and a driving force FΦ to the right rear wheel 104, so that the driving force FΦ and the braking force -FΦ are balanced on the left and right sides of the vehicle 100. Therefore, the vehicle control device 500 can generate a pitch behavior in the vehicle 100 without generating acceleration in the front / rear and left / right directions.

[0066] In this way, the vehicle control device 500 can generate pitch behavior before the vehicle 100 enters the deceleration region by controlling the braking / driving force of each wheel 101-104, and can control the pitch angle to an angle that corresponds to the deceleration in the deceleration region by setting the driving force Fθ and braking force -Fθ according to the target pitch moment. Therefore, the vehicle control device 500 can control the magnitude of the pitch angle in the pitch behavior to notify the occupants in advance of the deceleration of the vehicle 100 to a magnitude corresponding to the deceleration, and can notify the occupants in advance of the magnitude of the deceleration in the deceleration area as the vehicle enters the deceleration area. In addition, when the vehicle control device 500 notifies the occupants of the entry into the deceleration area by pitch behavior, the vehicle 100 is pitched in the same direction as the nose dive that accompanies the deceleration of the vehicle 100, allowing the occupants to preliminarily assume the posture that the vehicle 100 will assume when decelerating, and the posture can be maintained stably before and after entering the deceleration area.

[0067] "Vehicle behavior patterns" Next, a vehicle behavior occurrence pattern in the vehicle behavior occurrence control will be described. FIG. 8 shows a first pattern, a second pattern, and a third pattern as occurrence patterns of roll behavior as a representative of vehicle behavior. The first pattern shown in FIG. 8 is a pattern in which the roll behavior is stopped to provide advance notice of the vehicle 100 turning before the vehicle 100 starts turning.

[0068] Moreover, the second pattern shown in FIG. 8 is a pattern in which the roll behavior for notifying the driver of a turn in advance continues until the vehicle 100 starts turning. Furthermore, the third pattern shown in FIG. 8 is a pattern in which the roll behavior for notifying the vehicle 100 of a turn in advance is generated multiple times from the start of notification until the vehicle 100 starts turning.

[0069] In other words, in the case of the third pattern, the vehicle control device 500 generates a roll behavior to provide advance notice of a turn for only a first period of time, then stops the generation of the roll behavior for only a second period of time, and then generates a roll behavior to provide advance notice of a turn for only a third period of time. The vehicle control device 500 can also employ any one of the above-mentioned first pattern, second pattern, and third pattern in the control for generating a pitch behavior to notify the occupants of the deceleration of the vehicle 100 in advance.

[0070] Here, the vehicle control device 500 uses pre-adapted values ​​for the number of occurrences, occurrence time, and rate of change of vehicle behavior (more specifically, roll angle, pitch angle) of vehicle behaviors such as roll behavior and pitch behavior generated by the vehicle behavior generation control, which are combinations that do not annoy the occupants, allow the occupants to prepare for turning, deceleration, etc., and are also energy efficient. In addition, the vehicle control device 500 variably sets the magnitude of the vehicle behavior generated by the vehicle behavior generation control according to the estimated lateral acceleration and the estimated deceleration, with the minimum vehicle behavior that the occupant can detect as the lower limit, and within a range of magnitudes in which the occupant does not feel uneasy. In addition, the vehicle control device 500 can use a pre-adapted occurrence timing as the timing of vehicle behavior occurrence due to the vehicle behavior occurrence control based on, for example, the time required for the occupant to assume a posture in preparation for turning or decelerating the vehicle 100 after detecting a change in the behavior of the vehicle 100.

[0071] "Rate of change in driving and braking forces in vehicle behavior generation control" Next, the change rates of the driving force and the braking force when the vehicle control device 500 generates a vehicle behavior through the vehicle behavior generation control will be described. When generating a vehicle behavior through vehicle behavior generation control, the vehicle control device 500 outputs control commands to the drive device 610 and the brake device 620 so that the rate of change of the drive force and braking force is slower when the vehicle behavior generation control starts than when it ends, in other words, so that the output of the control commands for the drive force and braking force is slower when the control starts than when it ends.

[0072] As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the vehicle control device 500 generates vehicle behavior (specifically, roll behavior and pitch behavior) by controlling the braking force and the driving force in parallel. Therefore, the acceleration of the vehicle 100 may vary due to the difference between the control response of the braking force by the braking device 620 and the control response of the driving force by the driving device 610.

[0073] FIG. 9 shows how the acceleration of the vehicle 100 fluctuates in accordance with the vehicle behavior generating control when the rate of change in the braking / driving force due to the vehicle behavior generating control is excessively large. For example, if the braking device 620 is hydraulic and has a slow response to the rise in braking force, if the rise speed of the braking force command is excessively fast, the increase in the braking force will be delayed or the braking force will overshoot in response to the increase in driving force by the drive device 610, causing the balance between the braking force and the driving force to be lost, and the acceleration of the vehicle 100 will fluctuate.

[0074] For this reason, when the vehicle control device 500 generates a vehicle behavior by vehicle behavior generation control, it is necessary to match the change speed of the control command to the drive device 610 or the braking device 620, whichever has the slower response. Here, even if the braking device 620 is of a hydraulic type or the like, which has a slow response in rising the braking force, the response in decreasing the braking force is faster than the response in rising the braking force.

[0075] Therefore, when generating a vehicle behavior through vehicle behavior generation control, the vehicle control device 500 outputs control commands to the drive device 610 and the brake device 620 so that the rate of change of the drive force and braking force is slower when the output of the control commands for the drive force and braking force starts than when the output of the control commands for the drive force and braking force ends (see FIG. 9). This makes it possible to prevent the balance between the braking force and the driving force from being lost and the acceleration of the vehicle 100 from fluctuating when the vehicle control device 500 increases and changes the driving force and braking force to cause vehicle behavior such as roll behavior and pitch behavior. In addition, the vehicle control device 500 sets the rate of change of the control commands for the driving force and braking force when terminating the vehicle behavior generation control to an upper limit that the driving device 610 and the braking device 620 can follow, and sets the rate of change so that the behavior change is easy for the occupants to understand and is not too sudden.

[0076] In the following, the effects of the vehicle behavior occurrence control by the vehicle control device 500 will be explained by dividing them into the effects of advance notification, the effects of notification based on the vehicle behavior, the effects of the end timing, and the effects compared to the known examples.

[0077] "Effect of advance notice" For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 06-092159 discloses a control that notifies the occupants of an increase in vehicle motion due to turning, etc., by sound, vibration, etc., after the vehicle 100 starts turning, etc. However, with such notification control after the start of a turn, if an occupant is not looking ahead of the vehicle, they will not be able to recognize the turn in advance, which may result in inadvertent body movements when the vehicle starts to turn.

[0078] Therefore, for occupants who are not looking ahead of the vehicle, the ride comfort will already be degraded when the vehicle starts to turn, and even if the occupants are subsequently notified that the vehicle motion will become larger, this may not lead to an improvement in the ride comfort for the occupants. In contrast, in the case of vehicle behavior occurrence control by the vehicle control device 500, the occupants are notified that turning or deceleration will occur in the future before the vehicle 100 begins to turn or decelerate, so that the occupants can sense that such a change will occur in the future before the force applied to the occupants due to vehicle movement changes. Then, when occupants sense the change in vehicle motion, they can assume a posture in advance that limits their bodies from being shaken, improving the ride comfort for the occupants.

[0079] "Effects of notifications based on vehicle behavior" When sound or display is used as a means for notifying the occupants of the movement of the vehicle 100, it may be annoying to the occupants and may require the installation of additional notification devices. Also, for example, when the occupants are notified of the movement of the vehicle 100 by applying vibrations to the occupants through a seat or the like, there is a difference in sensation between the vibration felt by the occupants and the change in acceleration felt due to the turning of the vehicle 100.

[0080] For this reason, the occupant must grasp the meaning of the vibrations received from the seat and determine how to act in accordance with the meaning, and cannot intuitively recognize that the vehicle 100 is about to turn or decelerate. In contrast, if the occupants are notified in advance of the movement of the vehicle 100 through the vehicle behavior, the occupants can easily anticipate the subsequent movement of the vehicle 100 and can more intuitively assume a posture to prepare for changes in acceleration due to turning or deceleration, and the occupants can be prevented from feeling annoyed.

[0081] Furthermore, if the direction of the roll behavior generated to provide advance notice of a turn is made the same as the direction of the roll behavior that occurs as the vehicle 100 turns, the occupants can unconsciously assume a posture that matches the roll behavior that occurs as the vehicle 100 turns at the advance notice stage, further improving the ride comfort for the occupants. Similarly, if the direction of the pitch behavior generated to provide advance notification of deceleration is the same as the direction of the pitch behavior (in other words, nose dive) that occurs as the vehicle 100 decelerates, the occupants will be able to unconsciously assume a posture that is appropriate for the pitch behavior that occurs as the vehicle 100 decelerates, at the advance notification stage, thereby further improving the ride comfort for the occupants. Furthermore, since the vehicle behavior can be realized by controlling the actuator section 600, such as the drive device 610 and the braking device 620, there is no need to add a device for notification.

[0082] "Effect of vehicle behavior generation control termination timing" As described above, the vehicle behavior generation control by the vehicle control device 500 controls the actuator unit 600 such as the drive unit 610 and the braking unit 620. However, the operation of the actuator unit 600 by the vehicle behavior generation control may cause energy loss and increase power consumption. Here, by shortening the time during which the vehicle behavior occurs, energy loss and power consumption can be reduced. Therefore, the vehicle control device 500 ends the output of a control command for generating a vehicle behavior when the vehicle 100 enters a preview area such as a turning area or a deceleration area.

[0083] FIG. 10 shows a pattern of the end timing of vehicle behavior generation control, taking the case of roll behavior generation control as an example. The first pattern in FIG. 10 is a pattern in which the generation of the roll behavior by the vehicle behavior generation control is terminated before the vehicle 100 enters the turning area (in other words, the preview area). This first pattern is the pattern in which the behavior control time is the shortest among the patterns shown in FIG. 10 and which can reduce power consumption the most.

[0084] On the other hand, the second pattern in FIG. 10 is a pattern in which the generation of the roll behavior by the vehicle behavior generation control is terminated after entering the turning area (in other words, the preview area), leading to the roll behavior during turning. Furthermore, FIG. 10 shows behavior suppression control in which a roll moment is continuously generated in a direction opposite to the direction of roll caused by turning while the vehicle 100 is turning, thereby suppressing the roll behavior caused by turning.

[0085] In the behavior suppression control, a roll moment continues to be generated during turning, so power consumption is greater than in the vehicle behavior control in the first and second patterns. In other words, the vehicle behavior occurrence control is more advantageous than the behavior suppression control in terms of power consumption, and further, by completing the vehicle behavior occurrence control in a short period of time, power consumption can be further reduced. Furthermore, if the vehicle behavior generating control is terminated before the vehicle 100 enters the turning area, the vehicle behavior generating control will not interfere with other controls implemented during turning, and there is no need to coordinate between the vehicle behavior generating control and other controls, thereby simplifying the control specifications.

[0086] "Effectiveness over known examples (part 1)" Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-178776 (hereinafter referred to as Prior Art 1) discloses a method for controlling the angle of the driver's neck to suppress change based on the vehicle posture state and the state of the human head, and for providing a vehicle pitch angle in advance when a change in vehicle behavior is predicted. However, Prior Art 1 does not disclose stopping the occurrence of vehicle behavior when the vehicle starts turning or decelerating, and it is considered that the control to give the vehicle pitch angle continues even after the vehicle starts turning or decelerating. In other words, Prior Art Example 1 does not disclose the vehicle behavior generation control of the present application, and the vehicle behavior generation control of the present application has the effect of reducing energy consumption compared to the pitch control disclosed in Prior Art Example 1.

[0087] "Effectiveness over known examples (part 2)" Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 06-092159 (hereinafter referred to as Prior Art Example 2) discloses a control that predicts changes in vehicle behavior that will occur after the start of a turn based on external information and vehicle state information, and notifies the occupants of the change in vehicle behavior by applying vibrations to the occupants through the seat and generating vehicle body vibrations through active suspension.

[0088] However, Prior Art 2 does not disclose any matter of notifying occupants of a change in the vehicle's behavior before the vehicle begins to turn or decelerate, nor does it disclose any matter of ending control when the vehicle begins to turn or decelerate. In other words, Prior Art Example 2 does not disclose any advance notification to occupants of the start of turning or deceleration due to the occurrence of a vehicle behavior, and does not have the effect of enabling vehicle occupants to easily assume a posture in preparation for changes in the vehicle's driving environment or motion state.

[0089] "Vehicle behavior generation control process" The process of vehicle behavior generation control will be described in detail below. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the process of vehicle behavior occurrence control executed by the microcomputer 510.

[0090] In step S701, the microcomputer 510 obtains information on the lateral acceleration and longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle 100 detected by the acceleration sensor 420, that is, information on the actual lateral acceleration and the actual longitudinal acceleration. Furthermore, in step S701, the microcomputer 510 obtains the average value of the actual lateral acceleration and the actual longitudinal acceleration over the most recent predetermined period of time. Then, microcomputer 510 sets the average value of the actual lateral acceleration as the reference lateral acceleration, and sets the average value of the actual longitudinal acceleration as the reference longitudinal acceleration.

[0091] Next, in step S702, microcomputer 510 compares the estimated acceleration in the preview area (more specifically, the estimated lateral acceleration and the estimated deceleration) with the reference acceleration (more specifically, the reference lateral acceleration and the reference longitudinal acceleration) to determine whether the estimated acceleration has changed from the reference acceleration by a predetermined amount or more. Here, if the estimated acceleration has not changed significantly from the reference acceleration, the microcomputer 510 returns to step S701 and updates the reference acceleration. On the other hand, if the estimated acceleration has changed from the reference acceleration by a predetermined amount or more, the microcomputer 510 proceeds to step S703.

[0092] In step S703, the microcomputer 510 starts a process of updating the distance DA from the vehicle 100 to a point (hereinafter referred to as the estimated position EP) where an estimated acceleration that has changed from the reference acceleration by a predetermined amount or more has been obtained as the vehicle 100 progresses. The estimated position EP is a point where it is estimated that the vehicle 100 will start turning, or a point where it is estimated that the vehicle 100 will start decelerating.

[0093] Next, in step S704, the microcomputer 510 calculates the arrival time AT, which is the time required for the vehicle 100 to reach the estimated position EP, in other words, the point at which the turn begins or the point at which deceleration begins, based on the information on the distance DA and the information on the speed of the vehicle 100. Then, in the next step S705, the microcomputer 510 compares the arrival time AT with the control start time ST, which is a set value, and determines whether the arrival time AT has become equal to or less than the control start time ST.

[0094] If the arrival time AT is longer than the control start time ST, in other words, if the vehicle 100 is not sufficiently close to the turning area or the deceleration area, the microcomputer 510 repeats the judgment process of step S705 and waits for the arrival time AT to become less than or equal to the control start time ST. Then, when the arrival time AT becomes equal to or less than the control start time ST, the microcomputer 510 proceeds from step S705 to step S706 and determines whether the vehicle 100 is traveling straight, more specifically, whether the duration of the straight-ahead state exceeds a threshold, based on information on the steering angle of the steering device 640, etc.

[0095] If the vehicle 100 is traveling straight, the microcomputer 510 proceeds to step S707 and calculates a target moment for vehicle behavior generation control, specifically, a target roll moment or a target pitch moment, according to the deviation between the reference acceleration and the estimated acceleration. Here, the microcomputer 510 outputs a control command to the actuator unit 600 based on the target moment for vehicle behavior generation control, and generates a roll behavior or pitch behavior to notify the occupants of the vehicle 100 in advance of turning or deceleration of the vehicle 100, etc. That is, the microcomputer 510 determines the timing when the arrival time AT becomes equal to or shorter than the control start time ST as the start timing of the vehicle behavior occurrence control, and starts the occurrence of the roll behavior or pitch behavior.

[0096] On the other hand, if the vehicle 100 is not traveling straight, the microcomputer 510 bypasses step S707 and proceeds to step S708. In other words, when the vehicle 100 is not traveling straight, the microcomputer 510 does not calculate the target moment for generating the vehicle behavior (in other words, sets the target moment to zero), essentially cancels the vehicle behavior generation control, and performs the vehicle behavior generation control on the condition that the vehicle 100 is traveling straight.

[0097] In step S708, the microcomputer 510 determines whether the vehicle 100 has entered a turning area or a deceleration area by determining whether the actual acceleration (more specifically, the actual lateral acceleration or the actual longitudinal acceleration) has changed by a predetermined amount or more, or whether the steering angle in the steering device 640 has changed by a predetermined amount or more. Then, the microcomputer 510 repeats the judgment of step S708 until it detects that the vehicle 100 has entered a turning area or a deceleration area based on the actual acceleration or steering angle, and when it detects that the vehicle 100 has entered a turning area or a deceleration area, it proceeds to step S709.

[0098] In step S709, the microcomputer 510 resets the target moment for vehicle behavior generation control (specifically, the target roll moment or the target pitch moment) to zero. In other words, when the vehicle 100 enters a turning area or a deceleration area, the microcomputer 510 terminates the output of control commands to the actuator unit 600 through the vehicle behavior generation control, and stops the generation of vehicle behavior to notify the occupants in advance of the turning or deceleration. Next, in step S710, the microcomputer 510 resets the information used in the current vehicle behavior occurrence control, such as the estimated acceleration, the estimated position EP, and the distance DA, which are stored in the work memory, and ends the vehicle behavior occurrence control.

[0099] "Detailed Functions of Control Command Setting Unit 550" FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the function of the control command setting unit 550 in detail. State estimation section 520 obtains an estimated lateral acceleration, an estimated deceleration, arrival time AT, and the like, and outputs this information to target moment calculation section 540.

[0100] In addition, control execution judgment unit 530 acquires information such as the driving mode, failure state, and steering angle information, judges whether or not to implement vehicle behavior generation control based on the acquired information, and outputs a signal indicative of the judgment result to target moment calculation unit 540. As outlined in accordance with the flowchart of FIG. 11, the target moment calculation unit 540 inputs the estimated lateral acceleration, the estimated deceleration, the arrival time AT, the speed of the vehicle 100, a signal indicating whether or not to implement vehicle behavior generation control, and the like, and calculates a target moment for vehicle behavior generation control (more specifically, a target roll moment or a target pitch moment).

[0101] Control command setting unit 550 has, as functional units for controlling the roll behavior, a command value map 551A, a rate limit / distribution ratio calculation unit 552A, and a distribution processing unit 553A, and similarly, has, as functional units for controlling the pitch behavior, a command value map 551B, a rate limit / distribution ratio calculation unit 552B, and a distribution processing unit 553B. The control command setting unit 550 also includes a driving force command output unit 554A that finally outputs a driving force command value for vehicle behavior occurrence control, and a braking force command output unit 554B that finally outputs a braking force command value for vehicle behavior occurrence control.

[0102] Command value map 551A acquires information on the target roll moment from target moment calculation section 540, and determines the driving force and braking force for obtaining the target roll moment. Similarly, command value map 551B acquires information on the target pitch moment from target moment calculation section 540, and determines the driving force and braking force for obtaining the target pitch moment.

[0103] Rate limit and distribution ratio calculation units 552A, 552B calculate the distribution ratio of the braking force of each wheel 101-104 and the upper limit of the rate of change of the driving force so as to prevent abrupt changes in acceleration that can be felt by the occupants and unintended behavior in the yaw direction. Then, rate limit / distribution ratio calculation units 552A and 552B output a driving force command with the rate of change limited based on the upper limit value to driving force command output unit 554A. Also, distribution processing units 553A and 553B determine the braking forces of the respective wheels 101-104 in accordance with the distribution ratios calculated by rate limit / distribution ratio calculation units 552A and 552B, and output them to a braking force command output unit 554B.

[0104] The driving force command output unit 554A obtains a driving force command value for a roll behavior and a driving force command value for a pitch behavior, and finally outputs a driving force command value for vehicle behavior generation control. Furthermore, the braking force command output unit 554B acquires a braking force command value for a roll behavior and a braking force command value for a pitch behavior, and finally outputs a braking force command value for vehicle behavior occurrence control.

[0105] "Detailed Functions of Target Roll Moment Calculation Unit 540A" FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing details of desired roll moment calculation section 540A included in desired moment calculation section 540. As shown in FIG. The desired roll moment calculation unit 540A is a functional unit that calculates a desired roll moment for generating a roll behavior.

[0106] A switching unit 1001A outputs either the desired roll moment output by the table 1003A or a desired roll moment of 0, according to the output of the logical AND unit 1002A. The table 1003A determines and outputs a target roll moment that generates a roll behavior for notifying the occupants of the vehicle 100 in advance of turning, based on the estimated lateral acceleration.

[0107] When the output of the comparing section 1004A is 1 and the output of the comparing section 1005A is 1, the output of the AND section 1002A is 1. When the output of the logical product part 1002A is 1, the switching part 1001A outputs the desired roll moment output by the table 1003, and when the output of the logical product part 1002A is 0, the switching part 1001A outputs the desired roll moment=0.

[0108] The comparison unit 1004A outputs 1 when the value of a timer 1006A, which measures the duration of the straight-line driving state of the vehicle 100, becomes equal to or exceeds a predetermined straight-line driving judgment time, and outputs 0 if the value of the timer 1006A is less than the straight-line driving judgment time. On the other hand, the comparison unit 1005A determines whether the arrival time AT, which is the time required for the vehicle 100 to arrive at the estimated position EP, has become equal to or shorter than the control start time ST. The comparison unit 1005A outputs 1 when the arrival time AT becomes equal to or less than the control start time ST, and outputs 0 when the arrival time AT exceeds the control start time ST.

[0109] In other words, when the duration of the straight-line state of the vehicle 100 is equal to or longer than a predetermined time and the arrival time AT is equal to or shorter than the control start time ST, the switching unit 1001A outputs the target roll moment determined by the table 1003A, that is, the target roll moment that generates a roll behavior to provide advance notice of a turn. On the other hand, when at least one of the control conditions of the duration of the straight traveling state of the vehicle 100 and the arrival time AT is not satisfied, the switching unit 1001A outputs a target roll moment of 0 and cancels the occurrence of the roll behavior by the vehicle behavior occurrence control.

[0110] The division unit 1007A calculates an arrival time AT based on the distance DA from the vehicle 100 to the estimated position EP and the speed of the vehicle 100, and outputs information on the calculated arrival time AT to the comparison unit 1005A. Furthermore, the subtraction unit 1008A performs subtraction processing on the information of the distance DA based on the speed of the vehicle 100 to update the information of the distance DA, and outputs the updated information of the distance DA to the division unit 1007A.

[0111] Here, the distance DA to be subtracted in the subtraction section 1008A is switched by the switching sections 1009A and 1010A between the previous value output from the subtraction section 1008A and the latest value of the distance DA to the estimated position EP. The switching section 1009A outputs either the previous value of the output of the subtraction section 1008A or the latest value of the distance DA to the estimated position EP, depending on the output of the comparison section 1011A.

[0112] The comparison unit 1011A compares the estimated lateral acceleration with a turning judgment threshold, and outputs 1 when the estimated lateral acceleration is equal to or less than the turning judgment threshold and turning of the vehicle 100 is not predicted, and outputs 0 when the estimated lateral acceleration exceeds the turning judgment threshold and turning of the vehicle 100 is predicted. When the output of the comparison section 1011A is 1 and no turning of the vehicle 100 is predicted, the switching section 1009A outputs the latest value of the distance DA to the estimated position EP.

[0113] On the other hand, when the output of the comparison unit 1011A is 0 and the vehicle 100 is predicted to turn, the switching unit 1009A outputs the previous value of the output of the subtraction unit 1008A. In other words, when the switching unit 1009A and the comparison unit 1011A predict a turn of the vehicle 100 based on a comparison between the estimated lateral acceleration and a turning judgment threshold, they have the function of determining the point where the estimated lateral acceleration used in the prediction judgment was obtained as the turning start point, and then subtracting the distance DA from the vehicle 100 to the turning start point as the vehicle 100 travels.

[0114] On the other hand, the switching section 1010A outputs either the output of the switching section 1009A or the latest value of the distance DA to the estimated position EP, depending on the output of the AND section 1012A. The logical AND section 1012A outputs 1 when the output of the comparing section 1013A is 1 and the output of the comparing section 1014A is 1. If the output of the logical product section 1012A is 1, the switching section 1010A outputs the latest value of the distance DA to the estimated position EP.

[0115] The comparison unit 1013A outputs 1 when the steering angle is equal to or greater than the turning judgment value. Moreover, the comparison section 1014A outputs 1 when the latest value and the previous value of the output of the comparison section 1013A differ, that is, when the determination as to whether the steering angle is equal to or greater than the turning determination value is reversed. Therefore, the logical AND unit 1012A outputs 1 when the steering angle switches from a state where it is less than the turning judgment value to a state where the steering angle is equal to or greater than the turning judgment value, and at this time the switching unit 1010A outputs the latest value of the distance DA to the estimated position EP.

[0116] That is, when the steering angle switches from a state in which it is less than the turning judgment value to a state in which it is equal to or greater than the turning judgment value, in other words, when the vehicle 100 starts turning, the distance DA is reset. Timer 1006A, which measures the duration of the straight-ahead state of vehicle 100, is reset when the output of comparison section 1013A becomes 1, that is, when the steering angle is equal to or greater than the turning determination value.

[0117] Next, the process of the estimated lateral acceleration obtained by the table 1003A will be described. Switching section 1015A outputs either the information on the estimated lateral acceleration or the output of switching section 1016A, depending on the output of logical AND section 1012A. Switching section 1016A outputs either the output of selection section 1018A or the previous value of the output of switching section 1016A, depending on the output of comparison section 1017A.

[0118] Comparator 1017A outputs 1 when the estimated lateral acceleration is equal to or greater than the turning judgment value. Moreover, a selection unit 1018A selects and outputs the larger of the estimated lateral acceleration or the previous value of the output of a switching unit 1016A. As described above, the logical AND unit 1012A outputs 1 when the steering angle changes from a state in which it is less than the turning judgment value to a state in which it is equal to or greater than the turning judgment value.

[0119] When AND section 1012A outputs 1, switching section 1015A outputs the latest estimated lateral acceleration information to table 1003A. On the other hand, when the logical product section 1012A outputs 0, the switching section 1015A outputs the output of the switching section 1016A to the table 1003.

[0120] With the desired roll moment calculation unit 540A configured as above, for example, when the vehicle 100 is traveling on a straight road with no curves ahead, the output of the comparison unit 1017A is 0 and the output of the AND unit 1012A is 0. Therefore, switching unit 1016A outputs the previous value of its own output, and switching unit 1015A outputs the output of switching unit 1016A to table 1003. From this state, when the vehicle 100 turns into a curve ahead and the estimated lateral acceleration increases, the output of the comparison unit 1017A switches to 1, and the switching unit 1016A begins to output the latest increased estimated lateral acceleration.

[0121] Here, switching unit 1015A outputs the output of switching unit 1016A to table 1003A until the steering angle switches from a state where it is less than the turning judgment value to a state where it is equal to or greater than the turning judgment value, that is, until turning begins. Therefore, from the time when the estimated lateral acceleration becomes equal to or greater than the turning judgment threshold until turning actually starts, the information on the estimated lateral acceleration output to table 1003A increases in accordance with the increase in the estimated lateral acceleration, and after the estimated lateral acceleration begins to decrease, the maximum value of the estimated lateral acceleration up to that point is output to table 1003A.

[0122] "Detailed Functions of Target Pitch Moment Calculation Unit 540B" FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing details of desired pitch moment calculation section 540B included in desired moment calculation section 540. As shown in FIG. The desired pitch moment calculation unit 540B is a functional unit that calculates a desired pitch moment for generating a pitch behavior.

[0123] Desired pitch moment calculation section 540B has a functional section equivalent to that of desired roll moment calculation section 540A, and calculates a desired pitch moment. For this reason, functional parts having the same action and function as the desired roll moment calculation part 540A are given the same numbers with the alphabet A replaced with B, and detailed explanations are omitted.

[0124] The difference between desired pitch moment calculation section 540B and desired roll moment calculation section 540A will be described below. The desired pitch moment calculation unit 540B and the desired roll moment calculation unit 540A differ in the input signals to the comparison units 1017A and 1017B and the input signals to the comparison units 1013A and 1013B.

[0125] A comparison unit 1017B of the target pitch moment calculation unit 540B compares the estimated deceleration with a deceleration determination threshold value to predict and determine deceleration. Moreover, a comparison unit 1013B of target pitch moment calculation unit 540B compares the braking force requirement value with a deceleration determination threshold value to determine the start of deceleration. Then, the table 1003B determines the target pitch moment based on the estimated deceleration, and the switching unit 1001B outputs the target pitch moment that generates a pitch behavior for notifying the occupants of the deceleration of the vehicle 100 in advance.

[0126] "Emergency avoidance behavior and vehicle behavior control" The following describes how the vehicle behavior occurrence control responds when the vehicle 100 takes emergency evasive action. FIG. 15 shows a situation in which an unexpected obstacle, pedestrian, etc., cuts into the travel path of vehicle 100 between vehicle 100 and its estimated position when a roll behavior occurs before turning based on a turning prediction. At this time, the automatic driving is cancelled and the driver performs an emergency avoidance operation, or a driving assistance function that realizes emergency avoidance performs emergency avoidance steering or emergency avoidance braking, causing the vehicle 100 to take emergency avoidance action.

[0127] When the vehicle 100 takes emergency avoidance action in this manner, the microcomputer 510 cancels the vehicle behavior generation control and stops the generation of the roll behavior for turning notification. Here, the microcomputer 510 determines that the vehicle 100 will take emergency avoidance action based on information regarding whether or not the vehicle 100 will take emergency avoidance action, such as an emergency avoidance judgment flag that serves as a trigger to cancel automatic driving or to implement driving assistance for emergency avoidance, and cancels the vehicle behavior occurrence control.

[0128] In detail, the control execution judgment unit 530 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 12 judges that the vehicle 100 will take emergency avoidance action and issues a cancellation instruction to the target moment calculation unit 540, thereby setting the target moments (in detail, the target roll moment and the target pitch moment) output by the target moment calculation unit 540 to zero. When the microcomputer 510 determines that the vehicle 100 will take emergency avoidance action, it resets values ​​such as the distance to the estimated position EP and the time, and when the emergency avoidance action ends and the vehicle returns to normal driving, it determines whether to execute vehicle behavior occurrence control based on the estimated lateral acceleration and estimated deceleration at that time.

[0129] FIG. 16 is a time chart showing the state of the vehicle behavior generation control when the vehicle 100 takes emergency avoidance action. At time t1 in a situation where the estimated lateral acceleration is increasing and a turn is predicted, if the external environment recognition unit 300 detects an obstacle, a pedestrian, or the like intrusion and raises the emergency avoidance judgment flag, the microcomputer 510 cancels the vehicle behavior generation control, that is, the control of the driving force and braking force for generating the target roll moment (or the target pitch moment), and generates a braking force for emergency avoidance. Furthermore, when the emergency avoidance determination flag is set at time t1, the microcomputer 510 resets values ​​such as the distance and time to the estimated position EP.

[0130] "Vehicle behavior control on a route with successive curves" The vehicle behavior generation control on a driving route with successive curves will be described below. FIG. 17 shows a route along which the vehicle 100 travels, starting from a second point ahead of the vehicle 100, has a series of curves on both the left and right.

[0131] FIG. 18 is a time chart showing changes in steering angle, lateral acceleration, roll angle, value of the straight ahead determination timer (timer 1006A in FIG. 13), speed, braking / driving force, etc. when vehicle 100 travels along the travel route shown in FIG. As described above, the straight-line driving judgment timer is reset when the steering angle becomes equal to or greater than a threshold value, and the vehicle control device 500 (target moment calculation unit 540) determines that the condition for generating a vehicle behavior is that this straight-line driving judgment timer exceeds the threshold value, that is, that the straight-line driving state of the vehicle 100 continues for a predetermined period of time or more.

[0132] When the vehicle 100 travels along the driving route shown in FIG. 17, the vehicle control device 500 starts control to generate a roll behavior to notify the occupants in advance of the start of a turn from a first point (time t1 in FIG. 18) before the second point where the curve begins. Thereafter, the vehicle control device 500 terminates the generation of the roll behavior to notify the occupants in advance of the start of turning at a point (time t2 in FIG. 18) before the vehicle 100 reaches the second point, which is the point where the curve begins.

[0133] When there are successive curves from the second point onwards, the lateral acceleration approaches zero between the curves, and there exists an area of ​​lateral acceleration that is the same as in a straight section. However, the vehicle control device 500 including the target roll moment calculation unit 540A shown in FIG. 13 sets the value of the straight traveling determination timer (timer 1006A in FIG. 13) being equal to or greater than a certain value as a condition for executing control over the occurrence of a roll behavior.

[0134] Therefore, even if the lateral acceleration temporarily becomes zero (or the steering angle becomes zero corresponding to the neutral position) between curves, the vehicle control device 500 does not execute control to generate a roll behavior to notify the occupants of the start of turning because the straight-line state is short. In other words, the vehicle control device 500 generates a roll behavior to notify the occupants of the start of a turn in advance before the second point, where the curve begins, but does not generate a roll behavior to notify the occupants of the start of a turn when there are successive curves after the second point.

[0135] "Control when turning notifications and deceleration notifications occur consecutively or simultaneously" In the following, a vehicle behavior generation control when the turning notification and the deceleration notification are issued consecutively or simultaneously will be described. FIG. 19 shows a driving pattern in which the vehicle 100 decelerates before a curve in preparation for traveling around the curve.

[0136] In particular, the vehicle 100 begins to decelerate at a third point and then begins to turn at a fourth point. The first point to the fourth point are points that the vehicle 100 passes through on its route in the order of the first point, the second point, the third point, and the fourth point.

[0137] FIG. 20 is a time chart showing changes in lateral acceleration, roll angle, pitch angle, deceleration, etc. when the vehicle 100 runs in the running pattern shown in FIG. In the case of the driving pattern shown in Figure 19, in which the vehicle 100 starts to decelerate at a third point and then starts to turn at a fourth point, the vehicle control device 500 generates a pitch behavior to notify the occupants of the start of deceleration from a first point (time t1 in Figure 20), and then generates a roll behavior to notify the occupants of the start of turning from a second point (time t2 in Figure 20).

[0138] That is, the vehicle control device 500 generates vehicle behaviors for notifying the driver of each motion state, such as turning and deceleration, in advance in accordance with the order in which the motion states occur. Therefore, in the case of a driving pattern in which turning is performed before deceleration, the vehicle control device 500 first generates a roll behavior to notify the occupant that turning has begun, and then generates a pitch behavior to notify the occupant that deceleration has begun. In addition, in the case of a driving pattern in which turning and deceleration are performed approximately simultaneously, the vehicle control device 500 generates a roll behavior to notify the occupant that a turn has started, and generates a pitch behavior to notify the occupant that deceleration has started, approximately simultaneously.

[0139] The technical ideas described in the above embodiments can be used in any suitable combination as long as no contradiction occurs. Furthermore, although the contents of the present invention have been specifically described with reference to preferred embodiments, it is obvious that a person skilled in the art can adopt various modified embodiments based on the basic technical concept and teachings of the present invention.

[0140] For example, when generating a roll behavior to notify an occupant of the start of a turn, the vehicle control device 500 can generate a roll behavior in the opposite direction to the roll angle generated by the turn, and when generating a pitch behavior to notify an occupant of the start of deceleration, the vehicle control device 500 can generate a pitch behavior in the opposite direction to the pitch angle generated by the deceleration. In this case, the roll behavior caused by turning and the pitch behavior caused by deceleration can be suppressed.

[0141] In addition, as shown in FIG. 19, when the vehicle 100 decelerates before a curve and then enters the curve, the vehicle control device 500 can start the generation of a roll behavior to notify the occupants of the start of the subsequent turning in synchronization with the start of the pitch behavior to notify the occupants of the start of deceleration. In this case, the occupants of the vehicle 100 can recognize in advance that deceleration will be performed in preparation for traveling around a curve.

[0142] Furthermore, the vehicle control device 500 can generate either a roll behavior or a pitch behavior in a driving pattern in which turning and deceleration are performed substantially simultaneously. Here, the vehicle control device 500 can select whether to notify in advance of turning or deceleration, in other words, whether to cause a roll behavior or a pitch behavior, based on information such as the estimated deceleration and the estimated lateral acceleration. [Explanation of symbols]

[0143] 100...vehicle, 200...vehicle control system, 300...external environment recognition unit, 400...vehicle motion state acquisition unit, 500...vehicle control device, 510...microcomputer (control unit), 600...actuator unit

Claims

1. A vehicle control device including a control unit that outputs a result of calculation based on input information, The control unit includes: acquiring information on an estimated lateral acceleration calculated based on a curvature of a road on which the vehicle is traveling and a speed of the vehicle in a preview area ahead of the road; outputting control commands to a drive device and a brake device provided in the vehicle for generating a roll behavior corresponding to the estimated lateral acceleration, the outputting being started before the vehicle reaches the preview area and being ended when the vehicle enters the preview area; outputting the control commands to the drive device and the brake device such that a rate of change of the drive force generated by the drive device and the braking force generated by the brake device is slower when the output of the control commands is started than when the output of the control commands is ended; Vehicle control device.

2. A vehicle control device including a control unit that outputs a result of calculation based on input information, The control unit includes: acquiring information on an estimated lateral acceleration calculated based on a curvature of a road on which the vehicle is traveling and a speed of the vehicle in a preview area ahead of the road; outputting a control command for generating a roll behavior according to the estimated lateral acceleration before the vehicle reaches the preview area and ending the output when the vehicle enters the preview area; outputting the control command on the condition that a duration of a straight-ahead state of the vehicle determined based on a steering angle of the vehicle exceeds a threshold value; Vehicle control device.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2, The direction of the roll behavior due to the control command is the same as the direction of the roll behavior occurring in the vehicle in the preview area. Vehicle control device.

4. A vehicle control method executed by a control unit mounted on a vehicle, comprising: The control unit includes: acquiring information on an estimated lateral acceleration calculated based on a curvature of a road in a preview area ahead of the road on which the vehicle is traveling and a speed of the vehicle; outputting control commands to a drive device and a brake device provided in the vehicle for generating a roll behavior corresponding to the estimated lateral acceleration, the outputting being started before the vehicle reaches the preview area and being ended when the vehicle enters the preview area; outputting the control commands to the drive device and the brake device such that a rate of change of the drive force generated by the drive device and the braking force generated by the brake device is slower when the output of the control commands is started than when the output of the control commands is ended; A vehicle control method.

5. A vehicle control method executed by a control unit mounted on a vehicle, comprising: The control unit includes: acquiring information on an estimated lateral acceleration calculated based on a curvature of a road in a preview area ahead of the road on which the vehicle is traveling and a speed of the vehicle; outputting a control command for generating a roll behavior according to the estimated lateral acceleration before the vehicle reaches the preview area and ending the output when the vehicle enters the preview area; outputting the control command on the condition that a duration of a straight-ahead state of the vehicle determined based on a steering angle of the vehicle exceeds a threshold value; A vehicle control method.

6. An external environment recognition unit that acquires external environment information ahead of the vehicle on a road on which the vehicle is traveling; a vehicle motion state acquisition unit that acquires information regarding a motion state of the vehicle; A drive device that generates a drive force; A braking device that generates a braking force; A control unit that outputs a result of calculation based on input information, acquiring information on an estimated lateral acceleration calculated based on a curvature of a road in a preview area ahead of the road on which the vehicle is traveling and a speed of the vehicle; outputting a control command to the drive device and the brake device for generating a roll behavior corresponding to the estimated lateral acceleration, before the vehicle reaches the preview area, and ending the output when the vehicle enters the preview area; outputting the control commands to the drive device and the brake device such that a rate of change of the drive force generated by the drive device and the braking force generated by the brake device is slower when the output of the control commands is started than when the output of the control commands is ended; The control unit; A vehicle control system comprising:

7. An external environment recognition unit that acquires external environment information ahead of the vehicle on a road on which the vehicle is traveling; a vehicle motion state acquisition unit that acquires information regarding a motion state of the vehicle; A control unit that outputs a result of calculation based on input information, acquiring information on an estimated lateral acceleration calculated based on a curvature of a road in a preview area ahead of the road on which the vehicle is traveling and a speed of the vehicle; outputting a control command for generating a roll behavior according to the estimated lateral acceleration before the vehicle reaches the preview area and ending the output when the vehicle enters the preview area; outputting the control command on the condition that a duration of a straight-ahead state of the vehicle determined based on a steering angle of the vehicle exceeds a threshold value; The control unit; an actuator unit that controls a motion state of the vehicle based on the control command; A vehicle control system comprising:

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