Vehicle control system

Abstract

To unerringly suppress, in a vehicle control system which performs two different deceleration control, a phenomenon where deceleration does not apply to the vehicle temporarily at the time switching over the deceleration controls.SOLUTION: A vehicle control system 100 comprises: VCM10 which transmits EDA control signal and AEB control signal to decelerate a vehicle; PCM11 which receives the EDA control signal from the VCM10 to control an engine; and DSC12 which receives the EDA control signal through the PCM11 from the VCM10 and receives the AEB control signal without going through the PCM11 from the VCM10 to control a brake and the like. The VCM10 can parallelly and simultaneously transmit the EDA control signal and the AEB control signal. The DSC12 controls the brake, when simultaneously receiving both of the EDA control signal and the AEB control signal, based on larger deceleration among deceleration of the EDA control signal and deceleration of the AEB control signal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control system that executes control for automatically decelerating a vehicle according to a situation, for example, executes control for decelerating the vehicle to automatically stop it.

Background Art

[0002] As this type of technology, conventionally, when there is a possibility that a vehicle may collide with an object on the road (an object that can be an obstacle in the running of the vehicle), deceleration control (hereinafter appropriately referred to as "AEB (Autonomous Emergency Braking) control") is executed to automatically stop the vehicle. Also, different from this AEB control, when an abnormality occurs to the driver during the running of the vehicle, particularly when the driver is in a state where it is difficult to drive, deceleration control (hereinafter appropriately referred to as "EDA (Emergency Driving Assist) control") is executed to automatically stop the vehicle. Basically, the AEB control is a control that attempts to quickly automatically stop the vehicle to avoid a collision between the vehicle and an object, while the EDA control is a control that attempts to relatively slowly automatically stop the vehicle to evacuate the vehicle of the driver with an abnormality to a safe place.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology related to the above-described EDA control. In particular, in the technology disclosed in this Patent Document 1, a first deceleration is started from the time when an emergency of the driver is detected, and then, from the time when a state of no accelerator operation for a predetermined time or more is detected, a second deceleration with a deceleration rate larger than that of the first deceleration is started. By doing so, when the possibility that the driver is in a state where it is difficult to continue driving is high, the first deceleration is executed, and when the possibility that the driver is in a state where it is extremely difficult to continue driving is high, the second deceleration is executed, so as to execute appropriate automatic stop control.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004] Patent Document 1 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-19411 Summary of the Invention Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In typical examples, the above-mentioned EDA control and AEB control are realized by a vehicle control system including a vehicle control device that controls the entire vehicle, a drive source control device that controls a drive source (such as an engine) of the vehicle, and a vehicle behavior control device that mainly controls a brake (brake device) to control the behavior (posture, etc.) of the vehicle. In this vehicle control system, when a condition for executing EDA control (hereinafter appropriately referred to as the "EDA control execution condition") is satisfied based on signals received from various sensors and cameras of the vehicle, the vehicle control device transmits a control signal (hereinafter appropriately referred to as the "EDA control signal") for decelerating the vehicle by EDA control. At the same time, when a condition for executing AEB control (hereinafter appropriately referred to as the "AEB control execution condition") is satisfied, the vehicle control device transmits a control signal (hereinafter appropriately referred to as the "AEB control signal") for decelerating the vehicle by AEB control. Typically, the EDA control execution condition is a condition that an abnormality occurs to the driver during vehicle travel, and the AEB control execution condition is a condition that there is a possibility that the vehicle may collide with an object on the road surface during travel.

[0006] Here, in EDA control, not only is the vehicle decelerated, but for example, the vehicle may continue to travel at a low vehicle speed, so it is necessary to control the drive source (such as an engine) of the vehicle. Therefore, the above-mentioned EDA control signal is transmitted from the vehicle control device to the drive source control device, and the drive source control device controls the drive source according to this EDA control signal. In addition, this EDA control signal is also transmitted from the vehicle control device to the vehicle behavior control device via the drive source control device in order to control the brake according to the EDA control signal and decelerate the vehicle. On the other hand, since the AEB control signal is used to quickly decelerate the vehicle by the brake in AEB control, it is directly transmitted from the vehicle control device to the vehicle behavior control device without passing through the drive source control device.

[0007] By the way, in the vehicle control system as described above, when the EDA control execution condition is satisfied, the EDA control is executed. However, if the AEB control execution condition is satisfied during the execution of this EDA control, the AEB control is preferentially executed instead of the EDA control. After that, when the AEB control execution condition ceases to be satisfied, the AEB control ends and the EDA control is executed again. In such a situation, the control to be executed switches between the EDA control and the AEB control. At the time of this switch, the deceleration is temporarily not applied to the vehicle, which may give the vehicle occupants a sense of unease.

[0008] This is because, in the EDA control and the AEB control, as described above, the signal paths through which the control signals (EDA control signal and AEB control signal) for decelerating the vehicle are transmitted to the vehicle behavior control device are different. Therefore, when switching between the EDA control and the AEB control, the signal path through which the control signal is transmitted to the vehicle behavior control device changes, and the control signal temporarily stops being transmitted to the vehicle behavior control device. In particular, when switching from the AEB control to the EDA control, the signal path from the vehicle control device not passing through the drive source control device to the vehicle behavior control device changes to the signal path from the vehicle control device passing through the drive source control device to the vehicle behavior control device. Therefore, the time lag until the control signal reaches the vehicle behavior control device increases by the amount that the control signal passes through the drive source control device. In this case, for example, for about 100 msec, the control signal transmitted to the vehicle behavior control device temporarily stops being transmitted.

[0009] The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and in a vehicle control system that executes two different deceleration controls for automatically decelerating a vehicle according to the situation, it is an object to accurately suppress the deceleration from temporarily not being applied to the vehicle when switching between these deceleration controls.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a vehicle control system including: a vehicle control device configured to transmit a first deceleration control signal for decelerating the vehicle when a first condition is satisfied and to transmit a second deceleration control signal different from the first deceleration control signal for decelerating the vehicle when a second condition different from the first condition is satisfied; a drive source control device configured to receive the first deceleration control signal from the vehicle control device and control a drive source of the vehicle according to the first deceleration control signal; and a vehicle behavior control device configured to receive the first deceleration control signal from the vehicle control device via the drive source control device, receive the second deceleration control signal from the vehicle control device without passing through the drive source control device, and control at least a brake (brake device) of the vehicle to control the behavior of the vehicle according to the first deceleration control signal or the second deceleration control signal. The vehicle control device is configured to be able to transmit the first deceleration control signal and the second deceleration control signal in parallel and simultaneously. When the vehicle behavior control device receives both the first deceleration control signal and the second deceleration control signal simultaneously, the vehicle behavior control device is configured to control at least the brake based on one of the first deceleration control signal and the second deceleration control signal so as to apply to the vehicle a deceleration that is the greater of the deceleration applied to the vehicle according to the first deceleration control signal and the deceleration applied to the vehicle according to the second deceleration control signal.

[0011] According to the present invention configured as described above, at the time of switching between deceleration control by the first deceleration control signal (hereinafter referred to as "first deceleration control") and deceleration control by the second deceleration control signal (hereinafter referred to as "second deceleration control"), as described in the section of "Problems to be Solved by the Invention", it is possible to accurately suppress a temporary interruption of the control signal transmitted to the vehicle behavior control device due to a change in the signal path through which the control signal is transmitted to the vehicle behavior control device. That is, according to the present invention, since the vehicle control device transmits both the first deceleration control signal and the second deceleration control signal simultaneously either before or after the switching between the first deceleration control and the second deceleration control, at both before and after the switching, at least one of the first deceleration control signal and the second deceleration control signal can be continuously transmitted to the vehicle behavior control device. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a temporary interruption of the control signal transmitted to the vehicle behavior control device. Thus, according to the present invention, at the time of switching between the first deceleration control and the second deceleration control, it is possible to accurately suppress a situation where the deceleration is not temporarily applied to the vehicle, and it is possible to eliminate the sense of uneasiness given to the passengers of the vehicle.

[0012] Also, according to the present invention, when the vehicle behavior control device receives both the first deceleration control signal and the second deceleration control signal simultaneously, since the brake is at least controlled based on the control signal with the larger deceleration applied to the vehicle among the first deceleration control signal and the second deceleration control signal, in a situation where the vehicle should be decelerated, the deceleration corresponding to the control signal with the higher priority, that is, the larger deceleration generated among the two control signals, can be accurately applied to the vehicle.

[0013] In the present invention, preferably, the vehicle control device is configured to transmit the first deceleration control signal and the second deceleration control signal in parallel and simultaneously when both the first condition and the second condition are satisfied. According to the present invention configured as described above, when the first and second conditions are satisfied, both the first and second deceleration control signals are transmitted simultaneously instead of only one of the first and second deceleration control signals, and these control signals can be accurately input to the vehicle behavior control device.

[0014] In the present invention, preferably, the first condition is a condition that an abnormality occurs to the driver during the running of the vehicle. According to the present invention configured as described above, when an abnormality occurs to the driver, by controlling the drive source and the brake according to the first deceleration control signal, the vehicle can be surely decelerated and be made to perform an evacuation run to a safe place.

[0015] In the present invention, preferably, the second condition is a condition that there is a possibility that the vehicle may collide with an object on the road. According to the present invention configured as described above, when there is a possibility that the vehicle may collide with an object, by controlling the brake according to the second deceleration control signal, the vehicle can be surely decelerated and the collision between the vehicle and the object can be avoided.

[0016] In the present invention, preferably, the deceleration imparted to the vehicle according to the second deceleration control signal is greater than the deceleration imparted to the vehicle according to the first deceleration control signal. According to the present invention configured as described above, in a situation where the vehicle should be quickly decelerated, the brake can be immediately controlled by the second deceleration control signal to accurately impart a relatively large deceleration to the vehicle.

[0017] From another perspective, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a vehicle control system, comprising: a vehicle control device configured to transmit a first deceleration control signal for decelerating the vehicle when a first condition is satisfied, and to transmit a second deceleration control signal different from the first deceleration control signal for decelerating the vehicle when a second condition different from the first condition is satisfied; a drive source control device configured to receive the first deceleration control signal from the vehicle control device and control a drive source of the vehicle according to the first deceleration control signal; and a vehicle behavior control device configured to receive the first deceleration control signal from the vehicle control device via the drive source control device, receive the second deceleration control signal from the vehicle control device without passing through the drive source control device, and control at least a brake (brake device) of the vehicle to control the behavior of the vehicle according to the first deceleration control signal or the second deceleration control signal. The vehicle control device is configured to be able to transmit the first deceleration control signal and the second deceleration control signal in parallel and simultaneously. The vehicle behavior control device is configured to control at least the brake based on the second deceleration control signal when receiving both the first deceleration control signal and the second deceleration control signal at the same time. Also, according to the present invention configured as described above, it is possible to accurately suppress the temporary interruption of the control signal transmitted to the vehicle behavior control device when switching between the first deceleration control and the second deceleration control, and accurately suppress the temporary absence of the deceleration applied to the vehicle. Further, when receiving both the first deceleration control signal and the second deceleration control signal at the same time, since the second deceleration control signal is always selected to control at least the brake, an accurate deceleration can be applied to the vehicle.

Advantages of the Invention

[0018] According to the present invention, in a vehicle control system that executes two different deceleration controls for automatically decelerating a vehicle according to a situation, it is possible to accurately suppress the temporary absence of the deceleration applied to the vehicle when switching between these deceleration controls.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] Hereinafter, a vehicle control system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0021] [System Configuration] First, with reference to FIG. 1, the configuration of a vehicle control system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle to which a vehicle control system according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle control system 100 is mounted on the vehicle 1 and includes a VCM (Vehicle Control Module) 10 as a vehicle control device, a PCM (Powertrain Control Module) 11 as a drive source control device, a DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) 12 as a vehicle behavior control device, a plurality of sensors 20 to 30, an engine system 31, and a brake system 32. In this embodiment, when there is a possibility that the vehicle 1 may collide with an object on the road (an object that may become an obstacle in the running of the vehicle 1), the vehicle control system 100 executes deceleration control (AEB control) to quickly automatically stop the vehicle 1 in order to avoid a collision between the vehicle 1 and the obstacle. Further, when an abnormality occurs to the driver during the running of the vehicle 1, particularly when the driver is in a state where it is difficult to drive, the vehicle control system 100 executes deceleration control (EDA control) to automatically stop the vehicle 1 in order to make the vehicle 1 retreat to a safe place emergently.

[0023] The plurality of sensors include an in-vehicle camera 20, an out-vehicle camera 21, a radar 22, a vehicle speed sensor 23, an acceleration sensor 24, a yaw rate sensor 25, a steering angle sensor 26, an accelerator sensor 27, and a brake sensor 28. Further, the plurality of sensors include a positioning system 29 for detecting the position of the vehicle 1 and a navigation system 30. Note that other sensors may include a surrounding sonar for measuring the distance and position of surrounding structures with respect to the vehicle 1 and a corner radar for measuring the approach of surrounding structures at four corners of the vehicle 1.

[0024] VCM10, PCM11, and DSC12 are composed of a computer equipped with one or more processors (typically CPUs), a memory (such as ROM and RAM) for storing various programs, input / output devices, etc. In the vehicle control system 100, VCM10 executes various calculations based on the signals received from the above-mentioned multiple sensors, issues commands to PCM11 and DSC12, and PCM11 and DSC12 control the engine system 31 and the brake system 32 respectively based on this command.

[0025] Note that DSC12 can control not only the brake system 32 but also the engine system 31 (especially controls such as engine stop control and engine brake application control). Specifically, DSC12 is a device that automatically controls the brake system 32 and the engine system 31 by means of ABS (Antilock Brake System), TCS (Traction Control System), etc. to ensure the stability of the vehicle 1 in order to suppress the skidding of the vehicle 1 when driving on a slippery road surface or during sudden steering operations.

[0026] The in-vehicle camera 20 captures the interior of the vehicle, especially the driver, and outputs image data. VCM10 analyzes the driver's posture, etc. based on the image data received from the in-vehicle camera 20, and determines whether the driver is abnormal. For example, VCM10 determines that the driver is abnormal when the analyzed driver's posture is a posture that cannot be taken when the driver is driving the vehicle 1 normally.

[0027] The out-vehicle camera 21 captures the surroundings of the vehicle 1 and outputs image data. VCM10 identifies objects (such as a preceding vehicle (front vehicle), a following vehicle (rear vehicle), a parked vehicle, a pedestrian, a road, lane lines (lane boundaries, white lines, yellow lines), traffic signals, traffic signs, stop lines, intersections, obstacles, etc.) based on the image data received from the out-vehicle camera 21. Note that VCM10 may also obtain information about objects from the outside through traffic infrastructure, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, etc. Thereby, the type, relative position, moving direction, etc. of the objects are identified.

[0028] The radar 22 measures the position and speed of an object (particularly, a preceding vehicle, a following vehicle, a parked vehicle, a pedestrian, a falling object on the road surface, etc.). As the radar 22, for example, a millimeter-wave radar can be used. The radar 22 transmits radio waves in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1, and receives the reflected waves generated by the reflection of the transmitted waves by the object. Then, the radar 22 measures the distance between the vehicle 1 and the object (e.g., the inter-vehicle distance), and the relative speed of the object with respect to the vehicle 1 based on the transmitted waves and the received waves. Note that, instead of the radar 22, a lidar, an ultrasonic sensor, or the like may be used to measure the distance and relative speed with respect to the object. Further, a plurality of sensors may be used to configure a position and speed measuring device.

[0029] Here, the VCM 10 executes deceleration control (AEB control and EDA control) for decelerating the vehicle 1 and automatically stopping it based on the road travel information and obstacle information acquired by the above-described vehicle exterior camera 21, radar 22, etc. The road travel information includes, for example, the shape of the road travel (straight line, curve, curve curvature), the road travel width, the number of lanes, the lane width, the regulation information of the road travel (such as the speed limit) defined by signs, etc., information regarding intersections, crosswalks, etc. Further, the obstacle information includes information regarding the presence or absence of an obstacle (e.g., an object that can be an obstacle in the travel of the vehicle 1 such as a preceding vehicle, a following vehicle, a parked vehicle, or a pedestrian) on the road travel of the vehicle 1, the moving direction of the obstacle, the moving speed of the obstacle, etc.

[0030] The vehicle speed sensor 23 detects the absolute speed of the vehicle 1. The acceleration sensor 24 detects the acceleration of the vehicle 1. This acceleration includes the acceleration in the longitudinal direction and the acceleration in the lateral direction (i.e., the lateral acceleration). Note that the acceleration includes not only the rate of change of speed in the direction in which the speed increases but also the rate of change of speed (i.e., the deceleration) in the direction in which the speed decreases.

[0031] The yaw rate sensor 25 detects the yaw rate of the vehicle 1. The steering angle sensor 26 detects the rotation angle (steering angle) of the steering wheel of the vehicle 1. The VCM 10 can obtain the yaw angle of the vehicle 1 by executing a predetermined calculation based on the absolute speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 23 and the steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor 26. The accelerator sensor 27 detects the depression amount of the accelerator pedal. The brake sensor 28 detects the depression amount of the brake pedal.

[0032] The positioning system 29 is a GPS system and / or a gyro system, and detects the position of the vehicle 1 (current vehicle position information). The navigation system 30 stores map information internally and can provide the map information to the VCM 10. The VCM 10 identifies roads, intersections, traffic signals, buildings, etc. existing around the vehicle 1 (particularly in the traveling direction) based on the map information and the current vehicle position information. The map information may be stored in the VCM 10. Note that the navigation system 30 also acquires the above-described traveling route information.

[0033] The engine system 31 has an engine (internal combustion engine) as a drive source of the vehicle 1 and a mechanism for controlling this engine. Specifically, the engine system 31 has a mechanism capable of adjusting the engine output (driving force), and includes, for example, a spark plug, a fuel injection valve, a throttle valve, a variable valve mechanism for changing the opening and closing timing of the intake and exhaust valves, and the like. The PCM 10 transmits a control signal to the engine system 31 to change the engine output in order to accelerate or decelerate the vehicle 1 in response to a command from the above-described VCM 10. Note that the DSC 10 also transmits a control signal for mainly decelerating the vehicle 1 to the engine system 31 in response to a command from the VCM 10.

[0034] The braking system 32 has a brake (e.g., a hydraulic brake) of the vehicle 1 and a mechanism for controlling this brake. The braking system 32 has a mechanism capable of adjusting the braking force of the brake and includes, for example, a hydraulic pump and a valve unit. The DSC 10 transmits a control signal to the braking system 32 to generate a braking force in order to decelerate the vehicle 1 in response to a command from the above-described VCM 10.

[0035] [Control content] Next, in the present embodiment, specific control content executed by the vehicle control system 100 (particularly the VCM 10, the PCM 11, and the DSC 12) will be described.

[0036] First, referring to FIG. 2, problems that occur when switching between EDA control and AEB control in a vehicle control system according to a comparative example will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the operations of the VCM 10, the PCM 11, and the DSC 12 included in the vehicle control system according to the comparative example.

[0037] In this vehicle control system, based on signals received from a plurality of sensors 20 to 30, when a condition (EDA control execution condition) that an abnormality occurs to the driver during the running of the vehicle 1 is satisfied, the VCM 10 transmits a control signal (EDA control signal) for decelerating the vehicle 1 by EDA control, and when a condition (AEB control execution condition) that the vehicle 1 may collide with an object on the road is satisfied, the VCM 10 transmits a control signal (AEB control signal) for decelerating the vehicle 1 by AEB control. For example, in EDA control, the VCM 10 transmits an EDA control signal for applying a deceleration of up to about 0.4G to the vehicle 1 so as to automatically stop the vehicle 1 relatively slowly to evacuate the vehicle 1 to a safe place, while in AEB control, the VCM 10 transmits an AEB control signal for applying a deceleration of about 1.0G to the vehicle 1 so as to quickly automatically stop the vehicle 1 to avoid a collision between the vehicle 1 and the object. Note that the EDA control execution conditions correspond to the "first condition" in the present invention, the AEB control execution conditions correspond to the "second condition" in the present invention, the EDA control signal corresponds to the "first deceleration control signal" in the present invention, and the AEB control signal corresponds to the "second deceleration control signal" in the present invention.

[0038] In EDA control, not only is vehicle 1 decelerated by the brakes, but it is also necessary to control the engine of vehicle 1 in order to decelerate vehicle 1 by engine braking or keep vehicle 1 running at a low vehicle speed. Therefore, the above EDA control signal is transmitted from VCM10 to PCM11 (see the solid arrow in the left diagram of FIG. 2), and PCM11 controls the engine system 31 according to this EDA control signal. Also, this EDA control signal is transmitted from VCM10 to DSC12 via PCM11 in order to control the brake system 32 according to this EDA control signal to decelerate vehicle 1 (see the solid arrow in the same figure). In a typical example, PCM11 controls the engine system 31 to apply engine braking according to the EDA control signal from VCM10, and generates an EDA control signal to be transmitted to DSC12 so that the deceleration corresponding to the difference between the deceleration required in this EDA control signal and the deceleration achieved by engine braking is applied by the brakes. DSC12 controls the brake system 32 etc. based on this EDA control signal from PCM11. On the other hand, since the AEB control signal is for quickly decelerating vehicle 1 by the brakes in AEB control, it is directly transmitted from VCM10 to DSC12 without passing through PCM11 (see the dashed arrow in the right diagram of FIG. 2).

[0039] By the way, in the vehicle control system as described above, when the EDA control execution condition is satisfied, the EDA control is executed. However, if the AEB control execution condition is satisfied during the execution of this EDA control (at this time, both the EDA control execution condition and the AEB control execution condition are satisfied), from the perspective of the priority according to the contents of the EDA control and the AEB control, only the AEB control is preferentially executed instead of the EDA control. After that, when the AEB control execution condition is no longer satisfied, the AEB control ends and the EDA control is executed again. Here, in the vehicle control system according to the comparative example, the VCM10 is configured not to execute both the EDA control and the AEB control simultaneously, but to execute only one of the EDA control and the AEB control. More specifically, when both the EDA control execution condition and the AEB control execution condition are satisfied as described above, the VCM10 executes only one of the application for the EDA control and the application for the AEB control, and transmits only one control signal corresponding to the executed application, that is, only one of the EDA control signal and the AEB control signal. Basically, when both the EDA control execution condition and the AEB control execution condition are satisfied, the VCM10 executes only the application for the AEB control and transmits only the AEB control signal to the DSC12.

[0040] In the situation as described above, the control to be executed switches between the EDA control and the AEB control (see the white arrow in FIG. 2). Specifically, in the vehicle control system according to the comparative example, the executed application switches between the application for the EDA control and the application for the AEB control. At the time of this switching, in the vehicle control system according to the comparative example, the deceleration is temporarily not applied to the vehicle 1, which may give the passengers of the vehicle 1 a sense of unease. This is because the signal paths of the control signals (EDA control signal and AEB control signal) transmitted from the VCM10 to the DSC12 are different between the EDA control and the AEB control. Therefore, when switching between the EDA control and the AEB control, the signal path through which the control signal is transmitted to the DSC12 switches, resulting in a temporary interruption of the control signal transmitted to the DSC12.

[0041] In particular, when switching from AEB control to EDA control, the signal path from VCM10 to DSC12 that does not pass through PCM11 changes to the signal path from VCM10 to DSC12 that passes through PCM11. Therefore, the time lag until the control signal reaches DSC12 increases by the amount that the control signal passes through PCM11. In this case, for example, for about 100 msec, the control signal transmitted to DSC12 is temporarily interrupted. On the other hand, when switching from EDA control to AEB control, since the signal path from VCM10 to DSC12 that passes through PCM11 changes to the signal path from VCM10 to DSC12 that does not pass through PCM11, the control signal reaches DSC12 quickly without passing through PCM11. Therefore, the time during which the control signal transmitted to DSC12 is temporarily interrupted is short.

[0042] In the present embodiment, the vehicle control system 100 is configured to solve the problem that occurs in the vehicle control system according to such a comparative example, that is, the problem that the deceleration is not temporarily applied to the vehicle 1 due to the temporary interruption of the control signal transmitted to DSC12 when switching between AEB control and EDA control. Referring to FIG. 3, the basic concept of the control by the vehicle control system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing the operations of VCM10, PCM11, and DSC12 of the vehicle control system 100 according to the present embodiment. Here, the description of the same control as the vehicle control system (FIG. 2) according to the above-described comparative example is omitted, and only the different control will be described. That is, the control not particularly described here is assumed to be the same as that of the vehicle control system according to the comparative example.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 3, in the vehicle control system 100 according to the present embodiment, when the AEB control execution condition is satisfied during the execution of the EDA control as described above, that is, when both the EDA control execution condition and the AEB control execution condition are satisfied, the VCM 10 executes both the application for the EDA control and the application for the AEB control, and is configured to be able to transmit the EDA control signal and the AEB control signal in parallel and simultaneously (see the solid line arrow and the broken line arrow in the figure). Then, when the DSC 12 receives both the EDA control signal and the AEB control signal transmitted from the VCM 10 in this way, in order to apply to the vehicle 1 the greater of the deceleration applied to the vehicle 1 according to the EDA control signal and the deceleration applied to the vehicle 1 according to the AEB control signal, the DSC 12 at least controls the brake system 32 based on one of the EDA control signal and the AEB control signal. Basically, since the deceleration by the AEB control signal (for example, about 1.0G) is greater than the deceleration by the EDA control signal (for example, about 0.4G), the DSC 12 selects the AEB control signal from among the EDA control signal and the AEB control signal, and controls the brake system 32 based on this AEB control signal.

[0044] According to such an embodiment, when switching between AEB control and EDA control, it is possible to suppress a temporary interruption of the control signal transmitted to DSC12, and it is possible to solve the problem that the deceleration is not temporarily applied to the vehicle 1. The specific reasons are as follows. In this embodiment, since VCM10 is configured to be able to transmit the EDA control signal and the AEB control signal in parallel and simultaneously, when switching between AEB control and EDA control, VCM10 changes from a state of transmitting only one of the EDA control signal and the AEB control signal to a state of adding the other control signal and transmitting both the EDA control signal and the AEB control signal, or changes from a state of transmitting both the EDA control signal and the AEB control signal to a state of stopping the transmission of one of the EDA control signal and the AEB control signal and transmitting only the other control signal. In this case, from the perspective of DSC12 that receives the control signal, DSC12 immediately changes from a state of receiving only one of the EDA control signal and the AEB control signal to a state of receiving both the EDA control signal and the AEB control signal, or immediately changes from a state of receiving both the EDA control signal and the AEB control signal to a state of receiving only one of the EDA control signal and the AEB control signal. In any of these cases, DSC12 maintains a state of receiving at least one of the EDA control signal and the AEB control signal when switching between AEB control and EDA control. Therefore, the control signal transmitted to DSC12 is not temporarily interrupted. Therefore, according to this embodiment, when switching between AEB control and EDA control, it is possible to accurately suppress the deceleration from not being temporarily applied to the vehicle 1.

[0045] Next, with reference to FIG. 4, a specific control flow executed by the vehicle control system 100 according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the control executed by the vehicle control system 100 according to this embodiment. This flow is mainly repeatedly executed by VCM10 and DSC12 of the vehicle control system 100 at a predetermined cycle.

[0046] First, in step S101, the VCM10 of the vehicle control system 100 acquires various information from a plurality of sensors 20 to 30 (particularly the in-vehicle camera 20, the out-vehicle camera 21, the radar 22, the vehicle speed sensor 23, etc.) shown in FIG. 1.

[0047] Next, in step S102, the VCM10 determines whether an abnormality has occurred to the driver, particularly determines whether the driver is in a state where it is difficult to drive the vehicle 1. In a typical example, the VCM10 analyzes the driver's posture (such as the posture of the driver's head) from the image of the driver captured by the in-vehicle camera 20 to determine whether the driver is abnormal. That is, the VCM10 determines that the driver is abnormal when the analyzed driver's posture is a posture that cannot be taken when the driver normally drives the vehicle 1. In another example, the VCM10 determines that the driver is abnormal when the steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor 26 changes in a way that cannot be taken during normal driving. In still another example, the VCM10 determines whether the driver is abnormal based on the characteristics of human saliency. That is, the VCM10 determines that the driver is abnormal when the driver's line of sight does not appropriately face the visual stimulus when a predetermined visual stimulus is presented in front of the driver.

[0048] As a result of step S102 above, if it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the driver (step S102: Yes), VCM10 executes an application for EDA control and transmits an EDA control signal to automatically stop vehicle 1 so that vehicle 1 performs an emergency evacuation run (step S103). This EDA control signal is a control signal defined to control the engine system 31 and the brake system 32, for example, to apply a deceleration of up to 0.4G to vehicle 1. VCM10 transmits the EDA control signal to PCM11. Also, if VCM10 has already transmitted the EDA control signal, it continues to transmit this EDA control signal. On the other hand, if it is not determined that an abnormality has occurred in the driver (step S102: No), VCM10 does not transmit the EDA control signal (step S104). If VCM10 has already transmitted the EDA control signal, it stops transmitting this EDA control signal.

[0049] Next, after steps S103 and S104 above, in step S105, VCM10 determines whether vehicle 1 may collide with an object (obstacle) on the driving road. In a typical example, VCM10 identifies an object on the driving road (for example, a vehicle 1 that may be an obstacle in the driving of vehicle 1 such as a preceding vehicle, a following vehicle, a parked vehicle, or a pedestrian) based on the obstacle information acquired by the out-of-vehicle camera 21 and / or the radar 22. When the object is identified, the time to collision (TTC) between this object and vehicle 1 is obtained, and if this time to collision is less than a predetermined time, it is determined that vehicle 1 may collide with the object. In this case, VCM10 calculates the relative speed between vehicle 1 and the object and the relative distance between vehicle 1 and the object based on signals input from the vehicle speed sensor 23, the out-of-vehicle camera 21, the radar 22, etc., and calculates the time to collision by dividing this relative distance by the relative speed. Note that in other examples, VCM10 may determine the possibility of vehicle 1 colliding with the object based on the time-head way (THW) calculated by dividing the relative distance between vehicle 1 and the object by the speed of vehicle 1 instead of the time to collision.

[0050] As a result of step S105 above, when it is determined that vehicle 1 may collide with the object (step S105: Yes), the VCM10 executes an application for AEB control and transmits an AEB control signal to quickly automatically stop vehicle 1 so as to avoid a collision between vehicle 1 and the obstacle (step S106). This AEB control is a control signal defined to control the brake system 32, etc. in order to apply a deceleration of, for example, 1.0G to vehicle 1. The VCM10 directly transmits the AEB control signal to the DSC12. Also, when the VCM10 has already transmitted the AEB control signal, it continues to transmit this AEB control signal. On the other hand, when it is not determined that vehicle 1 may collide with the object (step S105: No), the VCM10 does not transmit the AEB control signal (step S107). When the VCM10 has already transmitted the AEB control signal, it stops transmitting this AEB control signal.

[0051] Next, after steps S106 and S107 above, in step S108, the DSC12 of the vehicle control system 100 determines whether it has received an EDA control signal or an AEB control signal. As a result, when it is determined that the DSC12 has received an EDA control signal or an AEB control signal (step S108: Yes), the DSC12 proceeds to step S109 and further determines whether it has received both an EDA control signal and an AEB control signal. As a result, when it is determined that the DSC12 has received both an EDA control signal and an AEB control signal (step S109: Yes), the DSC12 proceeds to step S110. In step S110, the DSC12 controls at least the brake system 32 based on the control signal with the greater deceleration applied to vehicle 1 among the EDA control signal and the AEB control signal. Basically, since the deceleration applied to vehicle 1 by the AEB control signal is greater than the deceleration applied to vehicle 1 by the EDA control signal, the DSC12 selects the AEB control signal and controls the brake system 32.

[0052] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S108 that DSC12 has not received the EDA control signal or the AEB control signal (step S108: No), that is, if DSC12 has received neither the EDA control signal nor the AEB control signal, the process returns to step S101. In this case, VCM10 of the vehicle control system 100 performs the processes after step S101 again. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S109 that DSC12 has not received both the EDA control signal and the AEB control signal (step S109: No), that is, if DSC12 has received only one of the EDA control signal and the AEB control signal, DSC12 proceeds to step S111. In step S111, DSC12 controls at least the brake system 32 based on the received control signal of the EDA control signal and the AEB control signal.

[0053] Next, after steps S110 and S111 described above, in step S112, DSC12 determines whether or not vehicle 1 has stopped due to EDA control and / or AEB control based on the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 23. As a result, if it is determined that vehicle 1 has stopped (step S112: Yes), the process according to the flow shown in FIG. 4 ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that vehicle 1 has not stopped (step S112: No), the process returns to step S101. In this case, VCM10 of the vehicle control system 100 performs the processes after step S101 again.

[0054] [Operations and Effects] Next, the operations and effects of the vehicle control system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. In the vehicle control system 100 according to the present embodiment, VCM10 is configured to be able to transmit the EDA control signal and the AEB control signal in parallel and simultaneously. When DSC12 receives both the EDA control signal and the AEB control signal at the same time, DSC12 is configured to control at least the brake system 32 based on one of the EDA control signal and the AEB control signal so as to apply to vehicle 1 the greater of the deceleration applied to vehicle 1 according to the EDA control signal and the deceleration applied to vehicle 1 according to the AEB control signal.

[0055] According to such an embodiment, when switching between AEB control and EDA control, it is possible to accurately suppress a temporary interruption of a control signal transmitted to DSC12 due to a change in a signal path through which the control signal is transmitted to DSC12 as in the vehicle control system according to the comparative example. That is, according to this embodiment, since VCM10 transmits both the EDA control signal and the AEB control signal either before or after the switching between the AEB control and the EDA control, at least one of the EDA control signal and the AEB control signal can be continuously transmitted to DSC12 both before and after this switching. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a temporary interruption of the control signal transmitted to DSC12. Thus, according to this embodiment, when switching between AEB control and EDA control, it is possible to accurately suppress a situation where a deceleration is not temporarily applied to Vehicle 1.

[0056] Further, according to this embodiment, when DSC12 receives both the EDA control signal and the AEB control signal, since DSC12 controls at least the brake system 32 based on the control signal with a larger deceleration applied to Vehicle 1 among the EDA control signal and the AEB control signal, in a situation where Vehicle 1 should be decelerated, a deceleration corresponding to the control signal with a higher priority, that is, a deceleration with a larger value generated among the two control signals, can be accurately applied to Vehicle 1.

[0057] [Modification Example] In the above-described embodiment, when DSC12 receives both the EDA control signal and the AEB control signal simultaneously, in order to apply to vehicle 1 the greater of the deceleration applied to vehicle 1 according to the EDA control signal and the deceleration applied to vehicle 1 according to the AEB control signal, the brake system 32 etc. is controlled based on one of the EDA control signal and the AEB control signal. In a modification, when DSC12 receives both the EDA control signal and the AEB control signal simultaneously, without comparing the decelerations applied to vehicle 1 by the respective EDA control signal and AEB control signal, the brake system 32 etc. may be controlled uniformly based on the AEB control signal. This is because, in principle, the deceleration applied to vehicle 1 according to the AEB control signal is greater than the deceleration applied to vehicle 1 according to the EDA control signal, so it is better to preferentially use the AEB control signal.

[0058] Also, in the above-described embodiment, an example of applying the present invention to vehicle 1 having an engine as a drive source is shown (see FIG. 1), but the present invention is also applicable to vehicles (electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles) having an electric motor as a drive source. In addition, in the above-described embodiment, braking force is applied to vehicle 1 by a brake (brake system 32) such as a hydraulic brake, but in a modification, braking force may be applied to the vehicle by regeneration of the electric motor.

Explanation of Signs

[0059] 1 Vehicle 10 VCM (Vehicle Control Device) 11 PCM (Drive Source Control Device) 12 DSC (Vehicle Behavior Control Device) 20 In-vehicle Camera 21 Out-of-vehicle Camera 22 Radar 23 Vehicle Speed Sensor 31 Engine System 32 Brake System 100 Vehicle Control System

Claims

1. A vehicle control system, comprising: A vehicle control device configured to transmit a first deceleration control signal to decelerate the vehicle when a first condition is satisfied, and to transmit a second deceleration control signal different from the first deceleration control signal to decelerate the vehicle when a second condition different from the first condition is satisfied; A drive source control device configured to receive the first deceleration control signal from the vehicle control device and control a drive source of the vehicle according to the first deceleration control signal; A vehicle behavior control device configured to receive the first deceleration control signal from the vehicle control device via the drive source control device, receive the second deceleration control signal from the vehicle control device without passing through the drive source control device, and control at least a brake of the vehicle according to the first deceleration control signal or the second deceleration control signal to control the behavior of the vehicle; having; The vehicle control device is configured to be able to transmit the first deceleration control signal and the second deceleration control signal in parallel and simultaneously; When the vehicle behavior control device receives both the first deceleration control signal and the second deceleration control signal at the same time, the vehicle behavior control device controls at least the brake based on one of the first deceleration control signal and the second deceleration control signal so as to apply to the vehicle a deceleration that is the greater of the deceleration applied to the vehicle according to the first deceleration control signal and the deceleration applied to the vehicle according to the second deceleration control signal. A vehicle control system characterized by the above.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle control device is configured to transmit the first deceleration control signal and the second deceleration control signal in parallel and simultaneously when both the first condition and the second condition are satisfied.

3. The vehicle control system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first condition is a condition that an abnormality occurs to a driver during running of the vehicle.

4. The vehicle control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second condition is a condition that the vehicle may collide with an object on the road.

5. The vehicle control system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the deceleration applied to the vehicle in response to the second deceleration control signal is greater than the deceleration applied to the vehicle in response to the first deceleration control signal.

6. A vehicle control system, comprising: a vehicle control device configured to transmit a first deceleration control signal to decelerate the vehicle when a first condition is satisfied, and to transmit a second deceleration control signal different from the first deceleration control signal to decelerate the vehicle when a second condition different from the first condition is satisfied; a drive source control device configured to receive the first deceleration control signal from the vehicle control device and control a drive source of the vehicle in response to the first deceleration control signal; a vehicle behavior control device configured to receive the first deceleration control signal from the vehicle control device via the drive source control device, and to receive the second deceleration control signal from the vehicle control device without passing through the drive source control device, and to control at least the brakes of the vehicle to control the behavior of the vehicle in response to the first deceleration control signal or the second deceleration control signal; and having the vehicle control device is configured to be able to transmit the first deceleration control signal and the second deceleration control signal in parallel and simultaneously; the vehicle behavior control device is configured to control at least the brakes based on the second deceleration control signal when receiving both the first deceleration control signal and the second deceleration control signal at the same time. A vehicle control system characterized by the above.

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