Follow Driving Support Device

Abstract

To suppress the occurrence of such a problem that processing load of a processing unit becomes comparatively high when starting support for leading vehicle follow up running.SOLUTION: A device for supporting leading vehicle follow up running is provided, mounted on a vehicle and supporting leading vehicle follow up running in which an own vehicle is made to follow a leading vehicle, the device comprises: a memorizing unit which memorizes a matching vehicle which is the other vehicle having operation characteristics matching that of the own vehicle, out of arbitrary other vehicles; and a processing unit which when instructed to execute the leading vehicle follow up running, sets the matching vehicle as a candidate vehicle which is a candidate for the leading vehicle and notifies a driver in the own vehicle of the candidate vehicle or sets the matching vehicle as the leading vehicle, when the matching vehicle memorized in the memorizing unit exists in a range of a predetermined distance away from the own vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a following driving support device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as this type of following driving support device, in a device that supports following driving while following a selected other vehicle, the controller acquires the characteristics of the driving operation of the host vehicle and also acquires the driving characteristics of other vehicles traveling around the host vehicle, compares the characteristics of the driving operation of the host vehicle with the characteristics of the driving operation of other vehicles to obtain the degree of approximation of each characteristic, selects an other vehicle with a high degree of approximation as a recommended following vehicle, and notifies the driver of the host vehicle of the selected recommended following vehicle has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above-described following driving support device, it is necessary to acquire the characteristics of the driving operation of the host vehicle or other vehicles during the running of the host vehicle or other vehicles, or to compare the acquired two to obtain the approximate characteristics of each characteristic. For this reason, the processing load of the processing unit (controller) when starting the support for following driving may become relatively high.

[0005] The following driving support device of the present invention mainly aims to suppress the processing load of the processing unit from becoming relatively high when starting the support for following driving.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The following driving support device of the present invention has taken the following means to achieve the above main object.

[0007] The follow - up driving support device of the present invention is mounted on a vehicle and is a follow - up driving support device that supports a follow - up driving for making the host vehicle follow a preceding vehicle, a storage unit that stores a matching vehicle, which is one of any other vehicles and has driving characteristics matching those of the host vehicle; a processing unit that, when the execution of the follow - up driving is instructed and when the matching vehicle stored in the storage unit exists within a predetermined distance from the host vehicle, sets the matching vehicle as a candidate vehicle that is a candidate for the preceding vehicle and notifies the driver of the host vehicle, or sets the matching vehicle as the preceding vehicle; and is characterized by comprising the above.

[0008] In the follow - up driving support device of the present invention, a storage unit and a processing unit are provided. The storage unit stores a matching vehicle, which is one of any other vehicles and has driving characteristics matching those of the host vehicle. The processing unit, when the execution of the follow - up driving is instructed and when the matching vehicle stored in the storage unit exists within a predetermined distance from the host vehicle, sets the matching vehicle as a candidate vehicle that is a candidate for the preceding vehicle and notifies the driver of the host vehicle, or sets the matching vehicle as the preceding vehicle. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the processing load of the processing unit from becoming relatively high when starting the support for the follow - up driving.

[0009] In the follow - up driving support device of the present invention, the driving characteristics may include at least one of the accelerator operation amount when accelerating the host vehicle, the brake operation amount when decelerating the host vehicle, the vehicle speed when the host vehicle is traveling at a constant speed, and the inter - vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the other vehicle in front when the host vehicle is traveling at a constant speed, in a case where the execution of the follow - up driving has not been instructed and the other vehicle exists within the predetermined distance in front of the host vehicle.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Next, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described using examples.

Examples

[0012] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of the configuration of an automobile 20 equipped with a following travel support device as an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the automobile 20 of the embodiment is configured as an automobile that travels by power from a drive device 62 having an engine, a motor, etc.

[0013] In addition to the drive device 62, the automobile 20 of the embodiment includes an ignition switch 22, a GPS (Global Positioning System, Global Positioning Satellite) 24, a front camera 26, an in-vehicle camera 28, a vehicle speed sensor 30, an acceleration sensor 32, a millimeter-wave radar 34, an accelerator sensor 36, a brake sensor 38, a cruise control switch 40, an electronic control unit 50, a drive actuator 60, a brake actuator 64, a brake device 66, a steering actuator 68, a steering device 70, a holographic optical device 72, a front window 74, a meter 76, a navigation system 80, a DCM (Data Communication Module) 86, etc. The electronic control unit 50 corresponds to the following travel support device of the embodiment.

[0014] GPS24 is a device that detects the position of a vehicle based on signals transmitted from multiple GPS satellites. The front camera 26 is a camera mounted on the upper part of the front center of the passenger compartment and arranged to photograph the front of the vehicle through the front window 74. The in-vehicle camera 28 is a camera mounted on the upper part of the front center of the passenger compartment and arranged to photograph the inside of the passenger compartment. The vehicle speed sensor 30 detects the vehicle speed of the vehicle based on, for example, the wheel speed. The acceleration sensor 32 detects, for example, the acceleration of the vehicle in the front-rear direction or the acceleration of the vehicle in the left-right direction (lateral direction). The millimeter-wave radar 34 detects the inter-vehicle distance and relative speed between the host vehicle and the vehicle in front, or the inter-vehicle distance and relative speed between the host vehicle and the vehicle behind.

[0015] The accelerator sensor 36 detects the accelerator opening, etc., as the amount of depression of the driver's accelerator pedal. The brake sensor 38 detects the brake position, etc., as the amount of depression of the driver's brake pedal. The cruise control switch 40 is arranged near the steering wheel of the driver's seat and is a switch for switching between execution and non-execution of cruise control. Examples of cruise control include vehicle speed control for traveling while keeping the vehicle speed of the host vehicle substantially constant, and inter-vehicle distance control for traveling while keeping the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle substantially constant.

[0016] The electronic control unit 50 includes a microcomputer having a CPU 51, a ROM 52, a RAM 53, a flash memory 54, input / output ports, and communication ports. When the cruise control switch 40 is off, the electronic control unit 50 sets the required torque required for the drive device and the required braking force required for the brake device based on the accelerator opening from the accelerator sensor 36, the brake position from the brake sensor 38, the vehicle speed from the vehicle speed sensor 30, etc., transmits the set required torque to the drive actuator 60, and transmits the set required braking force to the brake actuator 64.

[0017] When the cruise control switch 40 is on, the electronic control unit 50 sets the required driving force or required braking force so that the vehicle speed of the host vehicle becomes the target vehicle speed in the case of vehicle speed control, and sets the required driving force or required braking force so that the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the vehicle ahead becomes the target inter-vehicle distance in the case of inter-vehicle control. For the set required torque, it transmits to the drive actuator 60, and for the set required braking force, it transmits to the brake actuator 64.

[0018] The drive actuator 60 drive-controls the drive device 62 so that the required torque set by the electronic control unit 50 is output from the drive device 62 to the drive shaft.

[0019] The brake actuator 64 controls the brake device 66 so that the required braking force set by the electronic control unit 50 acts on the vehicle by the brake device 66.

[0020] The steering actuator 68 drive-controls the steering device 70 so that the steering position in the steering device 70 becomes the target steering position set by the electronic control unit 50.

[0021] The holographic optical device 72 is configured as an AR (Augmented Reality) device that displays various holograms on the front window 74, and is incorporated in the dashboard of the vehicle.

[0022] The navigation system 80 is a system that guides the host vehicle to the set destination, and includes a map information database 82 and a display unit 84. In the map information database 82, as map information, distance information, width information, type information (general road, highway), legal speed information, etc. of roads in each section are stored. The display unit 84 displays map information and the like. When the destination is set, the navigation system 80 sets a driving route based on the information of the destination, the information of the current location (the current position of the host vehicle) acquired by the GPS 24, and the information stored in the map information database 82, and displays the set driving route on the display unit 84 to perform route guidance.

[0023] DCM86 is a communication device for the electronic control unit 50 and the navigation system 80 to communicate with a cloud server CS or the like. Examples of the vehicle information of the host vehicle transmitted from the electronic control unit 50 or the navigation system 80 to the cloud server CS via DCM86 include the driving history of the host vehicle (e.g., the position, vehicle speed, driving force, on / off of the cruise control switch 40, etc. of the host vehicle at each time) and the parking history (e.g., parking position, parking time, etc.).

[0024] The cloud server CS is configured to be wirelessly communicable with each vehicle. The cloud server CS stores vehicle information of each vehicle and information similar to the above-described map information database 82. The cloud server CS sequentially selects a target vehicle from each vehicle, and based on the vehicle information (driving characteristics) of each vehicle, sets a matching vehicle whose driving characteristics match those of the target vehicle among any other vehicles (drivers) for the target vehicle and transmits it to the target vehicle. The CPU 51 of the electronic control unit 50 of the target vehicle stores the matching vehicle in the flash memory 54 while the target vehicle is stopped. Examples of the driving characteristics of each vehicle include, for example, the accelerator opening when accelerating the host vehicle when the cruise control switch 40 is off and there is another vehicle within a predetermined distance in front of the host vehicle, the brake position when decelerating the host vehicle, the vehicle speed when the host vehicle is traveling at a constant speed, and the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the other vehicle in front when the host vehicle is traveling at a constant speed. When there are a plurality of matching vehicles, it is preferable to assign priorities according to the degree of matching. For example, among the plurality of matching vehicles, the more times a vehicle has been set as the preceding vehicle in the inter-vehicle control of cruise control, the more similar the driving time zone and driving area are considered to be to those of the host vehicle, so it is conceivable to increase the priority.

[0025] Next, the operation of the motor vehicle 20 of the thus-configured embodiment will be described, particularly the operation when setting a preceding vehicle for inter-vehicle control of the cruise control. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing routine executed by the electronic control unit 50. This routine is repeatedly executed when the inter-vehicle control of the cruise control is not being executed.

[0026] When the processing routine of FIG. 2 is executed, the electronic control unit 50 first determines whether the cruise control switch 40 is on (step S100). When it is determined that the cruise control switch 40 is off, this routine ends.

[0027] When it is determined in step S100 that the cruise control switch 40 is on, it is determined whether a matching vehicle stored in the flash memory 54 exists within a predetermined distance from the host vehicle (motor vehicle 20) (step S110).

[0028] When it is determined in step S110 that the matching vehicle does not exist within a predetermined distance from the host vehicle, this routine ends. In this case, for example, when another vehicle exists within a predetermined distance in front of the host vehicle, that other vehicle (or, when there are a plurality of other vehicles, for example, the nearest other vehicle) is set as the preceding vehicle and inter-vehicle control is executed. When no other vehicle exists within a predetermined distance in front of the host vehicle, it is conceivable to execute vehicle speed control.

[0029] When it is determined in step S110 that a matching vehicle exists within a predetermined distance from the host vehicle, the matching vehicle is set as the leading vehicle to be followed (step S120), and this routine ends. Here, when there are a plurality of matching vehicles within a predetermined distance from the host vehicle, the one with the highest priority may be set as the leading vehicle. In this case, for example, it is preferable to notify the driver by displaying a hologram (image) for marking the leading vehicle on the front window 74 by the holographic optical device 72. When the leading vehicle is set in this way, inter-vehicle control is executed so as to follow the leading vehicle. In this way, by setting the matching vehicle whose driving characteristics match those of the host vehicle as the leading vehicle, the driving characteristics when executing inter-vehicle control can be made closer to the driver's preference compared to the case where a vehicle other than the matching vehicle is set as the leading vehicle.

[0030] In the embodiment, since it is determined whether the matching vehicle stored in the flash memory 54 exists within a predetermined distance from the host vehicle, during traveling, driving characteristics are received from other vehicles within a predetermined distance from the host vehicle, the driving characteristics of the host vehicle and those of the other vehicles are compared, and it is determined whether the other vehicle corresponds to the matching vehicle. Thus, it is possible to suppress a relatively high processing load on the CPU 51 of the electronic control unit 50 when setting the matching vehicle as the leading vehicle and starting the execution of inter-vehicle control.

[0031] In the electronic control unit 50 as the follow-up travel support device mounted on the automobile 20 of the embodiment described above, when the cruise control switch 40 is turned on, the CPU 51 sets the matching vehicle stored in the flash memory 54 as the leading vehicle of the following vehicle and executes inter-vehicle control so as to follow the leading vehicle when the matching vehicle exists within a predetermined distance from the host vehicle (automobile 20). Thereby, it is possible to suppress a relatively high processing load on the CPU 51 of the electronic control unit 50 when setting the matching vehicle as the leading vehicle and starting the execution of inter-vehicle control.

[0032] In the electronic control unit 50 of the embodiment, when the cruise control switch 40 is turned on, if a matching vehicle stored in the flash memory 54 exists within a predetermined distance from the host vehicle (automobile 20), the matching vehicle is set as the preceding vehicle to be followed. However, at this time, the matching vehicle may be set as a candidate vehicle that is a candidate for the preceding vehicle, and the driver of the host vehicle may be notified and asked to determine whether to set the candidate vehicle as the preceding vehicle. If an instruction to set the candidate vehicle as the preceding vehicle is given by the driver, the candidate vehicle may be set as the preceding vehicle. As a method for notifying the candidate vehicle, for example, it is conceivable to display a hologram (image) for marking the candidate vehicle on the front window 74 by the holographic optical device 72.

[0033] In the embodiment, the cloud server CS sets a matching vehicle for each vehicle based on the vehicle information (driving characteristics) of each vehicle. However, in addition to the driving characteristics, it may be possible to set a matching vehicle for each vehicle in consideration of the vehicle body type, the planned driving time zone, the planned driving area (such as the planned departure place, the planned destination, the driving route, etc.). The vehicle body type of the vehicle can be obtained from each vehicle. Also, for the planned driving time zone and the planned driving area, data can be obtained from the navigation system 80 of each vehicle or the posted information of the social network service (SNS).

[0034] In the embodiment, the cloud server CS sets a matching vehicle for each vehicle and transmits it to each vehicle, and the CPU 51 of the electronic control unit 50 of each vehicle stores the matching vehicle in the flash memory 54 while the target vehicle is stopped. However, instead of the cloud server CS setting the matching vehicle, each vehicle may set the matching vehicle while it is stopped.

[0035] Describe the correspondence between the main elements of the embodiments and the main elements of the invention described in the column of means for solving the problems. In the embodiments, the flash memory 54 corresponds to the "storage unit", and the CPU 51 corresponds to the "processing unit".

[0036] Note that the correspondence between the main elements of the embodiments and the main elements of the invention described in the column of means for solving the problems is an example for specifically explaining the form for implementing the invention described in the column of means for solving the problems. Therefore, it does not limit the elements of the invention described in the column of means for solving the problems. That is, the interpretation of the invention described in the column of means for solving the problems should be made based on the description in that column, and the embodiments are merely specific examples of the invention described in the column of means for solving the problems.

[0037] As described above, the embodiments have been used to explain the forms for implementing the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Industrial Applicability

[0038] The present invention can be used in the manufacturing industry of following driving support devices and the like.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0039] 20 Automobile, 22 Ignition switch, 24 GPS, 26 Front camera, 28 Interior camera, 30 Vehicle speed sensor, 32 Acceleration sensor, 34 Millimeter wave radar, 36 Accelerator sensor, 38 Brake sensor, 40 Cruise control switch, 50 Electronic control unit, 51 CPU, 52 ROM, 53 RAM, 54 Flash memory, 60 Drive actuator, 62 Drive device, 64 Brake actuator, 66 Brake device, 68 Steering actuator, 70 Steering device, 72 Holographic optical device, 74 Front window, 76 Meter, 80 Navigation system, 82 Map information database, 84 Display unit, 86 DCM.

Claims

Claim 1 A following driving support device mounted on a vehicle to support following driving in which the host vehicle follows a preceding vehicle, comprising: a storage unit that stores a matching vehicle, which is one of any other vehicles and has a driving characteristic matching that of the host vehicle; a processing unit that, when the execution of the following driving is instructed and the matching vehicle stored in the storage unit is present within a predetermined distance from the host vehicle, sets the matching vehicle as a candidate vehicle that is a candidate for the preceding vehicle and notifies the driver of the host vehicle, or sets the matching vehicle as the preceding vehicle; and the driving characteristic includes an accelerator operation amount when accelerating the host vehicle, a brake operation amount when decelerating the host vehicle, a vehicle speed when the host vehicle is traveling at a constant speed, and a distance between the host vehicle and a preceding other vehicle when the host vehicle is traveling at a constant speed, in a case where the execution of the following driving is not instructed and the other vehicle is present within the predetermined distance in front of the host vehicle; a following driving support device.

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