Automatic stop control device

Abstract

To provide an automatic stop control apparatus enabling a driver to easily cancel automatic stop control.SOLUTION: An automatic stop control apparatus 1 includes: an automatic stop control execution unit 12 for executing automatic stop control to decelerate and stop a vehicle 2 when a driver is in an abnormal condition: a cancel switch 6 positioned on a steering 4 of the vehicle 2; an automatic stop control cancel unit 13 for canceling the execution of the automatic stop control of the execution unit 12 on the basis of an operation of the cancel switch 6. The cancel switch 6 is positioned close to a hand of the driver driving the vehicle, thus enabling the driver to easily cancel automatic stop control.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic vehicle stop control device that decelerates and stops a vehicle when a driver malfunctions. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a technology that executes automatic stop control to automatically stop the vehicle when it is determined that the driver is in a difficult driving situation. In addition, because automatic stop control may be executed erroneously due to an erroneous determination of the driver's condition, Patent Document 1 also describes a technology that cancels the automatic stop control when a cancellation operation is performed using the hazard switch. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-063048 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In vehicles such as trucks in which a driver is the only occupant, if the driver's state is misjudged and the automatic stop control is erroneously executed, the driver must manually cancel the automatic stop control. However, since the hazard switch is located in a position away from the driver's reach while driving, it is not necessarily an easy operation for the driver to cancel the automatic stop control using the hazard switch.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic stop control device that allows the driver to easily perform an operation to cancel the automatic stop control. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The automatic stopping control device of the present invention comprises an automatic stopping control execution unit that executes automatic stopping control to decelerate and stop the vehicle in the event of a driver abnormality, a release switch located on the steering wheel of the vehicle, and an automatic stopping control release unit that releases the execution of automatic stopping control by the automatic stopping control execution unit based on operation of the release switch.

[0007] In this automatic vehicle stop control device, a release switch for releasing the execution of the automatic vehicle stop control is located on the steering wheel of the vehicle. In other words, the release switch is located close to the driver's hand while driving. This allows the driver to easily release the automatic vehicle stop control.

[0008] The automatic stop control release unit may release the execution of the automatic stop control by the automatic stop control execution unit when the release switch is operated two or more times within a threshold time. In this automatic stop control device, the execution of the automatic stop control is released when the release switch is operated two or more times within the threshold time, so that it is possible to prevent the execution of the automatic stop control from being released when the release switch is erroneously operated due to, for example, an unconscious driver leaning over the steering wheel. Moreover, by imposing a time limit on the operation of the release switch two or more times, it is possible to prevent the execution of the automatic stop control from being released when the release switch is erroneously operated before and after the driver becomes abnormal.

[0009] The automatic vehicle stop control device may further include a driver abnormality state determination unit that determines a normal state when no driver abnormality is detected, that determines a provisional abnormality determination state when a driver abnormality is detected, and that determines an abnormal state when a driver abnormality is detected following the provisional abnormality determination state, wherein the automatic stop control execution unit performs automatic stop control while the driver abnormality state determination unit determines an abnormal state, and the automatic stop control release unit may release the execution of the automatic stop control by the automatic stop control execution unit when a release switch is operated two or more times within a threshold time while the driver abnormality state determination unit determines an abnormal state. Since this automatic stop control device executes automatic stop control while the abnormal state is determined, the execution of the automatic stop control can be appropriately released by releasing the execution of the automatic stop control when the release switch is operated two or more times within a threshold time while the abnormal state is determined.

[0010] When the driver abnormal state determination unit determines that the vehicle is in a normal state or a provisionally determined abnormal state, the automatic stop control release unit may release the execution of the automatic stop control by the automatic stop control execution unit even if the release switch is not operated two or more times within a threshold time. If the driver abnormal state determination unit determines that the vehicle is in a normal state or a provisionally determined abnormal state after determining that the vehicle is in an abnormal state, it is considered that the determination of the abnormal state is an erroneous determination by the driver abnormal state determination unit and that the driver is normal. Therefore, in this automatic stop control device, when the driver abnormal state determination unit determines that the vehicle is in a normal state or a provisionally determined abnormal state, the execution of the automatic stop control is released even if the release switch is not operated two or more times within the threshold time, thereby preventing the automatic stop control from being continued when the driver is normal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, the driver can easily perform an operation to cancel the automatic stop control. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating an automatic stop control device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2]FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a steering system of a vehicle. [Figure 3] 5 is a time chart showing an example of control by an automatic vehicle stop control release unit. [Figure 4] 5 is a time chart showing an example of control by an automatic vehicle stop control release unit. [Figure 5] 4 is a flowchart showing the processing operation of the automatic stopping control device. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing the processing operation of the automatic stopping control device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same or equivalent elements will be designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an automatic stopping control device according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic stopping control device 1 according to this embodiment is mounted on a vehicle 2. The vehicle 2 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a truck in which the driver is likely to be the only passenger. The automatic stopping control device 1 includes a camera 3, a steering wheel 4, a control unit 5, and a release switch 6.

[0015] The camera 3 captures an image of the driver of the vehicle 2 in order to determine any abnormality in the driver. The camera 3 is disposed in a position where it can capture an image of the driver's head, posture, etc., for example.

[0016] The steering wheel 4 is disposed in front of the driver's seat and is used by the driver to steer the vehicle 2 by gripping and rotating the steering wheel 4 with his hands.

[0017] The control unit 5 is an electronic control unit (ECU) having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc. The control unit 5 performs various controls by loading programs stored in the ROM into the RAM and executing them with the CPU. The control unit 5 may be configured with a single electronic control unit or multiple electronic control units. The control unit 5 has a driver abnormality state determination unit 11, an automatic stop control execution unit 12, and an automatic stop control release unit 13. The driver abnormality state determination unit 11, the automatic stop control execution unit 12, and the automatic stop control release unit 13 may be configured with the same electronic control unit or different electronic control units.

[0018] The driver abnormal state determination unit 11 detects an abnormality in the driver and determines the state of the driver. A driver abnormality refers to a state in which the driver is unable to drive due to loss of consciousness or drowsiness. The driver abnormal state determination unit 11 detects an abnormality in the driver based on, for example, an image captured by the camera 3. For example, the driver abnormality is detected by detecting that the driver's head or posture is not within a predetermined range in the captured image of the driver. The driver abnormality is also detected by detecting that the driver's eyes are closed for more than a predetermined period of time in the captured image of the driver.

[0019] The driver abnormal state determination unit 11 determines the normal state when no driver abnormality is detected, determines the provisionally determined abnormal state when a driver abnormality is detected, and determines the abnormal state when a driver abnormality is detected following the provisionally determined abnormal state. The provisionally determined abnormal state is determined, for example, when the driver abnormality continues for a predetermined time or more. The abnormal state is also determined, for example, when the driver abnormality continues for a predetermined time or more even after the provisionally determined abnormal state has been determined.

[0020] The automatic stop control execution unit 12 executes automatic stop control to decelerate and stop the vehicle 2 when an abnormality occurs with the driver. The automatic stop control is, for example, control to decelerate and stop the vehicle 2 by applying an emergency brake and to keep the emergency brake in an activated state until the starter key is turned off. The emergency brake is, for example, an electric brake called a foot brake, a service brake, a service brake, or the like. Note that specific control of the automatic stop control may be a known control described, for example, in Patent Document 1 or the like.

[0021] The automatic stop control execution unit 12 executes automatic stop control according to the determination result of the driver abnormal state determination unit 11. For example, if the driver abnormal state determination unit 11 determines that the driver is in a normal state, the automatic stop control execution unit 12 does not execute automatic stop control. If the driver abnormal state determination unit 11 determines that the driver is in a provisional abnormality determination state, the automatic stop control execution unit 12 executes a warning to the driver without executing automatic stop control. The warning can be in the form of, for example, outputting audio information from a speaker indicating that a driver abnormality has been determined, or outputting image information from a display device indicating that a driver abnormality has been determined. If the driver abnormal state determination unit 11 determines that the driver is in an abnormal state, the automatic stop control execution unit 12 executes automatic stop control while issuing a warning to the driver.

[0022] The automatic stop control release unit 13 releases the execution of the automatic stop control by the automatic stop control execution unit 12 based on the operation of the release switch 6.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 2, the release switch 6 is arranged on the steering wheel 4 of the vehicle 2. For example, a plurality of operation switches are arranged on the front of the steering wheel 4 on the driver's seat side, and the release switch 6 is arranged as one of the plurality of operation switches. The release switch 6 is also arranged in a position that can be reached by the driver's thumb when the driver is holding the steering wheel 4. The release switch 6 is, for example, an operation switch that is only used to release the execution of the automatic stop control by the automatic stop control execution unit 12, and is marked with a mark or letter indicating that the execution of the automatic stop control is to be released.

[0024] The release switch 6 is, for example, a push button switch, and a switch-on signal is sent to the automatic stop control release unit 13 only while the release switch 6 is being pressed. In other words, when the release switch 6 is pressed with a finger, a switch-on signal is sent to the automatic stop control release unit 13, and when the finger is released from the release switch 6, the switch-on signal is no longer sent to the automatic stop control release unit 13. For this reason, the automatic stop control release unit 13 determines that the release switch 6 has been operated, for example, at the timing when the switch-on signal from the release switch 6 is no longer received after the switch-on signal from the release switch 6 has been received.

[0025] Then, when the release switch 6 is operated two or more times within the threshold time, the automatic stop control release unit 13 releases the execution of the automatic stop control by the automatic stop control execution unit 12. In other words, the automatic stop control release unit 13 does not release the execution of the automatic stop control by the automatic stop control execution unit 12 unless the release switch 6 is operated two or more times within the threshold time. More specifically, the automatic stop control release unit 13 releases the execution of the automatic stop control by the automatic stop control execution unit 12 when the release switch 6 is operated two or more times within the threshold time while the driver abnormal state determination unit 11 has determined that an abnormal state exists. In other words, when the driver abnormal state determination unit 11 has not determined that an abnormal state exists, the automatic stop control release unit 13 does not release the execution of the automatic stop control by the automatic stop control execution unit 12 even if the release switch 6 is operated two or more times within the threshold time. The threshold time is the time considered to be required for the driver to operate the release switch 6 twice to release the execution of the automatic stop control, and is, for example, two seconds or more and four seconds or less.

[0026] 3 and 4 are time charts showing an example of control by the automatic vehicle stop control release unit 13. In FIGS. 3 and 4, (a) shows a switch ON signal transmitted from the release switch 6, (b) shows a release validity determination flag, (c) shows a release execution flag, and (d) shows a determination result by the driver abnormality state determination unit 11. The release validity determination flag is a flag indicating that the execution of the automatic vehicle stop control can be released, and the release execution flag is a flag for releasing the execution of the automatic vehicle stop control. In the determination result of (d), a normal state is represented as "1", a provisional abnormality determination state is represented as "2", and an abnormal state is represented as "3".

[0027] 3 and 4, when the release switch 6 is pressed with a finger, an ON signal is output from the release switch 6, and when the finger is released from the release switch 6, the ON signal is no longer output from the release switch 6. Then, when the release switch 6 is operated for the first time while the driver abnormal state determination unit 11 has determined that an abnormal state exists, the automatic stop control release unit 13 turns on the release validity determination flag at this timing and keeps the release validity determination flag on until a predetermined time has elapsed since the release switch 6 was turned on. The timing at which the release switch 6 is turned on is, for example, when the release switch 6 is released and the ON signal that had been transmitted from the release switch 6 is no longer transmitted (the automatic stop control release unit 13 can no longer receive the ON signal).

[0028] 3, if the release switch 6 is operated for the second time while the release validity determination flag is held ON, the automatic stop control release unit 13 turns the release execution flag ON at this timing and releases the execution of the automatic stop control. The timing at which the release execution flag is turned ON is, for example, the timing at which the release switch 6 stops transmitting the ON signal (the automatic stop control release unit 13 can no longer receive the ON signal) as a result of the release switch 6 being released.

[0029] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 4, even if the release switch 6 is not operated more than twice while the release validity judgment flag is held ON, if the driver abnormality state judgment unit 11 judges that the state is normal or the state of provisional abnormality judgment, the automatic stop control release unit 13 turns ON the release execution flag at this timing and releases the execution of the automatic stop control.

[0030] Next, an example of the processing operation of the automatic stopping control device 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 5 and Fig. 6. Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 are flowcharts showing the processing operation of the automatic stopping control device.

[0031] First, with reference to FIG. 5, a processing operation for executing automatic vehicle stop control among the processing operations of the automatic vehicle stop control device 1 will be described.

[0032] 5, the automatic stopping control device 1 determines whether or not the driver abnormal state determination unit 11 has determined that the vehicle 2 is in a provisionally determined abnormal state (step S1). That is, in the initial state when driving of the vehicle 2 is started, the driver abnormal state determination unit 11 determines that the vehicle 2 is in a normal state, and therefore in step S1, the driver abnormal state determination unit 11 determines whether or not the vehicle 2 is in a provisionally determined abnormal state following the normal state, which is the initial state. Then, the automatic stopping control device 1 waits until the driver abnormal state determination unit 11 determines that the vehicle 2 is in a provisionally determined abnormal state (step S1: NO).

[0033] If it is determined that the driver abnormal state determination unit 11 has determined that the vehicle is in a provisionally determined abnormal state (step S1: YES), the automatic stopping control device 1 issues a warning to the driver (step S2) and determines whether the driver abnormal state determination unit 11 has determined that the vehicle is in an abnormal state within a predetermined time (step S3). If it is determined that the driver abnormal state determination unit 11 has not determined that the vehicle is in an abnormal state within the predetermined time (step S3: NO), the automatic stopping control device 1 returns to step S1 and repeats the above process.

[0034] If it is determined that the driver abnormal state determination unit 11 has determined an abnormal state within the predetermined time (step S3: YES), the automatic stopping control device 1 executes automatic stopping control (step S4). Then, the automatic stopping control device 1 ends the processing.

[0035] Next, with reference to FIG. 6, a processing operation of canceling the execution of the automatic stopping control among the processing operations of the automatic stopping control device 1 will be described.

[0036] 6, the automatic stopping control device 1 determines whether the release switch 6 has been operated for the first time (step S11) when the driver abnormal state determination unit 11 has determined that an abnormal state has occurred and automatic stopping control is being executed. Then, the automatic stopping control device 1 waits until it is determined that the release switch 6 has been operated for the first time (step S11: NO).

[0037] If it is determined that the release switch 6 has been operated for the first time (step S11: YES), the automatic stopping control device 1 starts counting the threshold time (step S12), determines whether the release switch has been operated for the second time within the threshold time (step S13), and determines whether the driver abnormality state determination unit 11 has determined that the state is normal or a provisional abnormality state within the threshold time (step S14).

[0038] If it is determined that the release switch has not been operated a second time within the threshold time and that the driver abnormal state determination unit 11 has not determined that the state is normal or that the state is provisionally determined to be abnormal within the threshold time (step S13: NO, step S14: NO), the automatic stopping control device 1 returns to step S11 and repeats the above processing.

[0039] If it is determined that the release switch has been operated for the second time within the threshold time (step S13: YES), or if it is determined that the driver abnormal state determination unit 11 has determined that the state is normal or a provisional abnormal state within the threshold time (step S14: YES), the automatic stopping control device 1 cancels the execution of the automatic stopping control. Then, the automatic stopping control device 1 ends the processing.

[0040] As described above, in the automatic stop control device 1 according to this embodiment, the release switch 6 for releasing the execution of the automatic stop control is disposed on the steering wheel 4 of the vehicle 2. In other words, the release switch 6 is disposed in a position close to the hand of the driver while driving. This allows the driver to easily perform an operation to release the automatic stop control.

[0041] Furthermore, in this automatic vehicle stop control device 1, the execution of the automatic vehicle stop control is cancelled when the release switch 6 is operated two or more times within the threshold time, so it is possible to prevent the execution of the automatic vehicle stop control from being cancelled when the release switch 6 is erroneously operated due to, for example, an unconscious driver leaning over the steering wheel 4. Furthermore, by imposing a time limit on the operation of the release switch 6 two or more times, it is possible to prevent the execution of the automatic vehicle stop control from being cancelled when the release switch is erroneously operated before and after the driver becomes abnormal.

[0042] Furthermore, since this automatic vehicle stopping control device 1 executes automatic vehicle stopping control while an abnormal state is determined, the execution of the automatic vehicle stopping control can be appropriately cancelled by cancelling the execution of the automatic vehicle stopping control when the release switch 6 is operated two or more times within the threshold time while an abnormal state is determined.

[0043] Incidentally, if the driver abnormal state determination unit 11 determines that the driver is in an abnormal state and then determines that the driver is in a normal state or a provisionally determined abnormal state, it is highly likely that the determination of the abnormal state was an erroneous determination by the driver abnormal state determination unit 11 and that the driver is normal. Therefore, in this automatic stopping control device 1, when the driver abnormal state determination unit 11 determines that the driver is in a normal state or a provisionally determined abnormal state, the automatic stopping control is canceled even if the release switch 6 is not operated two or more times within the threshold time, thereby making it possible to prevent the automatic stopping control from being continued when the driver is normal.

[0044] The above describes an embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and may be modified or applied to other things within the scope that does not change the gist described in each claim. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1...automatic vehicle stop control device, 2...vehicle, 3...camera, 4...steering, 5...control unit, 6...release switch, 11...driver abnormal state determination unit, 12...automatic vehicle stop control execution unit, 13...automatic vehicle stop control release unit.

Claims

1. an automatic vehicle stop control execution unit that executes automatic vehicle stop control to decelerate and stop the vehicle when a driver malfunctions; a release switch located on the steering wheel of the vehicle; an automatic stop control release unit that releases the execution of the automatic stop control by the automatic stop control execution unit based on operation of the release switch; a driver abnormality state determination unit that determines a normal state when no abnormality of the driver is detected, determines a provisional abnormality determination state when an abnormality of the driver is detected, and determines an abnormal state when an abnormality of the driver is detected following the provisional abnormality determination state; the automatic vehicle stop control execution unit performs the automatic vehicle stop control while the driver abnormal state determination unit determines that the abnormal state exists, The automatic stop control release unit If the release switch is operated two or more times within a threshold time while the driver abnormal state determination unit determines that the abnormal state exists, the execution of the automatic vehicle stop control by the automatic vehicle stop control execution unit is released, When the release switch is operated for the first time, even if the release switch is not operated two or more times within the threshold time, if the driver abnormal state determination unit determines that the vehicle is in the normal state or the provisional abnormal state, the execution of the automatic vehicle stop control by the automatic vehicle stop control execution unit is canceled. Automatic stopping control device.

2. the automatic stop control release unit releases the execution of the automatic stop control by the automatic stop control execution unit when the release switch is operated two or more times within a threshold time. The automatic stopping control device according to claim 1.

3. The release switch is an operation switch only for releasing the execution of the automatic vehicle stop control by the automatic vehicle stop control execution unit. The automatic stopping control device according to claim 1 or 2.

Images