Vehicle control device

Abstract

To enable automatic acceleration control in which a driving preference of a driver is appropriately reflected.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device includes a processor and a sensor. The processor executes automatic acceleration control for automatically controlling acceleration of a vehicle. The sensor detects operation of a driver related to acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle. During a specific acceleration period in which a specific condition is satisfied, and the vehicle is accelerated by the automatic acceleration control, the processor detects acceleration change operation of the driver intervening so as to change set acceleration set by the automatic acceleration control. The specific condition indicates that an inter-vehicle distance or an inter-vehicle time of the vehicle with respect to a preceding vehicle is equal to or greater than a threshold value or that there is no preceding vehicle. The processor changes the set acceleration in future acceleration on the basis of a history of the detected acceleration change operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control device that performs automatic acceleration control to automatically control the acceleration of a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an automatic driving control device for a vehicle. The automatic driving control device learns the driving method of a driver based on the circumstances around the vehicle and the driving state of the vehicle. Through this learning, each driver's preferences regarding the vehicle driving method are learned. The automatic driving control device then controls the vehicle driving based on the results of this learning. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 07-108849 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In order to more appropriately reflect the driver's driving preferences in automatic acceleration control that automatically controls the acceleration of a vehicle, it is desirable to capture the driving preferences in situations where the driver's driving preferences are likely to be reflected in the driver's operations.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a vehicle control device that can realize automatic acceleration control that appropriately reflects the driver's driving preferences. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A vehicle control device according to the present disclosure includes a processor and a sensor. The processor executes automatic acceleration control that automatically controls the acceleration of the vehicle. The sensor detects driver operations related to acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle. The processor detects an acceleration change operation by the driver to intervene to change the set acceleration set by the automatic acceleration control during a specific acceleration period in which a specific condition indicating that the vehicle's inter-vehicle distance or inter-vehicle time with respect to a preceding vehicle is equal to or greater than a threshold or that the preceding vehicle is absent is met and the vehicle is accelerating due to the automatic acceleration control. The processor then changes the set acceleration for future accelerations based on a history of the detected acceleration change operations. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the vehicle control device of the present disclosure, it is possible to realize automatic acceleration control that appropriately reflects the driving preferences of the driver. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a vehicle according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of an operation detection process PR1 and an acceleration change process PR2 according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] 1. Vehicle configuration 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the configuration of a vehicle 1 according to an embodiment. The vehicle 1 is equipped with a vehicle control system 10. The vehicle control system 10 is mounted on the vehicle 1 and controls the driving of the vehicle 1. The vehicle control system 10 includes a vehicle state sensor 12, a recognition sensor 14, a position sensor 16, a communication device 18, a driving device 20, an electronic control unit (ECU) 22, and a driving assistance switch 24.

[0011] The vehicle state sensor 12 detects the state of the vehicle 1. The vehicle state sensor 12 includes, for example, a vehicle speed sensor, a longitudinal acceleration sensor, an accelerator pedal sensor, a brake pedal sensor, and a steering angle sensor. The recognition sensor 14 recognizes (detects) the situation around the vehicle 1. The recognition sensor 14 includes, for example, a camera. The position sensor 16 detects the position and orientation of the vehicle 1. The position sensor 16 includes, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver.

[0012] The communication device 18 communicates with the outside of the vehicle 1. For example, the communication device 18 communicates with an external system to acquire various information. The information includes, for example, map information and traffic information. The map information includes road information such as road gradient. The traffic information includes, for example, information about traffic congestion.

[0013] The traveling device 20 is a device that operates the vehicle 1. For example, the traveling device 20 includes a drive device, a braking device, and a steering device. The drive device includes, for example, at least one of an electric motor and an internal combustion engine for driving (accelerating) the vehicle 1. The braking device includes a brake actuator for braking (deceleration) the vehicle 1. The steering device includes, for example, a steering motor for steering the vehicle 1.

[0014] The ECU 22 is a computer that controls the vehicle 1, and corresponds to an example of a "vehicle control device" according to the present disclosure. The ECU 22 includes a processor 26 and a storage device 28. The processor 26 executes various processes, including processes related to automatic acceleration control, which will be described later. The storage device 28 stores various information necessary for the processes performed by the processor 26. The various processes performed by the ECU 22 are realized by the processor 26 executing a computer program. The computer program is stored in the storage device 28. Alternatively, the computer program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The ECU 22 may be configured by combining multiple ECUs.

[0015] The vehicle control system 10 is configured to be able to execute driving assistance control that assists the driver in driving the vehicle 1. The driving assistance control of this embodiment includes automatic acceleration control that automatically controls the acceleration (longitudinal acceleration) Gx of the vehicle 1. More specifically, this automatic acceleration control is included in automatic following control that causes the vehicle 1 to travel so as to follow the preceding vehicle while controlling the inter-vehicle distance D (or inter-vehicle time) of the vehicle (host vehicle) 1 with respect to the preceding vehicle. The automatic following control may be, for example, adaptive cruise control (ACC), or may be realized by an automatic driving function of so-called level 3 or higher.

[0016] The driving assistance switch 24 is operated by the driver and is used to switch on / off driving assistance control including automatic acceleration control.

[0017] 2. Automatic acceleration control (driving assistance control) In order to realize automatic acceleration control that appropriately reflects the driver's driving preferences, in this embodiment, the ECU 22 (processor 26) executes the following "operation detection process PR1" and "acceleration change process PR2."

[0018] In the operation detection process PR1, during the specific acceleration period Ta, the ECU 22 detects an acceleration change operation Oa by the driver that intervenes to change the set acceleration Gxs set by the automatic acceleration control. The specific acceleration period Ta corresponds to a period during which the specific condition X is satisfied and the vehicle 1 is accelerating by the automatic acceleration control. Hereinafter, the acceleration of the vehicle 1 by the automatic acceleration control is also referred to as "automatic acceleration." The specific condition X indicates that the inter-vehicle distance D (or inter-vehicle time) of the host vehicle 1 to the preceding vehicle is equal to or greater than a threshold, or that there is no preceding vehicle in the traveling lane of the host vehicle 1. In other words, the specific condition X indicates that a traveling space is secured ahead of the host vehicle 1. In addition, the automatic acceleration that is performed when the specific condition X is satisfied is basically performed so that the vehicle speed V of the vehicle 1 reaches a predetermined set speed.

[0019] In the automatic acceleration control, the set acceleration Gxs can be changed in three stages, for example, low, medium, and high, but the set acceleration Gxs may also be changeable in two stages or four or more stages.

[0020] More specifically, the acceleration change operation Oa by the driver that intervenes to change the set acceleration Gxs is an acceleration increasing operation Oai and an acceleration decreasing operation Oar. The acceleration increasing operation Oai corresponds to an accelerator pedal operation performed by the driver during automatic acceleration to increase the acceleration Gx relative to the current set acceleration Gxs. The acceleration decreasing operation Oar corresponds to, for example, a brake pedal operation performed by the driver during automatic acceleration to decrease the acceleration Gx relative to the current set acceleration Gxs. Another example of the acceleration decreasing operation Oar is an operation by the driver to stop automatic acceleration control using the driving assistance switch 24 during automatic acceleration. Therefore, in the example of vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 1 , not only the accelerator pedal sensor and the brake pedal sensor but also the driving assistance switch 24 correspond to examples of "sensors that detect driver operations related to acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle" according to the present disclosure.

[0021] In the acceleration change process PR2, the ECU 22 changes the set acceleration Gxs for future accelerations based on the history of the acceleration change operations Oa detected in the operation detection process PR1. More specifically, the acceleration change process PR2 includes an "acceleration increase process" that increases the set acceleration Gxs and an "acceleration decrease process" that decreases the set acceleration Gxs. The "future acceleration" refers to the next or subsequent automatic acceleration. More specifically, the future acceleration refers to, for example, an automatic acceleration that occurs between the time the set acceleration Gxs is changed (increased or decreased) and the time the set acceleration Gxs is next changed.

[0022] More specifically, the acceleration change process PR2 is executed, for example, as follows. That is, in the acceleration change process PR2, the ECU 22 uses first to third counters to grasp the history of the acceleration change operation Oa. The first counter is incremented when no acceleration change operation Oa is performed during the specific acceleration period Ta. The second counter is incremented when an acceleration increase operation Oai is performed as the acceleration change operation Oa during the specific acceleration period Ta. The third counter is incremented when an acceleration decrease operation Oar is performed as the acceleration change operation Oa during the specific acceleration period Ta.

[0023] Basically, the ECU 22 increments one of the first counter, the second counter, and the third counter every time the specific acceleration period Ta arrives. The counter values ​​of the first counter, the second counter, and the third counter are referred to as C1, C2, and C3, respectively. The sum of the three counter values ​​C1 to C3 is referred to as C0. Therefore, the sum C0 is incremented by one every time the specific acceleration period Ta arrives. Each of the counter values ​​C1 to C3 is stored in the storage device 28.

[0024] The ratio of the counter value C2 of the second counter to the total value C0 (=C2 / C0) is referred to as the first ratio R1, and the ratio of the counter value C3 of the third counter to the total value C0 (=C3 / C0) is referred to as the second ratio R2. That is, the first ratio R1 indicates the number of specific acceleration periods Ta in which an acceleration increase operation Oai is performed among a predetermined number of specific acceleration periods Ta. Similarly, the second ratio R2 indicates the number of specific acceleration periods Ta in which an acceleration decrease operation Oar is performed among a predetermined number of specific acceleration periods Ta.

[0025] The acceleration increase process PR21 is executed when the first rate R1 is equal to or greater than the threshold value TH1 and greater than the second rate R2, while the acceleration decrease process PR22 is executed when the second rate R2 is equal to or greater than the threshold value TH2 and greater than the first rate R1.

[0026] Furthermore, in this embodiment, even if the specific acceleration period Ta arrives, if the specific condition X is not continuously satisfied from the start to the end of the specific acceleration period Ta, the ECU 22 does not increment any one of the first to third counters.

[0027] Furthermore, each of the first to third counters is cleared upon execution of the acceleration increase processing PR21 or the acceleration decrease processing PR22.

[0028] 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of an operation detection process PR1 and an acceleration change process PR2 according to the embodiment. The process of this flowchart is repeatedly executed at a predetermined control period while the vehicle control system 10 is running.

[0029] In step S100, the ECU 22 (processor 26) determines whether or not driving assistance control, including automatic acceleration control, is in operation, for example, based on the operation state of the driving assistance switch 24. As a result, if the driving assistance control is in operation (step S100; Yes), the process proceeds to step S102. On the other hand, if the driving assistance control is not in operation (step S100; No), the process proceeds to step S108.

[0030] In step S102, the ECU 22 determines whether the above-mentioned specific condition X is satisfied. For this determination, the inter-vehicle distance D of the host vehicle 1 with respect to the preceding vehicle is acquired, for example, by using the recognition sensor 14. Furthermore, if the inter-vehicle time is used instead of the inter-vehicle distance D, the inter-vehicle time is calculated based on the inter-vehicle distance D and the vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle state sensor 12. Furthermore, the absence of the preceding vehicle is also determined, for example, by using the recognition sensor 14. If the specific condition X is satisfied (step S102; Yes), the process proceeds to step S104. On the other hand, if the specific condition X is not satisfied (step S102; No), the process proceeds to step S108.

[0031] In step S104, the ECU 22 determines whether the vehicle 1 is accelerating based on, for example, a required acceleration due to automatic acceleration control. If the vehicle 1 is accelerating (S104; Yes), the process proceeds to step S106. On the other hand, if the vehicle 1 is not accelerating (step S104; No), the process proceeds to step S108.

[0032] In step S106, the ECU 22 sets an acceleration request flag to ON. The fact that this acceleration request flag is ON indicates that the specific acceleration period Ta is occurring. On the other hand, if the process proceeds to step S108, the ECU 22 sets the acceleration request flag to OFF. After step S106 or S108, the process proceeds to step S110.

[0033] In step S110, the ECU 22 determines whether the current time is within the specific acceleration period Ta and the acceleration change operation Oa is not being performed. If the determination conditions are met (step S110; Yes), the process proceeds to step S112.

[0034] In addition, in step S110, even if the process proceeds from step S108 to step S110 in the first control cycle in which the acceleration request flag is switched from ON to OFF, it is determined that the current time is within the specific acceleration period Ta. As a result, in an example of driving assistance control configured to terminate automatic acceleration control when the driver operates the brake pedal during automatic acceleration, it becomes possible to determine in step S110 whether or not the brake pedal has been operated (i.e., the acceleration reduction operation Oar).

[0035] In step S112, the ECU 22 determines whether the specific condition X is satisfied in the first control cycle in which the acceleration request flag is switched from ON to OFF. That is, this determination determines whether the specific condition X is continuously satisfied from the start to the end of the specific acceleration period Ta.

[0036] If the determination condition in step S112 is not satisfied, the process proceeds to RETURN. On the other hand, if the determination condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S114. In step S114, the ECU 22 increments the first counter.

[0037] On the other hand, if the determination result in step S110 is No, that is, if the current time is not within the specific acceleration period Ta and / or if an acceleration changing operation Oa has been performed, the process proceeds to step S116.

[0038] In step S116, the ECU 22 determines whether the currently performed acceleration change operation Oa is an acceleration increase operation Oai. If the determination result is Yes, the process proceeds to step S118. The determination condition in step S118 is the same as the determination condition in step S112. If the determination condition is satisfied, the ECU 22 increments the second counter in step S120.

[0039] On the other hand, if the determination result in step S116 is No, that is, if the currently performed acceleration changing operation Oa is the acceleration decreasing operation Oar, the process proceeds to step S122. The determination condition in step S122 is the same as the determination condition in step S112. If this determination condition is satisfied, the ECU 22 increments the third counter in step S124.

[0040] After step S114, S120, or S124, the process proceeds to step S126. In step S126, the ECU 22 determines whether the total value C0 of the first to third counters is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value TH0 (e.g., 50 times). If the total value C0 has not reached the threshold value TH0 (step S126; No), the process proceeds to RETURN. On the other hand, if the total value C0 has reached the threshold value TH0 (step S126; Yes), the process proceeds to step S128. According to the process of step S126, by detecting multiple acceleration scenes as the acceleration change operation Oa, the driver's driving preferences can be accurately captured.

[0041] In step S128, the ECU 22 determines whether a first rate R1 related to the counter value C2 of the acceleration increasing operation Oai is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value TH1 and is greater than a second rate R2. If the determination result is Yes, the ECU 22 executes an acceleration increasing process PR21 in step S130. More specifically, the set acceleration Gxs is increased by one step.

[0042] On the other hand, if the determination result in step S128 is No, the process proceeds to step S132. In step S132, the ECU 22 determines whether or not a second rate R2 related to the counter value C3 of the acceleration decreasing operation Oar is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value TH2 and is greater than the first rate R1. As a result, if the determination result is Yes, the ECU 22 executes an acceleration decreasing process PR22 in step S134. More specifically, the set acceleration Gxs is decreased by one stage.

[0043] After step S130 or S134, or if the determination result in step S132 is No, the process proceeds to step S136. In step S136, the ECU 22 clears each of the first to third counters. As a result, acquisition of a history of the acceleration changing operation Oa during the period until the total value C0 again reaches the threshold value TH0 is started.

[0044] In addition, in the example of a vehicle equipped with an operating device that can change the set acceleration Gxs by operating the driver, each of the first to third counters may also be cleared when the driver operates the operating device to change the set acceleration Gxs.

[0045] 3.Effects If a preceding vehicle is present near the host vehicle 1 while the automatic acceleration control is being executed, the driver's operation to intervene in the acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle 1 is easily influenced by the preceding vehicle. In other words, the driver's intervention when a preceding vehicle is present near the host vehicle 1 cannot be said to appropriately represent the driver's driving preferences.

[0046] In view of the above, according to this embodiment, the acceleration changing operation Oa is detected during the execution of automatic acceleration when the above-mentioned specific condition X is satisfied, i.e., during the specific acceleration period Ta. This makes it possible to acquire the history of the acceleration changing operation Oa while taking care not to be affected by the preceding vehicle. In other words, it becomes possible to appropriately acquire the history of the acceleration changing operation Oa by utilizing situations in which the driver's driving preferences are likely to be expressed. This makes it possible to realize automatic acceleration control that appropriately reflects the driver's driving preferences.

[0047] More specifically, according to this embodiment, the acceleration increase process PR21 is executed when the first rate R1 related to the counter value C2 of the acceleration increasing operation Oai is equal to or greater than the threshold value TH1 and greater than the second rate R2. Thus, to determine whether to increase the set acceleration Gxs, not only is the magnitude of the first rate R1 evaluated, but the first rate R1 is also compared with the second rate R2 related to the counter value C3 of the acceleration decreasing operation Oar. This makes it possible to more reliably determine whether the driver's preference for the acceleration Gx is high or low compared to the current set acceleration Gxs. Furthermore, the first rate R1 and the second rate R2 are the rates of the counter values ​​C2 and C3 to the total value C0 (= C1 + C2 + C3), respectively. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether to increase the set acceleration Gxs while also taking into account the number of times the driver did not perform the acceleration changing operation Oa. This prevents unnecessary changes to the set acceleration Gxs even when the driver prefers the current set acceleration Gxs. The same applies to the acceleration decreasing process PR22. As described above, according to the method of this embodiment, the driver's driving preferences can be accurately grasped and reflected in the automatic acceleration control.

[0048] Furthermore, if a preceding vehicle appears near the host vehicle 1 during the specific acceleration period Ta, the presence or absence of the acceleration change operation Oa will be affected by the preceding vehicle. In other words, the presence or absence of the acceleration change operation Oa is less likely to reflect the driver's driving preference. In consideration of this, in the process shown in FIG. 2, step S112 is interposed between step S110 and step S114. Similarly, step S118 is interposed between step S116 and step S120, and step S122 is interposed between step S116 and step S124. In other words, even if the specific acceleration period Ta arrives, if the specific condition X is not continuously satisfied from the start to the end of the specific acceleration period Ta, any one of the first to third counters is not incremented. This makes it possible to exclude scenes in which a preceding vehicle appears near the host vehicle 1 during the specific acceleration period Ta from the targets of the processes of steps S114, S120, and S124. This makes it possible to more accurately acquire the driver's driving preference.

[0049] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the first to third counters are cleared upon execution of the acceleration increase processing PR21 or the acceleration decrease processing PR22. This makes it possible to accurately determine whether the set acceleration Gxs changed by the acceleration increase processing PR21 or the acceleration decrease processing PR22 matches the driving preferences of the driver, compared to when the first to third counters are not cleared in this manner. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1 vehicle, 10 vehicle control system, 12 vehicle state sensor, 14 recognition sensor, 16 position sensor, 18 communication device, 20 running device, 22 electronic control unit (ECU), 24 driving assistance switch, 26 processor, 28 storage device

Claims

1. a processor that executes automatic acceleration control for automatically controlling the acceleration of the vehicle; a sensor for detecting a driver's operation related to acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle; Equipped with the driver's operation related to acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle includes an acceleration change operation by the driver that intervenes to change a set acceleration set by the automatic acceleration control, The processor: detecting the acceleration change operation during a specific acceleration period in which a specific condition indicating that the inter-vehicle distance or inter-vehicle time between the vehicle and a preceding vehicle is equal to or greater than a threshold value or that there is no preceding vehicle is satisfied and the vehicle is accelerating under the automatic acceleration control; changing the set acceleration for future accelerations based on the history of the detected acceleration change operation; The processor: a first counter that is incremented when the acceleration change operation is not performed during the specific acceleration period; a second counter that is incremented when an acceleration increasing operation is performed as the acceleration changing operation during the specific acceleration period; a third counter that is incremented when an acceleration decreasing operation is performed as the acceleration changing operation during the specific acceleration period; Including, The processor: incrementing any one of the first counter, the second counter, and the third counter every time the specific acceleration period arrives; when a first ratio of the value of the second counter to a total value of the first counter, the second counter, and the third counter is equal to or greater than a first threshold value and is greater than a second ratio of the value of the third counter to the total value, executes an acceleration increase process to increase the set acceleration; When the second ratio is equal to or greater than a second threshold value and is greater than the first ratio, an acceleration reduction process is executed to reduce the set acceleration. Vehicle control device.

2. When the specific condition is not continuously satisfied from the start to the end of the specific acceleration period, the processor does not increment any one of the first counter, the second counter, and the third counter even when the specific acceleration period arrives. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 .

3. The processor clears the first counter, the second counter, and the third counter when the acceleration increase process or the acceleration decrease process is executed. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 .

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