Vehicles, methods, and programs

Abstract

To provide a vehicle or the like which includes a plurality of drive support devices that can suitably update the middle point of steering used in each control.SOLUTION: A vehicle includes: a plurality of drive support devices which respectively realize drive support functions; an update information generation device which is provided in at least one of the plurality of drive support devices and generates update information used to update the middle point in steering control of at least some of the plurality of drive support devices; and a control device. The control device includes: a mediation part which mediates a plurality of control commands acquired from the plurality of drive support devices and instructs control about the movement of the vehicle to one or more control parts that control an actuator, based on the mediation result; a determination part which determines the update propriety of the middle point in at least some of the plurality of drive support devices; and a notification part which issues notification that permits update processing of the middle point using the update information to the plurality of drive support devices when the determination part determines that update of the middle point is possible.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle or the like equipped with a control device that controls the movement of the vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] A vehicle may be equipped with a plurality of driving assistance devices that output control commands to control the motion of the vehicle in order to assist the driving of the vehicle. A vehicle control device that arbitrates control commands from such a plurality of driving assistance devices has been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle control device that arbitrates a steering command from a collision avoidance assistance device, which is a driving assistance device that assists the user in driving the vehicle to avoid colliding with an obstacle, and a steering command from a lane departure avoidance assistance device, which is a driving assistance device that assists the user in driving the vehicle to stay within the lane. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-30472 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the case of steering control variables such as the steering angle used in processing by a driving assistance device, the midpoint representing the control value corresponding to the state in which the vehicle is traveling straight can change due to twisting, bending, etc. of various components that make up the steering device, etc.

[0005] It is preferable for a driving assistance device to appropriately update the midpoint in response to these changes and maintain it with high accuracy. The midpoint can be updated, for example, by detecting the lateral acceleration of the vehicle using an acceleration sensor or the like, and calculating and updating a correction amount based on the detection results. However, some driving assistance devices do not have the function to calculate the midpoint correction amount in this way, but instead obtain information for updating the midpoint from another device and update the midpoint based on that information.

[0006] If there is a mixture of driving assistance devices that update the midpoint and those that do not, when the vehicle's driving assistance control switches from control by one driving assistance device to control by another driving assistance device, there is a risk that the difference in the midpoint will cause the vehicle's behavior to feel unnatural.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a vehicle, etc. that can preferably update the steering midpoints stored by multiple driving assistance devices and used for their respective controls. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, one aspect of the disclosed technology is a vehicle including a plurality of driving assistance devices each realizing a driving assistance function, an update information generation device provided in at least one of the plurality of driving assistance devices and generating update information used to update a midpoint in steering control of at least some of the plurality of driving assistance devices, and a control device, wherein the control device includes: an arbitration unit that arbitrates a plurality of control commands obtained from the plurality of driving assistance devices and instructs one or more control units that control actuators to control vehicle movement based on the arbitration result; a determination unit that determines whether the midpoint can be updated in at least some of the plurality of driving assistance devices; and a notification unit that, when the determination unit determines that updating of the midpoint is possible, issues a notification to the plurality of driving assistance devices to allow update processing of the midpoint using the update information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the vehicle of the present disclosure, the timing of updating the midpoints of multiple driving assistance devices can be uniformly determined and executed, thereby reducing the risk of discomfort in the vehicle's behavior even if control is switched between driving assistance devices. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] A functional block diagram of a vehicle control device and its peripheral components according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a sequence diagram of a process executed by a vehicle control device according to an embodiment; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] A vehicle or the like according to the present disclosure uniformly updates the midpoints used for control by a plurality of driving assistance devices at a timing that is considered to have little impact on the behavior of the vehicle.

[0012] (Embodiment) [composition] Fig. 1 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle control device 20 and its peripheral devices according to one embodiment. The functional block illustrated in Fig. 1 includes a plurality of driving assistance devices 11 to 13, the vehicle control device 20, a powertrain control unit 31, a brake control unit 32, a steering control unit 33, and actuators 41 to 43. These devices are typically realized by a computer such as an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) having a processor (control unit) such as a CPU and a memory, and are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate via an in-vehicle network such as a CAN (Controller Area Network: registered trademark) or Ethernet (registered trademark).

[0013] The driving assistance devices 11 to 13 each execute a driving assistance program to realize vehicle driving assistance functions such as automatic driving, automatic parking, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, and collision mitigation braking. The multiple driving assistance devices 11 to 13 each realize, for example, different driving assistance functions and can operate simultaneously. The number of driving assistance devices implemented in the vehicle is not limited to three as shown in FIG. 1, and may be two or less, or four or more. The driving assistance devices 11 to 13 output control commands to request the operation of the actuators 41 to 43.

[0014] Each of the driving assistance devices 11 to 13 determines some or all of the control contents related to the vehicle motion, such as "running," "turning," and "stopping," according to the respective driving assistance functions, and outputs the control commands. The control commands are, for example, a required value for the vehicle's motion in the forward direction for "running" and "stopping," and a required value for the vehicle's lateral motion for "turning." The required value for the forward motion is specifically expressed, for example, as the acceleration in the forward direction as a target control amount. The required value for the lateral motion is specifically expressed, for example, as any one of the lateral acceleration, yaw rate, steering angle, etc. as a target control amount according to the specifications of the driving assistance program.

[0015] The driving assistance devices 11-13 acquire information such as the vehicle's speed, forward acceleration, lateral acceleration, and image data of the vehicle's surroundings from various sensors (not shown) equipped in the vehicle or from other ECUs, and generate control commands based on this information. The driving assistance devices 11-13 store, as needed for the control command generation process, a control value corresponding to a state in which the vehicle travels straight without lateral acceleration occurring in the steering control amount, i.e., midpoint information representing the center of steering. The midpoint may change due to twisting, bending, etc. of various components constituting the steering device, etc. It is preferable for the driving assistance devices 11-13 to appropriately update the midpoint in response to this change and maintain it with high accuracy. The midpoint can be updated, for example, by detecting the vehicle's lateral acceleration using an acceleration sensor or the like, and calculating and updating a correction amount based on the detection results.

[0016] In this embodiment, the driving assistance device 13 is equipped with an update information generating device 50. The update information generating device 50 generates update information that can update the midpoint, such as the midpoint correction amount described above. The driving assistance devices 11 to 13 acquire update information from the update information generating device 50 and calculate the midpoint based on the update information. The update information generating device 50 does not have to be provided in the driving assistance device 13. For example, the update information generating device 50 may be provided in the vehicle control device 20, or in another ECU such as the steering control unit 33, or may be provided independently. There may be a driving assistance device that does not store the midpoint and does not use the midpoint in the process of generating a control command.

[0017] The vehicle control device 20 determines control details related to the vehicle's motion, such as "driving," "turning," and "stopping," based on control commands from the driving assistance devices 11 to 13, and issues necessary instructions to the powertrain control unit 31, brake control unit 32, and steering control unit 33 (and a shift control unit (not shown) that controls the shift position) based on the determined control details, thereby functioning as a motion manager or as part of the motion manager to appropriately control actuators 41 to 43 related to the vehicle's motion and control the vehicle's motion. The vehicle control device 20 may alternatively be a device that exclusively controls the lateral motion of the vehicle. The vehicle control device 20 includes an arbitration unit 21, a determination unit 22, and a notification unit 23.

[0018] The arbitration unit 21 of the vehicle control device 20 acquires the control commands output by the driving support devices 11 to 13, and arbitrates the acquired control commands.

[0019] As the arbitration process, the arbitration unit 21 may, for example, select one control command from among a plurality of control commands acquired from a plurality of driving assistance devices 11 to 13 based on a predetermined selection criterion, or generate a new control command based on the acquired plurality of control commands. The result of this arbitration may be fed back from the arbitration unit 21 to each of the driving assistance devices 11 to 13. Furthermore, the arbitration unit 21 may perform the arbitration process based on information indicating the operating states of the actuators 41 to 43 and availability, which is the current operable performance range, notified from a powertrain control unit 31, a brake control unit 32, and a steering control unit 33, which will be described later.

[0020] Based on the control command obtained through the arbitration, the arbitration unit 21 of the vehicle control device 20 can instruct one or more of the powertrain control unit 31, the brake control unit 32, and the steering control unit 33 to control the vehicle movement required by the driving assistance program. The lateral movement of the vehicle can typically be achieved by controlling the steering of the steering device. The movement of the vehicle in the forward direction can be achieved by controlling the generation of braking force by the brake device and the generation of driving force or braking force by the powertrain, either individually or in combination.

[0021] The determination unit 22 of the vehicle control device 20 determines whether or not the midpoints of the driving support devices 11 to 13 that store the midpoints can be updated.

[0022] When the determination unit 22 determines that the midpoint can be updated, the notification unit 23 of the vehicle control device 20 issues a notification permitting the midpoint update process using the update information.

[0023] Based on the acquired control command, the powertrain control unit 31 controls the actuators 41 that constitute the powertrain to generate a driving force or a braking force.

[0024] The brake control unit 32 controls an actuator 42 that constitutes a braking device based on the acquired control command to generate a braking force.

[0025] The steering control unit 33 controls an actuator 43 that constitutes a steering device based on the acquired control command to generate a steering angle.

[0026] [control] The midpoint update process according to this embodiment will now be described. Fig. 2 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the update process. The update process according to this example can be repeatedly executed, for example, while the vehicle is powered on (power on, ignition on, ready on, etc.). Note that the update process is executed in parallel with the above-mentioned arbitration process.

[0027] (Step S101) The determination unit 22 of the vehicle control device 20 determines whether or not to update the midpoint. The midpoint is preferably updated when, for example, the vehicle operation is stable and updating the midpoint has little effect on the vehicle behavior.

[0028] For example, the determination unit 22 acquires the operation status of the driving support devices 11 to 13, and when all of the driving support devices 11 to 13 are not operating, it can determine that the midpoint can be updated without affecting the behavior of the vehicle.

[0029] Alternatively, the judgment unit 22 can acquire the power supply state of the vehicle, and when the power supply state changes from an off state (power off, ignition off, ready off, etc.) to an on state (power on, ignition on, ready on, etc.), that is, in the initial startup state of the vehicle control device 20 and the driving assistance devices 11 to 13, determine that the midpoint can be updated without affecting the vehicle behavior.

[0030] Alternatively, based on the steering angle obtained from a steering angle sensor equipped in the vehicle, the lateral acceleration obtained from an acceleration sensor, or a control command related to steering obtained from the arbitration unit 21, the judgment unit 22 can determine that when the steering amount of the vehicle is less than a first value, i.e., when the steering amount is 0 or relatively small and the vehicle is traveling approximately straight, and no particular control of the vehicle's lateral displacement is required, updating the midpoint will have relatively little impact on the vehicle's behavior and can be done compared to when such control is required.

[0031] If it is determined in this step that the midpoint can be updated, the process proceeds to step S102; if not, the determination in this step is repeated until it is determined that the midpoint can be updated.

[0032] (Step S102) The notification unit 23 of the vehicle control device 20 issues a notification permitting the midpoint update process.

[0033] (Step S103) The notification permitting the midpoint update process is received by the update information generation device 50. In response to this, the update information generation device 50 generates and issues the above-mentioned update information.

[0034] (Step S104) The notification permitting the midpoint update process and the update information are acquired by the driving assistance devices 11 to 13. In response to this, the driving assistance devices update the midpoints stored in their own devices. There may be two or more update information generating devices. In this case, for example, the two or more update information generating devices have different update information generation methods, precision, formats, etc. Each driving assistance device acquires the update information generated by the update information generating device with the highest compatibility, which is predetermined according to the specifications, and uses this information to update the midpoint.

[0035] Note that if the network communication delay is relatively large, the difference between the time when update information generating device 50 generates update information and the time when the driving assistance device, which has received the update information via the network, updates the midpoint will be large, and the actual midpoint may change significantly during that time, which may prevent accuracy from improving even with the update process. Therefore, for example, update information generating device 50 may generate and issue update information multiple times, and driving assistance devices 11-13 may execute the update process when the amount of change in the midpoint represented by the multiple pieces of update information received consecutively is below a threshold and the midpoint is relatively stable. This completes the update process.

[0036] While an example of the configuration and processing has been described above, the configuration and processing can be modified as appropriate as long as the midpoint of the driving assistance device can be updated at an appropriate timing. For example, the functions of the determination unit 22 and notification unit 23 of the vehicle control device 20 may be implemented in an ECU different from the arbitration unit 21. For example, the determination unit 22 and notification unit 23 may be provided in the update information generation device 50, or may be provided in any of the driving assistance devices 11 to 13, or may be provided independently. Furthermore, the update information generation device 50 may periodically generate and issue update information without receiving an update permission notification. Furthermore, the functions of the determination unit 22 and notification unit 23 may be provided in the update information generation device 50, and the update information may include the role of providing an update permission notification.

[0037] [Actions and Effects] As described above, the vehicle according to this embodiment can uniformly update the midpoint used for control by multiple driving assistance devices, thereby reducing the risk of an abnormality occurring in the vehicle's behavior even when control is switched between the driving assistance devices. Furthermore, the vehicle control device can update the midpoint at a timing that has little impact on the vehicle's behavior, thereby also reducing the risk of an abnormality occurring in the vehicle's behavior.

[0038] The above describes one embodiment of the disclosed technology, but the disclosed technology can be understood as a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method executed by a computer of the vehicle control device having a processor and a memory, a vehicle control program for executing the vehicle control method, a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium storing the vehicle control program, and a system including the vehicle control device, a driving assistance device, an actuator control unit, and an actuator, or a vehicle equipped with a vehicle control device. [Industrial Applicability]

[0039] The present invention can be used in vehicles and the like that are equipped with a control device that controls the movement of the vehicle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 11, 12, 13 Driving assistance devices 20 Vehicle control device 21 Mediation Department 22 Judgment section 23 Notification Department 31 Powertrain control unit 32 Brake control unit 33 Steering control unit 41, 42, 43 Actuators 50 Update information generation device

Claims

1. a plurality of driving assistance devices each realizing a driving assistance function; an update information generating device provided in at least one of the plurality of driving assistance devices, the update information generating device generating update information used to update a midpoint in steering control of at least some of the plurality of driving assistance devices; a control device; A vehicle comprising: The control device an arbitration unit that arbitrates a plurality of control commands acquired from the plurality of driving assistance devices and instructs one or more control units that control actuators to control vehicle motion based on the arbitration result; a determination unit that determines whether or not the midpoint can be updated in at least some of the driving assistance devices; a notification unit that issues a notification to the plurality of driving assistance devices to permit update processing of the midpoint using the update information when the determination unit determines that update of the midpoint is possible; A vehicle equipped with:

2. a plurality of driving assistance devices each realizing a driving assistance function; an update information generating device provided in at least one of the plurality of driving assistance devices, the update information generating device generating update information used to update a midpoint in steering control of at least some of the plurality of driving assistance devices; A method executed by a control device of a vehicle comprising: a step of arbitrating a plurality of control commands acquired from the plurality of driving assistance devices, and instructing one or more control units that control actuators to control vehicle motion based on the arbitration result; determining whether or not the midpoint can be updated in at least some of the driving assistance devices; when it is determined that the midpoint can be updated, issuing a notification to the plurality of driving assistance devices to permit update processing of the midpoint using the update information; A method comprising:

3. a plurality of driving assistance devices each realizing a driving assistance function; an update information generating device provided in at least one of the plurality of driving assistance devices, the update information generating device generating update information used to update a midpoint in steering control of at least some of the plurality of driving assistance devices; A program to be executed by a computer of a vehicle control device comprising: a step of arbitrating a plurality of control commands acquired from the plurality of driving assistance devices, and instructing one or more control units that control actuators to control vehicle motion based on the arbitration result; determining whether or not the midpoint can be updated in at least some of the driving assistance devices; when it is determined that the midpoint can be updated, issuing a notification to the plurality of driving assistance devices to permit update processing of the midpoint using the update information; A program that causes the computer to execute the above.

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