Vehicle driving control device

Abstract

To decrease uncomfortable feeling given to an occupant by suppressing unnecessary acceleration even if the occupant temporarily loses sight of a preceding vehicle in a curve road with a comparatively large curvature, when an own vehicle travels following the preceding vehicle.SOLUTION: A traveling control device 1 is equipped with a camera unit 21, and a drive assist control unit 31. The drive assist control unit 31 recognizes a preceding vehicle P to be followed, on the basis of traveling environment information obtained by the camera unit 21. During curve road traveling, if loosing sight of the preceding vehicle P, the own vehicle M is made to travel at a following vehicle speed immediately before the loosing sight of the vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle travel control device that maintains a following vehicle speed even when the preceding vehicle is temporarily lost while the vehicle is traveling on a curved road while following the preceding vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art In recent vehicles, various driving assistance technologies have been proposed to reduce the burden on the driver and enable comfortable and safe driving, and some of these technologies have already been put into practical use.

[0003] This type of driving assistance system is equipped with an adaptive cruise control (ACC) function and a lane keeping control function, which allows the vehicle to automatically travel along the lane while maintaining a certain distance from the vehicle ahead. Furthermore, by equipping it with a locator function, the vehicle can also automatically travel to a destination.

[0004] ACC control uses a forward recognition device, such as an onboard camera or various radar sensors, or a combination of these, installed in the vehicle to recognize the distance to the vehicle ahead and allow the vehicle to follow the vehicle ahead.

[0005] If the preceding vehicle approaches the target inter-vehicle distance and is traveling at a speed slower than the host vehicle's set speed, the ACC control controls the host vehicle's speed to follow the preceding vehicle while maintaining the target inter-vehicle distance. If the preceding vehicle deviates from the host vehicle's lane, the ACC control accelerates the host vehicle to the set speed and transitions to constant speed traveling.

[0006] When approaching a curve with a large change in curvature (sharp curve), the vehicle ahead may be temporarily lost due to being blocked by a wall, etc. In such a case, if the vehicle is accelerated uniformly to the set speed, it may get too close to the vehicle ahead.

[0007] For example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-327012) discloses a technology that detects road curvature based on driving environment information ahead of the vehicle acquired by an on-board camera, and automatically controls deceleration when it is determined that the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined value relative to this road curvature. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-327012 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] However, in the technology disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, when a vehicle is traveling on a curve following a preceding vehicle and loses sight of the preceding vehicle, if the vehicle's speed at the time of losing sight of the preceding vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value for the curvature of the curve, the vehicle will accelerate.Therefore, on a sharp curve where the curvature changes relatively greatly from the entrance to the curve, the vehicle will experience relatively large lateral acceleration (lateral G) and yaw rate, which may cause discomfort to the passengers.

[0010] To provide a vehicle driving control device that can suppress unnecessary acceleration and reduce discomfort to passengers even when the vehicle temporarily loses sight of the preceding vehicle on a curved road with a relatively large curvature while the vehicle is traveling following the preceding vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The present invention One aspect of teeth, A vehicle driving control device including a driving environment information acquisition unit that acquires driving environment information ahead of the host vehicle, and a driving control unit that causes the host vehicle to drive following a preceding vehicle, the driving control unit including: a preceding vehicle recognition unit that recognizes the preceding vehicle to be followed based on the driving environment information; a curve curvature detection unit that detects the curvature of a curved road based on the driving environment information or road map information; and a vehicle speed maintenance control unit that, when the preceding vehicle to be followed is lost by the preceding vehicle recognition unit, causes the host vehicle to drive at a following vehicle speed that was in effect immediately before the preceding vehicle was lost. a vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit capable of communicating information between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle; and a target vehicle speed setting unit that sets a target vehicle speed of the host vehicle. picture, When the vehicle speed maintenance control unit causes the host vehicle to travel at a following vehicle speed immediately before losing sight of the preceding vehicle and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit determines that communication with the preceding vehicle is possible, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit detects a speed change from the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle acquired by the vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit, and when the traveling control unit determines from the detection result of the speed change that the preceding vehicle is decelerating, the target vehicle speed setting unit sets the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle to the target vehicle speed of the host vehicle; The traveling control unit The host vehicle is driven to follow the target vehicle speed. . [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, the driving control unit recognizes the preceding vehicle to be followed based on driving environment information, and if the preceding vehicle is temporarily lost while driving on a curved road, the vehicle is caused to travel at the following vehicle speed just before the preceding vehicle was lost.Therefore, even if the preceding vehicle is temporarily lost, unnecessary acceleration is suppressed, and the discomfort felt by the occupants can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] Schematic diagram of the driving control device [Figure 2] Flowchart showing the preceding vehicle following control processing routine (part 1) [Figure 3] Flowchart showing the preceding vehicle following control processing routine (part 2) [Figure 4] Flowchart showing the preceding vehicle following control processing routine (part 3) [Figure 5] An overhead view showing the state of entering a curved road while following a preceding vehicle. [Figure 6] Aerial view showing a situation where a vehicle ahead has been lost on a curve [Figure 7] An overhead view showing the state where a preceding vehicle has been caught at the exit of a curved road DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Reference numeral 1 in Fig. 1 denotes a cruise control device, which is mounted on a host vehicle M (see Figs. 5 to 7). For convenience, this embodiment will be described assuming that the driving lane is a road on which traffic is restricted to keeping to the left. Therefore, for roads on which traffic is restricted to keeping to the right, the left and right lanes will be interpreted in reverse.

[0015] This driving control device 1 includes a vehicle position estimation unit 11, a camera unit 21 as a driving environment information acquisition unit, and a driving assistance control unit 31 as a driving control unit.

[0016] The vehicle position estimation unit 11 has a map locator calculation unit 12 and a road map database 15. The map locator calculation unit 12, a forward driving environment recognition unit 21d (described later), and a driving assistance control unit 31 are each composed of a microcontroller including a CPU, RAM, ROM, a rewritable non-volatile memory (flash memory or EEPROM), and peripheral devices. The ROM stores programs and fixed data required for the CPU to execute various processes. The RAM serves as a work area for the CPU, and temporarily stores various data for the CPU. The CPU is also called an MPU (microprocessor) or a processor. A GPU (graphics processing unit) or a GSP (graph streaming processor) may be used instead of the CPU. Alternatively, a CPU, a GPU, and a GSP may be selectively combined.

[0017] A GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 13 and an autonomous sensor 14 are connected to the input side of the map locator calculation unit 12. The GNSS receiver 13 receives positioning signals transmitted from a plurality of positioning satellites. The autonomous sensor 14 is a collective term for sensors that detect the traveling state of the host vehicle M, and is composed of a vehicle speed sensor 33, a steering angle sensor 34, a lateral acceleration sensor 35 as a lateral acceleration detection unit, a longitudinal acceleration sensor, etc., which will be described later.

[0018] The map locator calculation unit 12 includes a vehicle position estimation calculation unit 12a. This vehicle position estimation calculation unit 12a estimates the position coordinates (latitude, longitude, altitude) of the current position of the vehicle M. That is, when the GNSS receiver 13 can receive a positioning signal, the vehicle position is estimated based on the positioning signal. Furthermore, in an environment where the reception sensitivity from the GNSS satellites is low and the positioning signal cannot be effectively received, such as when driving inside a tunnel, localization is performed based on information detected by the autonomous sensor 14.

[0019] On the other hand, the road map database 15 is a large-capacity storage medium such as an HDD, and stores well-known road map information. The vehicle position estimation calculation unit 12a performs map matching of the acquired position coordinates (latitude, longitude, altitude) on a road map to estimate the vehicle position (current position) on the road map. The road map information stores static map information that indicates road conditions such as road type (general road, trunk road, expressway, etc.), road shape, curve curvature, road direction, lane width, intersections (crossroads, T-junctions), etc.

[0020] The camera unit 21 is fixed to the upper center of the front interior of the vehicle M, and has an on-board camera (stereo camera) consisting of a main camera 21a and a sub-camera 21b arranged at symmetrical positions across the center in the vehicle width direction (vehicle width center), an image processing unit (IPU) 21c, and a forward driving environment recognition unit 21d. The camera unit 21 captures reference image data with the main camera 21a and captures comparison image data with the sub-camera 21b.

[0021] The IPU 21c then performs predetermined image processing on both sets of image data. The forward driving environment recognition unit 21d reads the reference image data and comparison image data that have been image-processed by the IPU 21c, and calculates distance information data (the distance from the vehicle M to the object) of the same object in both images based on the parallax between them using the principles of triangulation. Next, a well-known grouping process is performed on this distance information, and the grouped distance information is compared (pattern matching) with pre-stored three-dimensional road shape data, solid object data, etc. This extracts forward driving environment information such as road shape data such as the curved road C shown in Figures 5 to 7, data on section lines separating the left and right sides of a lane, data on solid fixed objects such as exterior wall guardrails, and data on moving objects including vehicles.

[0022] This forward driving environment information is read by a driving assistance control unit 31. The input side of this driving assistance control unit 31 is connected to the forward driving environment recognition unit 21d of the camera unit 21 and the map locator calculation unit 12. Furthermore, the input side of this driving assistance control unit 31 is connected to the vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit 32, and the vehicle speed sensor 33, steering angle sensor 34, and lateral acceleration sensor 35 that constitute the autonomous sensor 14 described above.

[0023] The vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit 32 communicates with other vehicles, and acquires information about the driving state of the other vehicle through mutual communication between the vehicles. Furthermore, the vehicle speed sensor 33 detects the vehicle speed (host vehicle speed) Vs of the host vehicle M, the steering angle sensor 34 detects the steering angle of the steered wheels (front wheels), and the lateral acceleration sensor 35 detects the lateral acceleration (lateral G) generated in the host vehicle M. It should be noted that a yaw rate sensor that detects the yaw rate acting on the host vehicle M may be added to these sensors.

[0024] On the other hand, the output side of the driving assistance control unit 31 is connected to a brake drive unit 36, an electric power steering motor drive unit (EPS drive unit) 37, an acceleration / deceleration control unit 38, and an alarm device 39 such as a monitor or speaker that notifies the driver of information to alert the driver.

[0025] Based on the forward driving environment information acquired by the forward driving environment recognition unit 21d of the camera unit 21, the driving assistance control unit 31 operates the brake driving unit 36, the EPS driving unit 37, and the acceleration / deceleration control unit 38 that controls the output of the driving source (engine or electric motor) in a predetermined manner, thereby performing various driving assistance controls such as well-known ACC control, active lane keep (ALK) control, and lane departure prevention (LDP) control.

[0026] Here, ACC control controls the vehicle speed when the forward driving environment recognition unit 21d recognizes a preceding vehicle to be followed, and follows the preceding vehicle while maintaining a preset inter-vehicle distance. If no preceding vehicle is detected, ACC control performs constant driving at a set vehicle speed. ALK control recognizes the left and right lane markings on which the host vehicle M is traveling based on the forward driving environment information, and performs steering control to make the host vehicle M travel along the center between the lane markings. LDP control calculates the lateral position of the host vehicle M relative to the left and right lane markings on which the host vehicle M is traveling based on the forward driving environment information, and if it predicts that the lateral position will cross the lane markings, performs steering control to make the host vehicle M parallel to the lane markings, thereby preventing lane departure. Furthermore, the alarm device 39 issues an alarm to the driver visually (monitor display, lamp illumination, etc.) or audibly (buzzer, voice, etc.) based on a command signal from the driving assistance control unit 31.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 5, when a vehicle M follows a preceding vehicle P and enters a curved road C, if the curvature of the curved road C is large, the preceding vehicle P may move out of the field of view of the camera unit 21 mounted on the vehicle M and be lost, as shown in FIG. 6. In ACC control, when the preceding vehicle P to be followed is no longer detected, the vehicle M attempts to accelerate up to a set vehicle speed. However, as shown in FIG. 7, when the preceding vehicle P is captured as the vehicle M is about to complete a sharp turn on the curved road C, the ACC control attempts to suddenly decelerate the vehicle and increase the distance between the vehicles. This can cause discomfort to passengers, including the driver.

[0028] Therefore, in the driving assistance control unit 31 of this embodiment, when the camera unit 21 temporarily loses sight of the preceding vehicle P due to a sharp curve, the driving assistance control unit 31 continues to follow the preceding vehicle P using ACC control based on information regarding the driving state of the preceding vehicle P obtained by the vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit 32.

[0029] The ACC control by the driving assistance control unit 31 when traveling on a curved road C is executed in accordance with the preceding vehicle following control processing routine shown in Figures 2 to 4. The curved road C is continuously made up of an entrance-side clothoid section where the curve curvature gradually increases from the entrance according to a predetermined clothoid curvature, a constant curvature section that continues from this clothoid section and has a maximum curve curvature, and an exit-side clothoid section where the curve curvature gradually decreases from the constant curvature section towards the exit according to the predetermined clothoid curvature and is connected to a straight road.

[0030] This routine is executed at predetermined calculation intervals after the system is started up. First, in step S1, the forward driving environment information recognized by the forward driving environment recognition unit 21d of the camera unit 21 is read, and the process proceeds to step S2 to check whether the vehicle is traveling on a curved road C.

[0031] Whether or not the vehicle is traveling on a curved road C is determined by calculating the road shape obtained from forward environmental information, i.e., the curvature (1 / R) of the center of the dividing line that divides the left and right sides of the lane in which the vehicle M is traveling, and if this curvature (1 / R) is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on a curved road, and the process proceeds to step S3. On the other hand, if the curvature (1 / R) is less than the predetermined threshold, it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on a straight road or a gently curved road close to a straight road, and the process exits the routine.

[0032] The curvature (1 / R) may be obtained from map information of the vehicle's position on a road map estimated by the vehicle position estimation calculation unit 12a of the vehicle position estimation unit 11. Alternatively, it may be determined whether the vehicle is traveling on a curved road C based on the steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor 34, or the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 33 and the lateral acceleration detected by the lateral acceleration sensor 35.

[0033] If it is determined that the host vehicle M is traveling on a curved road C and the process proceeds to step S3, the host vehicle M determines whether a preceding vehicle P is traveling ahead in the lane in which the host vehicle M is traveling based on the forward traveling environment information. The processing in this step corresponds to the preceding vehicle recognition unit of the present invention.

[0034] If the preceding vehicle P is recognized as shown in Fig. 5, the process proceeds to step S4. In step S4, the driving assistance control unit 31 continues the preceding vehicle following driving under ACC control and exits the routine.

[0035] Furthermore, if information about the preceding vehicle P cannot be obtained from the forward traveling environment information because the preceding vehicle P is temporarily out of the angle of view captured by the camera unit 21 (see FIG. 6) due to, for example, the preceding vehicle P traveling around a sharp curve, the process branches from step S3 to step S5. When branching to step S5, the ACC control maintains the current following vehicle speed and proceeds to step S6. As a result, even if the preceding vehicle P is temporarily lost sight of, unnecessary acceleration of the host vehicle M is suppressed, and discomfort felt by the passengers can be alleviated. The processing in step S5 corresponds to the vehicle speed maintenance control unit of the present invention.

[0036] In step S6, it is checked whether inter-vehicle communication with the preceding vehicle P is possible based on a detection signal from the inter-vehicle communication unit 32. The inter-vehicle communication unit 32 performs two-way wireless communication with other vehicles, and if mutual communication with the preceding vehicle P is possible, for example, the inter-vehicle communication unit 32 acquires the position information (latitude, longitude, altitude), vehicle speed, etc. of the preceding vehicle P.

[0037] If it is determined that inter-vehicle communication with the preceding vehicle P is not possible, the process proceeds to step S7. On the other hand, if it is determined that inter-vehicle communication with the preceding vehicle P is possible, the process branches to step S13.

[0038] In step S7, the change in the curve curvature (1 / R) at the center of the lane marking is checked for each calculation cycle based on the forward driving environment information. If the curve curvature of the curved road C is the same as or has changed to be larger than the previous value, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, it is determined that the vehicle M is traveling in a clothoid section on the entrance side of the curved road C or a constant curvature section, and the system waits until it has traveled through a clothoid section on the exit side. If the curvature of the curved road C has changed to be smaller than the previous value, it is determined that the vehicle M is traveling in an exit clothoid curvature section, as shown in Figure 7, and the system proceeds to step S8. The processing in step S7 corresponds to the curve curvature detection unit of the present invention.

[0039] In step S8, it is determined whether or not the preceding vehicle P has been recognized (captured) based on the forward driving environment information. If the preceding vehicle P has been recognized, the process proceeds to step S9. If the preceding vehicle P has not yet been recognized, the process branches to step S10.

[0040] In step S9, the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle P is calculated from the relative vehicle speed between the preceding vehicle P and the host vehicle M, and a target inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle M and the preceding vehicle P is set according to this vehicle speed. Then, the host vehicle speed is set to maintain the target inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle P and the host vehicle M. At this time, if the inter-vehicle distance is longer than the target inter-vehicle distance and the host vehicle accelerates to close the inter-vehicle distance, the acceleration is set to generate a lateral G force at a level that does not cause discomfort to passengers, including the driver.

[0041] On the other hand, when the process branches to step S10, the vehicle is accelerated at an acceleration that generates a level of lateral G that does not cause the passengers to feel uneasy, according to the curve curvature (1 / R) at the center of the lane calculated based on the information on the forward driving environment, and the process proceeds to step S11. In step S11, it is checked based on the information on the forward driving environment whether or not the preceding vehicle P has been recognized (captured), and if not recognized, the process of step S10 is repeated. If the preceding vehicle P has been recognized, the process proceeds to step S12. The process in step S10 corresponds to the acceleration control unit of the present invention.

[0042] When the process proceeds from step S9 or step S11 to step S12, the vehicle follows the preceding vehicle at a speed that maintains the target inter-vehicle distance, and the routine ends.

[0043] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S6 that vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the preceding vehicle P is possible and the process branches to step S13, the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle P (preceding vehicle speed) is obtained from the information about the preceding vehicle P obtained through vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and the preceding vehicle speed obtained in the previous calculation is compared with the current preceding vehicle speed. If the preceding vehicle speed has not changed, the process proceeds to step S14. If the preceding vehicle speed has changed, the process branches to step S15.

[0044] When the process proceeds to step S14, the vehicle speed maintaining the current lateral G is set as the target vehicle speed for the host vehicle, and the process proceeds to step S19. If the current lateral G acting on the host vehicle M is 0.3 G, accelerating the vehicle to 0.5 G in order to follow the preceding vehicle P will cause anxiety to the occupants. Therefore, by running the vehicle on the curved road at a vehicle speed maintaining the current lateral G, the anxiety felt by the occupants is reduced.

[0045] Furthermore, when the process branches from step S13 to step S15, it is determined whether the preceding vehicle P is accelerating or not based on changes in the vehicle speed (preceding vehicle speed) of the preceding vehicle P obtained through vehicle-to-vehicle communication. If it is determined that the preceding vehicle P is accelerating, the process proceeds to step S16. If it is determined that the preceding vehicle P is decelerating, the process proceeds to step S17. When the process proceeds to step S16, the behavior of the preceding vehicle P is determined based on information such as changes in the vehicle speed (preceding vehicle speed), yaw rate, and lateral G obtained through vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

[0046] If it is determined that the behavior of the preceding vehicle P is stable, the process proceeds to step S17. On the other hand, if it is determined that the behavior of the preceding vehicle P is unstable, the process proceeds to step S18. The stability is determined from changes in lateral G and yaw rate. For example, if the lateral G acting on the preceding vehicle P is 0.3 G and the preceding vehicle P accelerates and the lateral G increases to 0.5 G, the preceding vehicle P is determined to be unstable.

[0047] When the process proceeds from step S15 or step S16 to step S17, the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle P obtained through vehicle-to-vehicle communication is set as the target vehicle speed of the host vehicle M, and the process proceeds to step S19. When the process proceeds from step S16 to step S18, the target vehicle speed is set to the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle P (preceding vehicle speed), an acceleration is set to cause the current host vehicle speed to reach the target vehicle speed, the host vehicle M is accelerated, and the process proceeds to step S19.

[0048] The acceleration set in step S18 is an acceleration that generates lateral G that is suppressed to a level that does not cause anxiety to passengers including the driver. Therefore, even if the lateral G acting on the preceding vehicle P increases from 0.3 G to 0.5 G, for example, the host vehicle M does not accelerate from 0.3 G to 0.5 G, but rather causes the host vehicle speed to reach the target vehicle speed at an acceleration that generates lateral G that is suppressed to a level that does not cause anxiety to passengers. The processing in steps S13 to S18 described above corresponds to the target vehicle speed setting unit of the present invention.

[0049] Thereafter, when the process proceeds from step S14, step S17, or step S18 to step S19, it is checked whether or not the preceding vehicle P has been recognized (captured) based on the forward traveling environment information. If the preceding vehicle P has not been recognized, the process returns to step S13. If the preceding vehicle P has been recognized, the process returns to step S12, and the preceding vehicle following driving is performed while maintaining the target vehicle speed set in step S17 or step S18, and the routine ends.

[0050] In this embodiment, when the host vehicle M is traveling on a curved road following the preceding vehicle P, if the preceding vehicle P enters a sharp curve with a relatively large curvature and the camera unit 21 temporarily loses sight of the preceding vehicle P, in step S5 the host vehicle M is caused to travel while maintaining the following vehicle speed immediately before the loss of sight of the preceding vehicle P. Therefore, the host vehicle M is not accelerated to the set vehicle speed, unnecessary acceleration is suppressed, and discomfort to passengers including the driver can be reduced.

[0051] Thereafter, if it is determined that inter-vehicle communication is possible between the preceding vehicle P and the subject vehicle M, the target vehicle speed of the subject vehicle M is set based on the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle P obtained through this inter-vehicle communication, thereby maintaining good following driving performance.

[0052] Furthermore, if the host vehicle M recognizes a preceding vehicle P while traveling on a curved road, the host vehicle speed is set in step S9 to maintain the target inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle P and the host vehicle M, and at that time, the host vehicle is accelerated at an acceleration that generates a level of lateral G that does not cause anxiety to the passengers, including the driver, so that even in this case, the discomfort felt by the passengers can be reduced.

[0053] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, the forward driving environment information acquisition unit is not limited to the camera unit 21, but may be a millimeter wave radar, a microwave radar, an ultrasonic sensor, or a lidar (LiDAR: Light Detection and Ranging), or may be configured to combine these with a monocular camera. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1...Traction control device, 11... Vehicle position estimation unit, 12...Map locator calculation unit, 12a... vehicle position estimation calculation unit, 13...GNSS receiver, 14...Autonomous sensors, 15...Road map database, 21...Camera unit, 21a...Main camera, 21b...Sub camera, 21c...Image Processing Unit (IPU), 21d...Front driving environment recognition unit, 31...Driver assistance control unit, 32...Vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit, 33...vehicle speed sensor, 34...Steering angle sensor, 35...Lateral acceleration sensor, 36...Brake drive unit, 37...Electric power steering motor drive unit, 38...Acceleration / deceleration control unit, 39...alarm device, C...curve road, M...own vehicle, P... Leading vehicle, Vs…Vehicle speed

Claims

1. a driving environment information acquisition unit that acquires driving environment information ahead of the host vehicle; a travel control unit that causes the host vehicle to travel following a preceding vehicle; In a vehicle driving control device comprising: The traveling control unit a preceding vehicle recognition unit that recognizes the preceding vehicle to be followed based on the driving environment information; a curve curvature detection unit that detects the curvature of a curved road based on the driving environment information or road map information; a vehicle speed maintenance control unit that, when the preceding vehicle recognition unit loses sight of the preceding vehicle to be followed, causes the host vehicle to travel at a following vehicle speed that was being used immediately before the preceding vehicle was lost sight of; a vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit capable of communicating information between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle; a target vehicle speed setting unit that sets a target vehicle speed of the host vehicle; Equipped with When the vehicle speed maintenance control unit causes the host vehicle to travel at the following vehicle speed immediately before losing sight of the preceding vehicle, and when the vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit determines that communication with the preceding vehicle is possible, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit detects a speed change from the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle acquired by the vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit, and when the travel control unit determines that the preceding vehicle is decelerating from the detection result of the speed change, the target vehicle speed setting unit sets the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle to the target vehicle speed of the host vehicle; The vehicle driving control device is characterized in that the driving control unit causes the host vehicle to follow the target vehicle at the target vehicle speed.

2. a lateral acceleration detection unit that detects a lateral acceleration acting on the host vehicle; Further provided with When the traveling control unit determines that the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle has not changed from the detection result of the speed change, the target vehicle speed setting unit sets a vehicle speed maintaining the current lateral acceleration detected by the lateral acceleration detection unit as the target vehicle speed; The traveling control unit causes the host vehicle to travel following the target vehicle speed.

2. The vehicle driving control device according to claim 1.

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