Vehicle control system

Abstract

To prohibit execution of unnecessary predictive acceleration and deceleration control due to erroneous operation of a direction indicator lamp switch.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device has a function to execute predictive acceleration and deceleration control in preparation for a vehicle lane change when either first or the second direction indicator lamp switch is turned on as a trigger. If one of the first and second direction indicator lamp switches is turned on after a predetermined time has passed since the other of the first and second direction indicator lamp switch was turned on, the vehicle control device executes the predictive acceleration and deceleration control, using turning on of the other direction indicator lamp switch as at least one of the triggers. If the other direction indicator lamp switch is turned on within the predetermined time after the one of the direction indicator lamp switches was turned on and off, the vehicle control device does not execute the predictive acceleration and deceleration control using the turning on of the other direction indicator lamp switch as the trigger.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control device.

Background Art

[0002] One of the controls in a vehicle is adaptive cruise control (ACC). In ACC, for example, based on the operation of flashing a direction indicator, preparatory acceleration / deceleration control for lane change is executed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, when a driver who tries to turn off a flashing direction indicator accidentally turns on the direction indicator on the opposite side, unintended preparatory acceleration / deceleration control may be executed.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle control device that can prohibit the execution of unnecessary preparatory acceleration / deceleration control due to an incorrect operation of a direction indicator.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The vehicle control device according to the present disclosure includes a control unit that performs acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle to execute follow-up driving control And a counter that measures time for a predetermined period of time at a predetermined timing, and has a function of executing preparatory acceleration / deceleration control for lane change of the vehicle triggered by either the first or second direction indicator switch being turned on, When one of the first and second turn signal switches is turned on and then turned off, the counter starts timing the predetermined time, and the control unit, wherein one of the first and second direction indicator switches The aforementioned is turned on and then turned off After that, when the other of the first and second turn signal light switches is turned on, it is determined whether the counter is timing, and if the counter is not timing, one of the turn signal light switches is turned on and off. then The aforementioned After the prescribed time has elapsed, Notes and others The turn signal switch was turned on. as The pre-acceleration / deceleration control is performed with the on-turn of the other turn signal switch as at least one of the triggers. If the aforementioned counter was in the process of timing, If the predetermined time has not elapsed since one of the turn signal switches was turned on and then off, the other turn signal switch is turned on. as The pre-acceleration / deceleration control triggered by turning on the other turn signal light switch is not performed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the vehicle control device described herein, it is possible to prevent the execution of unnecessary pre-acceleration / deceleration control due to erroneous operation of the turn signal light switch. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle control system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the operation of a vehicle control system according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the timing processing procedure that the ACC-ECU according to the embodiment performs in the background while ACC is applied to the vehicle's operation. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for the pre-acceleration / deceleration control process that the ACC-ECU according to the embodiment performs when ACC is applied. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an operating lever for a momentary type turn signal switch. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the vehicle control device according to this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] (Example of a vehicle control system configuration) Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle control system 1 according to an embodiment. The vehicle control system 1 of the embodiment is mounted on a vehicle and performs adaptive cruise control (ACC) to drive the vehicle while maintaining a constant distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle.

[0011] As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle control system 1 of the embodiment includes an ACC-ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 10, a front camera 21, a right turn signal switch 22a, a left turn signal switch 22b, a drive system ECU 30 that controls the vehicle's power source, and a VSC (Vehicle Stability Control) ECU 40 that controls the brakes to perform vehicle stability control, etc. The power source may be an engine or a motor.

[0012] The front camera 21 is, for example, a stereo camera and is configured to capture images of the area in front of the vehicle. The stereo camera continuously captures still images at a predetermined frame rate and detects the distance to the position of an object in the captured images based on parallax information. The front camera 21 is installed, for example, in the center of the front of the vehicle interior, on the windshield surface behind the rearview mirror, so that it can capture images of the area in front of the vehicle at a wide angle.

[0013] However, the mechanism for monitoring the area in front of the vehicle is not limited to a stereo camera; other sensors, such as millimeter-wave sensors, may also be used.

[0014] The turn signals (indicators), which flash when operated by the right turn signal switch 22a and the left turn signal switch 22b, are located on the front and rear right and left sides of the vehicle, respectively, and indicate the direction of travel when the vehicle changes lanes. The right turn signal switch 22a and the left turn signal switch 22b are located near the steering wheel as turn signal levers, and when the turn signal lever is moved down or up, the right turn signal switch 22a or the left turn signal switch 22b is turned on.

[0015] The ACC-ECU 10 is configured as a computer including, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., not shown in the figure, and performs ACC.

[0016] ACC is a following driving function that causes the vehicle (the host vehicle) to travel following another vehicle (the preceding vehicle) traveling ahead of it. For example, an operation switch related to ACC is provided on the steering wheel. The operation switch includes an ACC main switch for turning on / off ACC, a set switch for setting the current vehicle speed as the set speed, a set inter-vehicle distance switching switch for switching the length of the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle, a cancel switch for canceling the operation of ACC, and a resume switch for restarting ACC at the previous set speed.

[0017] When the ACC main switch is pressed, the ACC function operates. After that, when the set switch is pressed, the current vehicle speed is set as the set speed. The set speed can be changed by pressing the resume switch or the set switch. That is, by pressing the resume switch, the set speed can be increased, and by pressing the set switch, the set speed can be decreased. Also, by pressing the set inter-vehicle distance switching switch, for example, it is possible to switch whether to set the inter-vehicle distance longer, shorter, or to an intermediate setting.

[0018] When the set speed is set, the ACC (following driving control) that causes the vehicle to travel following the preceding vehicle ahead of it is started by the ACC-ECU 10. In ACC, according to the presence or absence of the preceding vehicle, the following driving to the preceding vehicle with the set speed set by switch operation as the upper limit speed and the constant speed driving at that set speed are automatically switched. During following driving, the vehicle is accelerated or decelerated so that the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle ahead of it is maintained at the target inter-vehicle distance.

[0019] Such ACC functions are also applied, for example, when the vehicle changes lanes. In this case, the ACC-ECU10 performs various controls based on lane information, including lane information recognized by the front camera 21, as will be described in detail later.

[0020] To achieve the above functions, the ACC-ECU10 includes a preceding vehicle detection unit 11, an acceleration / deceleration control unit 12, counters 13a and 13b, and a storage unit 14 as its functional units. The above functional units of the ACC-ECU10 are realized by the CPU of the ACC-ECU10 loading a control program stored in, for example, ROM into RAM and executing it.

[0021] The preceding vehicle detection unit 11 acquires an image of the front of the vehicle from the front camera 21 and detects a preceding vehicle located in front of the vehicle by analyzing the acquired image.

[0022] When the vehicle is traveling straight, the preceding vehicle detection unit 11 detects a vehicle located in front of the vehicle, for example, in the same lane as the vehicle's own lane, as the preceding vehicle. When the vehicle is about to change lanes, the preceding vehicle detection unit 11 detects a vehicle located in front of the vehicle, for example, in the adjacent lane to which the vehicle is changing lanes, as the preceding vehicle.

[0023] It is possible to determine that a vehicle is about to change lanes by, for example, when driving on a road without intersections, by the driver operating the right turn signal switch 22a or the left turn signal switch 22b to make it flash. Note that a vehicle changing lanes includes cases where the vehicle is overtaking a vehicle in its own lane.

[0024] The acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 performs deceleration control via the VSC-ECU 40 for vehicles with ACC applied (ACC on). It also performs acceleration control via the drive system ECU 30. In other words, the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 controls the VSC-ECU 40 and the drive system ECU to control the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle.

[0025] More specifically, when the vehicle is traveling in a straight line, the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 controls the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle while maintaining a constant distance from the preceding vehicle. Alternatively, if there is no preceding vehicle in front of the vehicle, the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 controls the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle to maintain a preset speed.

[0026] Furthermore, when a vehicle is about to change lanes, the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 performs preliminary acceleration / deceleration control in preparation for the lane change. Preliminary acceleration / deceleration control is performed to control the vehicle to an appropriate speed so that it can change lanes smoothly.

[0027] Specifically, in the pre-acceleration / deceleration control, if there is a preceding vehicle traveling at a speed faster than the current vehicle speed in the lane to be changed to, or if there is no preceding vehicle, the vehicle will accelerate to the set speed in conjunction with the operation of the right turn signal switch 22a or left turn signal switch 22b on the lane to be changed to. However, if the difference between the speed of the preceding vehicle traveling in the lane to be changed to and the speed of the vehicle to be changed to exceeds a predetermined value, the pre-acceleration / deceleration control will not be performed, as it may become difficult to perform the lane change smoothly.

[0028] Furthermore, if there is a vehicle ahead of the vehicle in the lane it is changing to that is moving slower than the current vehicle speed, the vehicle will decelerate in conjunction with the operation of the right turn signal switch 22a or left turn signal switch 22b on the side of the lane it is changing to. Through these controls, the vehicle is controlled to an appropriate speed that allows for a smooth lane change while it is still in the original lane.

[0029] Subsequently, when the right turn signal switch 22a or the left turn signal switch 22b, which triggered the pre-acceleration / deceleration control, is turned off, the pre-acceleration control ends.

[0030] Here, the ACC-ECU10 has an operating upper speed limit and an operating lower speed limit set as speed ranges in which pre-acceleration / deceleration control can be performed in order to smoothly change lanes. When attempting to activate pre-acceleration / deceleration control by operating the right turn signal switch 22a or the left turn signal switch 22b, if the vehicle speed is not within the range of the operating upper speed limit and the operating lower speed limit, pre-acceleration / deceleration control will not be performed.

[0031] Furthermore, in order to perform pre-acceleration / deceleration control, the ACC-ECU10 of this embodiment is subject to additional conditions.

[0032] In other words, the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 is configured not to perform preliminary acceleration / deceleration control if, after one of the right turn signal switch 22a and the left turn signal switch 22b is turned on and then turned off, the other of the right turn signal switch 22a and the left turn signal switch 22b is immediately turned on. It is possible to determine that the other of the right turn signal switch 22a and the left turn signal switch 22b has been operated immediately following the operation of the other by referring to the state of counters 13a and 13b described below.

[0033] The counter 13a keeps time until a predetermined period of time has elapsed, once the right turn signal switch 22a is turned on and then off. Therefore, when the left turn signal switch 22b is turned on after the right turn signal switch 22a has been turned on, the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 checks whether the counter 13a is still keeping time. If the counter 13a is still keeping time, the predetermined period of time has not elapsed, and the preliminary acceleration / deceleration control triggered by turning on (operating) the left turn signal switch 22b is not performed.

[0034] The counter 13b starts timing when the left turn signal switch 22b is turned on and then off, until a predetermined time has elapsed. Therefore, when the right turn signal switch 22a is turned on after the left turn signal switch 22b has been operated, the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 checks whether the counter 13b is still timing. If the counter 13b is still timing, it is assumed that the predetermined time has not elapsed, and the preliminary acceleration / deceleration control triggered by turning on (operating) the right turn signal switch 22a is not performed.

[0035] The memory unit 14 stores control programs and control parameters for realizing the functions of the ACC-ECU 10. The memory unit 14 also stores various condition values ​​for pre-acceleration and deceleration control, such as the upper and lower operating speed limits and the set vehicle speed. The memory unit 14 also stores the setting of a predetermined time for timing by the counters 13a and 13b.

[0036] The drivetrain ECU 30 is configured as a computer equipped with, for example, a CPU, ROM, and RAM (not shown), and controls the vehicle's power source (e.g., the engine) to accelerate the vehicle. When ACC is applied to the vehicle, the drivetrain ECU 30 controls the vehicle's power source to accelerate under the control of the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12.

[0037] The VSC-ECU40 is configured as a computer equipped with, for example, a CPU, ROM, and RAM (not shown), and controls the vehicle's brakes via a hydraulic system to decelerate the vehicle. The hydraulic system consists of an oil tank, pump, piston, cylinder, and valves, and generates power through hydraulic pressure. When ACC is applied to the vehicle, the VSC-ECU40 controls the vehicle's brakes to decelerate it under the control of the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12.

[0038] (Example of vehicle control system operation) Next, an example of the operation of the vehicle control system 1 according to the embodiment will be described using Figure 2. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the operation of the vehicle control system 1 according to the embodiment. In the example in Figure 2, it is assumed that a vehicle 100 with ACC applied is attempting to move from the left lane to the right lane of the road.

[0039] As shown in Figure 2(a), initially, vehicle 100 is driving straight in the left lane of the road while using ACC. The preceding vehicle detection unit 11 of the ACC-ECU 10 sets a predetermined range in front of its own lane as the detection area AR, and detects vehicle 200 located within the detection area AR in the image captured by the front camera 21 as the preceding vehicle. The acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 controls the acceleration and deceleration of vehicle 100 so that a constant following distance (target following distance) is maintained with respect to the vehicle 200 detected as the preceding vehicle.

[0040] Here, the detection area AR is set based on lane information recognized by the front camera 21 and the operating status of the right turn signal switch 22a or the left turn signal switch 22b. In other words, as in the example in Figure 2(a), when the vehicle 100 is driving straight and neither the right turn signal switch 22a nor the left turn signal switch 22b is operated, the predetermined range in front of the vehicle's lane is set as the detection area AR, as described above.

[0041] As shown in Figure 2(b), the driver of vehicle (own vehicle) 100 operates the right turn signal switch 22a to make the turn signal on the right side of the vehicle flash. When the right turn signal switch 22a is turned on, the preceding vehicle detection unit 11 moves the position of the detection area AR, which is set in front of the vehicle 100's own lane, to the adjacent lane on the right turn signal switch 22a side, that is, in front of the right lane.

[0042] If another vehicle is present within the detection area AR, which has been moved forward in the right lane, the preceding vehicle detection unit 11 detects that vehicle as the preceding vehicle. If the speed of vehicle 100 is within the above-mentioned operating upper speed limit and operating lower speed limit range, and the speed difference with the vehicle traveling in the lane to be changed to is less than a predetermined value, the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 performs preliminary acceleration / deceleration control to match the speed of vehicle 100 to the speed of the vehicle traveling in the lane to be changed to.

[0043] If no other vehicles are present within the detection area AR, which has been moved forward in the right lane, the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 performs preliminary acceleration / deceleration control to adjust the speed of the vehicle 100 to a predetermined set speed, provided that the speed of the vehicle 100 is within the range of the above-mentioned upper and lower operating speed limits.

[0044] As shown in Figure 2(c), the driver begins to change lanes to the right lane.

[0045] As shown in Figure 2(d), the vehicle 100 has completed its lane change to the right lane. After completing the lane change, the driver attempts to turn off the right turn signal switch 22a by operating it again, but accidentally activates the left turn signal switch 22b.

[0046] In this case, the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 may be triggered by the operation of the left turn signal switch 22b and start pre-acceleration / deceleration control. However, if the left turn signal switch 22b is operated immediately following the operation of the right turn signal switch 22a, it is unlikely that the driver intends to change lanes to the right lane and then immediately return to the left lane. In such cases, the operation of the right turn signal switch 22a and the left turn signal switch 22b is likely to be a driver error.

[0047] In the ACC-ECU10 of this embodiment, the right turn signal switch 22a is turned on and then off during the above operation, so the counter 13a for the right turn signal switch 22a starts timing at this point. Also, since the left turn signal switch 22b is turned on after the right turn signal switch 22a is turned off, the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 refers to the status of the counter 13a when starting preliminary acceleration / deceleration control triggered by the operation of the left turn signal switch 22b.

[0048] In the example shown in Figure 2(d), it is assumed that the counter 13a continued to measure the predetermined time because the left turn signal switch 22b was immediately turned on after the right turn signal switch 22a was turned off. In this case, the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 does not perform preliminary acceleration / deceleration control triggered by the operation of the left turn signal switch 22b.

[0049] As described above, when changing lanes, the driver may accidentally activate the opposite side of the right turn signal switch 22a and the left turn signal switch 22b from the side that was initially turned on, due to a driver error after completing the lane change.

[0050] The ACC-ECU10 in this embodiment includes counters 13a and 13b that measure a predetermined time after the right turn signal switch 22a and the left turn signal switch 22b are turned off. Furthermore, when the right turn signal switch 22a and the left turn signal switch 22b are operated in succession, the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 refers to the state of counters 13a and 13b, thereby suppressing unnecessary pre-acceleration / deceleration control even if the driver makes a mistake.

[0051] Furthermore, even if the left turn signal switch 22b is turned off after the right turn signal switch 22a is turned off, if the counter 13a has finished timing for a predetermined period of time, the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 will perform preliminary acceleration / deceleration control triggered by turning on the left turn signal switch 22b.

[0052] Furthermore, while the example in Figure 2 describes the case where the right turn signal switch 22a is operated to change lanes from the left lane to the right lane, the same control is performed for lane changes in the opposite direction. That is, if the left turn signal switch 22b is turned on to change lanes from the right lane to the left lane, and then the right turn signal switch 22a is turned on, the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 refers to the state of the counter 13b corresponding to the left turn signal switch 22b.

[0053] In this case, if the counter 22b is still timing, the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 does not perform preliminary acceleration / deceleration control triggered by the left turn signal switch 22b being turned on. On the other hand, if the counter 22b has finished timing, the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 performs preliminary acceleration / deceleration control triggered by the left turn signal switch 22b being turned on.

[0054] (Example of processing by a vehicle control system) Next, an example of the pre-acceleration / deceleration control process by the ACC-ECU10 of the embodiment will be described using Figures 3 and 4. Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the timing process procedure that the ACC-ECU10 of the embodiment performs in the background while ACC is applied to the driving of the vehicle 100.

[0055] As shown in Figure 3, when ACC is started and applied to the driving of vehicle 100 (step S101), counters 13a and 13b monitor whether the corresponding right turn signal switch 22a and left turn signal switch 22b have been operated, respectively (step S102). As long as neither the right turn signal switch 22a nor the left turn signal switch 22b is operated (step S102: No), counters 13a and 13b continue to monitor these right turn signal switches 22a and left turn signal switches 22b.

[0056] When either the right turn signal switch 22a or the left turn signal switch 22b is turned on or off (step S102: Yes), the corresponding counter 13a or 13b starts timing (step S103). In addition, either counter 13a or 13b monitors whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of timing (step S104). If the predetermined time has not elapsed since the start of timing (step S104: No), the counters 13a and 13b continue timing.

[0057] When a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of timing (Step S104: Yes), either counter 13a or 13b that was continuing to time will stop timing (Step S105).

[0058] Furthermore, while ACC is applied to the vehicle 100, counters 13a and 13b periodically monitor whether ACC has been terminated (step S106). While ACC is applied (step S106: No), counters 13a and 13b repeat the processes in steps S102 to S105, and when ACC is terminated (step S106: Yes), counters 13a and 13b terminate their processes.

[0059] As a result, the timing process that is executed in the background when ACC is applied in the ACC-ECU10 of this embodiment is completed.

[0060] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for the pre-acceleration / deceleration control process that the ACC-ECU10 according to the embodiment performs when ACC is applied.

[0061] As shown in Figure 4, ACC is started and applied to the driving of vehicle 100 (step S201). As a result, the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 controls the acceleration and deceleration of vehicle 100 by the VSC-ECU 40 to maintain the target distance between vehicles in accordance with the speed of the preceding vehicle if there is a preceding vehicle in its lane, and according to the set vehicle speed when driving straight if there is no preceding vehicle (step S202).

[0062] Furthermore, the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 monitors whether either the right turn signal switch 22a or the left turn signal switch 22b is turned on (step S203). As long as neither the right turn signal switch 22a nor the left turn signal switch 22b is turned on (step S203: No), the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 continues to monitor the right turn signal switch 22a and the left turn signal switch 22b.

[0063] When either the right turn signal switch 22a or the left turn signal switch 22b is turned on (step S203: Yes), the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 determines whether the other turn signal switch 22a or the left turn signal switch 22b was turned off before the other was turned on (step S204).

[0064] If the other of the right turn signal switch 22a and the left turn signal switch 22b is operated (step S204: Yes), the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 determines whether either counter 13a or 13b corresponding to the other of the right turn signal switch 22a and the left turn signal switch 22b has finished timing (step S205). If the other of the right turn signal switch 22a and the left turn signal switch 22b is not operated (step S204: No), the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 skips the process in step S205.

[0065] If the process in step S205 is skipped, or if the timing of either of the corresponding counters 13a or 13b has finished (step S205: Yes), the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 determines whether the speed of the vehicle 100 at that time is greater than or equal to the operating lower limit and less than or equal to the operating upper limit (step S206). If the speed of the vehicle 100 is greater than or equal to the operating lower limit and less than or equal to the operating upper limit (step S206), the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 determines whether there is a preceding vehicle in the lane to be changed to (step S207).

[0066] The lane to be changed to is the lane adjacent to the current lane on one side of the right turn signal switch 22a and the left turn signal switch 22b, which were confirmed to be turned on during the process in step S203. As described above, the presence or absence of a preceding vehicle in the lane to be changed to is determined by the preceding vehicle detection unit 11 from the forward image captured by the forward camera 21.

[0067] If there is a preceding vehicle in the lane to be changed to (step S207: Yes), the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 determines whether the speed difference between vehicle 100 and the preceding vehicle is less than a predetermined value (step S208). If there is no preceding vehicle in the lane to be changed to (step S207: No), the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 skips the process in step S208.

[0068] If the process in step S208 is skipped, or if the speed difference with the preceding vehicle is less than a predetermined value (step S208: Yes), the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 performs preliminary acceleration / deceleration control (step S209).

[0069] At this time, the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 controls the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle 100 using the VSC-ECU 40 and the drive system ECU 30 so as to maintain a target distance based on the speed of the preceding vehicle if a preceding vehicle is present (step S207: Yes), and so as to reach the set vehicle speed if no preceding vehicle is present (step S207: No).

[0070] Furthermore, if neither the right turn signal switch 22a nor the left turn signal switch 22b is operated (step S203: No), if the other of the right turn signal switch 22a and the left turn signal switch 22b is operated before the other is turned on and the timing of the corresponding counters 13a and 13b has not finished (step S205: No), if the speed of the vehicle 100 is not within the range of the operating lower limit and operating upper limit (step S206: No), or if the speed difference with the preceding vehicle is greater than or equal to a predetermined value (step S208: No), the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 skips the processing in step S209 and does not perform preliminary acceleration / deceleration control.

[0071] Furthermore, while ACC is applied to the vehicle 100, the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 periodically monitors whether or not ACC has been terminated (step S210). While ACC is applied (step S210: No), the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 repeats the process from step S202 onward, and when ACC is terminated (step S210: Yes), the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 terminates its process.

[0072] With the above steps completed, the pre-acceleration / deceleration control process by the ACC-ECU10 of the embodiment is finished.

[0073] (Overview) When a vehicle with ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) enabled attempts to change lanes, the ACC-ECU performs preliminary acceleration and deceleration control, triggered, for example, by operating the turn signal switch. However, immediately after changing lanes, the driver may accidentally activate the turn signal switch on the opposite side of the lane being changed to. In this case, the driver may be triggered by operating the opposite turn signal, resulting in unexpected preliminary acceleration and deceleration.

[0074] According to the ACC-ECU10 of this embodiment, when one of the right turn signal switch 22a and the left turn signal switch 22b is turned on and then turned off, the acceleration / deceleration control unit 12 determines whether either of the counters 13a or 13b corresponding to one of the right turn signal switch 22a or the left turn signal switch 22b is timing, and if either of the corresponding counters 13a or 13b is timing, it does not perform preliminary acceleration / deceleration control triggered by turning on the other of the right turn signal switch 22a or the left turn signal switch 22b.

[0075] This prevents the execution of unnecessary pre-acceleration / deceleration control due to malfunction of the right turn signal switch 22a and the left turn signal switch 22b. In this way, the drivability of the vehicle 100 can be improved by preventing the driver from performing pre-acceleration / deceleration control that they did not anticipate.

[0076] According to the ACC-ECU10 of this embodiment, the right turn signal switch 22a is turned on and then turned off, and a counter 13a is set to measure a predetermined time. The left turn signal switch 22b is also turned on and then turned off, and a counter 13b is set to measure a predetermined time.

[0077] As a result, if either the right turn signal switch 22a or the left turn signal switch 22b is turned on, and then the other is turned on, the execution of pre-acceleration / deceleration control is prohibited for a predetermined time. Therefore, it is possible to identify which of the flashing lights of the right turn signal switch 22a and the left turn signal switch 22b is most likely to be due to driver error, and the execution of unnecessary pre-acceleration / deceleration control can be prohibited.

[0078] Furthermore, since pre-acceleration / deceleration control is prohibited for a predetermined period of time, if the right turn signal switch 22a and the left turn signal switch 22b are operated sequentially with a predetermined time interval between them, such as during overtaking, the driver is assumed to be intending to change lanes again, and if the other conditions mentioned above are met, pre-acceleration / deceleration control can be executed.

[0079] In this embodiment, the turn signal switches, such as the right turn signal switch 22a and the left turn signal switch 22b, include both alternate type switches and momentary type switches.

[0080] In an alternate-type turn signal switch, moving the operating lever of the turn signal switch in a predetermined direction causes the corresponding turn signal light to start flashing, and the operating lever is locked in the operating position. The operating lever returns to its original position in conjunction with the steering wheel operation, or the driver can manually return the operating lever to its original position. When the operating lever returns to its original position, the turn signal switch turns off, the turn signal light stops flashing, and the light turns off.

[0081] When changing lanes, the steering angle changes only slightly, so the turn signals may not automatically turn off. This can lead to the driver manually returning the control lever to its original position. In doing so, the control lever may be moved too far, potentially causing the opposite turn signal to flash incorrectly.

[0082] The operation of the momentary type turn signal switch will be explained below using Figure 5. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the operating lever LV of a momentary type turn signal switch.

[0083] As shown in Figure 5, in a momentary type turn signal switch, the operating lever LV of the turn signal switch has, for example, five operating positions P0, P11, P12, P21, and P22. When the operating lever LV is in operating position P0, both the left and right turn signal switches are inactive (switched off), meaning the turn signal lights are off.

[0084] When the control lever LV is moved to any of the operating positions P11, P12, P21, or P22, the corresponding turn signal switch is turned on and the turn signal light begins to flash. The flashing of the turn signal light continues until the control lever LV is released. When the control lever LV is released from operating position P11, P12, P21, or P22, the control lever LV automatically returns to operating position P0.

[0085] When the operating lever LV is released after being moved to operating positions P11 or P21, which are used when changing lanes, the operating lever LV returns to operating position P0, and the corresponding turn signal light flashes several times before turning off.

[0086] When the steering lever LV is released after being operated to positions P12 or P22, which are used for turning left or right, the lever LV returns to position P0, the corresponding turn signal light continues to flash, and then turns off in conjunction with the steering operation.

[0087] Here, we will explain what to do if the turn signals do not automatically stop flashing after turning left or right, or if you want to stop the flashing at a specific time. For example, after moving the control lever LV to the right turn position P12, you can manually stop the flashing of the right turn signal by moving the control lever LV back to the opposite position P21. Similarly, after moving the control lever LV to the left turn position P22, you can manually stop the flashing of the left turn signal by moving the control lever LV back to the opposite position P11. Furthermore, if you operate the control lever beyond positions P21 and P11 to positions P22 and P12, the turn signals on the side corresponding to these control positions P22 and P12 will flash.

[0088] In the above-described operation lever LV, it is assumed that when turning the vehicle left or right, the operation lever LV is moved to positions P12 and P22, and when changing lanes, it is moved to positions P11 and P21. However, as mentioned above, when a driver intends to change lanes and tries to operate the lever LV to the closer positions P11 and P21, they may accidentally move the lever LV too far and operate it to the further positions P12 and P22. In this case, the turn signal will not turn off after flashing a few times, and will continue to flash even after the lane change is complete, so the driver needs to manually stop (cancele) the flashing of the turn signal. At this time, even if the driver accidentally moves the lever LV far enough to the position P22 and P12 in the direction of the lane change and accidentally turns on the wrong turn signal, the execution of unnecessary pre-acceleration / deceleration control due to this erroneous operation is prohibited. Thus, the significance of the present invention is particularly evident in momentary type operation lever LV.

[0089] From the above, it can be concluded that the pre-acceleration / deceleration control by the ACC-ECU10 in the above embodiment is applicable to both alternate-type and momentary-type turn signal switches.

[0090] In the above embodiment, the ACC-ECU 10 is provided with a counter 13a for the right turn signal switch 22a and a counter 13b for the left turn signal switch 22b. However, a single counter may be capable of timing both after the operation of the right turn signal switch 22a and after the operation of the left turn signal switch 22b. Furthermore, performing preliminary acceleration / deceleration control triggered by the operation of the turn signal switch includes performing preliminary acceleration / deceleration control by flashing the turn signal lights based on the operation of the turn signal switch. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0091] 1. Vehicle control system 10 ACC-ECU 11 Leading vehicle Yamabe 12 Acceleration / Deceleration Control Unit 13a, 13b counters 14 Storage section 21 Front Camera 22a Right turn signal switch 22b Left turn signal switch 30 Drivetrain ECU 40 VSC-ECU 100,200 vehicles

Claims

1. A control unit that performs follow-me driving control by accelerating and decelerating the vehicle, It includes a counter that measures time for a predetermined period of time at a predetermined timing, The control unit, The system has a function that, triggered by the activation of either the first or second turn signal switch, performs preliminary acceleration and deceleration control in preparation for a lane change of the vehicle. The aforementioned counter is When one of the first and second turn signal switches is turned on and then turned off, the timer starts to run for the predetermined time. The control unit, After one of the first and second turn signal switches has been turned on and off, when the other of the first and second turn signal switches is turned on, it is determined whether the counter is currently timing. If the counter is not timing, the pre-acceleration / deceleration control is executed with the on state of the other turn signal switch as at least one of the triggers, after the predetermined time has elapsed since the one turn signal switch was turned on and off. If the counter is in the process of timing, and the predetermined time has not elapsed since one of the turn signal light switches was turned on and off, the other turn signal light switch will be assumed to have been turned on, and the preliminary acceleration / deceleration control triggered by the turning on of the other turn signal light switch will not be executed. Vehicle control system.

2. The aforementioned counter is Of the first and second turn signal light switches, when the first turn signal light switch is turned on and then turned off, a first counter that measures time for a predetermined period of time is activated. The system includes a second counter that, when the second turn signal switch is turned off after being turned on, measures a predetermined time, among the first and second turn signal switch switches, The control unit, If the first turn signal switch is turned on and then off, and the second turn signal switch is turned on while the first counter is timing, the pre-acceleration / deceleration control triggered by the turning on of the second turn signal switch will not be executed. If the second turn signal switch is turned on and then turned off, and the first turn signal switch is turned on while the second counter is timing, the pre-acceleration / deceleration control triggered by the first turn signal switch being turned on will not be performed. The vehicle control device according to claim 1.

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