Vehicle control system

Abstract

To suppress occurrence of congestion due to a decrease in vehicle speed.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device executes acquisition of a gradient at a current point where a vehicle is positioned. The vehicle control device executes acquisition of a gradient at a preceding point which a point preceding to the current point in a direction of travel of the vehicle. The vehicle control device executes comparison between the gradient at the current point and the gradient at the preceding point. The vehicle control device executes increasing vehicle drive power under the conditions that the gradient at the preceding point is larger than the gradient at the current point by a specified value or more.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] When there is a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the vehicle, the vehicle control device of Patent Document 1 sets a speed limit value distribution in a predetermined area around the preceding vehicle. The speed limit value distribution defines the upper limit value of the relative speed between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle. The vehicle control device of Patent Document 1 increases the upper limit value of the relative speed as the gradient of the current location where the vehicle is located is larger.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] As the gradient of the road on which the vehicle is traveling increases, the driving force required for the vehicle to travel increases. Therefore, if the driving force of the vehicle is constant, the speed of the vehicle decreases at a point where the gradient of the road increases. When the speed of the vehicle decreases in this way, there is a risk of traffic congestion at a point where the gradient of the road increases. Although the vehicle control device of Patent Document 1 changes the upper limit value of the relative speed according to the gradient of the road, it does not pay any attention to how to control the driving force of the vehicle according to the gradient of the road.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] A vehicle control device for solving the above problem performs the following: acquires the gradient of the current location where the vehicle is located, acquires the gradient of a preceding location which is a location ahead of the current location in the direction of travel of the vehicle, compares the gradient of the current location with the gradient of the preceding location, and increases the driving force of the vehicle on the condition that the gradient of the preceding location is greater than or equal to a predetermined value than the gradient of the current location.

[0006] A vehicle control device for solving the above problem performs the following: acquires the gradient of the current location where the vehicle is located; stores the acquired gradient of the current location for a predetermined period of time; compares the acquired gradient of the current location with the gradient of a travel point that is in the opposite direction to the direction of travel of the vehicle among the stored gradients; and increases the driving force of the vehicle on the condition that the acquired gradient of the current location is greater than or equal to a predetermined value than the gradient of the travel point. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the above configuration, the driving force of the vehicle increases near points where the road gradient becomes steeper. This helps to suppress congestion caused by a decrease in the vehicle's speed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of the information processing system. [Figure 2] This is a functional block diagram showing the basic configuration of the exercise manager. [Figure 3] This is a flowchart showing the drive force adjustment control. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] <Outline configuration of the information processing system> An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 3. First, the general configuration of the information processing system IS will be described.

[0010] As shown in Figure 1, the information processing system IS includes a vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 includes a powertrain unit 71, a steering unit 72, and a brake unit 73.

[0011] The powertrain system 71 includes an engine, a motor generator, and a transmission, etc. The engine can provide driving force to the drive wheels of the vehicle 100 via the transmission. The motor generator can also provide driving force to the drive wheels of the vehicle 100 via the transmission.

[0012] An example of a steering device 72 is a rack and pinion type electric steering device. The steering device 72 can change the direction of the steering wheels of the vehicle 100 by controlling a rack and pinion (not shown).

[0013] The brake device 73 is a so-called mechanical brake device that mechanically brakes the wheels of the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, an example of the brake device 73 is a disc brake.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle 100 is equipped with a central ECU 10, a powertrain ECU 20, a steering ECU 30, a brake ECU 40, and an advanced driver assistance ECU 50. The vehicle 100 is also equipped with a first external bus 61, a second external bus 62, a third external bus 63, a fourth external bus 64, and a fifth external bus 65. "ECU" is an abbreviation for Electronic Control Unit.

[0015] The central ECU 10 controls the entire vehicle 100. The central ECU 10 includes an execution unit 11 and a storage device 12. An example of the execution unit 11 is a CPU. The storage device 12 includes a read-only ROM, a read and write volatile RAM, and a read and write non-volatile storage. The storage device 12 pre-stores various programs and various data. The execution unit 11 performs various processes by executing the programs stored in the storage device 12.

[0016] The powertrain ECU 20 can communicate with the central ECU 10 via the first external bus 61. The powertrain ECU 20 controls the powertrain device 71 by outputting control signals to the powertrain device 71. The powertrain ECU 20 includes an execution device 21 and a storage device 22. An example of the execution device 21 is a CPU. The storage device 22 includes ROM, RAM, and storage. The storage device 22 pre-stores various programs and various data. In addition, the storage device 22 pre-stores the powertrain application 23A as one of the various programs. The powertrain application 23A is application software for controlling the powertrain device 71. The execution device 21 realizes the function of the powertrain control unit 23, which will be described later, by executing the powertrain application 23A stored in the storage device 22.

[0017] The steering ECU 30 can communicate with the central ECU 10 via the second external bus 62. The steering ECU 30 controls the steering device 72 by outputting control signals to the steering device 72. The steering ECU 30 includes an execution device 31 and a storage device 32. An example of the execution device 31 is a CPU. The storage device 32 includes ROM, RAM, and storage. The storage device 32 pre-stores various programs and various data. In addition, the storage device 32 pre-stores the steering application 33A as one of the various programs. The steering application 33A is application software for controlling the steering device 72. The execution device 31 realizes the function of the steering control unit 33, which will be described later, by executing the steering application 33A stored in the storage device 32.

[0018] The brake ECU 40 can communicate with the central ECU 10 via the third external bus 63. The brake ECU 40 controls the brake device 73 by outputting control signals to the brake device 73. The brake ECU 40 includes an execution device 41 and a storage device 42. An example of the execution device 41 is a CPU. The storage device 42 includes ROM, RAM, and storage. The storage device 42 pre-stores various programs and various data. In addition, the storage device 42 pre-stores a brake application 43A as one of the various programs. The brake application 43A is application software for controlling the brake device 73. Furthermore, the storage device 42 pre-stores a motion manager application 45A as one of the various programs. The motion manager application 45A is application software for mediating multiple motion requests. The execution device 41 realizes the function of the brake control unit 43, which will be described later, by executing the brake application 43A stored in the storage device 42. Furthermore, the execution device 41 realizes the function of a motion manager 45, which will be described later, by executing the motion manager application 45A stored in the storage device 42. In this embodiment, the brake ECU 40 is a control device for the vehicle 100.

[0019] The advanced driver assistance ECU 50 can communicate with the central ECU 10 via the fourth external bus 64. The advanced driver assistance ECU 50 performs various types of driver assistance. The advanced driver assistance ECU 50 is equipped with an execution device 51 and a storage device 52. An example of the execution device 51 is a CPU. The storage device 52 includes ROM, RAM, and storage. The storage device 52 pre-stores various programs and various data. The various programs include a first assistance application 56A, a second assistance application 57A, and a third assistance application 58A. An example of the first assistance application 56A is application software for collision mitigation braking, also known as AEB (Autonomous Emergency Braking), which automatically applies the brakes to reduce the damage of a collision with the vehicle 100. An example of the second assistance application 57A is application software for lane keeping assist, also known as LKA (Lane Keeping Assist), which maintains the lane in which the vehicle 100 is traveling. An example of the third support application 58A is application software for adaptive cruise control (ACC), which maintains a constant distance between the vehicle 100 and a preceding vehicle. In this embodiment, the first support application 56A, the second support application 57A, and the third support application 58A are application software that realizes the driving assistance functions of the vehicle 100. The execution device 51 realizes the function of the first support unit 56, described later, by executing the first support application 56A stored in the storage device 52. The execution device 51 also realizes the function of the second support unit 57, described later, by executing the second support application 57A stored in the storage device 52. The execution device 51 realizes the function of the third support unit 58, described later, by executing the third support application 58A stored in the storage device 52.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 100 includes an acceleration sensor 81, an inter-vehicle distance sensor 82, and a GNSS receiver 83. The acceleration sensor 81 is a so-called three-axis sensor. That is, the acceleration sensor 81 can detect the longitudinal acceleration GX, the lateral acceleration GY, and the vertical acceleration GZ. The longitudinal acceleration GX is the acceleration along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle 100. The lateral acceleration GY is the acceleration along the lateral axis of the vehicle 100. The vertical acceleration GZ is the acceleration along the vertical axis of the vehicle 100. The inter-vehicle distance sensor 82 detects the inter-vehicle distance DV, which is the distance from the vehicle 100 to a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the vehicle 100. An example of the inter-vehicle distance sensor 82 is LIDAR. Note that "LIDAR" is an abbreviation for Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging. The GNSS receiver 83 detects the position coordinates PC, which are the coordinates of the location where the vehicle 100 is located, by communicating with GNSS satellites (not shown). Note that "GNSS" is an abbreviation for Global Navigation Satellite System.

[0021] The brake ECU 40 acquires signals indicating the longitudinal acceleration GX, the lateral acceleration GY, and the vertical acceleration GZ from the acceleration sensor 81. The brake ECU 40 also acquires a signal indicating the position coordinates PC from the GNSS receiver 83. The advanced driving support ECU 50 acquires a signal indicating the inter-vehicle distance DV from the inter-vehicle distance sensor 82. The brake ECU 40 can also acquire various values including the inter-vehicle distance DV via the central ECU 10.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 100 includes a DCM 91 and a display 92. The DCM 91 is connected to the central ECU 10 via the fifth external bus 65. The DCM 91 can wirelessly communicate with devices outside the vehicle 100 via the communication network NW. Note that "DCM" is an abbreviation for Data Communication Module. The display 92 is connected to the central ECU 10. The display 92 can display various information based on the image data output from the central ECU 10.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system IS includes a data center 200. An example of the data center 200 is a so-called server. The data center 200 includes an execution unit 210, a storage unit 220, and a communication unit 230. The communication unit 230 can communicate with devices outside the data center 200 via a communication network NW.

[0024] <Basic Configuration of Movement Manager> Next, referring to FIG. 2, the basic configuration of the movement manager 45 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the movement manager 45 can communicate with a first support unit 56, a second support unit 57, and a third support unit 58. Also, the movement manager 45 can communicate with a power train control unit 23, a steering control unit 33, and a brake control unit 43.

[0025] When the first support unit 56, the second support unit 57, and the third support unit 58 execute various controls, they output movement requests to the movement manager 45. At this time, the first support unit 56, the second support unit 57, and the third support unit 58 continue to output movement requests, for example, from when various controls are required until they are no longer required. Here, the movement request includes a required longitudinal acceleration GXR, etc., for controlling the acceleration along the front and rear axes of the vehicle 100.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 2, the movement manager 45 receives movement requests from the first support unit 56, the second support unit 57, and the third support unit 58. Also, the movement manager 45 mediates the received movement requests. For example, when the movement manager 4 receives required longitudinal accelerations GXR from a plurality of support units, the movement manager 45 selects the required longitudinal acceleration GXR with the earliest received timing as the mediation result. Also, for example, when the movement manager 45 receives required longitudinal accelerations GXR from a plurality of support units, the movement manager 45 selects the smallest required longitudinal acceleration GXR as the mediation result. Thus, the movement manager 45 mediates movement requests according to a predetermined rule according to the driving situation of the vehicle 100.

[0027] The motion manager 45 generates instruction values ​​for operation requests to control various actuators based on the arbitration result. Here, the various actuators are the powertrain device 71, the steering device 72, and the brake device 73, etc. For example, when controlling the powertrain device 71, the motion manager 45 outputs instruction values ​​for operation requests to the powertrain control unit 23. The powertrain control unit 23 then outputs a control signal to the powertrain device 71 based on the instruction values ​​for operation requests. In this way, the instruction values ​​output by the motion manager 45 are received by the control unit corresponding to the actuator to be controlled, and the actuator is controlled by that control unit.

[0028] <Drive force adjustment control> Next, with reference to Figure 3, the drive force adjustment control performed by the motion manager 45 will be described. In this embodiment, the motion manager 45 repeatedly performs drive force adjustment control on the condition that the vehicle 100 is moving.

[0029] As shown in Figure 3, when the motion manager 45 starts the drive force adjustment control, it executes the process of step S11. In step S11, the motion manager 45 acquires the road surface gradient AR, which is the gradient of the road surface on which the vehicle 100 is traveling. In this embodiment, first, the motion manager 45 acquires map data DM from the data center 200. Here, the map data DM contains data for multiple road surface gradients AR. The multiple road surface gradients AR are the gradients of the road surface at each point on the road. The motion manager 45 also identifies the point where the vehicle 100 is located at the time of processing in step S11, i.e., the current location of the vehicle 100, on the map data DM based on the position coordinates PC. Furthermore, the motion manager 45 identifies the road surface gradient AR corresponding to the current location of the vehicle 100 from the road surface gradient AR data included in the map data DM. Then, the motion manager 45 acquires the current location gradient AR1, which is the gradient of the current location of the vehicle 100, based on the identified road surface gradient AR and the direction of travel of the vehicle 100. Here, when vehicle 100 is traveling on an uphill road surface, the value of the current location gradient AR1 is positive. On the other hand, when vehicle 100 is traveling on a downhill road surface, the value of the current location gradient AR1 is negative. In other words, the sign of the current location gradient AR1 changes depending on the direction of travel of vehicle 100. Also, when vehicle 100 is traveling on a level road surface, the value of the current location gradient AR1 is zero.

[0030] Furthermore, based on the current location and direction of travel of the vehicle 100, the motion manager 45 identifies a point ahead of the vehicle 100's current location in the direction of travel, i.e., the vehicle 100's preceding point, on the map data DM. The motion manager 45 also identifies the road surface gradient AR corresponding to the vehicle 100's preceding point from the road surface gradient AR data included in the map data DM. Then, based on the identified road surface gradient AR and the direction of travel of the vehicle 100, the motion manager 45 obtains the preceding point gradient AR2, which is the gradient of the vehicle 100's preceding point. The preceding point gradient AR2 can take on a positive value, a negative value, or zero, similar to the current location gradient AR1 described above. In this embodiment, the vehicle 100's preceding point is a point located a predetermined reference distance away from the vehicle 100's current location in the direction of travel of the vehicle 100. An example of a reference distance is several tens of meters. After step S11, the motion manager 45 proceeds to step S12.

[0031] In step S12, the motion manager 45 determines whether the gradient AR2 at the preceding point is greater than or equal to a predetermined value A than the gradient AR1 at the current point. Here, the predetermined value A is a threshold for determining whether it is necessary to increase the driving force of the vehicle 100 in response to the change in the road surface gradient AR. The predetermined value A is a positive value determined in advance through experiments and simulations. Therefore, for example, if the vehicle 100 is moving from a horizontal road surface to an uphill road surface, and the amount of change in the gradient is relatively large, the motion manager 45 determines that the gradient AR2 at the preceding point is greater than or equal to the predetermined value A than the gradient AR1 at the current point. Also, for example, if the vehicle 100 is moving from a downhill road surface to a horizontal road surface, and the amount of change in the gradient is relatively large, the motion manager 45 determines that the gradient AR2 at the preceding point is greater than or equal to the predetermined value A than the gradient AR1 at the current point. In this embodiment, the process in step S12 is a process of comparing the gradient AR1 at the current point and the gradient AR2 at the preceding point. In step S12, if the motion manager 45 determines that the gradient AR2 of the preceding location is greater than or equal to a predetermined value A than the gradient AR1 of the current location (S12: YES), the motion manager 45 proceeds to step S13.

[0032] In step S13, the motion manager 45 executes the ACC application software. Specifically, the motion manager 45 outputs a control signal to the third support unit 58. As a result, the driving assistance function of the vehicle 100 by the ACC application software is realized. Here, if the ACC application software is already running at the time of processing in step S13, the motion manager 45 maintains that state. As described above, the ACC application software makes the vehicle 100 drive in a manner that follows the preceding vehicle while maintaining a constant distance DV from the preceding vehicle. In addition, if there is no preceding vehicle, the ACC application software makes the vehicle 100 drive at a predetermined speed. After step S13, the motion manager 45 proceeds to step S21.

[0033] In step S21, the motion manager 45 determines whether the distance between vehicles DV is greater than or equal to a predetermined specified distance B. In this embodiment, the motion manager 45 sets the specified distance B to a larger value the higher the speed of vehicle 100 at the time of processing in step S21. If there is no preceding vehicle traveling ahead of vehicle 100, the motion manager 45 determines that the distance between vehicles DV is greater than or equal to the specified distance B. The specified distance B is set, for example, within a range of several tens of meters to over a hundred meters.

[0034] In step S21, if the motion manager 45 determines that the distance between vehicles DV is greater than or equal to the specified distance B (S21: YES), the motion manager 45 proceeds to step S31. That is, the motion manager 45 proceeds to step S31 on the condition that the gradient AR2 at the preceding point is greater than or equal to the gradient AR1 at the current point by a predetermined value A or more, and the distance between vehicles DV is greater than or equal to the specified distance B.

[0035] In step S31, the motion manager 45 performs an increase correction for the driving force of the vehicle 100. Specifically, the motion manager 45 outputs a control signal to the third support unit 58. The third support unit 58 then increases the requested longitudinal acceleration GXR compared to the start of processing in step S31. By increasing the requested longitudinal acceleration GXR in this way, the driving force of the vehicle 100 is increased. In this embodiment, the larger the absolute value of the difference between the preceding point gradient AR2 and the current point gradient AR1 at the time of processing in step S12, the larger the correction amount for the requested longitudinal acceleration GXR, that is, the larger the correction amount for the driving force of the vehicle 100. After step S31, the motion manager 45 proceeds to step S32. That is, the motion manager 45 proceeds to step S32 when it increases the driving force of the vehicle 100 in accordance with the fact that the preceding point gradient AR2 is greater than or equal to a predetermined value A than the current point gradient AR1.

[0036] In step S32, the motion manager 45 notifies the user of the vehicle 100 that the driving force of the vehicle 100 will be increased. Specifically, the motion manager 45 notifies the user of the vehicle 100 on the display 92 by outputting a control signal to the display 92. For example, the display 92 displays something like, "Driving force being increased due to gradient change." After step S32, the motion manager 45 proceeds to step S51.

[0037] On the other hand, if the motion manager 45 determines in step S21 above that the distance between vehicles DV is less than the specified distance B (S21: NO), the motion manager 45 proceeds to step S41.

[0038] In step S41, the motion manager 45 adjusts the inter-vehicle distance DV so that it becomes a predetermined constant distance C. Specifically, the motion manager 45 outputs a control signal to the third support unit 58. The third support unit 58 then adjusts the requested longitudinal acceleration GXR so that the inter-vehicle distance DV becomes a predetermined constant distance C. For example, if the inter-vehicle distance DV is greater than the constant distance C, the third support unit 58 increases the requested longitudinal acceleration GXR. Also, for example, if the inter-vehicle distance DV is less than the constant distance C, the third support unit 58 decreases the requested longitudinal acceleration GXR. Note that the constant distance C in step S41 is a smaller value than the specified distance B in step S21. After step S41, the motion manager 45 proceeds to step S51.

[0039] Furthermore, in step S12 described above, if the motion manager 45 determines that the gradient AR2 at the preceding location is not greater than or equal to a predetermined value A than the gradient AR1 at the current location (S12: NO), the motion manager 45 proceeds to step S16.

[0040] In step S16, the exercise manager 45 determines whether the predetermined stop conditions for the ACC application software are met. For example, the exercise manager 45 determines that the stop conditions are met if all of the following requirements (1) and (2) are met.

[0041] Requirement (1): The application software for ACC must be running. Requirement (2): The execution of the application software for ACC was started in accordance with the affirmative determination made in step S12.

[0042] Therefore, for example, if the execution of the currently running ACC application software is started by the processing of step S13 of the drive force adjustment control, the motion manager 45 determines that the stop condition is met. On the other hand, for example, if the execution of the currently running ACC application software is started by the user operation of the vehicle 100, the motion manager 45 determines that the stop condition is not met.

[0043] If the exercise manager 45 determines in step S16 that the stopping condition is not met (S16: NO), the exercise manager 45 proceeds to step S51. On the other hand, if the exercise manager 45 determines in step S16 that the stopping condition is met (S16: YES), the exercise manager 45 proceeds to step S17.

[0044] In step S17, the motion manager 45 stops the execution of the ACC application software. Specifically, the motion manager 45 outputs a control signal to the third support unit 58. As a result, the driving assistance function of the vehicle 100 provided by the ACC application software is stopped. After step S17, the motion manager 45 proceeds to step S51.

[0045] In step S51, the motion manager 45 transmits driving data DD to the data center 200, which is information linking the gradient of a specific point where the vehicle 100 has traveled and the driving force of the vehicle 100 at that specific point. In this embodiment, the driving data DD includes, as the gradient of the specific point, multiple current point gradients AR1 acquired in step S11 up to a predetermined period before the processing time of step S51. The driving data DD also includes, as the driving force of the vehicle 100 at the specific point, multiple driving forces of the vehicle 100 corresponding to the current point gradients AR1. An example of a predetermined period is several seconds to several tens of seconds. In this embodiment, the data center 200 that transmits the driving data DD is an example of an external entity to which the driving data DD is transmitted. After step S51, the motion manager 45 terminates the current driving force adjustment control. The motion manager 45 then proceeds to step S11 again.

[0046] <Operation of this embodiment> For example, suppose that while the ACC application software is running, the vehicle 100 is moving based on a motion request from the third support unit 58. When the vehicle 100 is moving in this manner, the motion manager 45 performs drive force adjustment control, as shown in Figure 3. Alternatively, suppose that the vehicle 100 is moving from a level road surface to an uphill road surface, and the amount of change in the gradient is relatively large. In this case, the motion manager 45 determines in step S12 that the gradient AR2 at the preceding point is greater than or equal to a predetermined value A than the gradient AR1 at the current point. Then, based on the condition that it made a positive determination in step S12, the motion manager 45 proceeds to step S31. In step S31, the motion manager 45 increases the drive force of the vehicle 100 compared to the start of the process in step S31.

[0047] <Effects of this embodiment> (1) According to this embodiment, the driving force of the vehicle 100 is increased in anticipation of the increase in the road surface gradient AR of the road on which the vehicle 100 is traveling, before the road surface gradient AR of the road on which the vehicle 100 is traveling increases. As a result, the speed of the vehicle 100 is prevented from becoming excessively low at the point where the road surface gradient AR increases. As a result, congestion caused by a decrease in the speed of the vehicle 100 can be prevented.

[0048] (2) In this embodiment, the motion manager 45 proceeds to step S31 on the condition that the gradient AR2 of the preceding point is greater than or equal to a predetermined value A than the gradient AR1 of the current point, and the inter-vehicle distance DV is greater than or equal to a specified distance B. This prevents the driving force of the vehicle 100 from becoming too large, for example, even when the inter-vehicle distance DV is less than the specified distance B, i.e., when the inter-vehicle distance DV is relatively short. Furthermore, by preventing the driving force of the vehicle 100 from becoming too large in this way, it is possible to prevent the inter-vehicle distance DV from becoming excessively short.

[0049] (3) If the motion manager 45 increases the driving force of the vehicle 100 in step S31 because the gradient AR2 of the preceding point is greater than the gradient AR1 of the current point by a predetermined value A or more, the process proceeds to step S32. Then, in step S32, the motion manager 45 notifies the user of the vehicle 100 that the driving force of the vehicle 100 will be increased. This prevents the user of the vehicle 100 from feeling any discomfort due to the increase in the driving force of the vehicle 100 in step S31.

[0050] (4) In step S51, the motion manager 45 transmits driving data DD to the data center 200, which is information that links the gradient of a specific point where the vehicle 100 has traveled and the driving force of the vehicle 100 at that specific point. By repeatedly transmitting the driving data DD to the data center 200 in this way, the data center 200 can collect a large amount of driving data DD. As a result, the data center 200 can analyze the collected driving data DD to determine, for example, a more appropriate driving force for the vehicle 100 that should be controlled at a specific point.

[0051] <Example of changes> This embodiment can be implemented with the following modifications. This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other to the extent that they do not contradict each other technically.

[0052] In the above embodiment, the driving force adjustment control may be modified. For example, the execution conditions for the drive force adjustment control may be changed. Specifically, the motion manager 45 may execute the drive force adjustment control on the condition that the vehicle 100 is moving and the application software for ACC is running.

[0053] For example, the method of acquiring the road surface gradient AR in step S11 may be changed. Specifically, the motion manager 45 may acquire the road surface gradient AR by using LIDAR. Then, based on the acquired road surface gradient AR and the direction of travel of the vehicle 100, the motion manager 45 may acquire the preceding point gradient AR2, which is the gradient of the point ahead of the vehicle 100. Furthermore, based on the acquired road surface gradient AR and the direction of travel of the vehicle 100, the motion manager 45 may acquire the current point gradient AR1, which is the gradient of the current point of the vehicle 100.

[0054] For example, the method of obtaining the road surface gradient AR used to obtain the current location gradient AR1 in step S11 may be changed. Specifically, the motion manager 45 may identify the road surface gradient AR corresponding to the current location of the vehicle 100 based on the longitudinal acceleration GX, lateral acceleration GY, and vertical acceleration GZ for each predetermined control cycle.

[0055] For example, the comparison target in step S12 may be changed. As a specific example, in step S12, it may be determined whether the current location gradient AR1 is greater than or equal to a predetermined value A than the travel location gradient AR3. Here, the travel location gradient AR3 is the gradient of the travel location, which is a point in the opposite direction to the direction of travel of the vehicle 100. In adopting this configuration, for example, the motion manager 45 acquires the current location gradient AR1 at predetermined control cycles. The motion manager 45 also stores the acquired current location gradient AR1 for a predetermined period of time. An example of such a period is a few seconds to several tens of seconds. Then, in step S11, the motion manager 45 acquires the travel location gradient AR3 instead of the preceding location gradient AR2. Specifically, based on the current location of the vehicle 100 and the direction of travel of the vehicle 100, the motion manager 45 identifies a point in the opposite direction to the direction of travel of the vehicle 100, which is a predetermined reference distance away from the current location of the vehicle 100, as the travel location. Furthermore, the motion manager 45 obtains the driving location gradient AR3 corresponding to the identified driving location from the stored data of the current location gradient AR1. An example of a reference distance is several tens of meters. With this configuration, when the road surface gradient AR of the road on which the vehicle 100 is traveling increases, the driving force of the vehicle 100 increases in accordance with the increase in the road surface gradient AR. This prevents the speed of the vehicle 100 from becoming excessively low at points where the road surface gradient AR increases. As a result, it is possible to suppress congestion caused by a decrease in the speed of the vehicle 100.

[0056] For example, the comparison target in step S21 may be changed. Specifically, in step S21, the motion manager 45 may set a constant value as the specified distance B, regardless of the speed of the vehicle 100 at the time of processing in step S21.

[0057] For example, the process in step S21 may be omitted. Specifically, after step S13, the motion manager 45 may proceed to step S31. Note that even if the process in step S21 is omitted, the possibility of the following distance DV becoming excessively short is low, so the impact is small.

[0058] For example, the circumstances under which the correction for increasing the driving force of the vehicle 100 is performed in step S31 may be changed. Specifically, if the application software for ACC is not running and the driving force of the vehicle 100 is controlled by the user's operation of the accelerator pedal, the motion manager 45 may perform the correction for increasing the driving force of the vehicle 100.

[0059] For example, the process in step S32 may be omitted. Furthermore, if the user of vehicle 100 is aware in advance of a process that increases the driving force of vehicle 100 in consideration of gradient changes, the process in step S32 may be omitted.

[0060] For example, the driving data DD in step S51 may be changed. Specifically, the driving data DD may include only the current location gradient AR1 obtained in step S11 as the gradient of a specific point. Similarly, the driving data DD may include only the driving force of the vehicle 100 corresponding to the current location gradient AR1 as the driving force of the vehicle 100 at a specific point.

[0061] Furthermore, as a specific example, the driving data DD may include, in addition to, information linking the gradient of a specific point where the vehicle 100 traveled and the driving force of the vehicle 100 at that specific point, or alternatively, various other pieces of information such as the speed of the vehicle 100.

[0062] For example, the process in step S51 may be omitted. Furthermore, if the data center 200, etc., does not analyze the collected driving data DD, the process in step S51 may be omitted.

[0063] • In the above embodiment, the configuration of the vehicle 100 may be changed. For example, the ECU that implements the functions of the motion manager 45 may be something other than the brake ECU 40. Specifically, instead of the brake ECU 40, the execution device 11 of the central ECU 10 may implement the functions of the motion manager 45 by executing the motion manager application 45A stored in the storage device 12. In other words, the central ECU 10, powertrain ECU 20, steering ECU 30, brake ECU 40, and advanced driver assistance ECU 50 can be used as control devices for the vehicle 100. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] IS... Information Processing System, NW... Communication Network, 10... Central ECU, 20... Powertrain ECU, 30... Steering ECU, 40... Brake ECU, 41... Execution Unit, 42... Memory Device, 43... Brake Control Unit, 43A... Brake App, 45... Motion Manager, 45A... Motion Manager App, 50... Advanced Driver Assistance ECU, 51... Execution Unit, 52... Memory Device, 56... First Support Unit, 56A... First Support App, 57... Second Support Unit, 57A... Second Support App, 58... Third Support Unit, 58A... Third Support App, 71... Powertrain Device, 72... Steering Device, 73... Brake Device, 81... Acceleration Sensor, 82... Inter-vehicle Distance Sensor, 91... DCM, 92... Display, 100... Vehicle, 200... Data Center.

Claims

1. Obtain the gradient of the vehicle's current location, The gradient of the preceding point, which is a point preceding the current point in the direction of travel of the vehicle, Comparing the gradient of the current location with the gradient of the preceding location, If it is determined that the gradient of the preceding point is greater than or equal to a predetermined value than the gradient of the current point, the driving force of the vehicle is increased. Execute Vehicle control system.

2. Obtain the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle traveling ahead of it, When it is determined that the gradient of the preceding point is greater than or equal to the predetermined value than the gradient of the current point, and the distance between vehicles is greater than or equal to a predetermined specified distance, the driving force of the vehicle is increased. Execute A vehicle control device according to claim 1.

3. When the driving force of the vehicle is increased in accordance with the fact that the gradient of the preceding point is greater than or equal to the predetermined value than the gradient of the current point, the user of the vehicle is notified. Execute A vehicle control device according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. The gradient of a specific point where the vehicle traveled, and the driving force of the vehicle at that specific point, are linked and transmitted to an external source. Execute A vehicle control device according to claim 1 or claim 2.

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