car

Abstract

To set proper override with respect to an accelerator operation by a driver.SOLUTION: A control device of an automobile controls a drive device, a brake device, and a steering device to drive the automobile in accordance with a driving mode of a fully autonomous mode, a semi-autonomous mode, and a manual driving mode, which is selected by a driver, by using information from a surrounding recognition device that obtains information about the surroundings around the automobile. When the driver selects the semi-autonomous mode, the control device allows an override request from the driver's acceleration operation, and when the driver selects the fully autonomous mode, the control device restricts the override request from the driver's acceleration operation compared to the time when the semi-autonomous mode is selected.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an automobile, and more particularly to an automobile that travels in a driving mode selected from a fully automatic driving mode, a semi-automatic driving mode, and a manual driving mode.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as this type of automobile, in a vehicle having a first automatic driving mode and a second automatic driving mode, when the second automatic driving mode is selected, it is difficult for the driver to accept an override request compared to when the first automatic driving mode is selected. (For example, see Patent Document 1). In this automobile, the driving mode is determined based on a predetermined reliability condition, and the level of override is mediated for the determined driving mode. [[ID=1z]]

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the above-described automobile, since the driving mode is determined based on a predetermined reliability condition, there is a case where the vehicle travels in a driving mode unintended by the driver. In this case, an override control unintended by the driver is performed, which gives the driver a sense of discomfort.

[0005] The main object of the automobile of the present disclosure is to make the override with respect to the driver's accelerator operation more appropriate.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The automobile of the present disclosure has taken the following means to achieve the above main object.

[0007] The automobiles disclosed herein are An automobile equipped with a control device that controls the drive system, brake system, and steering system to drive in a driving mode selected by the driver from among a fully automatic driving mode, a semi-automatic driving mode, and a manual driving mode, using information from a surrounding recognition device that acquires information about the vehicle's surroundings, The control device allows override requests by the driver's accelerator operation when the driver selects the semi-autonomous driving mode, and restricts override requests by the driver's accelerator operation when the driver selects the fully autonomous driving mode compared to when the semi-autonomous driving mode is selected. It is characterized by the following:

[0008] In the vehicle of this disclosure, the drive system, brake system, and steering system are controlled to drive in a driving mode selected by the driver from among fully automated driving mode, semi-autonomous driving mode, and manual driving mode, using information from a surrounding recognition device that acquires information about the vehicle's surroundings. When the driver selects semi-autonomous driving mode, override requests by the driver's accelerator operation are permitted, and when the driver selects fully automated driving mode, override requests by the driver's accelerator operation are restricted compared to when semi-autonomous driving mode is selected. As a result, the driver's accelerator operation is prioritized when the driver selects semi-autonomous driving mode, and unexpected accelerator operation can be responded to when the driver selects fully automated driving mode. Consequently, overrides to the driver's accelerator operation can be made more appropriate.

[0009] In the automobile of this disclosure, the control device may prohibit override requests by the driver's accelerator operation when the driver has selected the fully automated driving mode. This allows the automated driving to continue even if an unexpected accelerator operation occurs when the driver has selected the fully automated driving mode.

[0010] In the automobile according to this disclosure, the control device may perform automatic selection, which selects one of the fully automatic driving mode and the semi-automatic driving mode without driver selection, depending on the situation, and the control device may restrict override requests by the driver's accelerator operation when driving in a driving mode selected by the driver, compared to override requests by the driver's accelerator operation when driving in an automatically selected driving mode. For example, when driving in a driving mode selected by the driver, overrides may be permitted in semi-automatic driving mode and restricted (including prohibition) overrides in fully automatic driving mode, while when driving in an automatically selected driving mode, overrides may be permitted in both semi-automatic and fully automatic driving modes. By making the restrictions on overrides when selecting a driving mode by automatic selection smaller than when selecting a driving mode by the driver, it is possible to prioritize the driver's accelerator operation when driving in a fully automatic or semi-automatic driving mode by automatic selection.

[0011] In the automobile of this disclosure, the control device may allow override requests by the driver's brake operation, regardless of whether the driver has selected the semi-autonomous driving mode or the fully autonomous driving mode. This allows the driver's brake operation to be prioritized regardless of whether the driver has selected the semi-autonomous driving mode or the fully autonomous driving mode. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an automobile 20 as one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] This flowchart shows an example of the override permission / denial process performed by the main ECU 30. [Figure 3] This flowchart shows an example of the override permission / denial process performed by the main ECU 30 during automatic configuration. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Next, embodiments for implementing this disclosure will be described. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an automobile 20 as one embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in the figure, the automobile 20 of the embodiment includes a drive unit 22, a brake unit 24, a steering unit 26, and an electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as "main ECU") 30.

[0014] The drive unit 22 is configured as a device that rotationally drives its output shaft 22a. Examples of such configurations include those that make the vehicle 20 an electric vehicle by equipping it with a motor, inverter, and battery; those that make the vehicle 20 a conventional engine-powered vehicle by equipping it with an engine, automatic transmission, and fuel tank; those that make the vehicle 20 a hybrid vehicle by equipping it with an engine, fuel tank, motor, inverter, and battery; and those that make the vehicle 20 a fuel cell vehicle by equipping it with a hydrogen tank, fuel cell, motor, and inverter. The output shaft 22a of the drive unit 22 is connected to the drive wheels 28a and 28b via a differential gear 27. The drive unit 22 is driven and controlled by an electronic control unit for the drive unit (hereinafter referred to as "drive ECU") 23. The drive ECU 23, although not shown, includes a microcomputer having a CPU, ROM, RAM, flash memory, input / output ports, and communication ports. Signals from various sensors necessary for driving and controlling the drive unit 22 are input to the drive ECU 23 via input ports. Furthermore, the drive ECU 23 outputs various control signals for operating the drive unit 22 via its output port. The drive ECU 23 calculates the rotational speed N of the output shaft 22a of the drive unit 22 based on the rotational position θ from a rotational position detection sensor (not shown) attached to the output shaft 22a. The drive ECU 23 communicates with the main ECU 30 via its communication port.

[0015] The brake system 24 is configured as a well-known hydraulically driven brake system and is capable of applying braking force to the drive wheels 28a, 28b and driven wheels 28c, 28d due to the braking force caused by pressing the brake pedal 48 and due to hydraulic pressure adjustment. The brake system 24 is driven and controlled by an electronic brake control unit (hereinafter referred to as "brake ECU") 25. The brake ECU 25, although not shown in the figure, includes a microcomputer having a CPU, ROM, RAM, flash memory, input / output ports, and communication ports. The brake ECU 25 controls the braking force caused by the braking force caused by the brake system 24 and due to hydraulic pressure adjustment. The brake ECU 25 communicates with the main ECU 30 via the communication port.

[0016] The steering system 26 is mechanically connected to the steering wheel (not shown) and the drive wheels 28a and 28b via a steering shaft, and is equipped with steering actuators. The steering system 26 steers the drive wheels 28a and 28b based on the driver's input, and also steers the drive wheels 28a and 28b by driving the actuators based on steering signals from the main ECU 30.

[0017] The air conditioning unit 29 has a refrigeration cycle and a blower fan. When the air conditioning switch 29a is on, it provides air conditioning to the vehicle interior, and when the air conditioning switch 29a is off, it does not provide air conditioning to the vehicle interior.

[0018] The main ECU 30 comprises a microcomputer having a CPU 31, ROM 32, RAM 33, flash memory 34, input / output ports (not shown), and communication ports. Signals from various sensors are input to the main ECU 30 via input ports. Examples of signals input to the main ECU 30 include the on / off signal from the air conditioning switch 29a that instructs the on / off of the air conditioning unit 29. Other examples include the ignition signal from the ignition switch 40, the vehicle speed V from the vehicle speed sensor 41, the speed of each wheel from the wheel speed sensor 42, the acceleration α from the acceleration sensor 43, the yaw rate Yr from the yaw rate sensor 44, and the road surface gradient θr from the gradient sensor 45. In addition, the accelerator opening Acc from the accelerator pedal position sensor 47 that detects the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal 46, and the brake pedal position BP from the brake pedal position sensor 49 that detects the amount of depression of the brake pedal 48 can also be mentioned.

[0019] The main ECU 30 outputs various control signals via its output ports. Examples of control signals output from the main ECU 30 include control signals to the steering system 26, air conditioning control signals to the air conditioning system 29, display control signals to the display device 70, and communication control signals to the communication device 72. As mentioned above, the main ECU 30 communicates with the drive ECU 23 and brake ECU 25 via its communication ports. The main ECU 30 also communicates with the shift electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as the "shift ECU") 50, the peripheral recognition electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as the "peripheral recognition ECU") 55, and the navigation device 60 via its communication ports.

[0020] Although not shown, the shift ECU 50 includes a microcomputer having a CPU, ROM, RAM, flash memory, input / output ports, and communication ports. A shift position signal from a shift position sensor 52 that detects the operation position of the shift lever 51 is input to the shift ECU 50 via an input port. Shift positions include a parking position (P range), a neutral position (N range), a drive position (D range), a reverse position (R range), and the like. The shift ECU 50 is connected to the peripheral recognition ECU 55 via a communication port in addition to the main ECU 30, and sets the shift position based on the shift position signal from the shift position sensor 52 and the control signal from the peripheral recognition ECU 55, or transmits the set shift position to the main ECU 30.

[0021] Although not shown, the peripheral recognition ECU 55 includes a microcomputer having a CPU, ROM, RAM, flash memory, input / output ports, and communication ports. Various signals are input to the peripheral recognition ECU 55 via input ports. Examples of the signals input to the peripheral recognition ECU 55 include signals indicating information about the host vehicle and its surroundings from the peripheral recognition device 56 (e.g., inter-vehicle distances D1 and D2 between the host vehicle and other vehicles in front of and behind the host vehicle, and the running position of the host vehicle in the lane on the road surface), and an automatic driving mode signal from the automatic driving switch 57. Examples of the peripheral recognition device 56 include a camera, millimeter-wave radar, quasi-millimeter-wave radar, infrared laser radar, sonar, and the like. The automatic driving switch 57 is a switch that switches between a full automatic driving mode in which all driving operations are performed automatically, a semi-automatic driving mode in which some driving operations are performed by the driver, and a manual driving mode in which the driver performs driving operations. Examples of the semi-automatic driving mode include adaptive cruise control. Hereinafter, the semi-automatic driving mode will be described assuming adaptive cruise control. Note that, regardless of the automatic driving mode, assist control for collision avoidance and reduction is performed. As described above, the peripheral recognition ECU 55 communicates with the main ECU 30 and the shift ECU 50 via a communication port.

[0022] The navigation device 60 includes a main body 62 with a built-in control unit, a GPS antenna 64 that receives information about the current location of the vehicle, and a display 66. The control unit of the main body 62 has a storage medium (such as a hard disk or SSD) in which map information and the like are stored, an input / output port, and a communication port. In the map information, service information (such as tourist information and parking lots) and road information for each driving section (such as between traffic lights and between intersections) are stored as a database. The road information includes distance information, width information, number of lanes information, area information (urban areas and suburbs), type information (general roads and highways), gradient information, legal speed, number of traffic lights, turning radius of each curve, and the like. The display 66 is configured as a touch panel display that can display various information such as information about the current location of the vehicle and the planned driving route to the destination, and allows the user to input various instructions. When the destination is set by the user's operation on the display 66, the main body 62 of the navigation device 60 sets a planned driving route from the current location of the vehicle to the destination based on the map information stored in the main body 62, the current location of the vehicle from the GPS antenna 64, and the destination, and displays the set planned driving route on the display 66 to provide route guidance.

[0023] Next, the operation of the automobile 20 of the embodiment configured in this way will be described, in particular the operation when the driver presses the accelerator pedal 46 while driving in fully automatic driving mode or semi-automatic driving mode. When driving in fully automatic driving mode or semi-automatic driving mode, the main ECU 30 calculates the torque to be output to the output shaft 22a of the drive unit 22 for driving (hereinafter referred to as "automatic driving torque") according to the vehicle speed V, acceleration α, distance to the preceding vehicle, etc., sets it as the required torque T*, and controls the drive unit 22 to drive so that the set required torque T* is output to the output shaft 22a. When driving in manual driving mode, the main ECU 30 calculates the torque to be output to the output shaft 22a of the drive unit 22 for driving (hereinafter referred to as "manual driving torque") according to the amount the driver presses the accelerator pedal 46 and the vehicle speed V, sets it as the required torque T*, and controls the drive unit 22 to drive so that the set required torque T* is output to the output shaft 22a. Therefore, when the driver has selected fully automatic driving mode or semi-automatic driving mode as the driving mode and presses the accelerator pedal 46, the question arises as to whether to set the automatic driving torque or the manual driving torque as the requested torque T*. Similarly, when the driver has selected fully automatic driving mode or semi-automatic driving mode as the driving mode and presses the brake pedal 48, the question arises as to whether to set the automatic driving braking torque or the manual driving braking torque as the requested braking torque. In this embodiment, the above problems are solved by the main ECU 30 executing the override permission / denial process illustrated in Figure 2. Here, override means that when the driver's operation (such as accelerator operation or brake operation) is greater than the requested value calculated by the main ECU 30 during driving in fully automatic driving mode or semi-automatic driving mode, the system is controlled based on the requested value from the driver's operation.

[0024] When override permission / denial processing is executed, the main ECU 30 first determines whether the driver has selected fully automatic driving mode as the driving mode (step S100). This determination can be made by examining the automatic driving mode signal from the automatic driving switch 57. If it is determined that the driver has selected fully automatic driving mode as the driving mode, the ECU prohibits the driver from overriding the accelerator operation (step S110) and permits the driver from overriding the brake operation (step S140), and then terminates this process. In other words, when the driver has selected fully automatic driving mode as the driving mode, even if the driver presses the accelerator pedal 46 hard and the manual driving torque exceeds the automatic driving torque, the automatic driving torque is set as the required torque T* and the drive unit 22 is controlled. Similarly, if the driver presses the brake pedal 48 hard and the manual driving braking torque exceeds the automatic driving braking torque, the manual driving braking torque is set as the required braking torque and the brake unit 24 is controlled. The reason why overrides of driver-operated accelerator input are prohibited when the driver selects fully automated driving mode is to suppress overrides due to unexpected accelerator input, and the reason why overrides of driver-operated brake input are permitted when the driver selects fully automated driving mode is to prioritize braking of the vehicle by the driver even during automated driving in fully automated driving mode.

[0025] If it is determined in step S100 that the driver has not selected fully automatic driving mode as the driving mode, it is determined whether the driver has selected semi-automatic driving mode as the driving mode (step S120). If it is determined that the driver has selected semi-automatic driving mode as the driving mode, the system allows the driver to override the accelerator operation (step S130) and the driver to override the brake operation (step S140), and then terminates this process. That is, when the driver has selected semi-automatic driving mode as the driving mode and the driver presses the accelerator pedal 46 hard, causing the manual driving torque to exceed the automatic driving torque, the manual driving torque is set as the required torque T* and the drive unit 22 is controlled. When the driver presses the brake pedal 48 hard, causing the manual driving braking torque to exceed the automatic driving braking torque, the manual driving braking torque is set as the required braking torque and the brake unit 24 is controlled. When the driver selects semi-autonomous driving mode, the override of the driver's accelerator operation is permitted in order to prioritize the driver's accelerator operation. Similarly, when the driver selects semi-autonomous driving mode, the override of the driver's brake operation is permitted in order to prioritize the braking of the vehicle by the driver's brake operation even in semi-autonomous driving mode.

[0026] In the automobile 20 of the embodiment described above, when the driver selects semi-autonomous driving mode as the driving mode, override of the driver's accelerator operation is permitted, and when the driver selects fully autonomous driving mode as the driving mode, override of the driver's accelerator operation is prohibited. As a result, when the driver selects semi-autonomous driving mode, the driver's accelerator operation is given priority, and when the driver selects fully autonomous driving mode, the system can respond to unexpected accelerator operation. Consequently, the override of the driver's accelerator operation can be made more appropriate.

[0027] Furthermore, in the vehicle 20 of this embodiment, overrides of the driver's brake operation are permitted whether the driver selects semi-autonomous driving mode or fully autonomous driving mode as the driving mode. This allows the driver's brake operation to take priority over braking the vehicle, regardless of whether the driver selects semi-autonomous driving mode or fully autonomous driving mode.

[0028] In the automobile 20 of this embodiment, when the driver selects the fully automatic driving mode as the driving mode, override of the driver's accelerator operation is prohibited. However, restrictions may be placed on the driver's override of the accelerator operation. For example, when the manual driving torque exceeds the automatic driving torque by a predetermined value or more, the brake device 24 may be controlled by setting the manual driving torque minus a predetermined value as the required torque T*, or when the value obtained by multiplying the manual driving torque by a coefficient k less than 1 exceeds the automatic driving torque, the brake device 24 may be controlled by setting the manual driving torque multiplied by the coefficient k as the required torque T*.

[0029] In the vehicle 20 of this embodiment, the main ECU 30 may automatically select a driving mode depending on the vehicle's condition. In this case, overrides are permitted or denied by the automatic setting override permission / denial process illustrated in Figure 3.

[0030] When the override permission / denial process for automatic setting shown in Figure 3 is executed, the main ECU 30 first determines whether or not the driving mode was automatically selected (step S200). This determination can be made by determining whether or not the driving mode was automatically selected by the main ECU 30. If it is determined that the driving mode was not automatically selected, that is, that the driving mode was selected by the driver, the result of the override permission / denial process illustrated in Figure 2 is reflected (step S230), and this process is terminated. The override permission / denial process illustrated in Figure 2 has been described above.

[0031] When it is determined in step S200 that the driving mode has been automatically selected, regardless of whether the fully automatic driving mode or semi-automatic driving mode is selected, the system allows the driver to override the accelerator operation (step S210) and the driver to override the brake operation (step S220), and then terminates this process. Considering that the driver is allowed to override the accelerator operation when the fully automatic driving mode is automatically selected as the driving mode, and that the driver is prohibited from overriding the accelerator operation when the driver selects the fully automatic driving mode, it can be said that the driver's override of the accelerator operation when the driver selects the driving mode is more restricted than when the driving mode is automatically selected. In other words, the driver's override of the accelerator operation when the driving mode is automatically selected is less restricted than when the driver selects the driving mode. As a result, when the fully automatic driving mode or semi-automatic driving mode is automatically selected as the driving mode, the driver's accelerator operation can be given higher priority.

[0032] In the automobile 20 of this embodiment, a drive ECU 23 is used to control the drive unit 22 and a brake ECU 25 is used to control the brake unit 24. However, the main ECU 30 may perform all or part of the functions of the drive ECU 23 and brake ECU 25.

[0033] The correspondence between the main elements of the embodiment and the main elements of the invention described in the section on means for solving the problem will be explained. In the embodiment, the peripheral recognition device 56 corresponds to the "peripheral recognition device," the drive device 22 corresponds to the "drive device," the brake device 24 corresponds to the "brake device," the steering device 26 corresponds to the "steering device," and the drive ECU 23, brake ECU 25, main ECU 30, etc., correspond to the "control device."

[0034] Furthermore, the correspondence between the main elements of the embodiment and the main elements of the invention described in the section on means for solving the problem is merely an example to specifically explain the form in which the embodiment implements the invention described in the section on means for solving the problem, and does not limit the elements of the invention described in the section on means for solving the problem. In other words, the interpretation of the invention described in the section on means for solving the problem should be based on the description in that section, and the embodiment is merely one specific example of the invention described in the section on means for solving the problem.

[0035] Although embodiments for carrying out the present invention have been described above using examples, the present invention is not limited in any way to these embodiments, and can be carried out in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Industrial applicability]

[0036] This invention can be used in industries such as automobile manufacturing. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0037] 20 Automobile, 22 Drive system, 22a Output shaft, 23 Electronic control unit for drive system (drive ECU), 24 Brake system, 25 Brake ECU, 26 Steering system, 27 Differential gear, 28a, 28b Drive wheels, 28c, 28d Driven wheels, 29 Air conditioning system, 29a Air conditioning switch, 30 Main electronic control unit (main ECU), 31 CPU, 32 ROM, 33 RAM, 34 Flash memory, 40 Ignition switch, 41 Vehicle speed sensor, 42 Wheel speed sensor, 43 Acceleration sensor, 44 Yaw rate sensor, 45 Gradient sensor, 46 Accelerator pedal, 47 Accelerator pedal position sensor, 48 Brake pedal, 49 Brake pedal position sensor, 50 Shift ECU, 51 Shift lever, 52 Shift position sensor, 55 Peripheral recognition ECU, 56 Peripheral recognition device, 57 Auto driving switch, 60 Navigation device, 62 Main unit, 64 GPS antenna, 66 Display, 70 Display device, 72 Communication device.

Claims

1. An automobile equipped with a control device that controls the drive system, brake system, and steering system to drive in a driving mode selected by the driver from among a fully automatic driving mode, a semi-automatic driving mode, and a manual driving mode, using information from a surrounding recognition device that acquires information about the vehicle's surroundings, The control device allows override requests by the driver's accelerator operation when the driver selects the semi-autonomous driving mode, and restricts override requests by the driver's accelerator operation when the driver selects the fully autonomous driving mode compared to when the semi-autonomous driving mode is selected. An automobile characterized by the following features.

2. The automobile according to claim 1, The control device prohibits override requests by the driver's accelerator operation when the driver selects the fully automatic driving mode. car.

3. The automobile according to claim 1, The control device performs an automatic selection, which, depending on the situation, selects either the fully automatic driving mode or the semi-automatic driving mode without the driver's selection. The control device, when driving in a driving mode selected by the driver, limits override requests made by the driver's accelerator operation compared to override requests made by the driver's accelerator operation when driving in the automatically selected driving mode. car.

4. The automobile according to claim 1, The control device permits override requests by the driver's brake operation, regardless of whether the driver has selected the semi-autonomous driving mode or the fully autonomous driving mode. car.

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