Vehicle attitude control method and vehicle attitude control device

Abstract

When a vehicle (2) is traveling while executing lane keeping control based on detection information from a vehicle-mounted sensor (30), a vehicle attitude control device (10) determines, on the basis of traveling state information including a traveling state of the vehicle (2), whether the traveling state is a state in which the vehicle-mounted sensor (30) executes calibration and whether the traveling state is a state that affects the calibration of the vehicle-mounted sensor (30), and suppresses changes in the attitude of the vehicle (2) if it is determined that the traveling state is a state in which the vehicle-mounted sensor (30) executes calibration and is a state that affects the calibration of the vehicle-mounted sensor.

Description

Vehicle attitude control method and vehicle attitude control device

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

[0002] A vehicle height adjustment device for an air suspension vehicle adjusts the vehicle height by increasing or decreasing the air pressure in an air cylinder or airbag, and technology is known in which the air pressure can be manually increased or decreased in stationary mode, and the manual operation is disabled in driving mode to maintain the air pressure at a predetermined pressure (Patent Document 1).

[0003] JP 2006-248291 A

[0004] However, when the technology described in Patent Document 1 is applied to a vehicle that performs lane keeping control based on detection information from an on-board sensor while the vehicle is traveling, the following problem occurs: In a situation where the on-board sensor performs calibration while the vehicle is traveling on a road that affects the calibration of the on-board sensor, if the vehicle posture changes due to, for example, a vehicle height adjustment, the accuracy of the calibration of the on-board sensor decreases, making it impossible to properly perform lane keeping control.

[0005] The problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide a vehicle attitude control method and a vehicle attitude control device that can appropriately perform lane keeping control when a vehicle equipped with a vehicle attitude adjustment mechanism that can change the attitude of the vehicle while traveling performs lane keeping control based on detection information from an on-board sensor, and the on-board sensor performs calibration while the vehicle is traveling in a driving condition that affects the calibration of the on-board sensor.

[0006] The present invention solves the above problem by determining, based on driving condition information including the vehicle's driving condition, whether the driving condition is such that the on-board sensor will perform calibration and whether the driving condition will affect the calibration of the on-board sensor when the vehicle is driving while performing lane keeping control based on detection information from the on-board sensor, and by suppressing changes in the vehicle's attitude when it is determined that the driving condition is such that the on-board sensor will perform calibration and will affect the calibration.

[0007] According to the present invention, when a vehicle equipped with a vehicle attitude adjustment mechanism that can change the attitude of the vehicle while moving performs lane keeping control based on detection information from an on-board sensor, lane keeping control can be appropriately performed when the on-board sensor performs calibration while the vehicle is moving in driving conditions that affect the calibration of the on-board sensor.

[0008] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle attitude control device according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram explaining an example of an example of a vehicle attitude control method according to this embodiment. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a flowchart of control processing of the vehicle attitude control method executed by the vehicle attitude control device according to this embodiment.

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, it is assumed that in countries with laws stipulating left-hand traffic, vehicles drive on the left side of the road. In countries with laws stipulating right-hand traffic, vehicles drive on the right side of the road, so in the following description, left and right should be interpreted as symmetrical.

[0010] A vehicle attitude control device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle attitude control device according to this embodiment. A vehicle 2 includes a vehicle attitude control device 10, an input device 20, an on-board sensor 30, a driving assistance device 40, a storage device 50, a vehicle attitude adjustment mechanism 60, and an output device 70. These devices are connected via CAN communication or other on-board LAN, and can transmit and receive information to and from each other.

[0011] The vehicle 2 will be described as an example of a vehicle equipped with an autonomous driving control function. The vehicle 2 travels under driving operations (steering, accelerator, brake, etc.) by a driver. The vehicle 2 travels under driving operations by a driving assistance device 40 in addition to the driver. The driving assistance device 40 is included in an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) that assists the driving of the vehicle 2. In this embodiment, the driving assistance device 40 executes lane keeping control of the vehicle 2 based on detection information from an on-board sensor 30.

[0012] The vehicle attitude control device 10 is a device that controls the attitude of the vehicle 2 using a vehicle attitude adjustment mechanism 60. As will be described later, the vehicle attitude adjustment mechanism 60 includes a suspension that adjusts the attitude of the vehicle 2. The vehicle attitude control device 10 controls the attitude of the vehicle 2 using the suspension so as to suppress changes in the inclination of the vehicle body that occur while the vehicle 2 is traveling. The vehicle attitude control device 10 also adjusts the vehicle height of the vehicle 2 using the suspension. The adjustment of the vehicle height of the vehicle 2 is performed at the discretion of the driver or the vehicle attitude control device 10.

[0013] In this embodiment, when the vehicle 2 is running while performing lane keeping control, the vehicle attitude control device 10 acquires driving situation information including the driving situation of the vehicle 2 and suppresses changes in the vehicle attitude based on the driving situation information. In lane keeping control, the driving assistance device 40 uses an on-board camera as the on-board sensor 30 to acquire a vehicle surroundings image capturing the driving environment in the vehicle's traveling direction, and performs image recognition processing on the vehicle surroundings image to recognize the white lines of the lane in which the vehicle 2 is traveling. The driving assistance device 40 executes lane keeping control so that the vehicle 2 travels within the lane along the recognized white lines. For example, when the vehicle 2 travels on a curved road, the virtual vanishing point of the recognized white lines changes, which affects the calibration of the on-board camera. Therefore, the on-board camera is calibrated to reflect the curvature of the curved road. However, if the attitude of the vehicle 2 changes at this time, for example, due to adjustment of the vehicle height by the suspension, the change in attitude of the vehicle 2 affects the calibration of the on-board camera. A decrease in the accuracy of the calibration makes it impossible for the vehicle 2 to properly perform lane keeping control.

[0014] As described above, if the attitude of the vehicle 2 changes while the vehicle 2 is traveling on a road that affects the calibration of the on-board sensor 30, such as a curved road, the accuracy of the calibration of the on-board sensor 30 will be lower than if the attitude of the vehicle 2 does not change while the vehicle 2 is traveling on a road that affects the calibration of the on-board sensor 30, and the vehicle 2 may not be able to properly perform lane keeping control. In contrast, in the present embodiment, if the traveling conditions of the vehicle 2 are such that the on-board sensor 30 performs calibration and such that the calibration of the on-board sensor 30 is affected, the vehicle attitude control device 10 suppresses changes in the attitude of the vehicle 2, thereby increasing the accuracy of the calibration of the on-board sensor 30 and enabling the vehicle 2 to properly perform lane keeping control.

[0015] The vehicle attitude control device 10 includes a control device 100. The control device 100 includes a computer having hardware and software, including a ROM 12 storing a program, a CPU 11 executing the program stored in the ROM 12, and a RAM 13 functioning as an accessible storage device. The control device 100 includes, as functional blocks, an acquisition unit 101, a determination unit 102, and a control unit 103. The control device 100 of this embodiment executes each function through cooperation between the software for realizing each function or executing each process and the hardware described above. Note that in this embodiment, the functions of the control device 100 are divided into three blocks, and the functions of each functional block are described. However, the functions of the control device 100 do not necessarily have to be divided into three blocks, and may be divided into two or less functional blocks, or four or more functional blocks.

[0016] The acquisition unit 101 executes an acquisition process to acquire driving situation information including the driving situation of the vehicle 2. The acquisition process is executed at regular intervals when the vehicle 2 is driving while performing lane keeping control. The driving situation information includes the operating status of the on-board sensor 30. The operating status of the on-board sensor 30 includes whether the on-board sensor 30 is performing calibration. The acquisition unit 101 acquires driving situation information including the operating status of the on-board sensor 30 from the on-board sensor 30. The driving situation information also includes the road conditions of the road on which the vehicle 2 is traveling and / or the operating status of the driving assistance device 40. The road conditions include the type of road. Road types include curved roads, rough roads, roads with speed bumps, and undulating roads. A rough road is a road with an uneven surface that is not flat. A road with speed bumps is a road with undulations or steps on the road to encourage the vehicle 2 to decelerate. An undulating road is a road with undulating road surfaces. The road conditions also include the locations of branching and merging points located on the road.

[0017] The driving condition information may include road shape information, including the road gradient and / or road curvature. The road gradient includes longitudinal gradient information relating to the gradient between each point, calculated based on the altitude of each point. The longitudinal gradient information is information about the gradient of the cross section of the road to which each point belongs in the direction of travel, i.e., the gradient of the road from top to bottom. The road gradient also includes transverse gradient information relating to the gradient of the road surface in the width direction of the road. The transverse gradient information is information indicating the magnitude and direction of the gradient of the road surface in the width direction of the lane. The magnitude of the gradient is, for example, a value obtained by dividing the difference in elevation between the left and right edges of the lane in the width direction of the lane by the width of the lane.

[0018] The acquisition unit 101 acquires driving situation information, including road conditions of the road on which the vehicle 2 is traveling, from map information and / or detection information from the on-board sensor 30. The acquisition unit 101 identifies the road on which the vehicle 2 is traveling based on the position information of the vehicle 2 and the map information stored in the storage device 50, and acquires driving situation information, including road conditions of the identified road, from the map information. For example, the road conditions are road conditions in the traveling direction of the vehicle 2 on the road on which the vehicle 2 is traveling. The acquisition unit 101 also acquires a vehicle surroundings image in the traveling direction of the vehicle 2 from the on-board sensor 30 and performs image recognition processing on the vehicle surroundings image to acquire driving situation information, including road conditions of the road on which the vehicle 2 is traveling. Note that in the present embodiment, the driving situation information may be acquired by combining the map information and the detection information from the on-board sensor 30, or may be acquired from information of either the map information or the detection information from the on-board sensor 30, or may be acquired from information other than these information.

[0019] The acquisition unit 101 acquires driving condition information including the operating condition of the driving assistance device 40 from the driving assistance device 40. The operating condition of the driving assistance device 40 is, in other words, the operating condition of the ADAS. The operation of the driving assistance device 40 includes sudden deceleration control of the vehicle 2, for example, autonomous emergency braking (AEB). The operation of the driving assistance device 40 also includes lane change control. The operation of the driving assistance device 40 also includes parking assistance control. The parking assistance control includes, for example, rear-autonomous emergency braking (R-AEB). The acquisition unit 101 acquires information on which of these ADAS functions is operating. In this embodiment, the acquisition unit 101 may acquire both driving condition information including road conditions and driving condition information including operating conditions, or may acquire only one of the information. The driving condition information acquired by the acquisition unit 101 may also be driving conditions other than road conditions and operating conditions, as long as it can be determined whether the conditions affect the calibration of the on-board sensor 30.

[0020] The determination unit 102 executes a determination process based on the driving condition information to determine whether the driving condition of the vehicle 2 is such that the on-board sensor 30 should be calibrated and whether the driving condition will affect the calibration of the on-board sensor 30. The determination process is executed at regular intervals when the vehicle 2 is driving while performing lane keeping control.

[0021] An example of the determination process will now be described. For example, in the determination process, the determination unit 102 determines whether the driving situation of the vehicle 2 is such that the on-board sensor 30 should perform calibration, based on driving situation information including the operating situation of the on-board sensor 30. When the determination unit 102 acquires driving situation information including the operating situation indicating that the on-board sensor 30 should perform calibration from the on-board sensor 30 via the acquisition unit 101, the determination unit 102 determines that the driving situation of the vehicle 2 is such that the on-board sensor 30 should perform calibration. Furthermore, in the determination process, a determination is made as to whether the driving situation of the vehicle 2 is such that the calibration of the on-board sensor 30 will be affected. In the determination process, the determination unit 102 determines whether the road conditions on the road on which the vehicle 2 is traveling are such that the calibration of the on-board sensor 30 will be affected, based on driving situation information including the road conditions of the road on which the vehicle 2 is traveling. An example of a road condition that affects the calibration of the on-board sensor 30 is when the road is curved. That is, the determination unit 102 determines whether the vehicle 2 is traveling on a curved road, based on the driving situation information including the road conditions. Furthermore, road conditions that affect the calibration of the on-board sensor 30 are not limited to cases where the road is curved, but may also be cases where the road is rough, has a speed bump, or is undulating. When the road on which the vehicle 2 is traveling is any of these roads, the determination unit 102 determines that the traveling conditions of the vehicle 2 are conditions that affect the calibration of the on-board sensor 30.

[0022] Furthermore, when the gradient of the road on which the vehicle 2 is traveling changes, the determination unit 102 determines that the road conditions are conditions that will affect the calibration of the on-board sensor 30. The gradient of the road is, for example, a longitudinal gradient. For example, when the longitudinal gradient of the road on which the vehicle 2 is traveling changes, the determination unit 102 determines that the road conditions are conditions that will affect the calibration of the on-board sensor 30. A change in longitudinal gradient occurs when the road on which the vehicle 2 is traveling becomes an uphill or downhill slope. The gradient of the road may also be a transverse gradient. For example, when the transverse gradient of the road on which the vehicle 2 is traveling changes, the determination unit 102 determines that the road conditions are conditions that will affect the calibration of the on-board sensor 30.

[0023] Furthermore, when there is a junction or branch point in the traveling direction of the road on which the vehicle 2 is traveling, the determination unit 102 may determine that the road conditions are conditions that will affect the calibration of the on-board sensor 30. For example, when the vehicle 2 needs to change lanes toward a junction or branch point in its traveling direction, the determination unit 102 determines that the road conditions are conditions that will affect the calibration of the on-board sensor 30. Note that in the present embodiment, when the road conditions of the road on which the vehicle 2 is traveling are road conditions other than the above-mentioned road conditions, the determination unit 102 determines that the road conditions are not conditions that will affect the calibration of the on-board sensor 30.

[0024] Furthermore, in the determination process, the determination unit 102 determines, based on driving condition information including the operating condition of the driving assistance device 40, whether or not the operating condition of the driving assistance device 40 is a condition that will affect the calibration of the on-board sensor 30. For example, when the driving assistance device 40 is performing sudden deceleration control or parking assistance control, the determination unit 102 determines that the operating condition of the driving assistance device 40 is a condition that will affect the calibration of the on-board sensor 30. Note that in the present embodiment, when the driving assistance device 40 is not performing the above control, the determination unit 102 determines that the operating condition of the driving assistance device 40 is not a condition that will affect the calibration of the on-board sensor 30.

[0025] As described above, the determination unit 102 determines whether the driving conditions of the vehicle 2 are such that the on-board sensor 30 will perform calibration and whether the driving conditions of the vehicle 2 are such that the on-board sensor 30 will have an effect on the calibration of the on-board sensor 30, thereby determining whether the driving conditions of the vehicle 2 are such that the on-board sensor 30 will perform calibration and whether the driving conditions are such that the calibration of the on-board sensor 30 will be affected. Note that in the present embodiment, whether the determination process is performed based on the road conditions or the operating conditions may be appropriately applied as needed, and is not limited to this. The driving conditions are not limited to the road conditions and the operating conditions, and the determination process may be performed based on other conditions as long as the driving conditions are such that the calibration of the on-board sensor 30 will be affected.

[0026] The control unit 103 executes a control process to control the attitude of the vehicle 2 while it is traveling. In the control process, the control unit 103 suppresses changes in the attitude of the vehicle 2 when the determination unit 102 determines that the traveling conditions of the vehicle 2 are conditions in which the on-board sensor 30 is to perform calibration and that the calibration of the on-board sensor 30 is to be affected. The control process to suppress changes in the attitude of the vehicle 2 is executed while the vehicle 2 is performing lane keeping control. For example, the control unit 103 suppresses changes in the attitude of the vehicle 2 caused by the suspension. The change in the attitude of the vehicle 2 caused by the suspension is an adjustment of the vehicle height of the vehicle 2 caused by the suspension. As an example of a method of suppressing adjustment of the vehicle height, for example, the control unit 103 prohibits adjustment of the vehicle height by the suspension. In this embodiment, under normal circumstances, the vehicle height can be adjusted based on the judgment of the driver or the vehicle attitude control device 10, but if it is determined that the driving conditions of the vehicle 2 are such that the on-board sensor 30 is performing calibration and that the calibration of the on-board sensor 30 is affected, adjustment of the vehicle height based on the judgment of the driver or the vehicle attitude control device 10 is prohibited.

[0027] Furthermore, if the driver inputs an execution instruction to adjust the vehicle height of the vehicle 2 to the input device 20 while the vehicle 2 is traveling through the prohibited section, the control unit 103 prohibits changes to the vehicle height of the vehicle 2 in the prohibited section. Then, after the vehicle 2 has passed through the prohibited section, the control unit 103 adjusts the vehicle height of the vehicle 2 based on the execution instruction. The prohibited section is a section that includes a curved road. For example, the prohibited section is a section that combines a section of a curved road and a section from the entrance of the curved road to a position a predetermined distance ahead in the direction of travel of the vehicle 2. The predetermined distance is, for example, the distance that the vehicle 2 travels from the start of the vehicle height adjustment to the completion of the vehicle height adjustment, and is, for example, a distance calculated by accumulating the vehicle speed of the vehicle 2 over the time required to adjust the vehicle height.

[0028] Here, as one embodiment of the present invention, a situation will be described in which a vehicle 2 equipped with a vehicle attitude adjustment mechanism 60 including a suspension enters a curved road while traveling while performing lane keeping control. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an embodiment of a vehicle attitude control method according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 shows a situation in which a vehicle enters a curved road while traveling while performing lane keeping control. In FIG. 2, the roads before and after a curved road CR on a road R0 on which the vehicle V0 is traveling are straight roads. When the vehicle V0 is traveling on the road R0 while performing lane keeping control, the vehicle attitude control device 10 acquires traveling situation information including the operating status of the on-board sensor 30 of the vehicle V0 and the road conditions of the road R0 on which the vehicle V0 is traveling. Specifically, the traveling situation information includes the road conditions in the traveling direction of the vehicle V0 on the road RO. Based on the acquired traveling situation information, the vehicle attitude control device 10 determines whether the traveling situation of the vehicle V0 is such that the on-board sensor 30 should be calibrated and whether the vehicle V0 is traveling on a curved road. When the vehicle attitude control device 10 acquires driving information from the on-board sensor 30, including an operating condition indicating that the on-board sensor 30 is to perform calibration, the vehicle attitude control device 10 determines that the driving condition of the vehicle V0 is a condition in which the on-board sensor 30 is to perform calibration. As shown in FIG. 2, the road R0 is a road including a curved road CR. That is, FIG. 2 shows that the vehicle V0 is entering the curved road CR. Therefore, the vehicle attitude control device 10 determines that the driving condition of the vehicle V0 is a condition in which the vehicle V0 is traveling on the curved road RC.

[0029] When the vehicle attitude control device 10 determines that the driving situation of the vehicle V0 is such that the on-board sensor 30 is to perform calibration and that the vehicle V0 is traveling on a curved road RC, the vehicle attitude control device 10 suppresses changes in the attitude of the vehicle V0 caused by the suspension. Here, the vehicle attitude control device 10 prohibits adjustment of the vehicle height of the vehicle V0 by the suspension. This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in the accuracy of the calibration of the on-board sensor 30 caused by changes in the vehicle height when the vehicle V0 is traveling on a curved road CR.

[0030] Next, a specific example of a method for suppressing changes in the attitude of a vehicle traveling on a curved road will be described using the example of Figure 2. Here, the vehicle attitude control device 10 prohibits adjustment of vehicle height in a prohibited section that includes a curved road, and performs vehicle height adjustment after the vehicle V0 passes through the prohibited section. As shown in Figure 2, the prohibited section PS on road R0 is a section that includes a curved road CR. The prohibited section PS may also include a set section DS before the curved road. In other words, the prohibited section PS is a section that combines the set section DS and the curved section CS. The set section DS is a section on a straight road before a curved road, from the entrance Pen of the curved road to a point Ps that is a predetermined distance ahead in the direction of travel of the vehicle 2. In other words, the prohibited section PS is a section from point Ps to the exit Pex of the curved road.

[0031] The vehicle attitude control device 10 does not adjust the vehicle height even if the driver issues an instruction to adjust the vehicle height while the vehicle V0 is traveling through the prohibited section PS. Then, when the vehicle V0 passes through the prohibited section PS, the vehicle attitude control device 10 adjusts the vehicle height based on the instruction from the driver. Note that the embodiment described in the example of Figure 2 is one embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this.

[0032] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when adjusting the vehicle height of the vehicle 2, the control unit 103 notifies the driver via the output device 70 of notification information including the state of the vehicle height of the vehicle 2. The notification information including the state of the vehicle height of the vehicle 2 is, for example, information including information that indicates that the adjustment of the vehicle height of the vehicle 2 has been completed. The state of the vehicle height of the vehicle 2 also includes information about the vehicle height after the vehicle height has been adjusted. For example, when the control unit 103 adjusts the vehicle height of the vehicle 2 using the suspension after the vehicle 2 has passed through a prohibited section, the control unit 103 notifies the driver of notification information including the state of the vehicle height after the adjustment at that timing.

[0033] Furthermore, when the suspension adjusts the height of the vehicle 2 in accordance with the set vehicle height mode, the control unit 103 displays notification information including the currently set vehicle height mode via the output device 70. For example, when the vehicle height mode is switched, the control unit 103 displays notification information including the switched vehicle height mode. Vehicle height modes will be described later.

[0034] The method of suppressing changes in the posture of the vehicle 2 due to the suspension is not limited to prohibiting adjustment of the vehicle height by the suspension, and other methods may be used. For example, the control unit 103 may adjust the vehicle height of the vehicle 2 in stages using the suspension until the target vehicle height is achieved. The control unit 103 may alternately control the front-wheel suspension and the rear-wheel suspension to alternately adjust the front-wheel height and the rear-wheel height until the target vehicle height is achieved. Furthermore, when the control unit 103 determines that the driving situation is such that the on-board sensor 30 is to perform calibration and that the calibration of the on-board sensor 30 is affected, the control unit 103 may adjust the vehicle height of the vehicle 2 using the suspension at a slower rate of change than when the driving situation is not such that the on-board sensor 30 is to perform calibration and that the calibration of the on-board sensor 30 is not affected.

[0035] The method for suppressing changes in the attitude of the vehicle 2 may be a method using a vehicle attitude adjustment mechanism 60 other than a suspension. For example, when the control unit 103 determines that the driving conditions are such that the on-board sensor 30 is to perform calibration and that the calibration of the on-board sensor 30 is affected, the control unit 103 adjusts the damping force of the variable damping mechanism, the rigidity of the variable stabilizer, and / or the damping characteristics of the vehicle behavior control of the vehicle 2 to be higher than when the driving conditions are such that the on-board sensor 30 is to perform calibration and that the calibration of the on-board sensor 30 is not affected. When the driving conditions of the vehicle 2 are such that pitching of the vehicle 2 occurs, such as when the vehicle 2 is traveling on a rough road, a road with a speed bump, or an undulating road, or when the road on which the vehicle 2 is traveling goes downhill or uphill, the control unit 103 may increase the damping force of the variable damping mechanism to suppress pitching of the vehicle 2, thereby suppressing changes in the attitude of the vehicle 2.

[0036] When the driving conditions of vehicle 2 are such that rolling of vehicle 2 may occur, such as when the gradient of the road changes, when vehicle 2 is traveling on a curved road, when a sudden turn is made, or when there is a branching or merging point in the direction of travel of the road, control unit 103 may increase the damping force of the variable damping mechanism or the rigidity of the variable stabilizer to suppress rolling of vehicle 2, thereby suppressing changes in the posture of vehicle 2.

[0037] The control unit 103 may suppress changes in the posture of the vehicle 2 by adjusting the damping characteristics of vehicle behavior control (body motion control) to be high. In the vehicle behavior control, each component of the vehicle behavior, such as roll, pitch, yaw, up-down translational motion, and left-right translational motion of the vehicle 2, is controlled. For example, when the driving situation of the vehicle 2 is a situation in which pitching and / or rolling of the vehicle 2 occurs as described above, the control unit 103 controls each component of the vehicle behavior by adjusting the damping characteristics to be high so as to suppress pitching and / or rolling of the vehicle 2. Note that in the present embodiment, the mechanism and method for suppressing changes in the posture of the vehicle 2 can be appropriately configured using the above-mentioned methods, and it is sufficient to use at least one of the mechanisms and methods, or a combination of the mechanisms and methods, or all of the mechanisms and methods.

[0038] The input device 20 is a device through which the driver inputs various pieces of information. The input device 20 may be, for example, a switch that can be manually operated by the driver to input information, a touch panel arranged on a display screen, or a microphone that can be used for voice input by the driver. In this embodiment, the input device 20 inputs an execution command to adjust the vehicle height of the vehicle 2 using the suspension.

[0039] The on-board sensor 30 detects vehicle surrounding information including driving conditions around the vehicle 2. The vehicle surrounding information includes, for example, driving conditions in the direction of travel of the vehicle 2. The driving conditions are, for example, road conditions of the road on which the vehicle 2 is traveling. The road conditions include, for example, curved roads, rough roads, roads with speed bumps, and / or undulating roads. The on-board sensor 30 may be, for example, a camera equipped with an imaging element such as a CCD or CMOS mounted outside the vehicle. The on-board sensor 30 acquires a vehicle surrounding image capturing driving conditions around the vehicle 2 using the camera. The detection information of the on-board sensor 30 is output to the vehicle attitude control device 10 and the driving assistance device 40. The on-board sensor 30 performs calibration while the vehicle 2 is traveling. The period while the vehicle 2 is traveling includes, for example, a period while the vehicle 2 is traveling while performing lane keeping control. During calibration, the on-board sensor 30 calibrates the relative position and orientation of the on-board sensor 30. When the calibration is performed, the on-board sensor 30 outputs to the vehicle attitude control device 10 the driving situation information including the operating situation when the calibration is performed.

[0040] The driving assistance device 40 is a device that assists the driving of the vehicle 2. The driving assistance device 40 is a component included in an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS). The driving assistance device 40 assists the driver in driving by operating automatic brake control, auto-cruise control, lane keeping control, parking assistance control, etc. of the vehicle 2. The automatic brake control includes sudden deceleration control such as collision mitigation braking. The driving assistance device 40 outputs operating status information including the operating status to the vehicle attitude control device 10. The operating status includes the content of the control being operated by the driving assistance device 40.

[0041] The storage device 50 is a storage medium that stores various types of information. The storage device 50 stores map information. The map information is three-dimensional, high-precision map information based on road shapes detected when a data acquisition vehicle travels on actual roads. The map information includes road information for each road. The road information includes road types. Road types include curved roads, rough roads, roads with speed bumps, and undulating roads. The road information includes road shape information such as the magnitude of the road curve (e.g., curvature or radius of curvature) and the road gradient. The road gradient may be a longitudinal gradient or a transverse gradient. The map information is map information in which detailed and high-precision location information for road junctions, branching points, toll booths, locations where the number of lanes decreases, service areas / parking areas, etc. is associated as three-dimensional information.

[0042] The vehicle attitude adjustment mechanism 60 is a mechanism that adjusts the attitude of the vehicle 2. The attitude of the vehicle 2 is the vehicle height and inclination of the vehicle 2. The vehicle height of the vehicle 2 is the up-down (vertical) position of the upper end of the roof of the vehicle 2. The inclination of the vehicle 2 includes the inclination (pitch angle) of the vehicle 2 in the fore-and-aft direction. The vehicle attitude adjustment mechanism 60 adjusts the attitude of the vehicle 2 so as to suppress pitching. The inclination includes the inclination (roll angle) of the vehicle 2 in the left-right direction. The vehicle attitude adjustment mechanism 60 adjusts the attitude of the vehicle 2 so as to suppress rolling.

[0043] For example, the vehicle attitude adjustment mechanism 60 includes a suspension provided between the body and axles of the vehicle 2. The suspension may be an air suspension or an electronically controlled suspension. In this embodiment, the suspension has two vehicle attitude adjustment functions. One is a function to suppress changes in the attitude (e.g., tilt) of the vehicle 2 that occur while the vehicle 2 is traveling. The other is a function to adjust the vehicle height based on the judgment of the driver or the vehicle attitude control device 10.

[0044] In the vehicle height adjustment function, the suspension changes the vehicle height of the vehicle 2 according to a vehicle height mode. The vehicle height mode has a first vehicle height mode in which the vehicle height of the vehicle 2 is changed to a predetermined vehicle height, and a second vehicle height mode in which the vehicle height of the vehicle 2 is changed to a height lower than the predetermined vehicle height. The first vehicle height mode is, for example, a rough road driving mode. The second vehicle height mode is, for example, a sports car mode.

[0045] The vehicle height mode setting is changed by the driver or the vehicle attitude control device 10. For example, when the driver inputs an execution instruction to change the vehicle height mode to the input device 20, the vehicle attitude control device 10 changes the vehicle height mode in accordance with the execution instruction from the driver. The vehicle attitude control device 10 also changes the vehicle height mode in accordance with the vehicle speed of the vehicle 2. The vehicle attitude control device 10 changes the vehicle height mode in accordance with whether the vehicle speed of the vehicle 2 is equal to or greater than a predetermined vehicle speed. The predetermined vehicle speed may be one value or multiple values. For example, when the vehicle speed of the vehicle 2 is equal to or greater than a predetermined first vehicle speed (e.g., 90 km / h), the vehicle attitude control device 10 changes the vehicle height mode to the second vehicle height mode. When the vehicle speed of the vehicle 2 is equal to or less than a predetermined second vehicle speed (e.g., 70 km / h), the vehicle attitude control device 10 changes the vehicle height mode to the first vehicle height mode.

[0046] Furthermore, in the function of adjusting the vehicle height, the suspension may be configured to change the vehicle height of the vehicle 2 in stages. The suspension adjusts the vehicle height of the vehicle 2 in stages until the target vehicle height is reached. The front-wheel suspension and the rear-wheel suspension may alternately operate to adjust the front-wheel height and the rear-wheel height until the target vehicle height is reached. The suspension may change the rate of change of the vehicle height and adjust the vehicle height at the changed rate of change. When it is determined that the driving situation is such that the on-board sensor 30 performs calibration and the vehicle 2 is traveling on a curved road, the suspension changes the vehicle height of the vehicle 2 at a slower rate of change than when it is not determined that the driving situation is such that the on-board sensor 30 performs calibration and the vehicle 2 is traveling on a curved road.

[0047] Furthermore, the vehicle attitude adjustment mechanism 60 may include an adjustment mechanism other than a suspension. The vehicle attitude adjustment mechanism 60 may include a variable stabilizer, or may include a variable damping mechanism such as a damper. A variable stabilizer is a stabilizer whose rigidity can be changed. Furthermore, a variable damping mechanism such as a damper is a damping mechanism whose damping force for converging spring vibrations can be changed. These vehicle attitude adjustment mechanisms 60 may be controlled collectively or individually and independently.

[0048] The output device 70 is a device for outputting information and providing the information to the driver. The output device 70 may be an in-vehicle device, or may be a device mounted on a portable mobile terminal such as a mobile phone or tablet terminal used by the driver. The output device 70 is a device for displaying image information, and is configured by a liquid crystal display, a projector, or the like. For example, the display is a meter panel or a head-up display. The output device 70 may also be a device for outputting audio information. For example, the output device 70 is configured by a speaker.

[0049] Next, an example of a procedure for executing the vehicle attitude control method according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a flowchart of the control process of the vehicle attitude control method executed by the vehicle attitude control device 10. In this embodiment, when the vehicle 2 is running while performing lane keeping control, the control flow starts from step S101.

[0050] In step S101, the vehicle attitude control device 10 acquires driving condition information including the driving condition of the vehicle 2. For example, the driving condition information includes the operating condition of the on-board sensor 30 and the road condition of the road on which the vehicle 2 is traveling. In step S102, the vehicle attitude control device 10 determines, based on the driving condition information, whether the driving condition is such that the on-board sensor 30 should perform calibration and whether the driving condition will affect the calibration of the on-board sensor 30. For example, the vehicle attitude control device 10 determines whether the driving condition is such that the on-board sensor 30 should perform calibration and whether the vehicle 2 is traveling on a curved road. If the vehicle attitude control device 10 determines that the driving condition is such that the on-board sensor 30 should perform calibration and whether the driving condition will affect the calibration of the on-board sensor 30, the vehicle attitude control device 10 proceeds to step S103. In step S103, the vehicle attitude control device 10 suppresses changes in the attitude of the vehicle 2. For example, the vehicle attitude control device 10 prohibits adjustment of the vehicle height of the vehicle 2. If it is determined that the driving conditions do not affect the calibration of the vehicle-mounted sensor 30, the vehicle attitude control device 10 ends the control flow.

[0051] The vehicle attitude control device 10 repeatedly executes the control flow of FIG. 3 at regular intervals while the vehicle 2 is running while performing lane keeping control. In the example of FIG. 3 , the vehicle attitude control device 10 is set to a state in which the vehicle attitude adjustment mechanism 60 is permitted to change the attitude of the vehicle 2 while the vehicle 2 is running. Therefore, unless the change in the attitude of the vehicle 2 is suppressed in step S103, the vehicle attitude control device 10 controls the attitude of the vehicle 2 so that it can be changed. Therefore, if it is determined in step S102 that the situation does not affect the calibration of the on-board sensor 30, the vehicle attitude control device 10 maintains the state in which the change in the attitude of the vehicle 2 is permitted. At this time, for example, if the driver issues an instruction to adjust the vehicle height of the vehicle 2, the vehicle attitude control device 10 adjusts the vehicle height of the vehicle 2.

[0052] As described above, the vehicle attitude control method and vehicle attitude control device according to this embodiment are a method and device for controlling the attitude of a vehicle using a vehicle attitude adjustment mechanism capable of changing the attitude of the vehicle while it is moving. When the vehicle is moving while performing lane keeping control based on detection information from an on-board sensor, the method and device determine, based on driving condition information including the vehicle driving condition, whether the driving condition is such that the on-board sensor should perform calibration and whether the driving condition will affect the calibration of the on-board sensor. If the driving condition is such that the on-board sensor should perform calibration and will affect the calibration, the device suppresses changes in the vehicle attitude. As a result, when a vehicle equipped with a vehicle attitude adjustment mechanism capable of changing the attitude of the vehicle while it is moving while performing lane keeping control based on detection information from the on-board sensor, it is possible to appropriately perform lane keeping control in situations where the on-board sensor performs calibration while the vehicle is moving in a driving condition that will affect the calibration of the on-board sensor.

[0053] In this embodiment, the vehicle attitude adjustment mechanism includes a suspension that adjusts the attitude of the vehicle, and the vehicle attitude control method and vehicle attitude control device determine, based on driving condition information including the operating conditions of the on-board sensors, whether the driving conditions are such that the on-board sensors should perform calibration, and determine, based on the driving condition information including the road conditions of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, whether the driving conditions are such that the vehicle is traveling on a curved road, and suppress changes in the vehicle attitude caused by the suspension when it is determined that the driving conditions are such that the on-board sensors should perform calibration and that the vehicle is traveling on a curved road. This allows a vehicle that performs lane keeping control based on detection information from the on-board sensors to appropriately perform lane keeping control when traveling on a curved road.

[0054] In this embodiment, an input device provided in the vehicle inputs an execution command to adjust the vehicle height using the suspension, and when the execution command is input to the input device by the driver while the vehicle is traveling through a prohibited section including a curved road, the vehicle attitude control method and vehicle attitude control device prohibit adjustment of the vehicle height in the prohibited section, and adjust the vehicle height based on the execution command after the vehicle has passed through the prohibited section. This makes it possible to adjust the vehicle height as instructed by the driver while appropriately performing lane keeping control of the vehicle.

[0055] Furthermore, when adjusting the vehicle height, the vehicle attitude control method and vehicle attitude control device according to this embodiment notify the driver of notification information including the state of the vehicle height, thereby enabling the driver to check the vehicle height.

[0056] In this embodiment, the suspension adjusts the vehicle height according to a vehicle height mode, and the vehicle height mode is set to a first vehicle height mode that changes the vehicle height to a predetermined height, or a second vehicle height mode that changes the vehicle height to a height lower than the predetermined height. The vehicle attitude control method and vehicle attitude control device display notification information including the currently set vehicle height mode on an output device inside the vehicle, thereby allowing the driver to confirm which vehicle height mode is currently set.

[0057] Furthermore, when the vehicle attitude control method and vehicle attitude control device according to this embodiment determine that the driving situation is one in which the on-board sensor executes calibration and the vehicle is traveling on a curved road, the vehicle height is adjusted in stages by the suspension, or the vehicle height is adjusted by the suspension at a slower rate of change in the vehicle height than when the driving situation is one in which the on-board sensor executes calibration and the vehicle is not determined to be traveling on a curved road. This makes it possible to suppress changes in the vehicle height.

[0058] Furthermore, the vehicle attitude control method and vehicle attitude control device according to this embodiment acquire driving condition information, including road conditions of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, from map information and / or information detected by the on-board sensors, thereby making it possible to determine whether or not the driving conditions affect the calibration of the on-board sensors based on the road conditions of the road on which the vehicle is traveling.

[0059] Furthermore, the vehicle attitude control method and vehicle attitude control device according to this embodiment acquire driving condition information, including the operating status of the driving support device, from a driving support device that supports driving of the vehicle. As a result, it is possible to determine whether the driving condition affects the calibration of the on-board sensors based on the operating status of the driving support device.

[0060] Furthermore, when the vehicle attitude control method and vehicle attitude control device according to this embodiment determine that the driving conditions are such that the on-board sensors are to be calibrated and that the calibration is affected, the vehicle attitude control method and vehicle attitude control device suppress changes in the vehicle attitude by adjusting the damping force of the variable damping mechanism provided in the vehicle, the rigidity of the variable stabilizer provided in the vehicle, and / or the damping characteristics of the vehicle behavior control of the vehicle to be higher than when the driving conditions are such that the on-board sensors are to be calibrated and that the calibration is not affected. As a result, even in driving conditions that affect the calibration of the on-board sensors, the vehicle attitude can be maintained, thereby improving the accuracy of the calibration of the on-board sensors.

[0061] It should be noted that the above-described embodiments have been described to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Therefore, each element disclosed in the above-described embodiments is intended to include all design modifications and equivalents that fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0062] 2 Vehicle 10 Vehicle attitude control device 100 Control device 101 Acquisition unit 102 Determination unit 103 Control unit 20 Input device 30 On-board sensor 40 Driving assistance device 50 Storage device 60 Vehicle attitude adjustment mechanism 70 Output device

Claims

1. A vehicle attitude control method performed by a vehicle attitude control device that controls the attitude of a vehicle by a vehicle attitude adjustment mechanism capable of changing the attitude of the vehicle while it is in motion, The aforementioned vehicle attitude control device is When the vehicle is driving while performing lane keeping control based on detection information from an on-board sensor, it is determined, based on driving condition information including the vehicle's driving conditions, whether the driving conditions are such that the on-board sensor is performing calibration, and whether the driving conditions are such that the calibration of the on-board sensor is affected. A vehicle attitude control method for suppressing changes in the vehicle's attitude when it is determined that the driving conditions are such that the on-board sensor performs the calibration and that the calibration is affected.

2. A vehicle attitude control method according to claim 1, The vehicle attitude adjustment mechanism includes a suspension that adjusts the attitude of the vehicle. The aforementioned vehicle attitude control device is Based on the driving condition information, including the operating status of the on-board sensor, it is determined whether the driving condition is such that the on-board sensor is performing the calibration. Based on the driving situation information, including the road conditions of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, it is determined whether or not the driving situation is such that the vehicle is traveling on a curved road. A vehicle attitude control method for suppressing changes in the vehicle's attitude due to the suspension when it is determined that the driving conditions are such that the on-board sensor is performing the calibration and the vehicle is driving on a curved road.

3. A vehicle attitude control method according to claim 2, An input device provided in the vehicle receives an execution instruction to perform ride height adjustment of the vehicle using the suspension. The aforementioned vehicle attitude control device is A vehicle attitude control method that, when the driver inputs the execution instruction to the input device while the vehicle is traveling through a prohibited section including the curved road, prohibits adjusting the vehicle's ride height in the prohibited section, and adjusts the vehicle's ride height based on the execution instruction after the vehicle has passed through the prohibited section.

4. A vehicle attitude control method according to claim 3, The aforementioned vehicle attitude control device is A vehicle attitude control method that, when adjusting the vehicle height of the vehicle, notifies the driver of notification information including the state of the vehicle height.

5. A vehicle attitude control method according to claim 3 or 4, The suspension adjusts the vehicle height according to the vehicle height mode. The vehicle height mode is set to either a first vehicle height mode that changes the vehicle height to a predetermined vehicle height, or a second vehicle height mode that changes the vehicle height to a vehicle height lower than the predetermined vehicle height. The aforementioned vehicle attitude control device is A vehicle attitude control method that displays notification information, including the currently set vehicle height mode, on an output device located inside the vehicle.

6. A vehicle attitude control method according to claim 2, The aforementioned vehicle attitude control device is A vehicle attitude control method that, when it is determined that the driving conditions are such that the on-board sensor performs the calibration and the vehicle is driving on the curved road, adjusts the vehicle height of the vehicle in stages using the suspension, or adjusts the vehicle height of the vehicle using the suspension at a smaller rate of change than when it is not determined that the driving conditions are such that the on-board sensor performs the calibration and the vehicle is driving on the curved road.

7. A vehicle attitude control method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and 6, The aforementioned vehicle attitude control device is A vehicle attitude control method for acquiring driving condition information, including road conditions of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, from map information and / or detection information from the on-board sensor.

8. A vehicle attitude control method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and 6, The aforementioned vehicle attitude control device is A vehicle attitude control method for acquiring driving condition information, including the operating status of the driving assistance device, from a driving assistance device that assists in driving the vehicle.

9. A vehicle attitude control method according to claim 1, The aforementioned vehicle attitude control device is A vehicle attitude control method for suppressing changes in the attitude of a vehicle by adjusting the damping force of a variable damping mechanism provided in the vehicle, the rigidity of a variable stabilizer provided in the vehicle, and / or the damping characteristics of the vehicle's vehicle behavior control to a higher level than when it is determined that the driving conditions are such that the on-board sensor performs the calibration and that the driving conditions are such that the driving conditions are such that the on-board sensor performs the calibration and that the driving conditions are such that that the driving conditions are such that the on-board sensor performs the calibration and that the driving conditions are such that that the driving conditions are such that the damping force of a variable damping mechanism provided in the vehicle, the rigidity of a variable stabilizer provided in the vehicle, and / or the damping characteristics of the vehicle's vehicle behavior control to a higher level than when it is determined that the driving conditions are such that the on-board sensor performs the calibration and that the driving conditions are such that driving conditions are such that the on-board sensor performs the calibration and that that the driving conditions are such that the damping force of a variable damping mechanism provided in the vehicle, the rigidity of a variable stabilizer provided in the vehicle, and / or the damping characteristics of the vehicle's vehicle behavior control to a higher level.

10. A vehicle attitude control device that controls the attitude of a vehicle by a vehicle attitude adjustment mechanism capable of changing the attitude of the vehicle while it is in motion, When the vehicle is driving while performing lane keeping control based on detection information from an on-board sensor, a determination unit determines, based on driving condition information including the vehicle's driving condition, whether the driving condition is such that the on-board sensor is performing calibration and whether the driving condition is such that it affects the calibration of the on-board sensor. A vehicle attitude control device comprising: a control unit that suppresses changes in the vehicle's attitude when it determines that the driving conditions are such that the on-board sensor performs the calibration and that the conditions affect the calibration.