Travel control device for vehicle

Abstract

The present invention provides a drive control system 1 installed in a vehicle provided with a driving assistance device 3 and including an acceleration suppression control unit 11, which has a pedal misapplication likelihood determination unit 22 and a pedal misapplication determination unit 23 for detecting accelerator pedal misapplication by a driver and suppresses acceleration of the vehicle on the basis of a detection result of the accelerator pedal misapplication. The acceleration suppression control unit 11 suppress the acceleration of the vehicle until a predetermined time elapses from the completion of a driving assistance control by the driving assistance device 3.

Description

Vehicle driving control device

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle cruise control device that suppresses unintended acceleration due to erroneous accelerator operation.

[0002] Conventionally, technologies have been developed to suppress unintended vehicle acceleration due to accelerator misapplication, i.e., driver accelerator misoperation. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a control device that calculates the risk of a collision between the vehicle and an obstacle based on the distance between the vehicle and an obstacle in front of the vehicle, the relative speed between the vehicle and the obstacle, the vehicle's traveling speed, or the relative acceleration between the vehicle and the obstacle, sets a threshold for accelerator operation amount based on the risk, and suppresses vehicle acceleration when the accelerator operation amount exceeds the threshold.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-209056

[0004] However, accelerator misapplication, i.e., unintentional excessive accelerator application, can occur in various situations. For example, in recent years, various driving assistance devices have been installed in vehicles, and while the vehicle is in motion, the driver may be suddenly notified with voice or warnings, or driving control such as automatic braking may be suddenly performed. Such sudden notifications or driving control while the vehicle is in motion or in a situation where driving is possible may cause the driver to become impatient or panic, which may lead to accelerator misapplication.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of these problems, and its purpose is to provide a vehicle driving control device that can suppress unintended acceleration caused by accidentally pressing the accelerator in a vehicle equipped with a driving assistance device.

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the vehicle driving control device of the present invention is a vehicle driving control device that is mounted on a vehicle equipped with a driving assistance device and has a driving suppression control unit that suppresses acceleration of the vehicle due to the driver of the vehicle accidentally stepping on the accelerator, and is characterized in that the driving suppression control unit suppresses acceleration of the vehicle for a predetermined time after the driving assistance control by the driving assistance device is completed.

[0007] As a result, even if the driver accidentally presses the accelerator pedal due to impatience, panic, etc. as a result of the execution of driving assistance control by the driving assistance device, vehicle acceleration is suppressed, thereby improving safety. In particular, since vehicle acceleration is suppressed until a predetermined time has elapsed after the completion of driving assistance control, vehicle acceleration is suppressed in response to the accelerator pedal mistake that occurs after the completion of driving assistance control, thereby further improving safety.

[0008] Preferably, the vehicle is provided with a plurality of types of driving assistance devices, and the predetermined time is set to a different value depending on the type of the driving assistance device that executed the driving assistance control.

[0009] This allows the period during which acceleration suppression control is executed to be appropriately set in response to accelerator pedal misapplication that may be caused by the execution of various driving assistance controls, by changing the elapsed time from the completion of driving assistance control to suppress vehicle acceleration depending on the type of driving assistance device that executed the driving assistance control.

[0010] Preferably, the driving assistance control includes a notification to the driver and driving assistance activation of the vehicle, and the driving suppression control unit suppresses acceleration of the vehicle until a first predetermined time has elapsed since completion of the notification, and suppresses acceleration of the vehicle until a second predetermined time has elapsed since completion of the driving assistance activation, and the first predetermined time and the second predetermined time are set to values ​​different from each other.

[0011] This allows the elapsed time for suppressing acceleration from the completion of the driving assistance control to be appropriately set based on the notification and driving assistance operation in the driving assistance control. For example, by setting the second predetermined time for the driving assistance operation, which is prone to accelerator misapplication, longer than the first predetermined time for the notification, it is possible to appropriately suppress unintended acceleration of the vehicle due to accelerator misapplication by the driver.

[0012] Preferably, the vehicle is provided with a failure information acquisition unit that acquires information about the suspension of control or failure of the driving assistance device, and the driving suppression control unit suppresses acceleration of the vehicle until a third predetermined time has elapsed since it is determined that control of the driving assistance device has been suspended or that the driving assistance device has failed, and the third predetermined time is set to a value different from at least one of the first predetermined time and the second predetermined time.

[0013] This makes it possible to appropriately suppress acceleration of the vehicle unintentionally caused by the driver misapplication of accelerator pedal depression when it is determined that control of the driving assistance device has been stopped or that a malfunction has occurred, thereby suppressing acceleration for an appropriate period of time thereafter.

[0014] Preferably, the driving assistance device is at least one of a collision damage mitigation brake system, a constant speed / following distance control system, a lane departure prevention control system, a rear-side collision prevention assistance system, a vehicle detection and warning system when reversing, an obstacle / pedestrian detection system, and a sign / signal oversight detection system, thereby making it possible to enhance safety by suppressing vehicle acceleration in response to accelerator pedal misapplication caused by the operation of various driving assistance devices.

[0015] Preferably, the running suppression control unit disables operation of the accelerator pedal or corrects the accelerator pedal operation amount to be less than the actual operation amount when the accelerator pedal operation amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value until a predetermined time has elapsed after the completion of the driving assist control, thereby making it possible to effectively suppress acceleration of the vehicle in response to accelerator erroneous operation that occurs after the completion of the driving assist control.

[0016] According to the vehicle driving control device of the present invention, it is possible to appropriately suppress vehicle acceleration in response to the driver's erroneous accelerator pedal application caused by the operation of the driving assistance device, thereby improving safety.

[0017] It is a block diagram of a vehicle drive control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart showing a control procedure of running suppression control according to a first embodiment. It is a table showing an example of setting a system operation duration time.

[0018] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle drive control system 1 (cruise control device) according to an embodiment of the present invention. The drive control system 1 of this embodiment is mounted on a vehicle having a drive device 2 such as an engine or a motor. The vehicle is equipped with an accelerator pedal that is operated by the driver to adjust the traveling speed. An operation signal from the accelerator pedal is input to a main control unit 5 that controls the operation of the drive device 2 such as the engine or the motor and various devices of the vehicle.

[0019] The main control unit 5 is a control device that includes an input / output device, a memory device (ROM, RAM, non-volatile RAM, etc.), a central processing unit (CPU), a timer, etc.

[0020] The vehicle is also equipped with a driving assistance device (ADAS: Advanced Driving Assistant System) 3. The driving assistance device 3 is, for example, a collision mitigation braking device (AEB, etc.), a constant speed control / following distance control device (ACC, etc.), a lane departure prevention control device (LDP, etc.), a rear side collision prevention assist device (BSW, BSI, etc.), a reversing vehicle detection device (RTCA, etc.), a device for detecting obstacles, pedestrians, etc. (parking assistance device, nighttime assistance device, etc.), and a device for detecting oversight of signs, traffic lights, etc. These driving assistance devices are well-known devices and will not be described in detail, but they are devices that assist the driver in driving the vehicle by issuing warnings to the driver and controlling the driving.

[0021] 1, the drive control system 1 has an acceleration suppression control unit 11 provided in the main control unit 5. The acceleration suppression control unit 11 inputs operation information from the driving assistance device 3 and the amount of accelerator operation of the vehicle from the accelerator position sensor 4 or the like, determines (detects) accelerator misapplication, and if it determines that the accelerator has been misapplication, issues a warning and suppresses acceleration (travel suppression control unit). The acceleration suppression control unit 11 has a pedal misapplication likelihood determination unit 22 and a pedal misapplication determination unit 23.

[0022] The pedal misapplication likelihood determination unit 22 inputs operation and operation information from various devices of the vehicle, particularly the driving assistance device 3, and determines whether or not conditions exist that make accelerator misapplication likely. The pedal misapplication likelihood determination unit 22 determines whether or not conditions exist that make accelerator misapplication likely during notification and operation of the driving assistance device 3 and within a predetermined time after notification and operation. The pedal misapplication determination unit 23 determines whether or not an accelerator misapplication has occurred based on the determination result of the pedal misapplication likelihood determination unit 22 and the accelerator operation amount.

[0023] In detail, when it is determined that a pedal misapplication is likely to occur based on the determination result of the pedal misapplication likelihood determination unit 22, the pedal misapplication determination unit 23 determines that an accelerator misapplication has occurred if the accelerator operation amount is equal to or greater than an appropriately set threshold Ax. When the pedal misapplication determination unit 23 determines that an accelerator misapplication has occurred, the acceleration suppression control unit 11 issues an alarm or calls the driver's attention using an alarm device 14 such as an instrument panel or a buzzer provided in the vehicle. Furthermore, when the pedal misapplication determination unit 23 determines that an accelerator misapplication has occurred, the acceleration suppression control unit 11 performs acceleration suppression on the driving drive unit 2 such as the engine or motor to suppress acceleration of the vehicle, for example, to disable an accelerator operation instruction.

[0024] 2 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of the traveling suppression control executed by the acceleration suppression control unit 11. The traveling suppression control is repeatedly performed when the power supply of the vehicle is turned on.

[0025] First, in step S10, vehicle information, specifically, operation information of the driving support device 3, is input. Then, the process proceeds to step S20.

[0026] In step S20, a system operation duration ta after the notification from the driving support device 3 is set. The system operation duration ta is set depending on the type of warning or control of the driving support device 3, for example, as shown in FIG. 3. The system operation duration ta is set to a time period during which the driver may mistakenly step on the accelerator after the warning or operation control. Then, the process proceeds to step S30.

[0027] In step S30, the pedal misappropriation likelihood determination unit 22 determines whether the driving assistance device 3 is issuing a notification (or whether driving assistance is in operation). If the driving assistance device 3 is issuing a notification, the process proceeds to step S50. If the driving assistance device 3 is not issuing a notification, the process proceeds to step S40.

[0028] In step S40, the pedal misapplication likelihood determination unit 22 determines whether the time has continued since the end of the notification from the driving assistance device 3. Specifically, it determines whether the time has passed since the end of the notification from the driving assistance device 3 until the system operation duration ta set in step S20 has elapsed. If the time has continued since the end of the notification, that is, if the time is within the period from the end of the notification from the driving assistance device 3 until the system operation duration ta has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S50. If the time has not continued since the end of the notification, that is, if the time has not passed since the end of the notification from the driving assistance device 3 until the system operation duration ta has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S80.

[0029] In step S50, the threshold value Ax for determining whether or not a pedal misapplication has occurred is set or changed in the pedal misapplication determination unit 23. The threshold value Ax may be a fixed value, or may be set to a value corresponding to the type of activated driving assistance device 3. Then, the process proceeds to step S60.

[0030] In step S60, the current accelerator operation amount is input and it is determined whether it is equal to or greater than the threshold Ax set in step S50. If the accelerator operation amount is equal to or greater than the threshold Ax, the process proceeds to step S70. If the accelerator operation amount is less than the threshold Ax, the process proceeds to step S80.

[0031] In step S70, a warning and acceleration suppression are executed. That is, the warning device 14 issues a warning or calls attention to the erroneous accelerator pedal operation. The accelerator operation signal is also invalidated. Then, this routine ends.

[0032] In step S80, warning and acceleration suppression are not executed. That is, if warning and acceleration suppression are being executed, the execution is cancelled. Then, this routine is ended.

[0033] Here, an example of setting the system operation duration time ta will be described in detail. As shown in Fig. 3, it is preferable to set the system operation duration time ta to a different value depending on the type of activated driving assistance device 3. It is also preferable to set the system operation duration time ta to a different value depending on whether the driving assistance device 3 issues a notification or warning or whether it performs a driving assistance operation such as automatic braking.

[0034] For example, if a notification or warning is issued by a collision damage mitigation brake device or a lane departure prevention control device, the system operation duration ta (first predetermined time ta1) is set to 3 seconds, and if a notification or warning is issued by a constant speed driving / intermediate distance control device, a rear-side collision prevention support device, a reversing vehicle detection device, an obstacle / pedestrian detection device, or a sign, signal, etc. oversight detection device, the system operation duration ta (first predetermined time ta1) is set to 2 seconds.

[0035] Furthermore, when driving assistance is activated by the driving assistance device 3, if a collision damage mitigation brake device is controlled to operate, i.e., if the brake device is automatically activated, the system operation duration time ta (second predetermined time ta2) is set to 5 seconds, if a sign / signal oversight detection device is controlled to operate, the system operation duration time ta (second predetermined time ta2) is set to 2 seconds, and if driving assistance is activated by a lane departure prevention control device, a rear-side collision prevention support device, or a reversing vehicle detection device, the system operation duration time ta2 is set to 2 seconds.

[0036] Furthermore, the pedal misapplication likelihood determination unit 22 inputs information on control suspension due to control suspension, a malfunction, or fail-safe of the driving assistance device 3 from the driving assistance device 3 (failure information acquisition unit). The acceleration suppression control unit 11 then sets the system operation duration time ta (third predetermined time ta3) even when control suspension, a malfunction, or control suspension due to fail-safe of the driving assistance device 3 occurs. In this embodiment, in the event of control suspension, a malfunction, or the like of the driving assistance device 3, the system operation duration time ta3 is set to 2 seconds for any type of driving assistance device 3.

[0037] As described above, a vehicle equipped with the drive control system 1 of this embodiment is equipped with various driving assistance devices 3 such as a collision damage mitigation brake device. The acceleration suppression control unit 11 in the drive control system 1 determines whether or not the accelerator pedal has been misoperated based on the amount of accelerator operation while the driving assistance device 3 is executing (notifying) driving assistance control or until a predetermined time (system operation duration ta) has elapsed since the driving assistance control was completed.

[0038] It should be noted that the driver may erroneously depress the accelerator due to impatience or panic caused by the execution of driving assistance control such as an alarm or driving assistance activation by the driving assistance device 3. Such an accelerator erroneous depressing can occur not only while the driving assistance control is being executed, but also immediately after the completion of the driving assistance control, for example, immediately after the assistance activation or notification by the driving assistance control.

[0039] In contrast to this, in this embodiment, vehicle acceleration is suppressed based on the amount of accelerator operation even during the period from the completion of driving assistance control until the passage of a predetermined system operation duration time ta. Therefore, even if an accelerator pedal mistake occurs after the completion of driving assistance control, vehicle acceleration can be suppressed, thereby further improving safety.

[0040] The vehicle in this embodiment is equipped with multiple types of driving assistance devices 3. The acceleration suppression control unit 11 changes the system operation duration time ta depending on the type of driving assistance device 3 that issued the warning or performed the driving assistance operation.

[0041] This allows the system operation duration time ta to be changed depending on the type of driving assistance device 3 that issued the warning or activated driving assistance, improving safety by detecting accelerator misapplication that may occur after the warning or activation control within an appropriate time period, and preventing unnecessary acceleration suppression from being performed after more than the required time has passed since the warning or activation control of the driving assistance device 3 was completed.

[0042] When setting the system operation duration time ta, the acceleration suppression control unit 11 sets the system operation duration time ta1 when an alarm is issued by the driving assistance device 3 and the system operation duration time ta2 when driving assistance operation is performed by the driving assistance device 3 to different values.

[0043] In this way, the system operation duration ta, which suppresses acceleration from the completion of the driving assistance control by the notification and driving assistance operation in the driving assistance control, can be appropriately set. For example, since there is a possibility that accelerator misapplication may occur for a long period of time after the completion of the driving assistance operation than after the completion of the warning, the system operation duration ta2 is set longer than the system operation duration ta1. This makes it possible to appropriately suppress unintended acceleration of the vehicle due to accelerator misapplication.

[0044] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the system operation duration ta3 is set even when control of the driving assistance device 3 is suspended, a malfunction occurs, or control is suspended due to a fail-safe, but because the operation of the driving assistance device 3 is not sufficient, the system operation duration ta3 is set to a relatively short time and to the same time regardless of the type of driving assistance device 3. This makes it possible to suppress unintended acceleration of the vehicle due to the driver accidentally depressing the accelerator immediately after control of the driving assistance device 3 is suspended, a malfunction occurs, or control is suspended due to a fail-safe.

[0045] Although the description of the present invention is now complete, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, the vehicle in the above-described embodiment is equipped with a collision mitigation braking system (AEB, etc.), a constant speed control / following distance control system (ACC, etc.), a lane departure prevention control system (LDP, etc.), a rear side collision prevention system (BSW, BSI, etc.), a reversing vehicle detection system (RTCA, etc.), a detection system for detecting obstacles, pedestrians, etc. (parking assistance system, night support, etc.), and a detection system for detecting oversight of signs, traffic lights, etc., as driving assistance systems (ADAS). However, the present invention may be applied to a vehicle having at least one of these or other driving assistance systems.

[0046] The setting of the system operation duration time ta may be changed as appropriate. Furthermore, when the accelerator misapplication determination unit 23 determines that the accelerator has been misapplication, only one of the following may be performed: an alarm by the warning device 14; or acceleration suppression by invalidating the accelerator operation instruction.

[0047] Regarding acceleration suppression, in addition to disabling the accelerator operation instruction, the accelerator control amount may be corrected to a value reduced by a predetermined amount or a predetermined rate from the actual operation amount, or may be limited to a predetermined value or less.

[0048] Furthermore, when acceleration suppression is performed, the vehicle speed may be suppressed by operating the vehicle's brake device in addition to or instead of suppressing the vehicle's driving force by issuing an accelerator disable command or suppressing the accelerator control amount, etc. When determining that the accelerator has been accidentally depressed and reducing the output of the driving drive device 2, the amount of output reduction may be changed depending on the type of driving assistance device 3 that has been activated.

[0049] In addition, in the above embodiment, the acceleration suppression control unit is provided in the main control unit 5 of the vehicle, but it may be provided separately from the main control unit 5. The present invention can be widely applied to self-propelled vehicles that have a driving assistance device and control the traveling speed by the accelerator.

[0050] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Drive control system (driving control device) 3 Driving support device 11 Acceleration suppression control unit (driving suppression control unit) 22 Pedal misapplication likelihood determination unit (fault information acquisition unit)

Claims

1. A vehicle driving control device that is mounted on a vehicle equipped with a driving assistance device and has a driving suppression control unit that suppresses acceleration of the vehicle due to an accelerator pedal mistake by a driver of the vehicle, wherein the driving suppression control unit suppresses acceleration of the vehicle for a predetermined time period after driving assistance control by the driving assistance device is completed.

2. The vehicle driving control device according to claim 1, characterized in that the vehicle is provided with multiple types of driving assistance devices, and the predetermined time is set to a different value depending on the type of the driving assistance device that executed the driving assistance control.

3. The vehicle driving control device described in claim 1, characterized in that the driving assistance control includes a notification to the driver and driving assistance operation of the vehicle, and the driving suppression control unit suppresses acceleration of the vehicle until a first predetermined time has elapsed from completion of the notification, and suppresses acceleration of the vehicle until a second predetermined time has elapsed from completion of the driving assistance operation, and the first predetermined time and the second predetermined time are set to values ​​different from each other.

4. A vehicle driving control device as described in claim 3, further comprising a failure information acquisition unit that acquires information on the suspension of control or failure of the driving assistance device, wherein the driving suppression control unit suppresses acceleration of the vehicle until a third predetermined time has elapsed since it is determined that control of the driving assistance device has been suspended or that a failure has occurred, and the third predetermined time is set to a value different from at least one of the first predetermined time and the second predetermined time.

5. The vehicle driving control device according to claim 1, characterized in that the driving assistance device is at least one of a collision damage mitigation brake device, a constant speed / following distance control device, a lane departure prevention control device, a rear side collision prevention assistance device, a vehicle detection warning device when reversing, an obstacle / pedestrian detection device, and a sign / signal oversight detection device.

6. The vehicle driving control device described in claim 1, characterized in that, when the amount of operation of the accelerator pedal of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value between the completion of the driving assistance control and the lapse of the predetermined time, the driving suppression control unit disables the operation of the accelerator pedal or corrects the amount of operation of the accelerator pedal to be less than the actual amount of operation.

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