Vehicle control device

Abstract

A processor of this vehicle control device (controller H3) predicts whether a host vehicle V will collide with an obstacle OB and performs collision avoidance control of the host vehicle V with respect to the obstacle OB. The processor sets a value (e.g., a stop clearance L_TH) for suppressing collision avoidance control with respect to the obstacle OB present in a direction (e.g., a steering direction) to which the driver of the host vehicle V is paying attention so that said value is less than a preset reference value.

Description

Vehicle control device

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

[0002] In the field of automobile driving assistance control, collision avoidance systems have become widely used, which use cameras, radar, and sonar to detect obstacles around the vehicle and automatically activate the vehicle's brakes when there is a risk of collision with the obstacle, thereby avoiding a collision or mitigating damage from the collision.In such collision avoidance systems, there are errors in the detection results of sensors that detect obstacles and in predictions of the vehicle's traveling path, making it difficult to accurately determine a future collision.In particular, when driving at low speeds where the distance between the vehicle and surrounding obstacles is close, the system is likely to erroneously determine that a collision will occur even when a collision does not actually occur, resulting in braking that is contrary to the driver's intention.

[0003] The collision avoidance system of Patent Document 1 determines whether the vehicle is being driven while parking, and if so, changes the collision judgment reference distance between the vehicle and an obstacle to be shorter than during normal driving, and delays the start of activation of the brake device, thereby suppressing brake activation that is contrary to the driver's intention when driving while parking.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-34289

[0005] However, in the collision avoidance system of Patent Document 1, when an obstacle and the vehicle are close to each other, the brake device is activated if the obstacle is closer than the collision judgment reference distance, regardless of whether the driver is paying attention to it, which causes a problem of inconvenience to the driver.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device that can suppress collision avoidance control that is contrary to the driver's intentions.

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the vehicle control device of the present invention includes a processor that executes a process of predicting whether the host vehicle will collide with an obstacle and performing collision avoidance control of the host vehicle against the obstacle, and a process of reducing a value that suppresses the collision avoidance control against the obstacle that is located in the direction in which the driver of the host vehicle is paying attention to below a predetermined reference value.

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress collision avoidance control that is contrary to the driver's intention. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments.

[0009] 3A is a system configuration diagram of Examples 1-3. FIG. 3B is a diagram showing a general stopping clearance. FIG. 3C is a diagram showing a stopping clearance of Example 1. FIG. 3D is a diagram showing a processing flow of a collision avoidance system. FIG. 3E is a diagram showing a flow of branching processing shown in FIG. 3A. FIG. 3F is a diagram showing a calculation map of stopping clearance when the direction of attention (steering direction) is right. FIG. 3G is a diagram showing a calculation map of stopping clearance when the direction of attention (steering direction) is left. FIG. 3H is a diagram showing a flow of branching processing of Example 2. FIG. 3I is a diagram showing a calculation map of stopping clearance when the direction of attention (driver's seat side) is right. FIG. 3I is a diagram showing a calculation map of stopping clearance when the direction of attention (driver's seat side) is left. FIG. 3I is a diagram showing a flow of branching processing of Example 3. FIG. 3J is a diagram showing a calculation map of command value gain when the direction of attention (steering direction) is right. FIG. 3J is a diagram showing a calculation map of command value gain when the direction of attention (steering direction) is left.

[0010] (Embodiment 1) An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. This embodiment relates to a vehicle control device for a vehicle equipped with a collision avoidance system. The vehicle control device of this embodiment aims to achieve both suppression of automatic braking unintentionally by the driver and collision prevention safety through automatic braking, for example.

[0011] First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is the X axis, the lateral direction of the vehicle is the Y axis, the center of the rear axle of the vehicle (the center between the left and right rear wheels) is the origin, the front of the vehicle is the + direction of the X axis, and the left direction of the vehicle is the + direction of the Y axis. Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration showing this embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] This system is composed of an external environment information acquisition unit H1 consisting of a sonar device H11 that detects obstacles around the host vehicle, a host vehicle information acquisition unit consisting of a speed sensor H21 that detects the longitudinal movement speed of the host vehicle and a steering angle sensor H22 that outputs the rotation angle of the steering device of the host vehicle, and a controller H3 that outputs an alarm command to the driver, a brake command to decelerate and stop the host vehicle, and an engine torque suppression command to suppress acceleration of the host vehicle when there is a risk of collision with an obstacle, based on the external environment information acquired from the external environment information acquisition unit H1 and the host vehicle information acquired by the host vehicle information acquisition unit H2, and a vehicle control unit H4 that is composed of an alarm device H41 that issues an alarm based on the alarm command calculated by the controller H3, a brake system H42 that activates the brakes based on the brake command calculated by the controller H3, and an engine system H43 that suppresses engine torque based on the engine torque suppression command calculated by the controller H3.

[0013] The controller H3 (vehicle control device) is, for example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit), and is composed of a storage device such as a memory, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and a communication device such as an input / output circuit.

[0014] 2A and 2B are diagrams showing the stopping clearance used as a reference value for calculating the warning command, the brake command, and the engine torque reduction command, which are outputs from the controller H3.

[0015] 2A and 2B, the examples show a state in which the host vehicle V approaches an obstacle OB while backing up and is stopped by the activation of the collision avoidance system. The distance between the host vehicle V and the obstacle OB at this time is the stopping clearance Lth. When calculating each command value of the controller H3, the controller H3 calculates each command value with the goal of stopping the vehicle while leaving the stopping clearance Lth. Therefore, the smaller the stopping clearance Lth, the sooner an operation command is issued just before a collision, which can suppress the activation of controls such as braking that are contrary to the driver's intention, but generally reduces collision prevention safety. On the other hand, the larger the stopping clearance Lth, the sooner an operation command is issued, which increases the possibility of the activation of controls such as braking that are contrary to the driver's intention, but generally improves collision prevention safety.

[0016] The stopping clearance Lth in FIG. 2A is a typical stopping clearance setting, and is constant with no difference between the left and right directions.

[0017] The stopping clearance Lth shown in Fig. 2B is a stopping clearance for vehicle control used as a reference value for calculating a brake command and an engine torque reduction command for vehicle control in this embodiment. The direction in which the driver's attention is directed is determined, and the stopping clearance for an obstacle in that direction is set smaller than the reference value. In this embodiment, the direction in which the driver's attention is directed is determined based on the steering direction of the driver. In the example shown in the figure, the driver is steering to the right, and the direction in which the driver's attention is directed is set to the right, and the stopping clearance for an obstacle OB on the right side of the vehicle body is smaller than the reference value.

[0018] 3A and 3B show the processing flow of the collision avoidance system executed by the controller H3. This processing flow is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle, such as a microcomputer operation cycle. Each processing in this embodiment will explain the processing when there is a risk of collision between the host vehicle V, which is backing up at a low speed, and a stationary obstacle OB.

[0019] First, in step S101, the position coordinates (OBx, OBy) of the obstacle OB are obtained from the external world information acquisition unit H1.

[0020] Next, in step S102, the longitudinal speed Vsp of the vehicle and the steering angle δh of the steering device are obtained from the vehicle information acquisition unit H2. The steering angle δh has the midpoint as the origin and takes a positive value to the left and a negative value to the right.

[0021] Next, in step S103, a determination is made as to whether the host vehicle and the obstacle will collide within the longest predicted time Tmax into the future based on the position coordinates (OBx, OBy) of the obstacle OB obtained in step S101 and the host vehicle's speed Vsp and steering angle δf obtained in step S102. If a collision occurs, the time to collision TTC is calculated. In this embodiment, the determination as to whether the host vehicle and the obstacle OB will collide is made by calculating the coordinates of each vertex of a rectangle (collision determination area CA) formed by the rear axle and rear bumper of the moving host vehicle, and determining whether the target object OB falls within that rectangle. Furthermore, the calculation of the moving host vehicle's position and the determination of a collision are made by iteratively incrementing the predicted time Tsim, which is the elapsed time from the current time T0, by a predetermined prediction step time Tstep until the predetermined longest predicted time Tmax is reached or a collision is determined. For example, if the maximum prediction time Tmax is 3 seconds and the prediction step time Tstep is 100 milliseconds, the position of the collision detection area CA is repeatedly calculated for each predetermined prediction step time Tstep, such as T1, which is 100 milliseconds from the present time T0, T2, which is 200 milliseconds from the present time T0, and T3, which is 300 milliseconds from the present time T0, and the calculation is repeated until T30, when the obstacle OB enters the collision detection area CA or the prediction time Tsim reaches the maximum prediction time Tmax of 3 seconds.

[0022] In this embodiment, since the host vehicle is traveling at a low speed, the coordinates of each vertex of the collision determination area CA are calculated using a low-speed two-wheel model in which the center of rotation of the host vehicle is on an extension of the rear axle of the host vehicle.

[0023] The iterative calculation of the coordinates of each vertex of the collision detection area CA will now be described in detail.

[0024] First, the front wheel angle δf of the host vehicle required for the low-speed two-wheel model is calculated using the following equation (1): The steering gear ratio, which is the ratio between the steering angle and the front wheel angle, is stored in advance in controller H3.

[0025]

[0026] δf: front wheel angle [rad], δh: steering angle [rad], Ns: steering gear ratio [rad / rad].

[0027] In the low-speed two-wheel model, the relationship between the turning radius R of the host vehicle, the front wheel angle δf, and the wheelbase Lw is as shown in equation (2). The turning radius R of the host vehicle can be calculated from equation (2) using the wheelbase Lw, which is the distance between the front and rear axles of the host vehicle and which is stored in advance in controller H3, and the front wheel angle δf calculated using equation (1).

[0028]

[0029] R: Turning radius [m], Lw: Wheelbase [m].

[0030] Next, since the rotational motion (revolutionary motion) around the turning center of the vehicle and the rotational motion (rotational motion) around the center of the vehicle are equal during normal driving, the yaw angular velocity (yaw rate) γ of the vehicle can be calculated using the longitudinal velocity Vsp of the vehicle and the turning radius R using the following equation (3).

[0031]

[0032] γ: yaw rate [rad / sec], R: turning radius [m].

[0033] Assuming that the longitudinal velocity Vsp and yaw rate γ of the host vehicle remain at the current T0, iterative calculations are performed for each prediction step Tstep from now on. The coordinate system from now on will have the origin at the center coordinate of the rear axle of the host vehicle at time T0.

[0034] The body angle θ of the current step can be calculated from the yaw rate γ and the predicted time Tsim, which is the elapsed time from T0, using the following equation (4).

[0035]

[0036] θ: vehicle angle [rad], Tsim: time elapsed from T0 [sec].

[0037] Since the host vehicle traveling at low speed advances at a speed Vsp in the X-axis direction at the center of the rear axle, the position (X, Y) of the host vehicle at the current step in the coordinate system with the position of the host vehicle at T0 as the origin can be calculated from the previous position (X_z1, Y_z1) of the host vehicle and the following equations (5) and (6) using the vehicle body angle θ.

[0038]

[0039]

[0040] X_z1, Y_z1: Position of the vehicle at the previous prediction step [m]. The previous prediction step at T1 is T0, so the origin (0,0) is used. Tstep: Prediction step time [sec].

[0041] The vertices of the rectangle of the collision detection area CA are calculated from the position (X, Y) of the host vehicle in the current step obtained as described above. The collision detection area extends from the center of the rear axle to the left and right of the vehicle width and extends vertically to the rear bumper. Therefore, when the width of the host vehicle is W and the distance from the rear axle to the rear bumper is Lrb, the coordinates of the left front of the collision detection area CA (CA_FL_X, CA_FL_Y) can be calculated from the following equations (7) and (8), the coordinates of the right front (CA_FR_X, CA_FR_Y) can be calculated from the following equations (9) and (10), the coordinates of the left rear (CA_RL_X, CA_RL_Y) can be calculated from the following equations (11) and (12), and the coordinates of the right rear (CA_RR_X, CA_RR_Y) can be calculated from the following equations (13) and (14). The width W of the host vehicle and the distance Lrb from the rear axle to the rear bumper are stored in advance in the controller H3.

[0042]

[0043]

[0044]

[0045]

[0046]

[0047]

[0048]

[0049]

[0050] W: Vehicle width [m], Lrb: Distance from rear axle to rear bumper [m].

[0051] It is determined whether the position (OBx, OBy) of the obstacle OB exists within the rectangular collision determination area CA formed by the coordinates of the four vertices above. If it does exist, a collision will occur in the future, so the predicted time Tsim is set as the time to collision TTC, and processing S103 is completed. If a collision will not occur, the process returns to equation (4) and the next iterative calculation is performed. However, if the predicted time Tsim reaches the longest predicted time Tmax, it is determined that a collision will not occur, and processing S103 is completed.

[0052] In this embodiment, the obstacle OB is treated as being stationary, but even if the obstacle OB is moving, it is possible to determine a collision and calculate the TTC by updating the position of the obstacle OB at each prediction step based on the speed information of the obstacle OB.

[0053] Next, in step S104, the result of the determination as to whether the host vehicle will collide with the obstacle in the future obtained in step S103 is used, and if there will be no collision (No), the process proceeds to step S105. If there will be a collision (YES), the process proceeds to step S106.

[0054] In step S105, since there will be no collision in the future and no collision avoidance control is required, the warning command, brake command, and torque reduction command are set to their initial values, and the process proceeds to step S117.

[0055] In process S106, it is determined whether the host vehicle speed acquired in process S102 is low (10 km / h) or less. If the host vehicle speed is not low (No), the process proceeds to process S107, in which a reference value is used for the stopping clearance for vehicle control, so that the driver will not be bothered even if control such as braking is activated for an obstacle close to the host vehicle. If the host vehicle speed is low (Yes), the process proceeds to process S108. In this embodiment, the host vehicle is considered to be low when its longitudinal speed is 10 km / h or less, but it does not necessarily have to be 10 km / h.

[0056] In step S107, the stopping clearance for vehicle control is set to a reference value (0.5 m), and the process proceeds to step S114. In this embodiment, the reference value for the stopping clearance is set to 0.5 m, but it does not necessarily have to be 0.5 m.

[0057] In processes S108, S109, and S110, the direction in which the driver's attention is directed is acquired. In this embodiment, the driver's gaze is focused on the steering direction (travel direction) when driving backward, controlling the distance between the vehicle body and an obstacle, and the steering direction is set as the direction in which the driver's attention is directed. If the steering angle is less than 0° (right steering) in process S108, the process proceeds to process S109, the direction in which the attention is directed is set to the right, and the process proceeds to process S111. If the steering angle is 0° or more (left steering), the direction in which the attention is directed is set to the left in S109, and the process proceeds to process S111.

[0058] In processes S111, S112, and S113, a process is performed to reduce the stopping clearance for vehicle control in the direction in which the driver's attention is directed. In process S112, it is determined whether the driver's attention is directed to the right or left, and if it is to the right, S112 is performed, and if it is to the left, S113 is performed. Processes S112 and S113 each have a map prepared in advance, and the stopping clearance for vehicle control is set based on the left and right positions of the obstacle on the vehicle body and the steering angle. Figures 4A and 4B show the calculation maps for the stopping clearance.

[0059] Fig. 4A shows the calculation map used in process S112 when attention is directed to the right, and Fig. 4B shows the calculation map used in process S113 when attention is directed to the left. When driving backward, the greater the steering angle, the more the driver's attention is directed in the steering direction, so in the calculation map, the greater the steering angle, the more the stopping clearance is reduced from the reference value (0.5 m) toward the left and right ends of the vehicle in the direction of attention. On the other hand, the reference stopping clearance (0.5 m) is used in the direction opposite to the direction of attention so as not to compromise safety.

[0060] In step S114, a TTC (time to collision) threshold for initiating each of the following controls is calculated: warning, brake application, and engine torque down. The brake application start TTC threshold TTCbrk is the time required to stop the vehicle with the stopping clearance Lth from an obstacle when the brake is applied, and is calculated from the current vehicle speed Vsp, a preset target deceleration DECtg, a stopping clearance Lth for vehicle control, and a free-running time Tidl (e.g., 0.3 seconds) from the start of a command to the start of braking, using the following equation (15):

[0061]

[0062] The engine torque down operation start TTC threshold TTCeng is set by offsetting the brake operation start TTC threshold by a predetermined time TTCeng_offset (for example, +0.5 seconds) as shown in the following equation (16) so that the operation starts before the brake is applied.

[0063]

[0064] By reducing engine torque, acceleration can be suppressed, ensuring time until collision. The brake operation start TTC threshold and engine torque reduction operation start threshold use the stopping clearance for vehicle control, so they take small values ​​for obstacles in the direction the driver's attention is directed. Therefore, operation starts late for obstacles in the direction the driver's attention is directed, making it difficult for the brakes to operate. On the other hand, because the direction is where the driver's attention is directed, safety is not compromised even if operation is difficult.

[0065] As shown in the following equation (17), the warning activation start TTC threshold is offset by a predetermined time TTCwrn_offset (for example, 0.8 seconds) from the brake activation start TTC threshold, as in the case of engine torque down. However, the reference brake activation start TTC threshold is not the stopping clearance for vehicle control, but is calculated from equation (17) using the reference stopping clearance Lth_STD (0.5 m).

[0066]

[0067] The purpose of the alarm is to alert the driver that there is a risk of collision due to proximity to an obstacle, so that the driver will not be bothered if the alarm is activated when no collision will occur.

[0068] Next, in process S115, the TTC calculated in process S103 is compared with each control start TTC threshold (TTCbrk, TTCeng, TTCwrn) calculated in process S114, and if the TTC is less than each control start TTC threshold, a preset command value is set to activate that control.

[0069] In step S116, the command values ​​calculated in step S115 or S105 are transmitted from the controller H3 to the respective devices in the vehicle control unit H4.

[0070] The main features of the first embodiment can be summarized as follows.

[0071] A processor of a vehicle control device (controller H3, FIG. 1) predicts whether the host vehicle V will collide with an obstacle OB and performs collision avoidance control of the host vehicle V against the obstacle OB. The processor reduces a value (e.g., stopping clearance) that suppresses collision avoidance control against an obstacle OB that exists in the direction in which the driver of the host vehicle V is paying attention (e.g., the steering direction) below a preset reference value (FIG. 2B).

[0072] By suppressing collision avoidance control for an obstacle that is present in the direction in which the driver's attention is directed, collision avoidance control that is contrary to the driver's intention is suppressed. Note that in this embodiment, the smaller the value (index) for suppressing collision avoidance control is, the more the collision avoidance control is suppressed (the collision avoidance control becomes weaker).

[0073] The processor determines the direction in which the driver of the vehicle is paying attention based on driving information (steering angle, riding position, etc.). In this embodiment, the driving information is the steering angle (FIG. 3B, S108-S110). By suppressing collision avoidance control for obstacles in the steering direction, collision avoidance control that is contrary to the driver's intention when turning is suppressed. The processor acquires the steering angle from a steering angle sensor, for example.

[0074] The processor reduces the value for suppressing collision avoidance control as the steering angle increases (Figures 4A and 4B). Because the driver's attention increases as the steering angle increases, safety is ensured even if collision avoidance control for obstacles in the steering direction is further suppressed.

[0075] When the speed of the host vehicle is lower than a predetermined speed, the processor reduces a value (e.g., stopping clearance) that suppresses collision avoidance control below a reference value. As a result, when the driver is driving at a low speed to park, put into a garage, etc., collision avoidance control for an obstacle (e.g., a pillar or gate in a multi-story parking garage) that exists in the direction of the driver's attention is suppressed.

[0076] The collision avoidance control is, for example, automatic braking control or warning control. By suppressing automatic braking control or warning control for an obstacle that is present in the direction that the driver's attention is directed, the annoyance to the driver is reduced.

[0077] The value for suppressing collision avoidance control is, for example, a value (stopping clearance) indicating the distance of the host vehicle from an obstacle, which is a condition for activating automatic brake control. By reducing this value (stopping clearance), automatic brake control is suppressed when the host vehicle approaches an obstacle in the direction that the driver's attention is focused.

[0078] In this embodiment, the direction in which the driver's attention is directed is determined from the driver's steering angle, and the stopping clearance of an obstacle in the direction in which the attention is directed is made smaller than a reference value, making it difficult for the brakes to be activated; otherwise, the reference value is left unchanged, thereby achieving both collision prevention safety through activation and suppression of unintended braking by the driver.

[0079] (Embodiment 2) Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described.

[0080] In the first embodiment, the direction of attention is determined from the steering angle of the driver, but in this embodiment, the processing is described for determining the direction of attention from the driver's riding position. Note that the same parts and processes in the second embodiment and the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

[0081] 5 shows a flowchart of branching process S_sub in embodiment 2. Note that other processes in embodiment 2 are the same as those in embodiment 1 (FIG. 3A). Processes S101, S102, S103, S104, S105, S106, and S107 are the same as those in embodiment 1 (FIGS. 3A and 3B), and therefore will not be described again.

[0082] Next, in process S201, the driver's riding position (right-hand drive vehicle or left-hand drive vehicle) stored in advance in controller H3 is acquired. Next, in processes S202, S203, and S204, the direction in which the driver's attention is directed is acquired from the driver's riding position. In process S202, it is determined whether the driver's riding position acquired in process S201 is on the right side, and if it is on the right side (Yes), in process S203 the direction in which the driver's attention is directed is set to the right. If it is on the left side (No), in process S204 the direction in which the driver's attention is directed is set to the left.

[0083] Next, in processes S205, S206, and S207, a stopping clearance for vehicle control is calculated according to the direction in which the driver's attention is directed. In process S205, it is determined whether the direction in which the driver's attention is directed is the right side, and if the answer is right (Yes), a stopping clearance for vehicle control is calculated in S206, and if the answer is left (No), a stopping clearance for vehicle control is calculated in S207. Processes S207 and S208 each have a prepared map, and set a stopping clearance according to the left and right positions of the obstacle on the vehicle body. Figures 6A and 6B show the calculation maps for stopping clearance.

[0084] FIG. 6A shows the calculation map used in process S207 when attention is directed to the right, and FIG. 6B shows the calculation map used in process S208 when attention is directed to the left. In a situation where an obstacle is close to the host vehicle, the closer the obstacle is to the driver, the easier it is for the driver to control the distance between the obstacle and the vehicle body. Therefore, when the driver is located on the right side, the stopping clearance is reduced from the standard value (0.5 m) the closer to the right end of the vehicle body, and when the driver is located on the left side, the stopping clearance is reduced the closer to the left end of the vehicle body. On the other hand, in the direction opposite the driver's position, the standard stopping clearance (0.5 m) is set so as not to compromise safety.

[0085] The subsequent steps S114, S115, and S116 are the same as those in the first embodiment and will not be described again.

[0086] The main features of the second embodiment can be summarized as follows.

[0087] The processor determines the direction in which the driver of the vehicle will pay attention based on driving information (riding position). In this embodiment, the driving information is the driver's riding position (FIG. 5, S201-S204). By suppressing collision avoidance control for an obstacle present on the side of the driver's riding position (driver's seat side), collision avoidance control on the driver's seat side that is contrary to the driver's intention is suppressed. Note that the riding position is stored in advance in a storage device (memory, etc.) of the vehicle control device, for example. The processor may determine the direction in which the driver of the vehicle will pay attention based on the riding position and the position of the obstacle.

[0088] In this embodiment, the direction in which the driver's attention is directed is determined based on the driver's riding position, and the stopping clearance of obstacles in the direction of the driver's attention is made smaller than a standard value, making it more difficult for the brakes to be activated; otherwise, the standard value is left unchanged, making it possible to achieve both collision prevention safety through activation and suppression of unintended braking by the driver.

[0089] (Embodiment 3) Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described.

[0090] In the first and second embodiments, the stopping clearance for an obstacle in the direction of attention is reduced, but in this embodiment, the stopping clearance is kept at a reference value, and the brake command value for an obstacle in the direction of attention is reduced. Note that the same components and processes in the third embodiment and the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

[0091] 7 shows a flowchart of branching process S_sub in embodiment 3. Note that other processes in embodiment 3 are the same as those in embodiment 1 (FIG. 3A). Processes S101, S102, S103, S104, and S105 are the same as those in embodiment 1 (FIGS. 3A and 3B), and therefore will not be described again.

[0092] If it is determined in step S106 that the vehicle is not traveling at a low speed, step S303 is performed to set the command value gain for vehicle control to an initial value of 1. The command value gain for vehicle control is set between 0 and 1, and when the brakes are to be applied, the final command value can be reduced by multiplying a preset command value by this command value gain. In step S303, the purpose is not to reduce the command value, so this command value gain is set to 1.

[0093] Steps S108, S109, and S110 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described again.

[0094] Next, in processes S101, S301, and S302, a control gain for vehicle control according to the direction in which the driver's attention is directed is calculated. In process S111, it is determined whether the direction in which the driver's attention is directed is the right side, and if the answer is right (Yes), a command value gain for vehicle control is calculated in S301, and if the answer is left (No), a command value gain is calculated in S302. Processes S301 and S302 each have a map prepared in advance, and set the command value gain according to the left or right position of the obstacle on the vehicle body. Figures 8A and 8B show the calculation maps for the command value gain.

[0095] FIG. 8A shows the calculation map used in process S301 when attention is directed to the right, and FIG. 8B shows the calculation map used in process S302 when attention is directed to the left. In a situation where an obstacle is close to the host vehicle, the closer the obstacle is to the driver, the easier it is for the driver to control the distance between the obstacle and the vehicle body. Therefore, when the driver is located on the right side, the gain is set to decrease the command value the closer to the right end of the vehicle body, and when the driver is located on the left side, the gain is set to decrease the command value the closer to the left end of the vehicle body. On the other hand, in the direction opposite to the driver's position, the reference command value gain is set to 1 so as not to compromise safety.

[0096] Next, in step S304, a control start TTC threshold for each control is calculated. The method for calculating the threshold for each control is the same as in step S114 in the first embodiment, but in this embodiment, a reference value (0.5 m) is always used for the stopping clearance. Next, in step S305, a command value is calculated. The command value for brake control calculated by the method in step S115 in the first embodiment is multiplied by the command value gain calculated in step S301, S302, or S303. For example, if the preset command value for brake control activation is 0.5 G and the command value gain is 0.8, the final command value is calculated to be 0.4 G.

[0097] The subsequent process S115 is the same as in the first embodiment and will not be described again.

[0098] The main features of the third embodiment can be summarized as follows.

[0099] The value that suppresses the collision avoidance control is the command value gain of the collision avoidance control (FIGS. 8A and 8B). The command value gain is, for example, a coefficient by which the command value for braking or driving the host vehicle is multiplied. By reducing the command value gain, the control amount of the collision avoidance control can be suppressed.

[0100] In this embodiment, the direction in which the driver's attention is directed is determined from the steering direction of the driver, and the brake command value for obstacles in that direction is reduced. This makes it possible to reduce the annoyance of the driver even if the brakes are activated unintentionally, without compromising safety, by reducing the command value.

[0101] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be applied not only when the host vehicle is moving backward, but also when the host vehicle is moving forward.

[0102] The external environment information acquisition unit H1 may be configured to detect obstacles not only by the sonar device H11 but also by other means such as a camera device or a radar device, or a combination of these. The reduction of the reference value or command value performed by the controller H3 may be applied to a command value sent to an alarm H41 (alarm device). Furthermore, the reduction of the reference value or command value performed by the controller H3 may be applied to command values ​​sent to devices related to vehicle movement, such as a parking brake device or a steering device, or devices that notify the driver of a risk of collision, such as an information display device, instead of the devices described in the vehicle control unit H4. The direction of attention calculated in process S109 or process S110 may be transmitted to an external environment recognition sensor that detects obstacles in the external environment information acquisition unit H1, and the external environment recognition sensor may correct the detection result of the obstacle to reduce the risk of collision with the vehicle.

[0103] The above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, it is possible to replace a portion of the configuration of one embodiment with a configuration of another embodiment, or to add a configuration of another embodiment to a configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace a portion of the configuration of each embodiment with another configuration.

[0104] In the above embodiment, the processor determines the direction in which the driver of the vehicle is paying attention from driving information (steering angle, riding position), but the driving information may be the driver's line of sight, etc. The processor may also determine the direction in which the driver is paying attention from a combination of the steering angle and riding position. In this case, for example, the calculation map of Figures 4A and 4B or Figures 6A and 6B, whichever has the smaller stopping clearance, is used.

[0105] Furthermore, some or all of the above-described configurations, functions, etc. may be implemented in hardware, for example, by designing them as integrated circuits. Furthermore, the above-described configurations, functions, etc. may be implemented in software by a processor (controller) interpreting and executing a program that implements each function. Information such as the programs, tables, and files that implement each function can be stored in a memory, a recording device such as a hard disk or SSD (Solid State Drive), or a recording medium such as an IC card, SD card, or DVD.

[0106] The embodiment of the present invention may be configured as follows.

[0107] (C1) A vehicle control device comprising: a collision avoidance control unit that predicts whether a host vehicle will collide with an obstacle and executes collision avoidance control of the host vehicle against the obstacle; and a control amount change unit that acquires a direction in which the driver of the host vehicle is paying attention due to the driving behavior of the driver of the host vehicle, and reduces a control amount of the collision avoidance control that is executed against the obstacle that exists in the direction in which the driver's attention is paying attention, relative to a preset control reference amount.

[0108] (C2) The control device according to (C1), wherein the collision avoidance control is automatic brake control or warning control.

[0109] (C3) The control device according to (C1), wherein the control amount indicates an automatic brake control intervention threshold, which is a distance of the host vehicle from the obstacle for activating the automatic brake control, and the control reference amount indicates an automatic brake control intervention reference threshold, which is a reference value of the distance of the host vehicle from the obstacle for activating the automatic brake control.

[0110] (C4) The control device according to (C1), wherein the control amount change unit acquires a direction in which the driver's attention is directed due to a steering direction of the driver during the driving behavior.

[0111] (C5) The control device according to (C4), wherein the control amount change unit reduces the automatic brake control intervention threshold as the steering angle by the driver's steering increases.

[0112] (C6) The control device according to (C1), wherein the control amount change unit acquires a direction in which the driver's attention is directed due to a relative positional relationship between the driver's riding position and the obstacle during the driving behavior.

[0113] (C7) The control device according to (C1), wherein the control amount change unit executes the control when the speed of the host vehicle is lower than a predetermined speed.

[0114] According to (C1)-(C7), it is possible to provide a vehicle control device that can achieve both collision prevention safety through braking and suppression of braking operations that are bothersome to the driver.

[0115] H1...External information acquisition unit H11...Sonar device H2...Own vehicle information acquisition unit H21...Speed ​​sensor H22...Steering angle sensor H3...Controller H4...Vehicle control unit H41...Alarm device H42...Brake system H43...Engine system

Claims

1. A vehicle control device comprising a processor that predicts whether or not a host vehicle will collide with an obstacle and performs collision avoidance control of the host vehicle with respect to the obstacle, and a process of making a value for suppressing the collision avoidance control with respect to the obstacle existing in a direction in which the attention of the driver of the host vehicle is directed smaller than a preset reference value.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the processor determines a direction in which the attention of the driver of the host vehicle is directed from driving information.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein the driving information is a steering angle.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 3, wherein the processor makes the value for suppressing the collision avoidance control smaller as the steering angle is larger.

5. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein the driving information is the driver's seating position in the host vehicle.

6. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the processor makes the value for suppressing the collision avoidance control smaller than the reference value when the speed of the host vehicle is lower than a predetermined speed.

7. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the collision avoidance control is automatic brake control or warning control.

8. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the value for suppressing the collision avoidance control is a value indicating a distance between the host vehicle and the obstacle that is a condition for activating automatic brake control.

9. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the value for suppressing the collision avoidance control is a command value gain of the collision avoidance control.

10. The vehicle control device according to claim 9, wherein the command value gain is a coefficient multiplied by a command value for braking or driving the host vehicle.

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