Control device and control method

Abstract

A control device and a control method capable of improving safety are provided. The control device (16) includes an acquisition section that acquires boarding status information, which is information related to a boarding status of an occupant (21, 22) of a vehicle (10), and a control section that executes acceleration limiting control for limiting acceleration of the vehicle (10) based on the boarding status information.

Description

[0001] [Document name] Statement

[0002] [Title of invention] Control device and control method

[0003] [Technical Field]

[0004]

[001] The present invention relates to a control device and a control method.

[0005] [Background technology]

[0006]

[002] Technologies have been proposed to assist drivers in driving by automatically controlling the driving force of a vehicle. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a control that reduces the driving force of a vehicle when wheel slippage occurs due to the driving force.

[0007] [Prior art documents]

[0008] [Patent documents]

[0009]

〇 0 0 3

[0010] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-049825

[0011] Summary of the Invention

[0012] [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0013] [0 0 4] When a driving force acts on a vehicle and the vehicle accelerates, an inertial force acts on the vehicle occupants. If an excessively large inertial force acts on the occupants, it may affect safety.

[0014]

[0005] Therefore, in view of these problems, the present invention aims to provide a control device and a control method that can improve safety.

[0015] [Means for solving the problem]

[0016]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the control device includes an acquisition unit that acquires occupancy status information, which is information regarding the occupancy status of the vehicle's occupants, and a control unit that executes acceleration limit control that limits the acceleration of the vehicle based on the occupancy status information.

[0017]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, in the control method, an acquisition unit of the control device acquires occupancy status information, which is information regarding the occupancy status of the vehicle's occupants, and a control unit of the control device executes acceleration limit control that limits the acceleration of the vehicle based on the occupancy status information.

[0018] [Effects of the Invention]

[0019]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve safety.

[0020] [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021]

〇 0 0 9

[0022] [Figure 1] Schematic diagram showing the general configuration of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] [Figure 2] A block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] [Figure 3] A flowchart showing an example of the processing flow performed by a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] [Figure 4] A diagram showing a state in which an occupant of a vehicle in an embodiment of the present invention is not seated.

[0026] [Figure 5] A diagram showing the distance between the head of a vehicle occupant and a headrest in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] [Figure 6] A diagram showing a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention entering an intersection.

[0028] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] [0 0 1 0] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific values ​​shown in the embodiments are merely examples to facilitate understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In this specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are assigned the same reference numerals to avoid redundant explanation, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown.

[0030]

[0011] <Vehicle Configuration> The configuration of a vehicle 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2.

[0031]

[0012] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of a vehicle 10. As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle 10 includes a drive source 11, a braking device 12, a display device 13, an ambient environment sensor 14, a vehicle interior sensor 15, and a control device 16.

[0032]

[0013] The drive source 11 outputs a drive force that is transmitted to the drive wheels of the vehicle 10. Examples of the drive source 11 include an engine or an electric motor.

[0033]

[0014] The brake device 12 applies braking force to the wheels of the vehicle 10. For example, the brake device 12 includes a hydraulic control unit, which adjusts the hydraulic pressure of the brake fluid in the wheel cylinder, thereby adjusting the braking force applied to the wheel.

[0034]

[0015] The display device 13 is a device that visually displays various information. Examples of the display device 13 include a liquid crystal display.

[0035]

[0016] The surrounding environment sensor 14 detects surrounding environment information related to the environment around the vehicle 10. For example, the surrounding environment sensor 14 is provided at the front of the vehicle 10 and detects surrounding environment information ahead of the vehicle 10. The surrounding environment information detected by the surrounding environment sensor 14 may be information related to the distance or direction to an object located around the vehicle 10 (for example, relative position, relative distance, relative speed, relative acceleration, etc.), or may be characteristics of the object located around the vehicle 10 (for example, the type of object, the shape of the object itself, a mark attached to the object, etc.). The surrounding environment sensor 14 is, for example, a radar, a lidar sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a camera, etc.

[0036]

[0017] The cabin sensor 15 detects the state of the cabin of the vehicle 10. An example of the cabin sensor 15 is a radar. In the following, an example in which the cabin sensor 15 is a radar will be described. However, as will be described later, the cabin sensor 15 may be a sensor other than a radar. The cabin sensor 15 is provided in the cabin of the vehicle 10. For example, the cabin sensor 15 is provided facing downward near the center of the underside of the top plate portion that covers the cabin of the vehicle 10 from above (for example, the center in the front-to-rear direction and the center in the width direction of the vehicle). The number of cabin sensors 15 is not particularly limited and may be one or two or more. The arrangement of the cabin sensors 15 is not limited to the above example. As will be described later, the vehicle interior sensor 15 can detect occupants of the vehicle 10. Note that occupants refer to people riding in the vehicle 10, including the driver and passengers.

[0037]

[0018] The control device 16 controls the behavior of the vehicle 10. The control device 16 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), which is an arithmetic processing device, a ROM (Read Only Memory), which is a memory element that stores programs used by the CPU and calculation parameters, and a RAM (Random Access Memory), which is a memory element that temporarily stores parameters that change as the CPU executes. The control device 16 may be, for example, a single device or may be divided into multiple devices. When the control device 16 is divided into multiple devices, the various functions described below are shared among the multiple devices. For example, some functions of the control unit 16b described below and other functions may be shared by different devices.

[0038]

[0019] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control device 16. As shown in Fig. 2, the control device 16 includes, for example, an acquisition unit 16a and a control unit 16b.

[0039]

[0020] The acquisition unit 16a acquires information from each device in the vehicle 10. For example, the acquisition unit 16a acquires information from the ambient environment sensor 14 and the vehicle interior sensor 15. In this specification, the acquisition of information may include the extraction or generation of information (for example, calculation).

[0040]

[0021] In particular, the acquisition unit 16a can acquire occupancy status information, which is information related to the occupancy status of an occupant of the vehicle 10. The acquisition unit 16a can acquire the occupancy status information, for example, based on the detection result of the cabin sensor 15. For example, the acquisition unit 16a can detect an occupant in the cabin of the vehicle 10 based on the detection result of a radar serving as the cabin sensor 15, and acquire the occupancy status information, which is information related to the occupancy status of the detected occupant. For example, the cabin sensor 15 can detect the distance between an object in the cabin and the cabin sensor 15. Therefore, the cabin sensor 15 can detect chest contraction of a person in the cabin caused by breathing. Therefore, the acquisition unit 16 a can detect, as an occupant, a person experiencing chest contraction in the cabin of the vehicle 10 based on the detection results of the cabin sensor 15. Then, the acquisition unit 16 a can, for example, detect the position of each part of the detected occupant and the positional relationship between the parts based on the detection results of the cabin sensor 15, and acquire information indicating the position and posture of the detected occupant as occupancy status information based on these detection results.

[0041]

[0022] The acquisition unit 16a can identify the object by using, for example, a prediction model for predicting an object other than a person that exists within the detection range of the vehicle interior sensor 15 based on the detection result of the vehicle interior sensor 15. The prediction model is constructed by learning in advance using, for example, an existing machine learning algorithm.

[0042]

[0023] The control unit 16b controls the operation of each device in the vehicle 10. For example, the control unit 16b controls the operation of the drive source 11, the braking device 12, and the display device 13.

[0043]

[0024] For example, the control unit 16b controls the operation of the drive source 11 so that a required driving force corresponding to the amount of accelerator operation by the driver acts on the vehicle 10. Also, for example, the control unit 16b controls the operation of the brake device 12 so that a required braking force corresponding to the amount of brake operation by the driver acts on the vehicle 10. Also, for example, the control unit 16b notifies the driver of various information by displaying various information on the display device 13.

[0044]

[0025] <Operation of the control device> The operation of the control device 16 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 3 to 6.

[0045]

[0026] As described above, the control unit 16b can control the driving force acting on the vehicle 10 by controlling the operation of the driving source 11. When a driving force acts on the vehicle 10 and the vehicle 10 accelerates, an inertial force acts on the occupants of the vehicle 10. Here, an excessively large inertial force acting on the occupants can affect safety. Therefore, in this embodiment, as described later, the control unit 16b limits the behavior of the vehicle 10 based on the onboard status information, thereby improving safety. Below, a detailed description is given of an example of processing related to the control of the behavior of the vehicle 10 performed by the control device 16.

[0046]

[0027] Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the control device 16. Step S101 in Fig. 3 corresponds to the start of the processing flow shown in Fig. 3. The processing flow shown in Fig. 3 starts, for example, after the power supply system of the vehicle 10 is started.

[0047]

[0028] When the processing flow shown in FIG. 3 starts, in step S102, the acquisition unit 16a acquires boarding status information.

[0048]

[0029] As will be described later, the passenger status information acquired in step S102 is used to determine whether or not it is necessary to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10 (step S103, which will be described later). Then, based on the result of the above determination, acceleration limit control (step S105, which will be described later) is executed to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10. Note that, as will be described later, in the example of FIG. 3, the process of reducing the upper limit acceleration and the upper limit acceleration jerk corresponds to the acceleration limit control. Details of the passenger status information acquired in step S102 will be described later together with the explanation of step S103.

[0049]

[0030] Next, in step S103, the control unit 16b determines whether or not it is necessary to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10 based on the occupancy status information acquired in step S102.

[0050]

[0031] As described above, when a driving force acts on the vehicle 10 and the vehicle 10 accelerates, an inertial force acts on the occupants of the vehicle 10. Here, depending on the riding state of the occupants of the vehicle 10, the safety may be reduced due to the inertial force acting on the occupants. Therefore, the control unit 16b determines whether or not it is necessary to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10 based on the riding state information. Below, an example of the riding state information used to determine whether or not it is necessary to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10 will be described.

[0051]

[0032] For example, the control unit 16b uses information on whether an occupant is seated as occupancy status information to determine whether it is necessary to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10.

[0052]

[0033] Fig. 4 shows a vehicle 10 with an occupant 21 not seated. In the example of Fig. 4, the child occupant 21 is not seated in the rear seat 17 but is standing on the rear seat 17 with his hands on the front seat 17. In this case, if the vehicle 10 suddenly accelerates and a large inertial force acts on the occupant 21, for example, there is a risk that the occupant 21 may fall over. Therefore, it is necessary to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10.

[0053]

[0034] Therefore, when the control unit 16b determines based on the boarding status information that there is an occupant who is not seated, it determines that it is necessary to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10. In the example of FIG. 4, the acquisition unit 16a can acquire, based on the detection result of the passenger compartment sensor 15, information indicating that the occupant 21 is not seated in the rear seat 10 as boarding status information. Then, based on the boarding status information acquired in this way, the control unit 16b determines that there is an occupant 21 who is not seated and determines that it is necessary to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10.

[0054]

[0035] For example, the control unit 16b uses information about the direction in which the occupant is facing as the passenger status information to determine whether or not it is necessary to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10. The direction in which the occupant is facing means, for example, the forward direction of the occupant's upper body. For example, the acquisition unit 16a can detect the position of the occupant's shoulders and waist based on the detection result of the cabin sensor 15, and acquire information about the direction in which the occupant is facing as the passenger status information based on the positional relationship between the shoulders and waist.

[0055]

[0036] If an occupant is seated facing the front of the vehicle, even if the vehicle 10 suddenly accelerates and a large inertial force acts on the occupant, the occupant is stably supported by the seatback, ensuring safety. On the other hand, if an occupant is seated not facing the front of the vehicle (for example, facing the seat next to them in order to talk to them), if the vehicle 10 suddenly accelerates and a large inertial force acts on the occupant, for example, a part of the occupant's body that was away from the seat may be hit hard against the seat. Therefore, it is necessary to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10.

[0056]

[0037] Therefore, when the control unit 16b determines based on the boarding state information that there is an occupant seated without facing the front of the vehicle, it determines that it is necessary to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10. The acquisition unit 16a can acquire information indicating the direction each occupant is facing as boarding state information based on the detection result of the cabin sensor 15. Then, based on the boarding state information thus acquired, the control unit 16b can determine whether there is an occupant seated without facing the front of the vehicle.

[0057]

[0038] For example, the control unit 16b uses information about the distance between the occupant's head and the headrest as occupancy status information to determine whether or not it is necessary to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10. For example, the acquisition unit 16a detects the position of the occupant's head and the position of the headrest behind the head based on the detection results of the cabin sensor 15, and can acquire information about the distance between the head and the headrest as occupancy status information based on the positional relationship between the head and the headrest. Note that the acquisition unit 16a can identify the position of the headrest using, for example, the detection results of the cabin sensor 15 and the above-mentioned prediction model.

[0058]

[0039] Figure 5 shows the distance D1 between the head 22a of an occupant 22 of a vehicle 10 and the headrest 17a. In the example of Figure 5, the occupant 22 is seated in seat 11, and there is a gap of distance D1 between the head 22a of the occupant 22 and the headrest 17a of the seat 17. If the distance D1 between the head 22a of the occupant 22 and the headrest 17a is excessively long, the vehicle 10 may suddenly accelerate and a large inertial force may act on the occupant 21, causing the head 22a of the occupant 22 to hit the headrest 17a hard. Therefore, it is necessary to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10.

[0059]

[0040] Therefore, based on the onboard status information, the control unit 16b determines that it is necessary to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10 if the distance between the occupant's head and the headrest (distance D1 in the example of FIG. 5) exceeds a minimum value. The minimum value is set so as to appropriately determine whether the distance is long enough for the occupant's head to hit the headrest hard when the vehicle 10 suddenly accelerates. In the example of FIG. 5, the acquisition unit 16a can acquire, based on the detection result of the cabin sensor 15, information indicating the distance D1 between the occupant's head 22a and the headrest 17a as onboard status information. Then, based on the boarding status information thus obtained, the control unit 16b can determine whether the distance D1 exceeds the minimum value.

[0060]

[0041] For example, the control unit 16 b uses information about an object held by the occupant as occupancy status information to determine whether or not it is necessary to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10. The acquisition unit 16 a detects the position of the occupant's hand based on the detection result of the cabin sensor 15, and detects the position of the object inside the cabin using the detection result of the cabin sensor 15 and the above-mentioned prediction model, thereby being able to determine whether or not the occupant is holding an object and to identify the object being held by the occupant.

[0061]

[0042] If an occupant is holding an object, and the vehicle 10 suddenly accelerates and a large inertial force acts on the occupant, the object or the contents of the object may be scattered. For example, if an occupant is holding a container containing a beverage, and the vehicle 10 suddenly accelerates and a large inertial force acts on the occupant, the beverage contained in the container may be scattered. Therefore, it is necessary to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10.

[0062]

[0043] Therefore, when the control unit 16b determines based on the onboard status information that there is an occupant holding an object (for example, a container for holding a beverage), it determines that it is necessary to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10. The acquisition unit 16a can acquire information indicating whether each occupant is holding an object as onboard status information based on the detection result of the cabin sensor 15. Then, the control unit 16b can determine whether there is an occupant holding an object based on the onboard status information acquired in this way.

[0063]

[0044] The above describes an example of the occupancy status information used to determine whether or not it is necessary to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10. However, occupancy status information other than the information described above may be used to determine whether or not it is necessary to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10. Furthermore, the control unit 16b may determine whether or not it is necessary to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10 using multiple types of occupancy status information (for example, all or any part of information on whether an occupant is seated, information on the direction the occupant is facing, information on the distance between the occupant's head and the headrest, and information on an object held by the occupant). In this case, for example, if the control unit 16b determines that it is necessary to restrict the acceleration of the vehicle 10 using at least one type of boarding status information, it judges YES in step S103 of Figure 3, and if it does not determine that it is necessary to restrict the acceleration of the vehicle 10 using any type of boarding status information, it judges NO in step S103.

[0064]

[0045] Let us return to Figure 3 and continue the explanation.

[0065]

[0046] If it is determined that limiting the acceleration of the vehicle 10 is not necessary (step S103 / NO), the process proceeds to step S104. Then, in step S104, the control unit 16b switches the settings of the upper limit acceleration and upper limit jerk to the first settings. On the other hand, if it is determined that limiting the acceleration of the vehicle 10 is necessary (step S103 / YES), the process proceeds to step S105. Then, in step S105, the control unit 16b switches the settings of the upper limit acceleration and upper limit jerk to the second settings. After step S104 or step S105, the process returns to step S102.

[0066]

[0047] An upper limit acceleration is set for the vehicle 10, and the control unit 16b controls the acceleration of the vehicle 10 to be equal to or less than the upper limit acceleration. For example, if the required acceleration according to the driver's accelerator operation is smaller than the upper limit acceleration, the control unit 16b controls the acceleration of the vehicle 10 to the required acceleration. On the other hand, if the required acceleration according to the driver's accelerator operation is greater than the upper limit acceleration, the control unit 16b controls the acceleration of the vehicle 10 to the upper limit acceleration. The upper limit acceleration set in the second setting is smaller than the upper limit acceleration set in the first setting. In other words, if the control unit 16b determines that it is necessary to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10, it reduces the upper limit acceleration compared to when it determines that it is not necessary to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10.

[0067]

[0048] Furthermore, an upper limit jerk is set in the vehicle 10, and the control unit 16b controls the jerk of the vehicle 10 to be equal to or less than the upper limit jerk. For example, if the required jerk according to the driver's accelerator operation is smaller than the upper limit jerk, the control unit 16b controls the jerk of the vehicle 10 to the required jerk. On the other hand, if the required jerk according to the driver's accelerator operation is larger than the upper limit jerk, the control unit 16b controls the jerk of the vehicle 10 to the upper limit jerk. The upper limit jerk set in the second setting is smaller than the upper limit jerk set in the first setting. In other words, if the control unit 16b determines that it is necessary to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10, it reduces the upper limit jerk compared to when it determines that it is not necessary to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10.

[0068]

[0049] As described above, in the example of Fig. 3, the control unit 16b determines whether or not it is necessary to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10 based on the onboard state information. If it is determined that it is necessary to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10, the control unit 16b reduces the upper limit acceleration and the upper limit jerk compared to when it is determined that it is not necessary to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10. This limits the acceleration of the vehicle 10. In other words, in the example of Fig. 3, the process of reducing the upper limit acceleration and the upper limit jerk corresponds to acceleration limit control.

[0069]

[0050] The upper limit acceleration and upper limit jerk set in the second setting are, for example, fixed values. However, the control unit 16b may change the upper limit acceleration and upper limit jerk set in the second setting depending on the need to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10. For example, the control unit 16b may decrease the upper limit acceleration and upper limit jerk set in the second setting as the need to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10 increases.

[0070]

[0051] For example, when it is determined that the acceleration of the vehicle 10 needs to be limited because an occupant is seated and not facing forward, the control unit 16b may reduce the upper limit acceleration and the upper limit acceleration change rate set in the second setting as the inclination of the occupant's direction relative to the forward direction of the vehicle increases.

[0071]

[0052] Furthermore, for example, if it is determined that the distance between the occupant's head and the headrest exceeds a threshold value and therefore it is necessary to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10, the control unit 16b may reduce the upper limit acceleration and upper limit acceleration change rate set in the second setting as the difference between the distance between the occupant's head and the headrest and the threshold value increases.

[0072]

[0053] Furthermore, for example, when it is determined that the acceleration of the vehicle 10 needs to be limited because an occupant is holding an object, the control unit 16b may reduce the upper limit acceleration and the upper limit acceleration change rate set in the second setting as the object becomes more likely to scatter.

[0073]

[0054] As described above, in the control device 16 according to this embodiment, the acquisition unit 16a acquires onboard status information, which is information relating to the onboard status of the occupants of the vehicle 10, and the control unit 16b executes acceleration limit control (in the above example, the process of reducing the upper limit acceleration and the upper limit acceleration change rate (step S105)) to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10 based on the onboard status information. This makes it possible to execute the acceleration limit control after determining the need to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10 according to the onboard status of the occupants. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a decrease in safety due to inertial forces acting on the occupants as the vehicle 10 accelerates. This improves safety.

[0074]

[0055] The processing example of Fig. 3 has been described above as an example of processing performed by the control device 16. However, the processing performed by the control device 16 is not limited to the above processing example, and may be, for example, a processing obtained by appropriately modifying the above processing example.

[0075]

[0056] For example, in the above description, the control unit 16 b executes the process of reducing the upper limit acceleration and the upper limit jerk (step S105) as the acceleration limit control for limiting the acceleration of the vehicle 10. However, the acceleration limit control is not limited to this example. For example, the control unit 16 b may execute the process of reducing only one of the upper limit acceleration and the upper limit jerk as the acceleration limit control. Also, for example, the control unit 16 b may execute the acceleration limit control by controlling the drive source 11 so that the acceleration of the vehicle 10 is smaller than the required acceleration without changing the upper limit acceleration. Also, for example, the control unit 16 b may execute the acceleration limit control by controlling the drive source 11 so that the jerk of the vehicle 10 is smaller than the required jerk without changing the upper limit jerk.

[0076]

[0057] In the above example, the boarding status information is used to determine whether or not to execute the acceleration limit control. However, the control unit 16 b may execute the acceleration limit control based on other information in addition to the boarding status information.

[0077]

[0058] The acquisition unit 16a may acquire, for example, ambient environment information, which is information about the ambient environment of the vehicle 10, and the control unit 16b may execute acceleration limit control based on the ambient environment information in addition to the passenger status information. The acquisition unit 16a may acquire the ambient environment information based on the detection result of the ambient environment sensor 14, for example.

[0059] Figure 6 is a diagram showing a vehicle 10 entering an intersection C1. In the example of Figure 6, the vehicle 10 according to this embodiment (hereinafter also referred to as the host vehicle 10) is traveling on road R1, and another vehicle 30 is traveling on road R2. Roads R1 and R2 intersect at intersection C1. In the example of FIG. 6, the host vehicle 10 is entering the intersection C1, and the other vehicle 30 is traveling so as to approach the host vehicle 10. For example, in the example of FIG. 6, the host vehicle 10 needs to pass through the intersection C1 quickly to prevent contact with the other vehicle 30. Therefore, even if it is determined that the acceleration of the vehicle 10 needs to be limited based on the occupancy status information of the host vehicle 10 (for example, when there is an occupant not seated in the host vehicle 10), there is a strong need to prohibit acceleration limit control.

[0078] Therefore, the control unit 16 b may prohibit the acceleration limit control when it determines, based on the surrounding environment information, that the traffic situation is not favorable for limiting the acceleration of the host vehicle 10. For example, as shown in the example of Fig. 6, when the host vehicle 10 is entering the intersection C! and another vehicle 30 is traveling so as to approach the host vehicle 10, the control unit 16 b may determine that the traffic situation is not favorable for limiting the acceleration of the host vehicle 10 and prohibit the acceleration limit control.

[0079]

[0061] The acquisition unit 16a may acquire, for example, luggage information, which is information about luggage in the vehicle 10, and the control unit 16b may execute acceleration limit control based on the luggage information in addition to the passenger status information. The acquisition unit 16a may use, for example, the detection result of the cabin sensor 15 and the above-described prediction model to determine whether luggage is present within the detection range of the cabin sensor 15 (for example, inside the cabin) and the position and size of the luggage.

[0080] For example, the acquisition unit 16 a can acquire information indicating the position and size of luggage in the cabin of the vehicle 10 as luggage information based on the detection result of the cabin sensor 15. The control unit 16 b can then determine whether or not it is necessary to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10 based on such luggage information. For example, if a large piece of luggage is placed on a seat of the vehicle 10, and the vehicle 10 suddenly accelerates and a large inertial force acts on the luggage, the luggage may be hit hard against the seat, causing a large impact. Therefore, even if it is not determined that it is necessary to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10 based on the occupancy status information, the control unit 16 b may perform acceleration limit control when it is determined that it is necessary to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10 based on the luggage information (for example, when a large piece of luggage is placed on a seat of the vehicle 10).

[0081]

[0063] For example, the control unit 16 b may notify the driver of various information related to the acceleration limit control described above. For example, the control unit 16 b notifies the driver by displaying the information on the display device 13. Note that the control unit 16 b may notify the driver by a method other than displaying the information on the display device 13 (for example, sound output by a sound output device).

[0082] For example, the control unit 16 b may notify the driver that acceleration limit control is being executed (in the above example, that processing to reduce the upper limit acceleration and upper limit jerk is being executed). Note that such notification may be limited to a situation in which the acceleration of the vehicle 10 is actually limited to the required acceleration and controlled to the upper limit acceleration, or a situation in which the jerk of the vehicle 10 is actually limited to the required jerk and controlled to the upper limit jerk. Also, for example, the control unit 16 b may notify the driver of the cause of execution of acceleration limit control (for example, the presence of an unseated occupant in the host vehicle 10). Also, for example, the control unit 16 b may notify the driver of the set upper limit acceleration and upper limit jerk (particularly the upper limit acceleration and upper limit jerk set in the second setting when acceleration limit control is executed).

[0083]

[0065] In the above example, the cabin sensor 15 used to acquire the occupancy status information by the acquisition unit 16a is a radar. However, the cabin sensor 15 may be a sensor other than a radar. For example, the cabin sensor 15 may be a camera that captures an image of the interior of the vehicle 10. In this case, the acquisition unit 16a can detect occupants in the cabin of the vehicle 10 and acquire occupancy status information that is information about the occupancy status of the detected occupants, for example, by performing image processing on an image captured by the camera serving as the cabin sensor 15. In addition, the acquisition unit 16a can also acquire information about objects other than people in the cabin of the vehicle 10 (for example, information about the position and size of the object) by performing image processing on an image captured by the camera serving as the cabin sensor 15.

[0084]

[0066] <Effects of the control device> The effects of the control device 16 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0085]

[0067] The control device 16 includes an acquisition unit 16a that acquires onboard status information, which is information related to the onboard status of the occupants of the vehicle 10, and a control unit 16b that executes acceleration limit control to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10 based on the onboard status information. This makes it possible to execute acceleration limit control after determining the need to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10 according to the onboard status of the occupants. This makes it possible to prevent a decrease in safety due to inertial force acting on the occupants as the vehicle 10 accelerates. This improves safety.

[0086]

[0068] Preferably, in the control device 16, the occupancy status information includes information on whether an occupant is seated. This allows the necessity of limiting the acceleration of the vehicle 10 to be appropriately determined based on whether an occupant is seated, thereby appropriately realizing the execution of acceleration limit control in accordance with the necessity of limiting the acceleration of the vehicle 10. This makes it possible to more appropriately improve safety.

[0087]

[0069] Preferably, in the control device 16, the onboard status information includes information on the direction in which the occupant is facing. This allows the need for limiting the acceleration of the vehicle 10 to be appropriately determined based on the direction in which the occupant is facing, thereby appropriately realizing the execution of acceleration limit control in accordance with the need for limiting the acceleration of the vehicle 10. This makes it possible to more appropriately improve safety.

[0088]

[0070] Preferably, in the control device 16, the occupancy status information includes information on the distance between the occupant's head and the headrest (distance D1 in the example of Fig. 5). This allows the necessity of limiting the acceleration of the vehicle 10 to be appropriately determined based on the distance between the occupant's head and the headrest, so that acceleration limit control can be appropriately performed according to the necessity of limiting the acceleration of the vehicle 10. This makes it possible to more appropriately improve safety.

[0089]

[0071] Preferably, in the control device 16, the onboard status information includes information on an object held by the occupant. This allows the necessity of limiting the acceleration of the vehicle 10 to be appropriately determined by focusing on the object held by the occupant, and therefore, acceleration limit control can be appropriately performed according to the necessity of limiting the acceleration of the vehicle 10. This makes it possible to more appropriately improve safety.

[0090]

[0072] Preferably, in the control device 16, the acquisition unit 16a acquires surrounding environment information, which is information about the surrounding environment of the vehicle 10, and the control unit 16b executes acceleration limit control based on the surrounding environment information in addition to the occupancy status information. This makes it possible to execute acceleration limit control after determining the need to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10 in accordance with the surrounding environment of the vehicle 10 in addition to the occupancy status of the occupants. Therefore, safety can be more appropriately improved.

[0091]

[0073] Preferably, in the control device 16, the acquisition unit 16a acquires luggage information, which is information about luggage in the vehicle 10, and the control unit 16b executes acceleration limit control based on the luggage information in addition to the passenger status information. This makes it possible to execute acceleration limit control after determining the need to limit the acceleration of the vehicle 10 based on the passenger status and the luggage information. Therefore, safety can be more appropriately improved.

[0092]

[0074] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and that various modifications and alterations within the scope of the claims also fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0093]

[0075] For example, the processes described herein using flowcharts do not necessarily have to be performed in the order shown in the flowcharts. Some process steps may be performed in parallel. Additional process steps may also be employed, and some process steps may be omitted.

[0094]

[0076] For example, the series of processes performed by the control device 16 described above may be realized by software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. The programs constituting the software are stored in advance in a storage medium provided inside or outside the information processing device.

[0095] [Explanation of symbols]

[0096] [ 0 0 7 7 ]

[0097] 1 〇 Vehicle (own vehicle)

[0098] 1 1 Drive source

[0099] 1 2 Brake device

[0100] 1 3 Display device

[0101] 1 4 Ambient environment sensor

[0102] 1 5 Vehicle interior sensor

[0103] 1 6 Control device

[0104] 1 6 a Acquisition part

[0105] 1 6 b Control section

[0106] 1 7 seats

[0107] 1 7 a Headrest

[0108] 2 1 Crew

[0109] 2 2 crew

[0110] 2 2 a head

[0111] 3 ○ Other vehicles

[0112] C! intersection

[0113] D ! Distance

[0114] R1 road

[0115] R2 road

Claims

[Document name] Scope of claims

1. An acquisition unit (1) that acquires boarding status information, which is information regarding the boarding status of occupants of a vehicle (io). and a control unit (16b) that executes acceleration limit control to limit the acceleration of the vehicle (10) based on the boarding state information.

2. The control device described in claim 1, wherein the occupancy status information includes information on whether the occupant is seated or not.

3. The control device described in claim 1, wherein the onboard status information includes information on the direction the occupant is facing.

4. The control device described in claim 1, wherein the occupancy status information includes information on the distance between the occupant's head and a headrest.

5. The control device described in claim 1, wherein the onboard status information includes information about an object held by the occupant.

6. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the acquisition unit (16a) acquires ambient environment information, which is information relating to the ambient environment of the vehicle (10), and the control unit (16b) executes the acceleration limit control based on the ambient environment information in addition to the boarding state information.

7. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the acquisition unit (16a) acquires luggage information which is information relating to luggage in the vehicle (10), and the control unit (16b) executes the acceleration limit control based on the luggage information in addition to the boarding status information.

8. An acquisition unit (16a) of a control device (16) acquires boarding status information, which is information relating to the boarding status of an occupant of a vehicle (10), and a control unit (16b) of the control device (16) controls the boarding status of the vehicle (10) based on the boarding status information. (10) A control method for performing acceleration limit control to limit the acceleration of the vehicle.

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