Vehicle control device

Abstract

This vehicle control device, which controls a vehicle that is driven and braked by means of an electric motor, comprises a braking / driving force calculation unit that controls a braking / driving force on the basis of the position of an accelerator pedal, and that switches between automatic driving for allowing the vehicle to travel according to an operation result of an automatic driving switching device and manual driving by a driver. When the vehicle is switched from the automatic driving to the manual driving by the automatic driving switching device, the braking / driving force calculation unit performs convergence control by a convergence operation for causing the braking / driving force to converge, within a predetermined time, from a driving force set during the automatic driving to a required braking / driving force that has been predetermined in a state where the accelerator pedal is not depressed. Thus, it is possible to immediately perform vehicle control in a one-pedal mode while reducing uncomfortableness felt by the driver by avoiding a sudden change in driving force when switching from automatic traveling to the one-pedal mode.

Description

Vehicle control device

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

[0002] Conventionally, vehicles equipped with a system that controls the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle via a single accelerator pedal, the so-called one-pedal mode, are widely known. When automatic driving control is performed on a vehicle equipped with the above-described control device, the driver removes their foot from the accelerator pedal. When automatic control is terminated in this state, a braking force corresponding to the accelerator pedal position is output, so the vehicle suddenly decelerates. This sudden deceleration leads to a sense of discomfort for the driver. As conventional techniques for solving the above-described driver's discomfort, those described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are known, for example.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle control device that, when switching from automatic driving to normal manual driving, can appropriately switch the driving mode from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode without making the driver feel shock or discomfort by sufficiently reflecting the driver's intention.

[0004] Patent Document 2 discloses a control device that, when performing vehicle follow-up control, performs control to switch to a two-pedal mode, in which driving force is controlled by the accelerator pedal and braking force is controlled by the brake pedal, instead of the so-called one-pedal mode, and performs control to smooth acceleration and deceleration when returning from the two-pedal mode to the one-pedal mode.

[0005] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2021-79746Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-175493

[0006] In the above-described conventional technology, it is possible to solve the discomfort caused by sudden deceleration when switching from automatic driving to normal manual driving. Furthermore, during automatic driving, the requested driving force based on the accelerator operation amount in the normal mode, instead of the one-pedal mode, is compared with the automatic driving driving force, and when automatic driving is canceled, the driving force is set in accordance with the accelerator operation amount in the normal mode.

[0007] However, the so-called one-pedal mode did not address the discomfort felt by the driver due to the strong deceleration braking force when switching to manual driving without accelerator pedal operation, and there was a problem in that it was not possible to switch from autonomous driving to one-pedal mode.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and aims to provide a vehicle control device that, in vehicle driving force control that uses one-pedal mode and automatic driving control including vehicle following control in combination, provides a deceleration feeling that is not unnatural when the automatic driving force control ends and switches to one-pedal mode, and that enables immediate vehicle control in one-pedal mode.

[0009] The objective is to provide a vehicle control device that reduces driver discomfort by avoiding sudden changes in driving force when switching from autonomous driving to one-pedal mode, while also enabling immediate vehicle control in one-pedal mode.

[0010] The present invention includes several means for solving the above problems, but to give one example, a vehicle control device for controlling a vehicle that is driven and braked by an electric motor, which controls the braking force based on the position of the accelerator pedal and includes a braking force calculation unit that switches between automatic driving, which drives the vehicle, and manual driving by the driver according to the result of operation of an automatic driving switching device, and when the vehicle is switched from automatic driving to manual driving by the automatic driving switching device, the braking force calculation unit performs convergence control by a convergence operation which converges the braking force from the driving force set during automatic driving to a predetermined required braking force when the accelerator pedal is not pressed, within a predetermined time.

[0011] The present invention aims to provide a vehicle control device that can immediately control the vehicle in one-pedal mode while reducing driver discomfort by avoiding sudden changes in driving force when switching from automatic driving to one-pedal mode.

[0012] This is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of a vehicle control device. This is a functional block diagram showing the processing content of the vehicle control device. This is a diagram showing the relationship between accelerator operation amount and required braking force for both normal mode and one-pedal mode. This is a flowchart showing the processing content of the braking force control process in the vehicle control device. This is a time chart explaining the relationship between braking force and accelerator pedal position in the braking force control process. This is a time chart explaining the relationship between braking force and accelerator pedal position in the braking force control process. This is a time chart explaining the relationship between braking force and accelerator pedal position in the braking force control process. This is a time chart explaining the relationship between braking force and accelerator pedal position in the braking force control process. This is a time chart explaining the relationship between braking force and accelerator pedal position in the braking force control process. This is a time chart explaining the relationship between braking force and brake pedal position in the braking force control process. This is a time chart explaining the relationship between braking force and brake pedal position in the braking force control process. This is a time chart explaining the relationship between braking force and collision risk in the braking force control process. This is a time chart explaining the relationship between braking force and system failure in the braking force control process. This diagram shows the acceleration / deceleration intention learning unit of the vehicle control system, along with related functional units. It also shows an example of a learning pattern when the accelerator pedal or brake pedal is operated during the convergence operation.

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that this is merely one example of how the invention can be implemented, and does not limit the invention. For example, the vehicle control device in this embodiment can be applied to mobile vehicles such as passenger cars, trucks, and buses. Furthermore, the vehicle on which the vehicle control device according to this embodiment is installed is sometimes specifically referred to as the "self-vehicle." The self-vehicle, like conventional vehicles, is configured to switch between a manual driving mode (a mode in which manual driving control is performed with the automatic control function turned OFF) in which the vehicle drives according to the driver's driving operations, and an automatic driving mode (a mode in which automatic driving control is performed with the automatic control function turned ON) in which the vehicle drives by automatically controlling the driving operations, without depending on the driver's driving operations. Furthermore, the self-vehicle is a vehicle that is driven and braked by an electric motor.

[0014] <First Embodiment> A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4.

[0015] This embodiment relates to the behavior of a vehicle after automatic driving force control has ended, when using a combination of one-pedal mode and automatic driving control including vehicle follow control. One-pedal mode is a mode in which the driving and braking of the vehicle can be controlled solely by operating the accelerator pedal.

[0016] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of the vehicle control device according to the present invention.

[0017] In Figure 1, the vehicle control device 113 is mounted on the vehicle 100 and, together with the accelerator pedal 101, accelerator pedal position detection device 102, brake pedal 103, brake pedal position detection device 104, surrounding environment detection device 105, automatic driving switching device 106, vehicle speed detection device 107, fault detection device 108, information display device 109, warning device 110, electric motor 111, brake 112, etc., which are mainly installed on the vehicle 100, constitute a vehicle control system.

[0018] When the driver operates the accelerator pedal 101, the accelerator pedal position detection device 102 inputs the accelerator pedal position to the vehicle control device 113. The vehicle control device 113 calculates the output braking force based on the accelerator pedal position and outputs the braking force to the electric motor 111. This enables acceleration and deceleration control of the vehicle (own vehicle) 100.

[0019] Furthermore, the destination of the output braking force from the vehicle control device 113, that is, whether to output the braking force only to the electric motor 111 or to distribute the braking force to both the electric motor 111 and the brake 112, can be determined according to the configuration of the vehicle 100.

[0020] When the driver operates the brake pedal 103, the brake pedal position detection device 104 inputs the brake pedal position to the vehicle control device 113. The vehicle control device 113 calculates the required braking force based on the brake pedal position and outputs it to the brake 112 of the vehicle 100.

[0021] The surrounding environment detection device 105 is, for example, a sonar, camera, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), or RADAR. It acquires external information about the area around the vehicle 100 from the detection data and inputs it to the vehicle control device 113 as recognition information. The vehicle control device 113 of the vehicle 100 uses this recognition information to perform automatic driving control, such as following control of the vehicle 100.

[0022] The automatic driving switching device 106 is located inside the driver's cab of the vehicle 100 and can be operated by the driver at any time. The result of the operation of the automatic driving switching device 106 is input to the vehicle control device 113 of the vehicle 100, and the vehicle control device 113 determines whether or not to implement automatic driving control, that is, whether to turn the automatic control function ON (enable) or OFF (disable).

[0023] The vehicle speed detection device 107 detects the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100 and inputs the detection result to the vehicle control device 113.

[0024] The fault detection device 108 detects the fault status of the vehicle 100 and inputs the detection result as fault information to the vehicle control device 113.

[0025] The information display device 109 is installed in the driver's cab of the vehicle 100 and is a communication device that provides various information to the driver. The information provided to the driver by the information display device 109 includes, for example, information that the vehicle will decelerate due to the driving force control of the vehicle 100, which will be described later.

[0026] The warning device 110 is installed in the driver's cab of the vehicle 100 and is a communication device that provides various warnings to the driver. The information provided to the driver by the warning device 110 may include, for example, information that the automatic control function has been disabled due to some kind of malfunction in the vehicle and the vehicle will decelerate.

[0027] Figure 2 is a functional block diagram showing the processing details of the vehicle control device.

[0028] As shown in Figure 2, the vehicle control device 113 is generally composed of an ideal driving force determination unit 201, a driving force convergence determination unit 202, a braking force calculation unit 203, a braking and driving force calculation unit 204, an acceleration / deceleration intention learning unit 205, and a braking and driving force distribution unit 206, etc.

[0029] The ideal driving force determination unit 201 takes the accelerator pedal position input from the accelerator pedal position detection device 102 as an input value and determines the ideal driving force according to the input accelerator pedal position.

[0030] The driving force convergence determination unit 202 compares the ideal driving force input from the ideal driving force determination unit 201 (ideal driving force corresponding to the accelerator pedal position) with the output driving force calculated by the braking driving force calculation unit 204 (described later), and determines whether the output driving force has converged to the ideal driving force corresponding to the accelerator pedal position (i.e., whether the output driving force has converged to a predetermined range of values ​​that match or approximate the ideal driving force).

[0031] The braking force calculation unit 203 takes the brake pedal position input from the brake pedal position detection device 104 as an input value and determines the braking force (required braking force) to be applied to the brake 112 according to the input brake pedal position.

[0032] The braking and driving force calculation unit 204 calculates the output driving force from the ideal driving force corresponding to the accelerator pedal position determined by the ideal driving force determination unit 201, the determination result of the driving force convergence determination unit 202, the recognition (detection result) of the surrounding environment detection device 105, the operation result of the automatic driving switching device 106 (i.e., automatic driving control feasibility information indicating whether automatic driving control is possible or not), the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100 detected by the vehicle speed detection device 107, fault information from the fault detection device 108, and the learning result from the acceleration / deceleration intention learning unit 205 (described later).

[0033] Furthermore, the braking force calculation unit 204 outputs information to the information display device 109, for example, that the vehicle 100 will decelerate due to vehicle driving force control, according to the calculation result of the output driving force. Also, the braking force calculation unit 204 outputs information to the warning device 110, for example, that some kind of malfunction has occurred in the vehicle 100, and the automatic control function is disabled, causing the vehicle 100 to decelerate.

[0034] Figure 3 shows the relationship between accelerator pedal input and required braking force for both normal mode and one-pedal mode.

[0035] As shown by the dashed line 1501 in Figure 3, in normal mode, when the accelerator opening is 0 (zero), a braking force equivalent to engine braking is applied to the vehicle 100. Additionally, the vehicle 100 is subjected to a required driving force for acceleration according to the accelerator opening. Due to this characteristic, acceleration is possible in normal mode according to the accelerator opening.

[0036] On the other hand, as shown by the solid line 1502 in Figure 3, in one-pedal mode, the regenerative energy of the electric motor 111 is used to control the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle 100 using only the accelerator pedal 101, so the vehicle can be stopped without braking. For this reason, in one-pedal mode, a deceleration region is set according to the accelerator opening, for example, as shown by the shaded region 1503. In this deceleration region, in order to perform braking equivalent to that of the brake pedal 103 using only the accelerator pedal 101 as much as possible, it is necessary to provide an emergency braking region, that is, to set it so that emergency braking is applied when the accelerator opening is 0 (zero). Therefore, when using one-pedal mode and the accelerator pedal 101 is not pressed, emergency braking occurs so that the vehicle can be emergency braked as much as possible without using the brake pedal 103.

[0037] In this case, if the automatic control function is turned ON (enabled) while the vehicle 100 is being controlled in one-pedal mode, the automatic driving control continues even when the driver takes their foot off the accelerator pedal 101. If the accelerator pedal 101 is pressed during automatic driving control, and the ideal driving force corresponding to the accelerator pedal position exceeds the current output driving force, the vehicle 100 will be driven with the excess driving force. Also, in one-pedal mode, if the automatic control function is switched from ON (enabled) to OFF (disabled), since the driver has taken their foot off the accelerator pedal 101, the ideal driving force corresponding to the accelerator pedal position is emergency braking. This emergency braking causes a rapid deceleration of the vehicle 100, which may cause discomfort or fear in the driver.

[0038] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the processing details of the braking and driving force control process in the vehicle control system.

[0039] In Figure 4, the vehicle control device 113 first turns on (enables) the automatic driving control function of the vehicle 100 and starts automatic control in response to the ON operation of the automatic driving switching device 106 by the driver who is driving the vehicle 100 (step S301).

[0040] Subsequently, the driver's operation is monitored, and it is determined whether the automatic driving function is turned OFF (disabled) in accordance with the driver's operation (step S302).

[0041] If the determination result in step S302 is YES, the processing of steps S301 and S302 is repeated.

[0042] In addition, if the determination result in step S302 is YES, that is, when the automatic driving function is disabled by the driver's operation, subsequently, a predetermined second driving force is calculated as an output driving force and output (step S303).

[0043] Subsequently, the output of the second driving force calculated in step S303 is held for a fixed period of time, and it is determined whether the time for which the output is held exceeds a predetermined time set in advance (step S304). In step S304, the predetermined time for determining the holding period of the output of the second driving force is set as a time within which the driver can perceive a sign of deceleration. The time for holding the second driving force in step S303 may be a preset fixed value.

[0044] If the determination result in step S304 is NO, the processing of steps S303 and S304 is repeated until the determination result becomes YES.

[0045] In addition, if the determination result in step S304 is YES, subsequently, the output driving force is gradually converged from the second driving force to a driving force corresponding to a current accelerator pedal position (step S305).

[0046] Subsequently, it is determined by a driving force convergence determination unit 202 whether the output driving force has reached a value equivalent to the driving force corresponding to the current accelerator pedal position (step S306).

[0047] If the determination result in step S306 is NO, the processing of steps S305 and S306 is repeated until the determination result becomes YES.

[0048] In addition, if the determination result in step S306 is YES, the driving force control processing is ended.

[0049] Figure 5 is a time chart illustrating the relationship between braking force and accelerator pedal position in the braking force control process.

[0050] In Figure 5, until the start of automatic driving control at point 403, the output driving force (solid line 401) is output according to the accelerator pedal position (solid line 402). After automatic driving control starts, the driver takes their foot off the accelerator pedal 101, so the accelerator pedal position (solid line 402) becomes 0 (zero). As a result, the ideal driving force (dashed line 404) corresponding to the accelerator pedal position becomes the ideal driving force when the accelerator pedal position is 0 (zero). In reality, because automatic control is active, the output driving force (solid line 401) is output according to the value corresponding to the automatic control.

[0051] In this state, if the automatic control function is turned OFF (switched to disabled) at a certain point in time 405, the output driving force (solid line 401) is changed to the second driving force (solid line 406) and maintained for the time until point 407. This second driving force is set to a deceleration that is perceived as occurring when automatic driving control has ended and deceleration occurs due to the change in ideal driving force according to the accelerator pedal position. For example, the driving force may be set to 0 (zero). This allows the driver to be notified of an indication that the output driving force (solid line 401) will change to the ideal driving force according to the accelerator pedal position.

[0052] After maintaining the second driving force, the output driving force is changed as shown by the solid line 408, gradually converging to the ideal driving force corresponding to the accelerator pedal position. This convergence operation may be, for example, a convergence that decays continuously over time. Alternatively, a filter may be used in which the rate of decay changes over time. Furthermore, this convergence operation may be performed by setting a time constant such that the change in driving force reaches an equilibrium state, and converging over a time corresponding to the time constant.

[0053] This makes it possible to avoid abrupt changes in driving force from autonomous driving to one-pedal mode driving force, thereby reducing discomfort for the driver.

[0054] At a predetermined time of 409, the output driving force (solid line 401) is converged to the ideal driving force (dashed line 404) corresponding to the accelerator pedal position. The process of convergeding the output driving force (solid line 401) to the value shown by the dashed line 404, through the processes shown by the solid lines 406 and 408, is called the convergence operation. This predetermined time is set to allow the driver to recognize that the automatic control has ended and the output driving force has disappeared, without causing fear due to deceleration. The time required for the driver to recognize that the output driving force has disappeared and the time required to avoid fear due to deceleration vary depending on the circumstances under which the automatic control is terminated and the driver's preference. Therefore, this predetermined time may be set, for example, by estimating the driver's preference from learned values ​​obtained by learning the driver's operations. Alternatively, the driver may input an arbitrary time value. Furthermore, it may be changed depending on the circumstances under which the automatic driving control is terminated.

[0055] In this embodiment configured as described above, when the vehicle 100's drive force control is turned OFF (disabled) by the convergence operation and the output drive force of the vehicle 100 due to the vehicle 100's drive force control disappears, the driver can recognize that the output drive force has disappeared and it is possible to prevent the driver from feeling fear due to deceleration.

[0056] <Second Embodiment> A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 6 to 9.

[0057] This embodiment relates to a case where the accelerator pedal 101 is operated while the output driving force convergence operation is being performed. If the accelerator pedal 101 is operated while the convergence operation is being performed, the vehicle 100 will be driven according to the driver's intention, even while the convergence operation is in progress.

[0058] Figures 6 to 9 are time charts illustrating the relationship between braking force and accelerator pedal position in the braking force control process.

[0059] Figure 6 shows a time chart of what happens when the accelerator pedal is operated (indicated by the solid line 402) while the output driving force (solid line 401) is being converged. When the accelerator pedal position detection device 102 detects an intention to reduce braking force at time 501 while the convergence operation is in progress, the output driving force at time 501 is maintained until it matches the ideal driving force corresponding to the accelerator pedal position. This makes it possible to avoid unnecessary deceleration of the vehicle 100 when the driver operates the accelerator pedal 101 to accelerate during the convergence operation, and thus enables immediate driving according to the accelerator pedal position after the automatic control is completed.

[0060] Figures 7 and 8 show a case where, while the output driving force (solid line 401) is converging, the accelerator pedal 101, shown by the solid line 402, is operated, and the output driving force at time 501 is maintained until it matches the ideal driving force corresponding to the accelerator pedal position. At that time, the accelerator pedal position detection device 102 determines that the ideal driving force corresponding to the accelerator pedal position is smaller than the currently maintained output driving force.

[0061] To determine that the ideal driving force is less than the currently maintained output driving force, for example, as shown in Figure 7, the condition is that the ideal driving force corresponding to the accelerator pedal position is constant and less than the current output driving force. Alternatively, to determine that the ideal driving force is less than the currently maintained output driving force, for example, as shown in Figure 8, the condition may be that the ideal driving force corresponding to the accelerator pedal position decreases as a result of a change in the accelerator pedal position. Once it is determined that the ideal driving force corresponding to the accelerator pedal position is less than the currently maintained output driving force, the output driving force is gradually converged to the ideal driving force corresponding to the accelerator pedal position. When it is determined that the ideal driving force corresponding to the accelerator pedal position is less than the currently maintained output driving force, the operation of gradually convergering the output driving force to the ideal driving force corresponding to the accelerator pedal position makes it possible to immediately perform driving according to the accelerator pedal position after the automatic control ends.

[0062] Figure 9 shows the case where, while the output driving force (solid line 401) is converging, the accelerator pedal is operated as shown by solid line 402, and the output driving force at time 501 is maintained until it matches the ideal driving force corresponding to the accelerator pedal position. During this time, the accelerator pedal position detection device 102 detects that the ideal driving force corresponding to the accelerator pedal position is increasing. The output driving force is maintained while the ideal driving force corresponding to the accelerator pedal position is increasing, and is maintained until it matches the ideal driving force corresponding to the accelerator pedal position. This behavior makes it possible to immediately perform driving according to the accelerator pedal position after the automatic control is completed.

[0063] As shown in Figures 6 to 9, the vehicle can output braking and driving forces corresponding to the accelerator pedal position even while the vehicle is converging. Therefore, even if the ideal driving force corresponding to the accelerator pedal position changes during the converging operation, the vehicle can be driven according to the driver's intentions.

[0064] <Third Embodiment> A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 10 and 12.

[0065] This embodiment relates to a case where the brake pedal 103 is operated while the output driving force convergence operation is being performed. If the brake pedal 103 is operated while the convergence operation is being performed, it is necessary to brake the vehicle 100 according to the driver's intention, even while the convergence operation is in progress.

[0066] Figures 10 and 11 are time charts illustrating the relationship between braking force and brake pedal position in the braking force control process.

[0067] Figure 10 shows the case where a brake pedal operation, indicated by solid line 901, is performed while the output driving force (solid line 401) is converging. As shown in Figure 10, if a brake pedal operation by the driver is detected at time 902, the output driving force (solid line 401) maintains its current value until time 903 when the brake pedal operation is completed. If the vehicle 100 is at an extremely low speed, including a stopped state, after the brake pedal operation (solid line 901) is completed, the output driving force is immediately changed to the ideal driving force corresponding to the accelerator pedal position, as shown by solid line 904. Otherwise, the converging operation is performed again as shown by solid line 905. This makes it possible to apply braking according to the driver's intention if a brake pedal operation by the driver is detected while the converging operation is in progress.

[0068] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 11, if the brake pedal 103 is pressed quickly and firmly, as detected by the brake pedal position detection device 104, and it is determined that the driver requires emergency braking, the output driving force is immediately converged to the ideal driving force corresponding to the accelerator pedal position. This allows the vehicle to decelerate according to the driver's intention when an intention to emergency braking is detected by brake pedal operation.

[0069] <Fourth Embodiment> A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figure 12.

[0070] This embodiment relates to a case where a collision potential with a following vehicle is detected due to deceleration during convergence operation. When the output driving force convergence operation is performed and the driving force changes from that used during automatic driving to that used in one-pedal mode, it is necessary to avoid a collision with a following vehicle due to deceleration.

[0071] Figure 12 is a time chart illustrating the relationship between braking force and collision risk in the braking force control process.

[0072] Figure 12 shows a case where there is a risk of collision when automatic control ends, and the possibility of a collision risk is indicated by the solid line 1101. If a collision potential with a following vehicle is detected at time 1102 and deceleration occurs due to convergence control, the time of the second driving force (solid line 406) is extended, for example, until time 1103 when the risk of collision disappears. The convergence control at this time is slower than the normal convergence control (double dashed line 408), for example, the convergence control shown by the solid line 1104. This control shown by the solid line 1104 is slower than the convergence (double dashed line 408) shown in the first to third embodiments, as shown in Example 1105. This makes it possible to avoid collisions with following vehicles due to deceleration when the driving force changes from the driving force during automatic driving to the driving force in one-pedal mode.

[0073] In Figure 12, although the possibility of collision risk arises at time 1102, prior to the end of automatic control 405, the convergence control may also be slower than normal by extending the duration of the second driving force to avoid collision potential during the convergence operation after the end of automatic control. Alternatively, the current output driving force may be maintained until collision potential is avoided. Furthermore, if the ideal driving force changes according to the accelerator pedal position and collision potential is avoided, control may be performed in accordance with the first to third embodiments.

[0074] <Fifth Embodiment> A fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figure 13.

[0075] This embodiment relates to the behavior when automatic control is terminated due to a system failure.

[0076] Figure 13 is a time chart illustrating the relationship between braking force and system failure in the braking force control process.

[0077] Figure 13 shows a time chart in the event of a system failure at time 405. If a system failure occurs and the one-pedal mode function is active, the time it takes for the driver to recognize that the output driving force has disappeared will be longer than before, and the driver is more likely to feel fear due to deceleration. Therefore, the duration of the second driving force is made longer than when the automatic control is intentionally terminated, as shown by the solid line 1201, and the convergence is slower than the convergence (double dashed line 408) shown in the first to third embodiments, as shown in Example 1203. This increases the time it takes for the driver to recognize that the output driving force has disappeared even when the automatic control is terminated accidentally, and makes it possible to achieve a deceleration that does not cause fear or discomfort due to deceleration.

[0078] <Sixth Embodiment> A sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 14 and 15.

[0079] This embodiment relates to an example of learning by the driver's acceleration / deceleration intention learning unit.

[0080] Figure 14 is a diagram showing the acceleration / deceleration intention learning unit of the vehicle control device, along with related functional units.

[0081] Figure 14 shows a case in which the acceleration / deceleration intention learning unit 205 learns and reflects the learned value of the second driving force maintenance time (see Figure 5, time point 407, etc. in the first embodiment) and the learned value of the convergence coefficient (see Figure 5, solid line 408, etc. in the first embodiment) from the driver's intention. The acceleration / deceleration intention learning unit 205, which learns the driver's intention, receives the accelerator pedal position from the accelerator pedal position detection device 102 and the brake pedal position from the brake pedal position detection device 104. In addition, the driving force convergence determination unit 202 receives information indicating whether the current output driving force has converged to the ideal driving force corresponding to the accelerator pedal position. If accelerator pedal operation and brake pedal operation during the convergence operation are confirmed, learning related to the driver's acceleration / deceleration intention is performed and reflected in the convergence start time (i.e., the second driving force maintenance time) and the speed of convergence (i.e., the convergence coefficient).

[0082] Figure 15 shows an example of a learning pattern when the accelerator pedal or brake pedal is operated during the convergence process.

[0083] As shown in Figure 15, by learning the driver's intentions from accelerator and brake pedal operations in each scenario, and then learning based on the results of that learning, it becomes possible to appropriately change the convergence start time and convergence coefficient. This makes it possible to change the driving force according to the driver's preferences.

[0084] <Note> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and includes various modifications. For example, the embodiments described above are described in detail to make the present invention easier to understand, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described.

[0085] Furthermore, each of the above configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc., may be implemented in hardware, either partially or entirely, by designing them as integrated circuits, for example. Alternatively, each of the above configurations, functions, etc., may be implemented in software by having the processor interpret and execute programs that implement each function. Information such as programs, tables, and files that implement each function can be stored in memory, storage devices such as hard disks and SSDs (Solid State Drives), or recording media such as IC cards, SD cards, and DVDs.

[0086] Furthermore, the control lines and information lines shown are those deemed necessary for explanatory purposes, and not all control lines and information lines are necessarily shown in the actual product. In reality, it is safe to assume that almost all components are interconnected.

[0087] 100...Vehicle (own vehicle), 101...Accelerator pedal, 102...Accelerator pedal position detection device, 103...Brake pedal, 104...Brake pedal position detection device, 105...Surrounding environment detection device, 106...Automatic driving switching device, 107...Vehicle speed detection device, 108...Fault detection device, 109...Information display device, 110...Warning device, 111...Electric motor, 112...Brake, 113...Vehicle control device, 201...Ideal driving force determination unit, 202...Driving force convergence determination unit, 203...Braking force calculation unit, 204...Braking and driving force calculation unit, 205...Acceleration / deceleration intention learning unit, 206...Braking and driving force distribution unit

Claims

1. A vehicle control device for controlling a vehicle that is driven and braked by an electric motor, comprising a braking force calculation unit that controls the braking force based on the position of the accelerator pedal and switches between automatic driving, which drives the vehicle, and manual driving by the driver, according to the result of operation of an automatic driving switching device, wherein the braking force calculation unit performs convergence control by a convergence operation when the vehicle is switched from automatic driving to manual driving by the automatic driving switching device, and converges the braking force from the driving force set during automatic driving to a predetermined required braking force when the accelerator pedal is not pressed, within a predetermined time.

2. A vehicle control device according to claim 1, comprising a drive force convergence determination unit that determines whether the braking force of the vehicle has converged to the required braking force, wherein the braking force calculation unit converges the braking force to a second braking force set to a range in which it is possible to recognize that automatic driving has switched to manual driving and in which there is no discomfort due to deceleration, and thereafter performs convergence control until the drive force convergence determination unit determines that convergence is complete.

3. A vehicle control device according to claim 2, characterized in that the second braking force is set to a value such that the braking force of the vehicle becomes zero.

4. A vehicle control device according to claim 2, characterized in that the braking force calculation unit controls the second braking force to be held until a predetermined time has elapsed after the braking force has transitioned to the second braking force.

5. A vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein the braking force calculation unit transmits a warning to the driver via a transmission device about the change in the braking force when the vehicle switches from automatic driving to manual driving by the automatic driving switching device.

6. A vehicle control device according to claim 1, characterized in that when the braking force calculation unit detects sudden braking from the operation behavior of the brake pedal, it immediately switches to an accelerator-requested braking force, which is a driving force corresponding to the position of the accelerator pedal.

7. A vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the braking force calculation unit, when it detects the driver's intention to reduce braking force from the operation behavior of the accelerator pedal, maintains the braking force at the time the driver's intention was detected.

8. A vehicle control device according to claim 1, comprising an acceleration / deceleration intention learning unit that learns the driver's intention based on the operation behavior of the accelerator pedal, wherein when the braking force calculation unit converges the braking force to a second braking force set to a range in which it can recognize that automatic driving has switched to manual driving and in which there is no discomfort due to deceleration, the acceleration / deceleration intention learning unit detects the driver's intention to ease the braking force, learns that intention, and reflects it in at least one of the holding time of the second braking force and the convergence control.

9. A vehicle control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the driver's intention to increase the deceleration relative to the current driving force is detected based on the driver's brake operation behavior, the vehicle control device maintains the braking force at the time the driver's intention was detected.

10. A vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the convergence operation is performed again after the increase in braking force is completed.

11. A vehicle control device according to claim 1, comprising an acceleration / deceleration intention learning unit that learns the driver's intention based on the operation behavior of the brake pedal, wherein when the acceleration / deceleration intention learning unit converges the braking force to a second braking force set in a range in which the braking force calculation unit can recognize that automatic driving has been switched on and in which there is no discomfort due to deceleration, it detects the driver's intention to increase the braking force, learns that intention, and reflects it in the holding time and convergence control of the second braking force.

12. A vehicle control device according to claim 1, characterized in that when the braking force calculation unit determines the possibility of a predetermined collision from the rear of the vehicle, it extends the predetermined time of the convergence control.

13. A vehicle control device according to claim 2, characterized in that when a fault detection device for detecting a fault state of the vehicle detects a predetermined fault state, the holding time of the second braking force and the convergence control are switched.

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