Vehicle Turn Acceleration Control for Driver-Comfort Steering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle control systems, such as adaptive cruise control (ACC), cause driver discomfort when a vehicle turns right or left due to mismatched acceleration patterns compared to manual control.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle control device and method that detects the driver's intention to turn right or left and executes acceleration limit control during turns, adjusting acceleration to match the driver's expected pattern by limiting acceleration and resuming normal acceleration when the steering speed decreases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If acceleration limit control is executed during travel control, then driver discomfort is prevented during turns, but the vehicle acceleration response becomes slower
Solution Approach 1:
The control system dynamically adjusts acceleration limits based on steering speed. When steering speed exceeds a threshold indicating a turn, acceleration limit control is activated with reduced acceleration values. When steering speed returns to normal, full acceleration is restored. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by providing comfort during turns while maintaining responsive acceleration during straight travel.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the acceleration parameter based on steering conditions. During detected turns (when steering speed > threshold), the acceleration parameter is reduced to a limited value. When no turn is detected, the acceleration parameter returns to its normal value. This parameter change strategy allows the system to prevent driver discomfort during turns while maintaining normal acceleration performance during straight travel.
2Ease of operation
If acceleration limit control is maintained during the entire turn, then driver comfort is ensured, but the vehicle takes longer to complete the turning maneuver
Solution Approach 1:
The acceleration limit control is applied periodically based on steering speed fluctuations. The controller continuously monitors steering speed and activates limit control only when steering speed exceeds the threshold, indicating active turning. When steering speed returns below the threshold, full acceleration is restored. This periodic application of acceleration limiting ensures comfort during the actual turning phase while minimizing time loss during transition phases.
3Productivity
If the vehicle accelerates at normal rate during turns, then productivity is maintained, but driver discomfort increases due to unnatural acceleration pattern
Solution Approach 1:
The control system uses feedback from the steering speed sensor to detect when the driver is performing a turning maneuver. When steering speed exceeds the threshold, the system infers a turn is in progress and applies acceleration limit control to match natural driver acceleration patterns during turns. This feedback-based detection and response ensures the vehicle accelerates naturally during turns, preventing driver discomfort while maintaining overall travel efficiency through quick restoration of full acceleration after the turn.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle control device is configured to execute travel control of controlling a vehicle such that a travel speed of the vehicle is a target speed corresponding to an inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle and a preceding vehicle traveling in front of the vehicle, or a predetermined target speed set by a driver of the vehicle, and acceleration limit control of limiting acceleration of the vehicle by the travel control. The vehicle control device includes a controller configured to execute the acceleration limit control when an intention to turn right or left of the driver is detected in the vehicle traveling under the travel control, and to end the acceleration limit control in response to a decrease in a steering speed in the vehicle during the acceleration limit control.