JP6733469B2 - Vehicle control device - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a technical field of a vehicle control device that controls a vehicle capable of autonomous driving.

As this type of device, a device that controls the behavior of the vehicle when passing through a step is known. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a technique for suppressing the occurrence of a rapid speed change when the vehicle is stopped immediately after passing through a step.

JP, 2013-049389, A

In the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, control of the braking/driving force after overcoming a step is proposed. However, with such control alone, there is a possibility that the impact generated when getting over the step will become extremely large due to the vehicle speed when entering the step, the height of the step, and the like. This impact causes deterioration of the riding comfort of the vehicle occupants.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device capable of suitably controlling a driving force when a vehicle climbs over a step.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a vehicle control device of the present invention is a vehicle control device capable of controlling a braking/driving force of a vehicle, and a detection unit that detects a step existing on a parking route of the vehicle, Calculating means for calculating the magnitude of the impact generated on the vehicle when the vehicle rides over the step, based on a reference vehicle speed at which the vehicle can ride over the step; and (i) when the impact is less than a predetermined value. Controls the braking/driving force of the vehicle so as to overcome the step while maintaining the reference speed, and (ii) when the impact is equal to or more than a predetermined value, after decelerating to the reference vehicle speed or less, And a control means for controlling the braking/driving force of the vehicle so as to get over the step.

According to the vehicle control device of the present invention, when the impact generated when the vehicle climbs over a step is a predetermined value or more, the driving force control for overcoming the step after the vehicle is once decelerated to the reference speed or less. Is done. As a result, it is possible to prevent an occupant of the vehicle from feeling uncomfortable due to a large impact when the vehicle gets over a step.

The operation and other advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the embodiments described below.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flow chart which shows the flow of control operation by the vehicle control device concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a flow chart which shows the flow of control operation by the vehicle control device concerning a 2nd embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle control device will be described with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
A vehicle control device according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

<Vehicle configuration>
First, the configuration of the vehicle according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle according to the first embodiment.

In FIG. 1, the vehicle 10 according to the present embodiment is configured to be able to perform automatic parking control without an operation by a passenger. The vehicle 10 includes an external sensor 11, an internal sensor 12, an accelerator actuator 21, a brake actuator 22, a steering actuator 23, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 100.

The external sensor 11 is a detection device that detects an external situation, which is peripheral information of the vehicle 10. The external sensor 11 includes, for example, a camera, a radar, a lidar (Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging), and the like. The information detected by the external sensor 11 is output to the ECU 100.

The internal sensor 12 is a detection device that detects the traveling state of the vehicle 10. The internal sensor 12 is configured to include, for example, a vehicle speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, a yaw rate sensor, and the like. The information detected by the internal sensor 12 is output to the ECU 100.

The accelerator actuator 21 is configured to be able to control the accelerator (in other words, driving force) of the vehicle 10 according to a command from the ECU 100. The brake actuator 22 is configured to be able to control the brake (in other words, braking force) of the vehicle 10 according to a command from the ECU 100. The steering actuator is configured to be able to control the steering of the vehicle 10 according to a command from the ECU 100.

The ECU 100 is a specific example of a “vehicle control device”, and is an electronic control unit configured to control the entire operation of the vehicle 10. The ECU 100 according to the present embodiment is particularly configured to include a step detector 110, an impact calculator 120, and a travel controller 130 as logical or physical processing blocks realized inside.

The step detector 110 detects a step existing on the travel route of the vehicle 10 based on the information acquired by the external sensor 11 (for example, the analysis result of the image captured by the camera). The “step” here refers to an obstacle that may cause a relatively large impact when the vehicle gets over, and is a broad concept including not only a step but also a slope, a slope, and the like. The step detector 110 is also configured to be able to calculate the height h of the detected step. The information regarding the presence/absence of a step detected by the step detecting unit 110 and the information regarding the height h of the step are output to the impact calculating unit 120, respectively. The step detection unit 110 is a specific example of “detection means”.

The impact calculator 120 calculates the impact generated when the vehicle 10 gets over the step, based on the information about the step detected by the step detector 110. Further, the impact calculation unit 120 is configured to be capable of calculating a vehicle speed required when the vehicle 10 climbs over a step (hereinafter, referred to as “override required vehicle speed V0” as appropriate), and the current vehicle speed V and override required vehicle speed. Various calculation processes and determination processes using V0 can be executed. The processing executed by the shock calculation unit 120 will be described in detail later in the description of the operation. The impact calculator 120 is a specific example of “calculator”. In addition, the override request vehicle speed V0 is a specific example of the “reference speed”.

The traveling control unit 130 controls traveling when the vehicle 10 climbs over a step based on the magnitude of the impact calculated by the impact calculation unit 120. Specifically, the traveling control unit 130 controls the braking/driving force of the vehicle 10 (that is, the driving force and the braking force in the vehicle 10) by controlling the accelerator actuator 21 and the brake actuator 22, and the vehicle 10 makes a step. Execute control to overcome. The processing executed by the traveling control unit 130 will be described in detail later in the description of the operation. The traveling control unit 130 is a specific example of “control means”.

<Operation explanation>
Next, the control executed by the vehicle control device (that is, the ECU 100) according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a flow of control operation by the vehicle control device according to the first embodiment. Note that the following process is a process on the assumption that the vehicle 10 is performing the automatic parking process.

As shown in FIG. 2, during operation of the vehicle control device according to the first embodiment, first, the step detecting unit 110 causes a step to exist on the parking route of the vehicle 10 (that is, the traveling route from the current position to the parking position). It is determined whether or not (step S101). If no step is detected (step S101: NO), the subsequent processing is omitted and the series of processing ends. In this case, the process may be restarted from step S101 again after a predetermined period.

When a step is detected (step S101: YES), the step detector 110 measures the height h of the detected step (step S102). The impact calculation unit 120 uses the height h of the step to calculate the required vehicle speed V0 to get over the step (step S103). Specifically, the override required vehicle speed V0 is calculated as a larger value as the height h of the step is higher. The impact calculation unit 120 may store in advance a map or the like showing the relationship between the height h of the step and the required vehicle speed V0 for getting over. In addition, the impact calculation unit 120 may calculate the required overcoming vehicle speed V0 in consideration of not only the height h of the step but also other information regarding the step (for example, the shape of the step).

The impact calculation unit 120 further determines whether or not the current vehicle speed V is equal to or higher than the calculated vehicle travel request vehicle speed V0 (step S104). In other words, it is determined whether or not it is possible to get over the step at the current vehicle speed V. When the current vehicle speed V is equal to or higher than the required vehicle speed V0 for overcoming (step S104: YES), the impact calculation unit 120 generates an impact when overcoming a step at the current vehicle speed V (that is, a collision between the vehicle 10 and the step). The collision impact E indicating the magnitude of the impact is calculated (step S105). The collision impact E is calculated as a larger value as the current vehicle speed V is higher. The impact calculator 120 may store in advance a map or the like showing the relationship between the current vehicle speed V and the impact E at the time of collision. Further, the impact calculating unit 120 may calculate the impact E at the time of collision in consideration of not only the current vehicle speed V but also the height h of the step.

Then, the traveling control unit 130 determines whether or not the calculated collision impact E is less than a predetermined impact threshold E0 (step S106). The impact threshold value E0 is a specific example of the “predetermined value”, and is preset as a threshold value for determining whether or not the impact is so great as to make the occupant of the vehicle 10 uncomfortable. .. The shock threshold value E0 may be a fixed value that is theoretically or experimentally obtained, or may be a value that changes depending on, for example, an operation by a passenger.

When the collision impact E is less than the impact threshold E0 (step S106: YES), the traveling control unit 130 controls the vehicle 10 to climb over the step while maintaining the current vehicle speed V (step S107). On the other hand, when the collision impact E is equal to or greater than the impact threshold E0 (step S106: NO), and when the current vehicle speed V is less than the required vehicle speed over ride V0 (step S104: NO), the travel control unit 130 The vehicle 10 is controlled so as to stop in front of the step (step S108). Then, the traveling control unit 130 executes control for overcoming the step after the vehicle 10 has stopped once (step S109).

As described above, in the vehicle control device according to the first embodiment, when there is a step in the parking route of the vehicle 10 that is performing the automatic parking process, the current vehicle speed V and the collision impact E at that time are present. Different controls are executed based on the.

<Effects of the embodiment>
Next, technical effects obtained by the operation of the vehicle control device according to the first embodiment described above will be described.

When the collision impact E is less than the impact threshold E0, the collision impact E is relatively small, and even if the impact occurs due to a collision with a step, the passengers of the vehicle 10 will feel uncomfortable. There is no such thing. Therefore, in this case, the vehicle 10 is controlled so as to get over the step while maintaining the current vehicle speed V. As described above, when the collision impact E is less than the impact threshold E0, no inconvenience occurs even if the vehicle 10 is not subjected to special braking/driving force control.

On the other hand, when the impact E at the time of collision is equal to or greater than the impact threshold E0, if a control is performed to climb over a step while maintaining the current speed V, a comparatively large impact occurs, and a passenger of the vehicle 10 feels uncomfortable. There is a risk of giving. Therefore, in this case, the vehicle 10 is controlled to stop once in front of the step, and thereafter the control for overcoming the step is executed. According to such control, the vehicle 10 is sufficiently decelerated before the step, so that the impact generated at the time of a collision can be effectively suppressed. It should be noted that after the vehicle is stopped, a control for overcoming a step (for example, a control for slowly overcoming a step) is executed with as little impact as possible.

Further, when the current vehicle speed V is less than the required vehicle speed V0 for overcoming, even if an attempt is made to climb over a step while maintaining the current speed V, the current vehicle speed V does not reach the required overspeed speed V0, and the vehicle may overstep the step. This is not possible, and an extra impact will occur due to the collision with the step. A method of overcoming the step by increasing the current vehicle speed V (that is, performing acceleration control) is also conceivable, but the shock generated in that case may be the shock threshold value E0 or more. Therefore, in this case, as in the case where the collision impact E is equal to or greater than the impact threshold E0, the control for stopping the vehicle 10 before the step and overcoming the step after that is executed. Therefore, it is possible to surely get over the step while suppressing the impact generated at the time of the collision with the step.

<Second Embodiment>
Next, a vehicle control device according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the second embodiment is different from the above-described first embodiment only in part of the operation, and other operations and device configurations are substantially the same. Therefore, in the following, only the portions different from the already described first embodiment will be described in detail, and the description of the other overlapping portions will be appropriately omitted.

<Operation explanation>
The control executed by the vehicle control device according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of control operation by the vehicle control device according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 3, the same processes as those in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 are designated by the same reference numerals.

As shown in FIG. 3, during the operation of the vehicle control device according to the second embodiment, the traveling control unit 130 determines whether or not the calculated collision impact E is less than a predetermined impact threshold E0. Up to this point (that is, up to the processing of step S106), the same processing as in the first embodiment is executed. The same applies to the case where the collision impact E is less than the impact threshold E0 (step S106: YES), and the traveling control unit 130 controls the vehicle 10 to climb over the step while maintaining the current vehicle speed V ( Step S107).

In the second embodiment, particularly, when the collision impact E is equal to or greater than the impact threshold value E0 (step S106: NO), the current vehicle speed V is overcome and the vehicle is decelerated to the required vehicle speed V0 while attempting to climb over a step. The impact (hereinafter, appropriately referred to as “deceleration impact E1”) is calculated, and it is determined whether the value is less than the impact threshold E0 (step S201). At this point, the vehicle 10 is not actually decelerated, and only the deceleration impact E1 is calculated, assuming that the vehicle 10 is decelerated to the overcoming required vehicle speed V0.

When the deceleration impact E1 is less than the impact threshold E0 (step S201: YES), the traveling control unit 130 decelerates the vehicle 10 beyond the current vehicle speed V to the required vehicle speed V0, and controls to climb over the step in that state. (Step S202).

When the deceleration impact E1 is equal to or greater than the impact threshold E0 (step S201: NO) and when the current vehicle speed V is less than the required vehicle speed V0 for overcoming (step S104: NO), the same as in the first embodiment. The vehicle 10 is controlled so as to stop in front of the step (step S108), and thereafter, control for overcoming the step is executed (step S109).

<Effects of the embodiment>
Next, technical effects obtained by the operation of the vehicle control device according to the second embodiment described above will be described.

When the impact E at the time of collision is equal to or greater than the impact threshold value E0, if a control is performed to climb over a step while maintaining the current speed V, a comparatively large impact is generated and an occupant of the vehicle 10 is uncomfortable. There is a risk. However, when the deceleration impact E1 is less than the impact threshold E0, the vehicle 10 is decelerated, and it is possible to overcome the step while suppressing the occurrence of a large impact. Therefore, in the second embodiment, when the impact can be sufficiently suppressed by the deceleration of the vehicle 10, the vehicle 10 is decelerated and the step is overcome. As a result, it is possible to avoid unnecessary temporary stop of the vehicle 10, and it is possible to more preferably execute over a step.

The deceleration-controlled vehicle 10 does not necessarily have to be decelerated to the required ride over speed V0, and if the magnitude of the impact after deceleration is less than the impact threshold E0, the vehicle 10 is faster than the required ride over speed V0. It may be controlled so as to get over the step. That is, the vehicle speed after deceleration may be the overcoming required speed V0 or more.

As described above, according to the vehicle control devices according to the first and second embodiments, the current vehicle speed V of the vehicle 10 and the impact E generated at the time of a collision with a step are taken into consideration, so that the vehicle 10 can step over the step. The braking/driving force at the time of getting over can be controlled very suitably.

In addition, in each of the above-described embodiments, the control in the case of performing the automatic parking process has been described, but the similar process is an automatic leaving process (that is, a process of leaving the vehicle 10 from a parking lot or the like to a predetermined space). ) May be performed. Even in such a case, the driving force when the vehicle climbs over a step can be appropriately controlled.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but can be appropriately changed within the scope not departing from the spirit or idea of the invention that can be read from the claims and the entire specification, and a vehicle control device accompanied by such a change is also possible. Moreover, it is included in the technical scope of the present invention.

10 Vehicle 11 External Sensor 12 Internal Sensor 21 Accelerator Actuator 22 Brake Actuator 23 Steering Actuator 100 ECU
110 step detection unit 120 impact calculation unit 130 traveling control unit V current vehicle speed V0 required vehicle speed overrun E impact at impact E0 impact threshold E1 impact at deceleration

Claims (1)

A vehicle control device capable of controlling the braking/driving force of a vehicle,
Detection means for detecting a step existing on the parking path of the vehicle,
On the basis of the current vehicle speed of the vehicle, a calculation unit which the vehicle calculates the magnitude of the impact generated to the vehicle when overcoming the step the current vehicle speed,
(I) When the impact is less than a predetermined value, the braking/driving force of the vehicle is controlled so as to maintain the current vehicle speed and overcome the step, and (ii) the impact is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. In this case, the vehicle control device further comprises: a control unit that controls the braking/driving force of the vehicle so as to get over the step after the vehicle decelerates below the current vehicle speed .

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