JP7658097B2 - Vehicle control device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle control device that performs a process to notify the occupants of a vehicle of a target approaching the vehicle from behind.

One of these types of vehicle control devices (hereinafter also referred to as the "conventional device") is equipped with a sensor that detects a target approaching the right side of the vehicle from behind (a target approaching to the right), and a sensor that detects a target approaching the left side of the vehicle from behind (a target approaching to the left). In addition, the conventional device is equipped with four lighting devices (lamps) as a notification means. Each of the lighting devices is disposed near the interior operating handles (inside handles) of the four doors equipped on the vehicle.

The conventional device executes a warning process when there is a high possibility that the vehicle door will collide with either an approaching target on the right or an approaching target on the left when the vehicle occupant opens the door. More specifically, when an object approaching on the right is detected and the vehicle occupant attempts to open a door on the right side of the vehicle (i.e., the right front door and/or the right rear door), the conventional device controls the lamps arranged near the inside handles corresponding to the door to be turned on in a warning state (e.g., in a blinking state). Similarly, when an object approaching on the left is detected and the vehicle occupant attempts to open a door on the left side of the vehicle (i.e., the left front door and/or the left rear door), the conventional device controls the lamps arranged near the inside handles corresponding to the door to be turned on in a warning state (e.g., see Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-247067 A

However, there is a risk that the occupants will not understand the meaning (intent) of the lamp that has been turned on as a warning by the warning process. Therefore, when the warning process is being executed, a sound (warning sound) indicating that there is a target approaching the vehicle from behind can be played from a speaker installed in the vehicle cabin.

For example, if the notification process is executed when an occupant tries to open the right door on the right side of the vehicle, it is possible to play a notification sound from a speaker arranged on the right side of the passenger compartment (right speaker). This allows the occupant trying to open the right door (i.e., the occupant sitting in the seat on the right side of the passenger compartment) to recognize the approach of an approaching target on the right side from the notification sound played from the right speaker.

However, when a notification process is being executed for an "occupant attempting to open the right door," a situation may arise in which a notification process should be initiated for an "occupant attempting to open the left door on the left side of the vehicle." In other words, when a notification process is being executed for one of an approaching target to the right and an approaching target to the left, a state may arise in which a notification process should be initiated for the other of an approaching target to the right and an approaching target to the left (hereinafter also referred to as an "opposite direction notification state").

If the notification process is not executed properly when an opposite direction notification condition occurs, there is a risk that an occupant attempting to open the right door and/or an occupant attempting to open the left door will not be able to correctly recognize the presence of an approaching target to the right and/or to the left.

Therefore, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device that can properly execute notification processing even when a reverse direction notification state occurs.

The vehicle control device (hereinafter referred to as the "device of the present invention") for achieving the above-mentioned objective is equipped with a target sensor, an opening operation sensor, a right speaker, a left speaker, and a control unit.

The target sensors (right angle radar 42 and left angle radar 43)
A "right approaching target" which is a target approaching the right side area of the vehicle (10) from behind the vehicle, and a "left approaching target" which is a target approaching the left side area of the vehicle from behind the vehicle are detected.

The opening operation sensors (lever sensors 21a to 24a)
The system detects a "right opening action" which is an action in which an occupant in the vehicle cabin attempts to open the right door (right front door 21 and right rear door 23) on the right side of the vehicle, and a "left opening action" which is an action in which an occupant in the vehicle cabin attempts to open the left door (left front door 22 and left rear door 24) on the left side of the vehicle.

The right speakers (the right front speaker 45 and the right rear speaker 47) are
It is disposed on the right side of the vehicle interior.

The left speakers (front left speaker 46 and rear left speaker 48) are
The light source 11 is disposed on the left side of the vehicle interior.

The control unit (vehicle control ECU 30)
When the "right warning condition" is met, which includes that the approaching target to the right is detected by the target sensor (condition (3a)) and the right opening operation is detected by the opening operation sensor (condition (2a)), a "right warning process" is started to play a predetermined warning sound from the right speaker (step 440 in FIG. 4).

Similarly, the control unit
When the "left warning condition" is met, which includes that the approaching target on the left is detected by the target sensor (condition (3b)) and the left opening operation is detected by the opening operation sensor (condition (2b)), a "left warning process" is started to cause the left speaker to play a predetermined warning sound (step 440 in FIG. 4).

Furthermore, the control unit
When one of the right side notification condition and the left side notification condition is satisfied while one of the right side notification process and the left side notification process is being executed due to the satisfaction of the other of the right side notification condition and the left side notification condition,
Execution of one of the right direction warning process and the left direction warning process is stopped (step 435 in FIG. 4), and the other of the right direction warning process and the left direction warning process is started.

For example, if an approaching target is present on the right and an opening motion to the right is detected, a right notification process is executed. That is, playback of the notification sound by the right speaker is started. If an approaching target is present on the left and an opening motion to the left is detected while this right notification process is being executed (that is, while playback of the notification sound by the right speaker is being performed), the right warning process is stopped and left notification process is started. That is, playback of the notification sound by the right speaker is stopped and playback of the notification sound by the left speaker is started.

Therefore, an occupant who performs a left-open operation can understand the content of the notification (for example, that it is dangerous to open the door because a target is approaching) through the notification sound played by the left speaker. Furthermore, an occupant who performs a right-open operation can understand the content of the notification through the notification sound played from the left speaker even if the playback of the notification sound from the right speaker is stopped midway.

Therefore, with the device of the present invention, even if an opposite direction warning state occurs, the occupant attempting to open the right door and/or the occupant attempting to open the left door can correctly recognize the presence of an approaching target on the right and/or on the left.

In the above description, in order to aid in understanding the present invention, the names and/or symbols used in the embodiments described below are enclosed in parentheses with respect to the configuration of the invention corresponding to the embodiment. However, each component of the present invention is not limited to the embodiment defined by the above names and/or symbols. Other objects, other features, and associated advantages of the present invention will be easily understood from the description of the embodiments of the present invention described below with reference to the drawings.

1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle (this vehicle) on which a vehicle control device (this control device) according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the present control device. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a target approaching the vehicle on the right and on the left. 4 is a flowchart showing a disembarking warning execution processing routine executed by the control device.

(composition)
A vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter also referred to as "this control device") will be described below with reference to the drawings. This control device is applied to a vehicle 10 shown in Fig. 1. The vehicle 10 includes a right front door 21, a left front door 22, a right rear door 23, and a left rear door 24 as doors used by occupants to get in and out of the vehicle (hereinafter also referred to as "boarding and alighting doors").

As can be seen from FIG. 2, which is a block diagram of the control device, the control device includes a vehicle control ECU 30, which is an electronic control unit (ECU). Hereinafter, the vehicle control ECU 30 will also be referred to simply as ECU 30.

The ECU 30 includes as its main components a microcomputer equipped with a CPU 31, a non-volatile memory 32, and a RAM 33. The CPU 31 sequentially executes a predetermined program (routine) to read data, perform numerical calculations, and output the results of the calculations.

The non-volatile memory 32 includes a ROM and a readable/writable flash memory. The non-volatile memory 32 stores the programs executed by the CPU 31 and lookup tables (maps) referenced when the programs are executed. The RAM 33 temporarily stores data referenced by the CPU 31.

The ECU 30 is connected to a vehicle speed sensor 41, a right angle radar 42, a left angle radar 43, a display 44, a right front speaker 45, a left front speaker 46, a right rear speaker 47, and a left rear speaker 48. The vehicle speed sensor 41 detects the vehicle speed Vt, which is the magnitude of the traveling speed of the vehicle 10, and outputs a signal representing the vehicle speed Vt to the ECU 30.

(Configuration: Millimeter wave radar device)
1, the right angle radar 42 is disposed at the right rear corner of the vehicle 10. The left angle radar 43 is disposed at the left rear corner of the vehicle 10. The area in which the right angle radar 42 can detect targets is generally represented by the angle between straight lines L1a and L1b. The area in which the left angle radar 43 can detect targets is generally represented by the angle between straight lines L2a and L2b.

The front-to-rear direction of the vehicle 10 is defined as the x-axis, and the left-to-right direction of the vehicle 10 (vehicle width direction) is defined as the y-axis. That is, the x-axis and y-axis are perpendicular to each other. The front end of the vehicle 10, which is the center point in the left-to-right direction, is the origin where x = 0 and y = 0. The x-coordinate is a positive value in the forward direction of the vehicle 10, and a negative value in the rearward direction of the vehicle 10. The y-coordinate is a positive value in the right direction in the direction of travel when the vehicle 10 is moving forward, and a negative value in the left direction in the direction of travel when the vehicle 10 is moving forward.

Each of the right angle radar 42 and the left angle radar 43 is a millimeter wave radar device and includes a radar transmitter, a radar receiver, and a radar control unit. The radar transmitter transmits millimeter waves (i.e., electromagnetic waves with frequencies between 30 GHz and 300 GHz) as radar transmission waves in response to instructions from the radar control unit.

The radar receiver includes multiple receiving antennas (not shown). When the receiving antennas receive reflected waves (radar reflected waves) generated when the radar transmission waves are reflected by a target, the radar receiver outputs information about the radar reflected waves (reflected wave information) to the radar control unit.

The radar control unit executes a "radar target detection process" using the reflected wave information every time a predetermined time has elapsed. The radar target detection process is a process for detecting targets based on the intensity, frequency, and phase of the radar reflected waves received by each receiving antenna, as well as the time from the transmission of the radar transmission wave to the reception of the radar reflected wave. The targets detected by each of the right angle radar 42 and the left angle radar 43 are hereinafter also referred to as "radar detected targets".

When the radar control unit executes the radar target detection process, it transmits "radar target information" to the ECU 30. If a radar-detected target is detected, the radar target information includes the identifier, position, and speed of the radar-detected target (more specifically, the relative position and relative speed with respect to the vehicle 10). If multiple radar-detected targets are detected, the radar target information includes the identifier, position, and speed of each of the radar-detected targets.

The position of a radar-detected target is represented by a combination of a vertical position Dx, which is an x-coordinate value, and a horizontal position Dy, which is a y-coordinate value. More specifically, the vertical position Dx and the horizontal position Dy represent the center positions (hereinafter also referred to as "representative positions") between the right and left ends of a radar-detected target detected by either the right-angle radar 42 or the left-angle radar 43. The speed of the radar-detected target is represented by a combination of a vertical velocity Vx, which is the amount of change per unit time of the vertical position Dx, and a horizontal velocity Vy, which is the amount of change per unit time of the horizontal position Dy.

(Configuration: Display and Speaker)
The display 44 is a liquid crystal display (LCD) disposed in an instrument panel (not shown) of the vehicle 10. The characters, figures, and the like displayed on the display 44 are controlled by the ECU 30.

The right front speaker 45 is disposed on the interior side of the right front door 21 as shown in FIG. 1. The left front speaker 46 is disposed on the interior side of the left front door 22. The right rear speaker 47 is disposed on the interior side of the right rear door 23. The left rear speaker 48 is disposed on the interior side of the left rear door 24.

Hereinafter, the right front speaker 45 and the right rear speaker 47 (i.e., the speakers disposed on the right side of the passenger compartment of the vehicle 10) are also collectively referred to as the "right speaker". Similarly, the left front speaker 46 and the left rear speaker 48 (i.e., the speakers disposed on the left side of the passenger compartment of the vehicle 10) are also collectively referred to as the "left speaker". The warning sounds and voice messages, etc., played by each of the right speaker and the left speaker are controlled by the ECU 30.

(Configuration - Boarding and alighting doors)
The right front door 21 is attached to the body 10a of the vehicle 10 via a hinge portion (not shown) so as to be able to be opened and closed. That is, the right front door 21 is a swing door. The right front door 21 has a built-in right front latch mechanism 51 as shown in Fig. 2. The state of the right front latch mechanism 51 can be switched between a "latched state" and an "unlatched state."

When the right front door 21 is open and the right front latch mechanism 51 is in an unlatched state, if an occupant of the vehicle 10 closes the right front door 21, the right front latch mechanism 51 becomes latched. More specifically, the latch of the right front latch mechanism 51 and a right front striker (neither shown) disposed on the vehicle body 10a engage with each other, thereby maintaining the right front door 21 in a closed state.

When the right front door 21 is in a closed state (i.e., when the right front latch mechanism 51 is in a latched state), if an occupant operates either the inside lever arranged on the inside of the right front door 21 or the door lever arranged on the outside of the right front door 21, the right front latch mechanism 51 becomes unlatched.

More specifically, a lever sensor 21a is disposed near the inside lever of the right front door 21. When this inside lever is operated by the occupant, a detection signal (specifically, a high-level signal) is output from the lever sensor 21a to the ECU 30. The ECU 30 acquires the operation state of the inside lever and the door lever based on the detection signal received from the lever sensor 21a and the detection signal received from a lever sensor (not shown) that detects the operation state of the door lever of the right front door 21.

When the inside lever and/or door lever of the right front door 21 is operated, the ECU 30 activates the electric actuator 51a of the right front latch mechanism 51 to release the engagement between the latch of the right front latch mechanism 51 and the right front striker of the vehicle body 10a (i.e., the right front latch mechanism 51 is in an unlatched state). As a result, the right front door 21 becomes openable. The operation of the inside lever by the occupant to open the boarding door is hereinafter also referred to as the "interior door opening operation."

When the "opening prohibition process" described below is executed by the ECU 30, even if an interior door opening operation is performed on the right front door 21 (i.e., even if the inside lever of the right front door 21 is operated by the occupant), the operation of the electric actuator 51a is prohibited, and the right front door 21 is maintained in a closed state.

The left front door 22 has a structure similar to that of the right front door 21. The left front latch mechanism 52 built into the left front door 22 can be switched between a "latched state" and an "unlatched state."

The ECU 30 acquires the operation state of the inside lever arranged on the inside of the left front door 22 based on a detection signal output from a lever sensor 22a arranged near the inside lever. In addition, the ECU 30 acquires the operation state of the door lever arranged on the outside of the left front door 22 based on a detection signal output from a lever sensor (not shown).

When the inside lever and/or door lever of the left front door 22 is operated, the ECU 30 activates the electric actuator 52a of the left front latch mechanism 52 to release the engagement between the latch of the left front latch mechanism 52 and the left front striker of the vehicle body 10a (neither shown). In other words, the left front latch mechanism 52 transitions from a latched state to an unlatched state. As a result, the left front door 22 becomes openable.

When the opening prohibition process is executed by the ECU 30, the operation of the electric actuator 52a is prohibited even if an interior door opening operation is performed on the left front door 22, and thus the left front door 22 is maintained in a closed state.

The right rear door 23 is attached so that it can move in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle body 10a, guided by a rail provided on the vehicle body 10a. In other words, the right rear door 23 is a sliding door. The right rear door 23 has a built-in right rear locking mechanism 53. The state of the right rear locking mechanism 53 can be switched between a "locked state" and an "unlocked state."

When the right rear door 23 is open and the right rear locking mechanism 53 is unlocked, if an occupant of the vehicle 10 closes the right rear door 23, the right rear locking mechanism 53 enters a locked state. More specifically, a latch provided on the right rear locking mechanism 53 and a right rear striker (neither shown) disposed on the vehicle body 10a engage with each other, thereby maintaining the right rear door 23 in a closed state.

When the right rear door 23 is closed (i.e., when the right rear locking mechanism 53 is locked), if an occupant operates either the inside lever arranged on the inside of the right rear door 23 or the door lever arranged on the outside of the right rear door 23, the right rear locking mechanism 53 becomes unlocked.

More specifically, a lever sensor 23a is disposed near the inside lever of the right rear door 23. When this inside lever is operated by an occupant, a detection signal (i.e., a high-level signal) is output from the lever sensor 23a to the ECU 30. The ECU 30 acquires the operation state of the inside lever and the door lever based on the detection signal received from the lever sensor 23a and the detection signal received from a lever sensor (not shown) that detects the operation state of the door lever.

When the inside lever and/or door lever of the right rear door 23 is operated, the ECU 30 activates the electric actuator 53a of the right rear lock mechanism 53 to release the engagement between the latch of the right rear lock mechanism 53 and the right rear striker of the vehicle body 10a. As a result, the right rear door 23 becomes openable.

When the opening prohibition process is executed by the ECU 30, the operation of the electric actuator 53a is prohibited even if an interior door opening operation is performed on the right rear door 23, and thus the right rear door 23 is maintained in a closed state.

The left rear door 24 has a structure similar to that of the right rear door 23. The state of the left rear lock mechanism 54 built into the left rear door 24 can be switched between a "locked state" and an "unlocked state."

The ECU 30 acquires the operation state of the inside lever arranged on the inside of the left rear door 24 based on a detection signal output from a lever sensor 24a arranged near the inside lever. In addition, the ECU 30 acquires the operation state of the door lever arranged on the outside of the left rear door 24 based on a detection signal output from a lever sensor (not shown).

When the inside lever and/or door lever of the left rear door 24 is operated, the ECU 30 activates the electric actuator 54a of the left rear lock mechanism 54 to release the engagement between the latch of the left rear lock mechanism 54 and the left rear striker of the vehicle body 10a (neither shown). In other words, the left rear lock mechanism 54 transitions from a locked state to an unlocked state. As a result, the left rear door 24 becomes openable.

When the opening prohibition process is executed by the ECU 30, the operation of the electric actuator 54a is prohibited even if an interior door opening operation is performed on the left rear door 24, and thus the left rear door 24 is maintained in a closed state. For convenience, each of the lever sensors 21a to 24a is also referred to as an "opening operation sensor."

(Disembarkation warning process)
Next, a description will be given of the "disembarkation warning process" executed by the ECU 30. When the vehicle 10 is stopped and an occupant opens the boarding/exit door, if there is a high possibility of a collision between an object approaching the vehicle 10 from the rear side and the open boarding/exit door or the occupant disembarking from the vehicle 10, the ECU 30 executes the disembarkation warning process to warn the occupant about to open the boarding/exit door.

The direction of the right or left boarding door that the occupant is trying to open (i.e., performing the interior door opening operation) is hereinafter also referred to as the "specific direction." As a disembarking warning process, the ECU 30 executes a process to prohibit the opening of the boarding door that the occupant is trying to open, and a process to play an "alert sound" from the speaker on the specific direction side (i.e., one of the right speaker or the left speaker).

In this embodiment, the alert voice is a voice message that informs the driver that a moving object is approaching the vehicle 10 from behind and that the door is controlled not to open even if an interior door opening operation is performed. When the ECU 30 executes the exit warning process, it displays a symbol on the display 44 indicating that the exit warning process is being executed.

In the following description, the right front door 21 and the right rear door 23 are also referred to as the "right door", and the left front door 22 and the left rear door 24 are also referred to as the "left door". In addition, an action by an occupant to open either the right front door 21 or the right rear door 23 from inside the vehicle cabin (i.e., an interior door opening operation for the right door) is also referred to as the "right opening operation". An action by an occupant to open either the left front door 22 or the left rear door 24 from inside the vehicle cabin (i.e., an interior door opening operation for the left door) is also referred to as the "left opening operation".

Furthermore, a radar-detected target that is the subject of the disembarking warning process and that approaches the right side area of the vehicle 10 from the rear of the vehicle 10 is also referred to as a "right approaching target." A right approaching target can also be said to be a radar-detected target that has a high possibility of colliding with an occupant disembarking through the right door or the right door if the occupant opens the right door.

Similarly, a radar-detected target that is the subject of the disembarking warning process and that is approaching the left side area of the vehicle 10 from the rear of the vehicle 10 is also referred to as a "left approaching target." A left approaching target can also be said to be a radar-detected target that has a high probability of colliding with the left door or with an occupant disembarking through the left door if the occupant opens the left door.

For example, when the vehicle 10 is stopped, the ECU 30 detects that an occupant is opening the right front door 21 to the right based on the detection signal of the lever sensor 21a, and if there is an approaching target on the right, it executes processing to prohibit the right front door 21 from being opened and causes the right speaker to play an alert sound. In this case, the specific direction is the right.

Similarly, when the vehicle 10 is stopped and the ECU 30 detects that an occupant is opening the left rear door 24 to the left based on the detection signal from the lever sensor 24a and there is an approaching target on the left, the ECU 30 executes processing to inhibit the opening of the left rear door 24 and plays a warning sound from the left speaker. In this case, the specific direction is the left.

For convenience, the disembarking warning process executed when the specific direction is to the right is also referred to as the "right notification process." Similarly, for convenience, the disembarking warning process executed when the specific direction is to the left is also referred to as the "left notification process."

In other words, the ECU 30 starts the right warning process when the following conditions (1), (2a), and (3a) are all satisfied.
Condition (1): The vehicle 10 is stopped.
Condition (2a): A right-side opening operation is detected (i.e., an interior door opening operation is being performed on either the right front door 21 or the right rear door 23).
Condition (3a): A target approaching to the right is detected.

Similarly, the ECU 30 starts the left warning process when the following conditions (1), (2a), and (3a) are all satisfied.
Condition (1): The vehicle 10 is stopped.
Condition (2b): A left-side opening operation is detected (i.e., an interior door opening operation is being performed on either the left front door 22 or the left rear door 24).
Condition (3b): A target approaching on the left is detected.

For convenience, the condition that is met when conditions (1), (2a), and (3a) are all met is also referred to as the "right warning condition." Similarly, the condition that is met when conditions (1), (2b), and (3c) are all met is also referred to as the "left warning condition."

The target approaching to the right and the target approaching to the left will be described with reference to Fig. 3 which shows a state in which the vehicle 10 is stopped on the road shoulder. In this embodiment, the target approaching to the right is a radar-detected target that satisfies both of the following conditions (4a) and (5a).
Condition (4a): The position represented by the vertical position Dx and the horizontal position Dy (i.e., the representative position) is included in the right target region RtR described below.
Condition (5a): The traveling direction represented by the longitudinal velocity Vx and the lateral velocity Vy intersects with the right determination line LtR described below.

The right judgment line LtR, represented by a thick line in FIG. 3, is a line segment connecting points Pt1 and Pt2. Point Pt1 is located at the rear right corner of the vehicle 10. Point Pt2 is a point that is shifted a predetermined length Dt to the right from point Pt1 parallel to the y axis. In other words, point Pt2 has the same x coordinate value as point Pt1 and a y coordinate value that is larger by the length Dt.

The right target region RtR is a trapezoidal region with vertices at points Pt1, Pt2, Pr1, and Pr2. Point Pr1 has an x-coordinate value that is smaller by a predetermined length Du and a y-coordinate value that is smaller by a predetermined length Dr than point Pt1. Point Pr2 has an x-coordinate value that is smaller by a length Du and a y-coordinate value that is larger by a length Dr than point Pt2.

The direction of travel of a radar-detected target is equal to the direction of a vector (velocity vector) obtained as the sum of a vector parallel to the x-axis and whose length is equal to the longitudinal velocity Vx, and a vector parallel to the y-axis and whose length is equal to the lateral velocity Vy.

Point Pd1 shown in FIG. 3 is a representative position of the other vehicle 61. Arrow A1 represents the velocity vector of the other vehicle 61. In addition, dashed line Ld1 represents the direction of arrow A1.

As can be seen from FIG. 3, point Pd1 is included in the right target region RtR. That is, the other vehicle 61 satisfies condition (4a). In addition, the dashed dotted line Ld1 (i.e., the traveling direction of the other vehicle 61) intersects with the right determination line LtR. That is, the other vehicle 61 satisfies condition (5a). Therefore, the other vehicle 61 is an approaching target from the right.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, the target approaching on the left is a radar-detected target that satisfies both of the following conditions (4b) and (5b).
Condition (4b): The representative position represented by the vertical position Dx and the horizontal position Dy is included in a left target region RtL described below.
Condition (5b): The traveling direction represented by the longitudinal velocity Vx and the lateral velocity Vy intersects with the left determination line LtL described below.

The left judgment line LtL, represented by a thick line in FIG. 3, is a line segment connecting points Pt3 and Pt4. Point Pt3 is located at the rear left corner of the vehicle 10. Point Pt4 is a point that is shifted to the left from point Pt3 by a length Dt parallel to the y axis. In other words, point Pt4 has the same x coordinate value as point Pt3 and a y coordinate value that is smaller by the length Dt.

The left target region RtL is a trapezoidal region with vertices Pt3, Pt4, Pr3, and Pr4. Compared to point Pt3, point Pr3 has an x-coordinate value that is smaller by length Du and a y-coordinate value that is larger by length Dr. Compared to point Pt4, point Pr4 has an x-coordinate value that is smaller by length Du and a y-coordinate value that is smaller by length Dr.

Point Pd2 shown in FIG. 3 is a representative position of bicycle 62. Arrow A2 represents the velocity vector of bicycle 62. In addition, dashed dotted line Ld2 represents the direction of arrow A2.

As can be seen from FIG. 3, point Pd2 is included in the left target region RtL. That is, bicycle 62 satisfies condition (4b). In addition, dashed dotted line Ld2 (i.e., the traveling direction of bicycle 62) intersects with left determination line LtL. That is, bicycle 62 satisfies condition (5b). Therefore, bicycle 62 is an approaching target from the right.

(Disembarkation warning process-notification switching process)
Next, the "alert switching process" related to the dismount warning process will be described. The alert switching process is executed when one of the right and left alert conditions is satisfied while one of the right and left alert conditions is being executed due to the satisfaction of the other of the right and left alert conditions.

For example, when the right notification process is being executed (i.e., when the notification sound is being played from the right speaker), if the left notification condition is met, the ECU 30 stops the right notification process and starts the left notification process. That is, the ECU 30 executes a process to stop the playback of the notification sound from the right speaker and start the playback of the notification sound from the left speaker as the notification switching process. Similarly, when the left notification process is being executed, if the right notification condition is met, the ECU 30 executes a process to stop the playback of the notification sound from the left speaker and start the playback of the notification sound from the right speaker as the notification switching process.

(Specific operation)
Next, a specific operation of the ECU 30 for the dismount warning process will be described. The CPU 31 (hereinafter, simply referred to as the "CPU") of the ECU 30 executes a "dismount warning execution process routine" shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4 every time a predetermined time has elapsed.

Therefore, at an appropriate timing, the CPU starts processing from step 400 in FIG. 4 and proceeds to step 405 to determine whether the vehicle speed Vt is smaller than a predetermined speed threshold Vth. In this embodiment, the speed threshold Vth is set to a value close to "0." That is, the CPU determines whether the above-mentioned condition (1) is satisfied. If the vehicle speed Vt is equal to or greater than the speed threshold Vth, the CPU determines "No" in step 405 and proceeds directly to step 495, terminating the processing of this routine.

On the other hand, if the vehicle speed Vt is smaller than the speed threshold Vth, the CPU judges "Yes" in step 405 and proceeds to step 410 to judge whether an interior door opening operation has been detected. Specifically, the CPU judges whether any of the inside levers of the boarding/alighting doors has been operated by an occupant based on the detection signals of the lever sensors 21a to 24a. That is, the CPU judges whether any of the above-mentioned conditions (2a) and (2b) is satisfied.

(Case A)
It is assumed that this routine is executed for the first time when neither the right nor left warning process is being executed (i.e., neither the right nor left speaker is playing a warning sound), the vehicle 10 is stopped, there is an approaching target on the left, and the occupant has started the interior door opening operation on the left front door 22.

In this case, since an interior door opening operation for the left front door 22 has been detected, the CPU judges "Yes" in step 410 and proceeds to step 415 to judge whether an approaching target exists in the specific direction. Specifically, the CPU judges whether an approaching target exists that corresponds to the direction in which the interior door opening operation was performed (i.e., the specific direction) among the approaching targets to the right and the approaching targets to the left. That is, the CPU judges whether either of the above-mentioned conditions (3a) and (3b) is satisfied.

According to the above assumption, since an interior door opening operation is being performed on the left front door 22, the specific direction is to the left. Therefore, the CPU determines whether or not there is an approaching target on the left. According to the above assumption, since there is an approaching target on the left, the CPU determines "Yes" in step 415 and proceeds to step 420, where it executes an opening prohibition process for the boarding/exiting door for which an interior door opening operation has been performed.

According to the above assumption, since the interior door opening operation is being performed on the left front door 22, the CPU executes the opening prohibition process for the left front door 22. That is, even though the inside lever of the left front door 22 has been operated, the CPU does not operate the electric actuator 52a, thereby keeping the left front door 22 in the closed state.

Then, the CPU proceeds to step 425 and determines whether or not the notification sound for the specific direction is not being played. That is, the CPU determines whether or not the notification sound is not being played from the speaker for the specific direction, either the right speaker or the left speaker.

According to the above assumption, the left notification process is not being executed (i.e., the notification sound is not being played from the left speaker), so the CPU judges "Yes" in step 425 and proceeds to step 430 to determine whether the notification sound is being played from the speaker in the opposite direction to the specific direction. That is, the CPU determines whether the notification sound is being played from the speaker in the opposite direction to the specific direction (the right side according to the above assumption) of the right speaker and the left speaker.

According to the above assumption, the right notification process is not being executed (i.e., the notification sound is not being played from the right speaker), so the CPU determines "No" in step 430 and proceeds directly to step 440, where it starts playing the notification sound for the specific direction. That is, the CPU starts playing the notification sound from the speaker for the specific direction, either the right speaker or the left speaker.

According to the above assumption, the specific direction is to the left, so the CPU starts playing the notification sound through the left speaker. The CPU then proceeds to step 495.

When this routine is next executed while the vehicle 10 is stopped, the left front door 22 is being operated to open the interior, and an approaching target is still present on the left, the CPU judges "Yes" in each of steps 405, 410, and 415, and then proceeds to step 425. In this case, the notification sound continues to be played from the left speaker, so the CPU judges "No" in step 425 and proceeds directly to step 495. Therefore, in this case, the notification sound continues to be played from the left speaker.

(Case B)
It is assumed that the interior door opening operation for the left front door 22 is then completed. In addition, it is assumed that this routine is executed for the first time after the occupant starts the interior door opening operation for the right rear door 23 before the reproduction of the notification sound from the left speaker is completed. It is further assumed that the vehicle 10 continues to be stopped and that an approaching target is present on the right.

In this case, the specific direction is to the right. Therefore, after making a "Yes" determination in each of steps 405 and 410, the CPU proceeds to step 415 to determine whether or not there is a target approaching to the right.

According to the above assumption, since there is an approaching target to the right, the CPU judges "Yes" in step 415 and proceeds to step 420 to perform an opening prohibition process for the right rear door 23. Next, the CPU proceeds to step 425 to determine whether or not the notification sound for the specific direction (i.e., the right side) is not being played.

According to the above assumption, the right rear door 23 has just been opened, so the right speaker is not playing the notification sound. Therefore, the CPU judges "Yes" in step 425 and proceeds to step 430 to determine whether the notification sound is being played from the opposite direction (i.e., the left side).

According to the above assumption, since the notification sound continues to be played by the left speaker, the CPU judges "Yes" in step 430 and proceeds to step 435, where it stops playing the notification sound in the opposite direction. That is, in this case, the CPU stops playing the notification sound by the left speaker. Next, the CPU proceeds to step 440, where it starts playing the warning sound by the speaker on the specific direction side (i.e., the right speaker). That is, in this case, the notification switching process is executed.

(Case C)
Next, it is assumed that the vehicle 10 is stopped, there is no approaching target on the right, and this routine is being executed for the first time after the occupant starts the interior door opening operation on the right front door 21.

In this case, the CPU judges "Yes" in both step 405 and step 410 and proceeds to step 415 to determine whether or not there is an approaching target to the right. According to the above assumption, there is no approaching target to the right, so the CPU judges "Yes" in step 415 and proceeds to step 445 to execute the "release process" for the boarding/alighting door for which the interior door opening operation has been performed.

Specifically, the CPU controls the actuator associated with the boarding door for which the interior door opening operation has been performed to make that door openable. According to the above assumption, the boarding door for which the interior door opening operation has been performed is the right front door 21, so the CPU controls the electric actuator 51a of the right front door 21 to make the right front door 21 openable.

(Other cases)
When the vehicle 10 is stopped and no interior door opening operation has been performed on any of the boarding/alighting doors (i.e., when condition (1) is met but neither condition (2a) nor condition (2b) is met), the CPU judges "Yes" in step 405, and then judges "No" in step 410 and proceeds directly to step 495.

As explained above, the ECU 30 starts the right notification process when the right notification condition is met, and starts the left notification process when the left notification condition is met. In addition, if the left notification condition is met while the right notification process is being executed (i.e., while the notification sound is being played from the right speaker), the ECU 30 stops the right notification process (i.e., stops the playback of the notification sound from the right speaker) and then starts the left notification process.

Therefore, when an occupant performs an interior door opening operation on the right door, even if the audio alert played by the right speaker is interrupted midway, the occupant can understand the content of the alert (i.e., that a moving object is approaching the vehicle 10 from the rear and that the door cannot be opened as a result) from the audio alert played by the left speaker.

In addition, when the right door is opened, the right speaker starts playing the notification sound, and when the left door is opened, the left speaker starts playing the notification sound. Therefore, each occupant (i.e., the occupant who opened the right door and the occupant who opened the left door) can recognize that the notification sound has started to be played due to their own operation.

Similarly, if the right warning condition is met while the left warning process is being executed (i.e., while the warning sound is being played from the left speaker), the ECU 30 will stop the left warning process (i.e., stop the playback of the warning sound from the left speaker) and then start the right warning process.

Therefore, with this control device, even if an opposite direction warning state occurs, the occupant attempting to open the right door and the occupant attempting to open the left door can each understand the presence of an approaching target (i.e., either an approaching target to the right or an approaching target to the left) and that the boarding/alighting door cannot be opened due to the presence of that target.

Although an embodiment of the vehicle control device according to the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the object of the present invention. For example, in this embodiment, the target approaching to the right and the target approaching to the left are each targets whose representative positions are included in either the right target region RtR or the left target region RtL. However, the target approaching to the right and the target approaching to the left may be targets whose part or whole is included in either the right target region RtR or the left target region RtL.

In addition, in this embodiment, the targets approaching to the right and the left are detected by the right-angle radar 42 and the left-angle radar 43 (i.e., a millimeter-wave radar device). However, the targets approaching to the right and the left may be detected by a device (target sensor) other than the millimeter-wave radar device. For example, the targets approaching to the right and the left may be detected by an ultrasonic sonar device. Furthermore, the targets approaching to the right and the left may be detected based on an image acquired by an optical camera that captures an area including the right target area RtR and the left target area RtL.

In addition, the vehicle control ECU 30 according to this embodiment executes the opening prohibition process and the notification process (i.e., either the right notification process or the left notification process) as the exit warning process. However, the execution of the opening prohibition process in the exit warning process may be omitted.

In addition, in this embodiment, the right warning condition and the left warning condition each include condition (1). However, condition (1) may be omitted from each of the right warning condition and the left warning condition.

In addition, the right speaker in this embodiment includes a right front speaker 45 and a right rear speaker 47. However, one of the right front speaker 45 and the right rear speaker 47 in the right speaker may be omitted. Similarly, one of the left front speaker 46 and the left rear speaker 48 in the left speaker may be omitted.

In addition, the vehicle control ECU 30 according to this embodiment determines whether an interior door opening operation is being performed based on the detection signals of the lever sensors 21a to 24a (i.e., detects an interior door opening operation). However, the ECU 30 may be configured to determine whether an interior door opening operation is being performed using a different method. For example, a light emitting source and a light receiving sensor that receives light emitted by the light emitting source (transmitted light) may be disposed near the inside levers of each of the right front door 21, the left front door 22, the right rear door 23, and the left rear door 24 so that when an occupant touches the inside lever to perform an interior door opening operation, the transmitted light is blocked by the occupant's hand. In this case, the ECU 30 determines that an interior door opening operation is being performed (i.e., detects an interior door opening operation) when the light receiving sensor can no longer receive the transmitted light.

In addition, in this embodiment, the notification sound played by the right speaker when the right notification process is executed and the notification sound played by the left speaker when the left notification process is executed are the same. However, these notification sounds may be different from each other.

In addition, the functions realized by the vehicle control ECU 30 in this embodiment may be realized by multiple ECUs.

10...vehicle, 21...right front door, 21a...lever sensor, 22...left front door, 22a...lever sensor, 23...right rear door, 23a...lever sensor, 24...left rear door, 24a...lever sensor, 30...vehicle control ECU, 41...vehicle speed sensor, 42...right angle radar, 43...left angle radar, 44...display, 45...right front speaker, 46...left front speaker, 47...right rear speaker, 48...left rear speaker, 51...right front latch mechanism, 51a...electric actuator, 52...left front latch mechanism, 52a...electric actuator, 53...right rear lock mechanism, 53a...electric actuator, 54...left rear lock mechanism, 54a...electric actuator.

Claims (1)

a target sensor that detects a right approaching target that is a target approaching a right area of the vehicle from behind the vehicle, and a left approaching target that is a target approaching a left area of the vehicle from behind the vehicle;
an opening operation sensor that detects a right-side opening operation, which is an operation by an occupant in a vehicle interior of the vehicle to open a right-side door located on the right side of the vehicle, and a left-side opening operation, which is an operation by an occupant in the vehicle interior of the vehicle to open a left-side door located on the left side of the vehicle;
A right speaker disposed on a right side of the vehicle interior;
A left speaker disposed on the left side of the vehicle interior;
starting a right warning process for playing a predetermined warning sound from the right speaker when a right warning condition is satisfied, the right warning condition including the approaching target on the right being detected by the target sensor and the right opening operation being detected by the opening operation sensor;
starting a left notification process for causing the left speaker to reproduce a predetermined notification sound when a left notification condition is satisfied, the left notification condition including that the approaching target on the left is detected by the target sensor and the left opening operation is detected by the opening operation sensor;
A control unit;
In a vehicle control device comprising:
The control unit is
when one of the right direction notification processing and the left direction notification processing is being executed due to the satisfaction of one of the right direction notification condition and the left direction notification condition, if the other of the right direction notification condition and the left direction notification condition is satisfied, the execution of the one of the right direction notification processing and the left direction notification processing is stopped and the other of the right direction notification processing and the left direction notification processing is started.
A vehicle control device configured as above.

Images