JP2008189093A - Vehicular driving force control apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To control the driving force of a vehicle by accurately determining the position of the vehicle or a positional relationship between the vehicle and a connected road connected to the main traffic of an expressway. <P>SOLUTION: A vehicular driving force control apparatus for controlling the driving force of a vehicle in accordance with a positional relationship between the vehicle and a connected road connected as a branch to the main traffic of an expressway comprises means (S3) for detecting or inferring a driver's intention to change lanes between the main traffic of the expressway and the connected road and means (S4) for detecting a lane change of the vehicle between the main traffic of the expressway and the connected road; and permits the driving force control of the vehicle (S5) if detecting a lane change of the vehicle under the detection or inference of a lane change intention or within a preset time of the detection or inference of the lane change intention. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle driving force control device, and more particularly, to control the driving force of a vehicle based on the positional relationship between a vehicle and a connecting road that is branched from the main road of an automobile exclusive road and connected to the main road of the automobile exclusive road. The present invention relates to a vehicle driving force control apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art A vehicle driving force control device that controls the driving force of a vehicle based on the positional relationship between a connecting road that branches off from the main road of the automobile exclusive road and is connected to the main road of the exclusive automobile road is known.

  For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-105898 (Patent Document 1) discloses the following technique. Recognize the display line of the road surface by image processing, determine the lane that is running from the relative movement of the display line to the vehicle and the type of display line (solid line or broken line), and the distance between the display lines Determine the position of the branch from the increase, the approach route of the branching road, determine the route (route 1 or route 0) after passing the branch, and based on the road information of the determined route, the subsequent vehicle Execute control. Furthermore, the reliability of the route determination reliability is determined based on whether or not a lane change or branch determination is made within a predetermined time, and the control content is changed according to the accuracy.

  Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-141491 (Patent Document 2) detects a ramp way connecting a highway and a general road from road information of a navigation system, and confirms that the vehicle has entered a control section including the ramp way. In addition, a technique for confirming the driver's intention to decelerate and restricting the upper limit value of the shift speed is disclosed.

  Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 disclose performing vehicle control based on lane image processing results and current position information of a navigation system. Among them, the blinker information is used for detecting the intention of deceleration and determining the reliability of the course determination, but a specific determination method is not disclosed.

JP 2000-105898 A JP-A-10-141491

  For example, when exiting from a main road of an automobile exclusive road including an expressway (hereinafter referred to as a private road main line) or joining a private road main road, when traveling on a connection road connected to the private road main line, Therefore, it is required to improve the drivability by controlling the driving force of the vehicle based on the determination of the approach of the vehicle.

  When driving force control of a vehicle is performed when traveling on such a connected road, it is necessary to be able to accurately determine the position of the vehicle or the positional relationship between the vehicle and the connected road. Conventionally, the determination is made based on the position information of the navigation system, the image information of the camera mounted on the vehicle, or the like, but the position of the vehicle or the positional relationship between the vehicle and the connection road may be erroneously determined.

  With reference to FIG. 9, the problem of the prior art will be described. In FIG. 9, as an example of the connection road, an explanation will be given using an example of an exit road connected to a dedicated road main line.

  FIG. 9 is a plan view schematically showing the exclusive road main line and the exit road (connected road) connected to the exclusive road main line. An exit road 403 is connected to the dedicated road main line 401. The dedicated main road 401 and the exit road 403 are separated by a broken line 404 drawn on the road.

  Whether or not a vehicle has entered the exit road 403 (determination for entering the connecting road) is determined based on, for example, vehicle position information obtained from the navigation system. The position information of the navigation system includes an error of more than a dozen meters. For this reason, for example, even though the actual traveling position of the vehicle is the position indicated by the symbol X41 on the exclusive main road 401, the vehicle position is erroneously indicated by the symbol X42 on the exit path 403. May be recognized.

  In addition, it may be determined whether or not the vehicle has entered the exit path 403 based on image information (image processing result) acquired by a camera mounted on the vehicle. In this case, based on the image information, for example, the above determination is performed based on whether or not the vehicle straddles a broken line 404 drawn on the boundary between the exclusive road main line 401 and the exit road 403. Here, there is a possibility that a misjudgment may be made when there is confusing paint on the road, or for example due to the light or shadow caused by the light of the following vehicle or the like.

  As described above, in the exit path entry determination based on at least one of the determination based on the position information of the navigation system and the determination based on the image information, the vehicle may enter the exit path 403 incorrectly. For example, it may be erroneously determined that the vehicle has entered the exit road 403 even though the vehicle is traveling on the exclusive road main line 401. In this case, if the driver happens to turn off the accelerator (the driver's intention to decelerate), driving force control (for example, downshift control) is performed on the exclusive road main line 401, which does not match the driver's feeling.

  For this reason, in addition to the above-described exit path approach determination, it is conceivable to permit control of the driving force when the driver's intention to change the course is detected. As means for detecting the driver's intention to change the course, for example, winker information is used. In this case, for example, when a winker ON signal indicating the intention to change the course to the exit path 403 is output, it is permitted to control the driving force. As a result, even if an erroneous determination is made in the exit path entry determination based on the position information or the image information, or an error occurs in the determination timing, a guard is applied depending on the presence / absence of blinker ON information. For this reason, possibility that the control (for example, downshift control etc. on the exclusive road main line 401 etc.) which gives a discomfort to a driver | operator will be reduced.

  However, the operation timing of the blinker differs depending on the driver. While there are drivers who keep taking out the winkers until they enter the exit path 403, some drivers turn off the winkers before entering the exit path 403. For example, the winker may be turned off at the point X40 before entering the exit path 403. After that, the vehicle enters the exit path 403, and for example, at point X42, even if it is determined that the vehicle has entered the exit path 403 based on the determination based on the position information or the like, the winker is already turned off. There is a problem that control is not allowed. In this case, the driver may or may not be controlled.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle driving force control device that controls the driving force of a vehicle by accurately determining the position of the vehicle or the positional relationship between the vehicle and a connecting road connected to the main road of an automobile exclusive road. It is to be.

  The vehicle driving force control device according to the present invention controls the driving force of the vehicle based on the positional relationship between a connecting road connected to the main line of the automobile exclusive road and branched from the main road of the exclusive automobile road. A driving force control device for a vehicle, wherein the driver detects or estimates a change intention of a road between a main line of the automobile exclusive road and the connecting road, and the vehicle A travel path change detecting means for detecting that the travel path has been changed between the main road of the automobile exclusive road and the connecting road, and the travel path change intention detection estimating means detects or estimates the change intention of the travel path. The vehicle has detected that the vehicle has changed the travel route during the time set in advance or within a preset time from the state in which the intention to change the travel route has been detected or estimated. Occasionally, it is characterized in that to allow control of the driving force of the vehicle.

  In the vehicle driving force control apparatus according to the present invention, when the driving path change detecting means detects that the vehicle has changed the driving path after the control of the driving force of the vehicle is permitted, the vehicle The control of the driving force is not permitted.

  In the vehicle driving force control apparatus according to the present invention, the travel path change intention detection estimation means includes a driver operating state of the vehicle blinker, a steering state of the vehicle, a lateral acceleration of the vehicle, and a yaw rate of the vehicle. Based on at least one of them, the intention to change the travel path is detected or estimated.

  In the vehicular driving force control apparatus according to the present invention, the travel path change intention detection estimation means further travels the main lane of the automobile exclusive road connected to the connecting road for a predetermined time. It is characterized in that the intention to change the travel path is detected or estimated based on whether or not the vehicle travels.

  According to the present invention, when driving on a connection road connected to the main road of an automobile exclusive road, the position of the vehicle or the positional relationship between the vehicle and the connection road is accurately determined to control the driving force of the vehicle. Is possible.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle driving force control device of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  In the embodiment described below, when driving from a main road of an automobile exclusive road including an expressway (hereinafter referred to as an exclusive road main line) or merging into the exclusive road main road, when traveling on a connecting road connected to the exclusive road main line In particular, the present invention relates to a vehicle driving force control device for controlling the driving force of a vehicle.

  Here, the connecting road is connected to one side of the main road and the other side is [1] a general road other than an automobile road, [2] a parking area provided on the automobile road, or [3] Connected to other main roads. The connecting road connected to the parking area provided on the car-only road is a part of the car-only road, but is not a main line of the car-only road but a branch line. Similarly, the connecting road connected to the other dedicated road main line constitutes a branch line of the automobile dedicated road.

(First embodiment)
The first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.

  As described above with reference to FIG. 9, when the vehicle enters the exit path 403, the driving force control (hereinafter referred to as exit path control) outputs a winker ON signal indicating the intention to change the course. If it is permitted on the condition that the vehicle has entered the exit path 403, it is determined that the vehicle has entered the exit path 403 depending on the driver's turn signal operation timing. Is not allowed.

  Therefore, as will be described below with reference to FIG. 3, the driver's intention to change the course is not limited to a period during which the winker is ON, but also during a predetermined period after the winker is turned from ON to OFF. Permitting exit route control as effective is being studied.

  In FIG. 3, the code | symbol 101 shows a private road main line. Reference numerals 101a and 101b denote an overtaking lane and a traveling lane, respectively. An exit road 103 is connected to the exclusive main line 101. The dedicated main road 101 and the exit road 103 are separated by a broken line 104 drawn on the road.

  A solid line indicated by reference sign K1 and a broken line indicated by reference sign K1a indicate the traveling locus of the vehicle. The travel locus K1 is a travel locus during a period in which the winker is ON (the winker operation to the left side is performed). The travel locus K1a is a travel locus of the vehicle during the predetermined period after the winker is turned from ON to OFF.

  The predetermined period can be set to a value of 2 to 3 seconds, for example. Exit path control not only during the period when the winker is ON (traveling along the travel locus K1) but also during the predetermined period after the winker is switched from ON to OFF (while traveling along the travel locus K1a). Is allowed. The predetermined period may be set as a period after the winker is turned on.

  When the vehicle enters the exit road 103 from the exclusive road main line 101, the exit path control is permitted in the section indicated by the travel locus K1a even if the winker is turned off at the point X10 before entering the exit road 103. Is done. For this reason, for example, when the driver's intention to decelerate (accelerator OFF, brake ON, etc.) is detected at the point X12 on the section indicated by the travel locus K1a, exit path control may be performed according to the driver's intention. it can.

  Here, the following problems may occur depending on the set value for the predetermined period. The time from when the vehicle enters the exit road 103 from the exclusive road main line 101 until the deceleration is started (the distance traveled by the vehicle) is the road shape of the exit road 103, the exclusive road main line 101 and the exit road 103. It differs depending on the connection form.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the shape of the exit path 103 is relatively close to a straight line, the driver may not perform a deceleration operation for a while after entering the exit path 103. . In this case, if the predetermined period is set from 2 seconds to 3 seconds, the predetermined period may have already passed when the driver's intention to decelerate is detected. When the deceleration operation is started at the point X13 past the section indicated by the travel locus K1a (the driver's intention to decelerate is detected), the exit path control is not permitted, so the downshift is not performed and the driver's There are cases where the control is not as intended.

  In order to solve the above problem, it is conceivable that the section (the predetermined period) indicated by the travel locus K1a is set to a large value as indicated by the symbol K1b, for example. The predetermined period can be set to a relatively long time, for example, a value between 4 seconds and 10 seconds. In this case, it is possible to cope with the case where the accelerator is turned off at, for example, X13 after the vehicle enters the destination of the exit path 103 to some extent.

  However, in this case, the time that the winker ON state is valid (the time that the winker is handled in the same manner as the ON state after the winker is turned off from ON) becomes longer, so that the driver leaves the exit path 103. In some cases, the intention to change the course is not detected correctly.

  For example, in FIG. 5, as indicated by reference numeral K2, the winker is turned on just before the branch point from the main road 101 to the exit road 103, and the lane change from the overtaking lane 101a to the traveling lane 101b is performed. (The winker is turned off at point X14), and then the vehicle may continue to travel on the travel lane 101b without entering the exit path 103 (see point X15).

  In this case, although the driver has no intention to go to the exit path 103, the predetermined period (eg, a section from 4 seconds to 10 seconds indicated by the travel locus K1b) after the winker is turned off at the point X14 is In this state, it is determined that there is an intention to enter the exit path 103, and the vehicle travels on a travel path (travel lane 101b) that is relatively close to the exit path 103. In this case, although the vehicle is actually at the point X15 (the point X15 is within the predetermined period K1b), it is erroneously determined that the vehicle has entered the exit path 103 and is at the point X16. When the driver's intention to decelerate is detected, exit route control may be performed on the exclusive main road 101. In this case, the driver feels uncomfortable. As described above, if the predetermined period is set to a large value, the meaning of detecting the winker ON signal in order to detect the intention to enter the exit path 103 is lost.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the following control is performed in order to solve the above problem.

The configuration of the present embodiment is premised on having the three configurations (1) to (3) as described in detail below.
(1) Means (for example, a navigation system device) that can determine the starting point and the ending point of road types having different attributes (for example, a dedicated road main line and a connecting road (exit road, combined flow path, etc.) connected to the main road)
(2) Means for detecting or estimating the driver's intention to enter a road of another road type (for example, intention to enter the exit road from the main road) Means capable of detecting at least one of yaw rate)
(3) Means capable of controlling the driving force of the vehicle based on the detection, estimation or discrimination results of the two means and the driver's intention to decelerate (downshift control of gear stage or gear ratio, brake control, speed change) Map change, electronic control throttle characteristics change, etc.)

  FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of an apparatus according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 10 is a 6-speed automatic transmission, and 40 is an engine. The automatic transmission 10 can change speed by controlling hydraulic pressure by energization / non-energization of the solenoid valves 121a, 121b, 121c. In FIG. 2, three electromagnetic valves 121a, 121b, and 121c are illustrated, but the number of electromagnetic valves is not limited to three. The solenoid valves 121a, 121b, and 121c are driven by a signal from the control circuit 130.

  The throttle opening sensor 114 detects the opening of the throttle valve 43 disposed in the intake passage 41 of the engine 40. The engine speed sensor 116 detects the speed of the engine 40. The vehicle speed sensor 122 detects the rotation speed of the output shaft 120c of the automatic transmission 10 that is proportional to the vehicle speed. The shift position sensor 123 detects the shift position. The pattern select switch 117 is used when instructing a shift pattern. The acceleration sensor 90 detects vehicle deceleration (deceleration acceleration). The camera 118 is mounted on the vehicle so as to capture at least one of the front and rear of the vehicle.

  The navigation system device 95 has a basic function of guiding the host vehicle to a predetermined destination, and includes an arithmetic processing device and information (map, straight road, curve, uphill / downhill, highway) necessary for traveling the vehicle. Etc.), a first information detection device including a geomagnetic sensor, a gyrocompass, and a steering sensor, and a current position of the vehicle by radio navigation. It is for detecting a position, road conditions, etc., and is provided with a second information detection device including a GPS antenna and a GPS receiver.

  The control circuit 130 inputs signals indicating detection results of the throttle opening sensor 114, the engine speed sensor 116, the vehicle speed sensor 122, the shift position sensor 123, and the acceleration sensor 90, and changes the switching state of the pattern select switch 117. And a signal from the navigation system device 95 or the camera 118 is input.

  The control circuit 130 is configured by a known microcomputer and includes a CPU 131, a RAM 132, a ROM 133, an input port 134, an output port 135, and a common bus 136. The input port 134 receives signals from the sensors 114, 116, 122, 123, and 90, signals from the switch 117, signals from the navigation system device 95, and signals from the camera 118. Solenoid valve driving units 138a, 138b, and 138c are connected to the output port 135.

  The ROM 133 stores a program in which the operations (control steps) shown in the flowchart of FIG. 1 are described in advance, and also includes a shift map and a shift control operation (not shown) for shifting the shift stage of the automatic transmission 10. Is stored). The control circuit 130 shifts the automatic transmission 10 based on various input control conditions. Reference numeral 200 denotes a brake device, and 230 denotes a brake control circuit.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1, FIG. 6, and FIG. FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing the operation of this embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state where the vehicle enters the exit road from the exclusive road main line. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 105 indicates a branch portion between the exclusive road main line 101 and the exit road 103. The branching unit 105 is stored in the navigation system device 95.

  FIG. 7 is a time chart of the present embodiment. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 301 indicates a determination result of the blinker operation (see step S3 described later). Reference numeral 302 indicates the state of a flag (exit route determination flag) indicating the result of the entry determination to the exit route 103 (step S4 described later). When it is determined that the vehicle has entered the exit path 103 (the vehicle has crossed the broken line 104), the exit path determination flag 302 is turned ON. Reference numeral 303 indicates the state of the exit path downshift permission preparation flag. Reference numeral 304 indicates the state of an idle flag for determining whether the accelerator is turned off. Reference numeral 305 denotes a shift command (shift output) for the automatic transmission 10. Reference numerals X1 to X7 in the time chart of FIG. 7 correspond to reference signs X1 to X7 indicating the position of the host vehicle in FIG.

[Step S1]
In step S <b> 1, first, the control circuit 130 determines whether or not the host vehicle is traveling on a dedicated road main line (for example, a main road on a highway) 101. The control circuit 130 performs the determination in step S <b> 1 based on the current position information and map information of the host vehicle input from the navigation system device 95.

  As a result of the determination in step S1, when it is determined that the host vehicle is traveling on the exclusive road main line 101 (Yes in step S1), the process proceeds to step S2. On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S1, when it is determined that the host vehicle is not traveling on the exclusive road main line 101 (No in step S1), the present control flow is returned.

[Step S2]
In step S2, the control circuit 130 determines whether or not there is an exit path 103 ahead of the host vehicle. The control circuit 130 performs the determination in step S <b> 2 based on the current position information and map information of the host vehicle input from the navigation system device 95. Whether or not there is an exit path 103 toward an IC (Interchange), SA (Service Area), PA (Parking Area), etc. within a predetermined distance (for example, 500 m) in front of the host vehicle. Determined.

  As a result of the determination in step S2, if it is determined that the exit path 103 exists in front of the host vehicle (Yes in step S2), the process proceeds to step S3. On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S2, when it is determined that the exit path 103 does not exist in front of the host vehicle (No in step S2), this control flow is returned.

[Step S3]
In step S3, whether or not the winker is ON by the control circuit 130 or whether or not the elapsed time since the winker was turned off from ON is equal to or less than a predetermined time (see reference numeral 306 in FIG. 7). Is determined. In step S3, it is determined (estimated) whether or not the driver intends to enter the exit path 103.

  Here, the fact that the winker is ON represents a state in which the driver is operating the winker indicating a course change in the direction toward the exit path 103. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 6, the exit road 103 is connected to the left side of the main road 101 in the traveling direction (the driving lane 101 b side). In this case, the fact that the winker is ON indicates that the driver is operating the winker indicating a course change to the left side. On the other hand, the fact that the winker is turned off means that the winker is changed from a state indicating a change of course to the left side to a neutral state.

  When the exit road 103 is connected to the right side (passing lane 101a side) of the main road 101 in the direction of travel, the winker is turned on when the driver is operating the winker to change the course to the right. It is determined that Whether the exit path 103 is connected to the left or right side of the main road 101 is determined based on information input from the navigation system device 95.

  In the example shown in FIG. 6, the winker is turned on at point X1, and the winker is turned off at point X2. When the predetermined time elapses after the turn signal is turned off, the host vehicle has reached the point X4. Accordingly, when the host vehicle is traveling in the section between the point X1 and the point X4, an affirmative determination is made in step S3.

  The predetermined time, which is a determination value of the elapsed time since the turn signal is turned from ON to OFF, can be set to, for example, a time of about 3 seconds (see reference K1a). Thereby, in the determination of the driver's intention to enter the exit path 103, it is determined that only the information on the blinker in the section near the branch portion 105 between the exclusive road main line 101 and the exit path 103 is valid. Therefore, as described with reference to FIG. 5, when the driver changes the course before the branch point to the exit path 103 without intention to enter the exit path 103 (reference numeral K <b> 2), the blinker at the point X <b> 17. After the predetermined time (K1a) from the OFF time point (X14) has elapsed, erroneous determination that there is an intention to enter the exit path 103 is suppressed. It should be noted that the section from the time point (X14) when the driver turns off the turn signal without intention to enter the exit path 103 to the point X17 where the predetermined time (K1a) elapses is far from the exit path 103 and its boundary line 104. There is little possibility of erroneous determination that the vehicle has entered the exit path 103.

  From the above, in step S103, it can be suppressed that the winker operation performed by the driver without the intention to enter the exit path 103 is erroneously determined as having the intention to enter the exit path 103.

  As a result of the determination in step S3, if it is determined that the winker is ON or the elapsed time from when the winker is switched from ON to OFF is not more than the predetermined time (Yes in step S3), the process proceeds to step S4. To do. On the other hand, if this is not the case (No at step S3), this control flow is returned.

  Note that the determination in step S3 is based on whether or not the elapsed time from when the winker is turned on is equal to or less than a predetermined time instead of the elapsed time from when the winker is turned off. Can be done.

[Step S4]
In step S <b> 4, the control circuit 130 determines whether or not the host vehicle straddles the broken line 104 between the exclusive road main line 101 and the exit road 103. The control circuit 130 performs the determination in step S4 based on the imaging result (image processing result) by the camera 118. In the example shown in FIG. 6, when the host vehicle crosses the broken line 104 between the exclusive road main line 101 and the exit road 103 at the point X3 before the predetermined time elapses after the turn signal is turned off (point X2). Determined. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, the exit path determination flag 302 is turned ON at the point X3. Note that the determination in step S4 can be made based on the current position information and map information of the host vehicle input from the navigation system device 95 instead of the imaging result by the camera 118.

  As a result of the determination in step S4, when it is determined that the host vehicle has straddled the broken line 104 (Yes in step S4), the process proceeds to step S5. On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S4, if it is not determined that the host vehicle has crossed the broken line 104 (No in step S4), the present control flow is returned.

[Step S5]
In step S5, the exit path downshift permission preparation flag is turned ON by the control circuit 130. When the exit path downshift permission preparation flag is ON (step S5) and the driver's intention to decelerate is detected (step S7), exit path control (deceleration control) is executed (step S8). When the exit road downshift permission preparation flag is turned ON in step S5, the process proceeds to step S6.

[Step S6]
In step S6, the control circuit 130 determines whether the vehicle has already passed the toll booth or is traveling on a general road, or is traveling in a parking area such as SA (service area) or PA (parking area). It is determined whether or not. In step S6, it is determined whether or not the host vehicle is traveling on the exit road 103.

  This is because it is not desirable to perform exit path control when the vehicle is not traveling on the exit path 103, such as when entering the general road from the exit path 103. The control circuit 130 performs the determination in step S6 based on the current position information of the host vehicle and the map information input from the navigation system device 95. In the example of FIG. 6, it is determined that the user has left the exit road 103 at point X7 (not traveling on the exit road 103).

  If the result of determination in step S6 is that it has not been determined that the vehicle has already passed the toll booth or traveling on a general road, or traveling in a parking area such as SA or PA (No in step S6) To step S7. On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S6, it is determined that the vehicle has already passed the toll booth or is traveling on a general road, or is traveling in a parking area such as SA or PA (Yes in step S6). If so, the process proceeds to step S9.

[Step S7]
In step S7, the control circuit 130 determines whether or not the accelerator is in an OFF state (fully closed) based on a signal from the throttle opening sensor 114 (idle flag 304). In step S7, it is determined whether or not the driver intends to decelerate. When the accelerator is fully closed (Yes at Step S7), it is determined that the driver intends to decelerate, and the exit path control (deceleration control) of the present embodiment is performed.

  In the example of FIG. 6, it is determined that the idle flag 304 is ON at point X5, and exit path control is performed. In step S7, the driver's intention to decelerate may be detected by detecting brake ON instead of accelerator OFF. Alternatively, the driver's intention to decelerate may be detected based on the accelerator return speed.

  As a result of the determination in step S7, when it is determined that the accelerator is in an OFF state (Yes in step S7), the process proceeds to step S8. On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S7, if it is not determined that the accelerator is in the OFF state (No in step S7), the process proceeds to step S6.

[Step S8]
In step S <b> 8, the control circuit 130 performs high speed regulation of the gear position. Before step S8 is performed, in principle, the shift speed is determined based on the shift speed map from the vehicle speed V and the throttle opening, but when step S8 is executed, a preset high speed speed is set. Is regulated.

  For example, in the case where the preset high speed stage is the fourth speed stage, when the speed stage determined according to the speed stage map is the fourth speed or higher, the fourth speed stage is restricted and the third speed stage is set. Downshift control. On the other hand, when the speed determined according to the speed map is 3rd or less, the speed is not affected by the restriction of the fourth speed (high speed restriction).

  In step S8, when the shift stage after the high speed stage restriction is determined, the CPU 131 of the control circuit 130 outputs a downshift command (shift command) to the shift stage to the solenoid valve driving units 138a to 138c. The In response to the downshift command, the solenoid valve driving units 138a to 138c energize or de-energize the solenoid valves 121a to 121c. As a result, the automatic transmission 10 performs a shift instructed by the downshift command.

  In step S8, the shift speed map itself may be changed. That is, in step S8, the gear position can be determined based on the vehicle speed V and the throttle opening by switching to the gear position map in which the high speed restriction is reflected in the map. Here, the shift speed map in which the high speed restriction is reflected in the map is, for example, in the same way as in the above example, when the restricted high speed is the fourth speed shift speed, the vehicle speed V and the throttle are originally included in the map. It is a map in which the value of the region that should be equal to or higher than the fourth speed shift stage is the third speed shift stage according to the opening.

  Note that the control in step S8 is not limited to downshift control, and can be automatic brake control or the like. After step S8, this control flow is returned.

[Step S9]
If a negative determination is made in step S6 and the process proceeds to step S9, the exit path downshift permission preparation flag is turned off in step S9. After step S9, this control flow is returned.

  In the present embodiment, the determination of the condition that the exit road downshift permission preparation flag is OFF (step S6) does not include the blinker information. This is because it can be determined with sufficient accuracy whether the host vehicle is traveling on the exit path 103 based on the position information. After a certain amount of time has passed after the branch portion 105 between the exclusive road main line 101 and the exit road 103, the navigation system device 95 determines the position information, and the current position of the vehicle is on the exit road 103 and the exclusive road main line 101. The determination accuracy of which is higher. Therefore, the determination in step S6 can be performed only by the determination based on the position information of the navigation system device 95.

  According to the present embodiment, the detection result (S4) of the driver's intention to enter the exit path 103 based on the determination result (S4) of the traveling path of the vehicle (exit path in this example) and the information on the blinker ( Using S3), permission conditions for exit path control (downshift control) are determined. The determination procedure is shown below.

[Downshift permission preparation condition] (Downshift permission preparation flag OFF → ON)
It is necessary to satisfy all of the following conditions (1) and (2).
(1) Traveling road (exit road in this example) determination flag ON (step S4)
(2) Within a predetermined time from blinker ON or blinker OFF (step S3)

[Downshift disapproval condition] (Downshift permission preparation flag ON → OFF)
(1) Traveling road (exit road in this example) determination flag OFF (step S4)

  As a downshift permission preparation condition, the determination of the downshift permission preparation flag OFF → ON is determined based on the determination of the traveling road and the blinker information. The determination of the downshift permission preparation flag ON → OFF is determined only by the determination information of the travel path. Driving force control is executed when the downshift permission preparation condition is ON and the driver's intention to decelerate is detected.

  By considering the driver's intention by the driver's operation, it is possible to prevent the control from being erroneously started (on the main road) even if an error occurs in the position information. Reliability is improved. In other words, even when the determination accuracy of the travel path is low, it is possible to suppress the driving force control that does not match the driver's intention, and to cope with a wide range of driving operations of the driver. Control can be performed.

(First modification of the first embodiment)
In the first embodiment, when it is determined whether or not the driver intends to enter the exit path 103 based on the winker information in step S3, the own vehicle has been running on which lane of the exclusive road main line 101 so far. Was not considered. For this reason, even if the driver's winker operation is an operation intended to change lanes on the exclusive road main line 101, it may be determined that the operation is intended to enter the exit path 103.

  On the other hand, in this modification, when it is determined whether or not the driver intends to enter the exit path 103 based on the winker information, the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling and the travel time are taken into account. The It is determined that the driver has an intention to enter the exit path 103 when the vehicle has traveled in the leftmost lane (the travel lane 101b in the example of FIG. 6) for a predetermined travel time or longer. Is done. As a result, it is possible to more accurately determine whether the winker operation is an operation intended to be a simple lane change or an operation intended to enter the exit path 103.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of this modification.

[Step S20]
As a result of the determination in step S20, when it is determined that the exit path 103 exists in front of the host vehicle (Yes in step S20), the process proceeds to step S25. On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S20, when it is determined that the exit path 103 does not exist in front of the host vehicle (No in step S20), this control flow is returned.

[Step S25]
In step S25, it is determined by the control circuit 130 whether or not the host vehicle has continuously traveled in the travel lane 101b that is the leftmost lane for a predetermined travel time or longer. The control circuit 130 can perform the determination in step S25 based on the result of imaging at least one of the front and rear of the vehicle input from the camera 118.

  For example, when the camera 118 is a back guide monitor that captures the rear of the vehicle, if the solid line is shown on the right side and the broken line is shown on the left side, the solid line is the leftmost lane 101b in the example of FIG. The left border line 101c can be identified as the dashed line 101d drawn between the traveling lane 101b and the overtaking lane 101a. Thereby, it can be determined that the vehicle is traveling in the leftmost lane 101b.

  In addition, when the infrastructure is developed and the magnetic chip is embedded in the road, the vehicle senses the magnetic chip, so that it is possible to determine which lane the lane is currently running.

  As a result of the determination in step S25, if it is determined that the host vehicle has continued to travel the lane 101b that is the leftmost lane for the predetermined travel time or longer (Yes in step S25), the process proceeds to step S30. . On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S25 is that it has not been determined that the host vehicle has continued to travel the lane 101b, which is the leftmost lane, for the predetermined travel time or longer (No in step S25), This control flow is returned. Other operations can be the same as those in the first embodiment (FIG. 1).

(Second modification of the first embodiment)
In the first embodiment, the winker operation (winker information) is used to determine whether or not the driver intends to enter the exit path 103 (step S3). However, any information that can determine the course change of the vehicle is used. It is not limited to the information of the winker. For example, at least one of a steering wheel operation amount (steering amount), a vehicle lateral G, a yaw rate, or the like can be used instead of or together with the winker information.

  For example, the case where the handle operation amount is used to determine whether or not the user intends to enter the exit path 103 will be described. The condition that the handle operation amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, or the handle operation amount is equal to or greater than the predetermined value. It is determined that the driver intends to enter the exit path 103 when any of the conditions that the elapsed time from the detection of the vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined time is satisfied. Can do.

(Third Modification of First Embodiment)
In the first embodiment, the entry determination that considers whether the driver intends to enter is applied to the entry determination from the main road 101 to the exit path 103. In this modification, instead, When entering the main road from the combined flow path, an entry determination can be made in consideration of whether the driver intends to enter.

  When the vehicle enters the merging path, the electronic throttle characteristic may be changed to a characteristic in which the driving force is more output, and driving force control (merging control) may be performed. This improves the controllability of the driving force by the accelerator. If the accelerator is turned off when the vehicle enters the exclusive road main line, the normal electronic throttle characteristic is restored, and the driving force control (merging control) is stopped. In this case, the first embodiment can be applied in order to more reliably determine that the vehicle has entered the main road from the junction.

It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of 1st Embodiment of the vehicle position determination apparatus and vehicle drive force control apparatus of this invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a schematic block diagram of 1st Embodiment of the vehicle position determination apparatus and vehicle driving force control apparatus of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the method of exit path approach determination of 1st Embodiment of the vehicle position determination apparatus and vehicle driving force control apparatus of this invention. It is another figure for demonstrating the method of the exit path approach determination of 1st Embodiment of the vehicle position determination apparatus and vehicle driving force control apparatus of this invention. FIG. 6 is still another diagram for explaining a method for determining exit path entry according to the first embodiment of the vehicle position determination device and the vehicle driving force control device of the present invention. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement when the exit path approach determination of 1st Embodiment of the vehicle position determination apparatus and vehicle driving force control apparatus of this invention is performed. It is a time chart of 1st Embodiment of the vehicle position determination apparatus and vehicle driving force control apparatus of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the 1st modification of 1st Embodiment of the vehicle position determination apparatus and vehicle driving force control apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the method of the conventional exit path approach determination.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Automatic transmission 40 Engine 41 Intake passage 43 Throttle valve 90 Acceleration sensor 95 Navigation system apparatus 101 Dedicated road main line 101a Passing lane 101b Driving lane 101c Solid line 101d Broken line 103 Exit path 104 Broken line 105 Branch part 114 Throttle opening sensor 116 Engine rotation speed Sensor 117 Pattern select switch 118 Camera 120c Output shaft 121a Solenoid valve 121b Solenoid valve 121c Solenoid valve 122 Vehicle speed sensor 123 Shift position sensor 130 Control circuit 131 CPU
132 RAM
133 ROM
134 Input port 135 Output port 200 Brake device 230 Brake control circuit 301 Determination result of winker operation 302 Exit path determination flag 303 Exit path downshift permission preparation flag 304 Idle flag 305 Shift command 401 Dedicated road main line 403 Exit path

Claims (4)

A vehicle driving force control device for controlling the driving force of the vehicle based on a positional relationship between a connecting road connected to the main road of the automobile exclusive road and branched from the main road of the automobile exclusive road,
A road change intention detection estimation means for detecting or estimating a change intention of the road between the main road of the automobile exclusive road and the connecting road by the driver;
A road change detection means for detecting that the vehicle has changed the road between the main road of the automobile exclusive road and the connection road;
While the travel path change intention is estimated or estimated by the travel path change intention detection estimation means, or within a preset time from the state where the travel path change intention is detected or estimated The vehicle driving force control device, wherein when the road change detecting unit detects that the vehicle has changed the traveling path, the control of the driving force of the vehicle is permitted. The vehicle driving force control device according to claim 1,
After the control of the driving force of the vehicle is permitted, the control of the driving force of the vehicle is not permitted when it is detected by the travel route change detecting means that the vehicle has changed the travel route. A vehicle driving force control device. In the vehicle driving force control device according to claim 1 or 2,
The travel path change intention detection and estimation means is based on at least one of a winker operation state of the vehicle by a driver, a steering state of the vehicle, a lateral acceleration of the vehicle, and a yaw rate of the vehicle. A vehicle driving force control device characterized by detecting or estimating a road change intention. In the vehicle driving force control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The travel path change intention detection estimating means is further configured to determine whether the vehicle is traveling on a main lane of the automobile exclusive road connected to the connection road for a predetermined time. A vehicle driving force control apparatus characterized by detecting or estimating a change intention of the vehicle.

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