JP4737238B2 - Driving assistance device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving support device that supports driving of a vehicle.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a system for assisting driving of a vehicle, for example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-230682, a system for determining the presence or absence of the possibility of automatic driving of a vehicle, It is known to calculate the possibility of automatic driving based on the calculation of the possibility of steering operation, the possibility of deceleration operation, and the possibility of acceleration operation. In this system, when automatic driving is not possible, the shift to automatic driving is prevented and manual driving is performed.
JP 2002-230682 A

  In such a system, the driver of the vehicle may feel uncomfortable when driving support control such as automatic driving is started. For example, when driving support control is started and the vehicle is suddenly switched to automatic driving, the driver's driving operation is not reflected in the vehicle travel, so that the driver feels uncomfortable. Such a sense of incongruity may occur in the same manner when the automation level is increased during the automatic operation control.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve such a technical problem, and an object thereof is to provide a driving support device capable of suppressing a sense of incongruity that occurs to the driver when the driving support level is increased in the driving support control. And

  That is, the driving support device according to the present invention includes an ambient environment information acquisition unit that acquires driving environment information around the vehicle, a driving support unit that supports driving of the vehicle, and the driving support unit according to the driving environment information. And driving support control means for increasing the driving support level according to the driving operation state of the driver when raising the driving support level of the driving support means. Has been.

  According to the present invention, when the driving support level is increased, the driving support level is increased according to the driving operation state of the driver, thereby reducing the uncomfortable feeling felt by the driver by increasing the driving support level. it can.

  Further, the driving support device according to the present invention includes an ambient environment information acquisition unit that acquires driving environment information around the vehicle, a driving support unit that supports driving of the vehicle, and the driving support unit according to the driving environment information. And driving support control means for gradually increasing the driving support level when the driving support level of the driving support means is increased.

  According to the present invention, when the driving support level is increased, the driving support level is gradually increased, so that it is possible to reduce a sense of discomfort felt by the driver by increasing the driving support level.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, when raising the driving assistance level of driving assistance control, the discomfort produced to a driver | operator can be suppressed.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration diagram of a driving support apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the driving support apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is an apparatus that is installed in a vehicle that is a driving support target and that supports driving of the vehicle, and is, for example, an automation level of the vehicle according to a traveling environment. Is set to perform automatic operation control.

  The driving support device 1 includes, for example, a navigation system 2, a driving environment detection unit 3, a driving operation amount detection unit 4, a communication unit 5, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 6, a driving output unit 7, and an automation level notification unit 8. Is done.

  The navigation system 2 functions as own vehicle position detecting means for detecting the position of the own vehicle of the vehicle. For example, the navigation system 2 includes road map data and can detect a position using GPS (Global Positioning System). Used. The navigation system 2 can set the travel route of the vehicle. The travel route set in the navigation system 2 is input and recorded in the ECU 6 as travel route information.

  The traveling environment detection unit 3 detects a traveling environment of the vehicle by detecting objects around the vehicle and functions as a traveling environment information acquisition unit that acquires traveling environment information around the vehicle. For example, a millimeter wave radar, a laser radar, or a camera is used as the traveling environment detection unit 3. A signal detected by the travel environment detection unit 3 is input to the ECU 6 and recorded as travel environment information.

  The driving operation amount detection unit 4 functions as a driving operation amount detection unit that detects the driving operation amount of the driver, and corresponds to, for example, a sensor that detects a steering operation amount, an accelerator operation amount, and a brake operation amount. Specifically, a steering torque sensor that detects a steering operation amount, a stroke sensor that detects an accelerator operation amount, and a master cylinder pressure sensor that detects a brake operation amount are used.

  The communication unit 5 is a communication unit that performs inter-vehicle communication and road-to-vehicle communication, and functions as a travel environment information unit that acquires travel environment information of a travel destination of the vehicle through communication. In the driving support device 1, the installation of the communication unit 5 may be omitted.

  The ECU 6 controls the entire driving support device, and is mainly composed of a computer including a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, for example. The ECU 6 functions as a driving support control unit that controls the driving support operation according to the travel environment information. The ECU 6 performs driving support control by increasing the driving support level according to the driving operation state of the driver when increasing the driving support level. Further, the ECU 6 executes driving support control by gradually increasing the driving support level when increasing the driving support level.

  The driving support level is, for example, an automatic driving automation level, and is set according to the reliability of the traveling environment information, and is preferably set higher as the reliability of the traveling environment information is higher. In this case, by increasing the driving support level as the reliability of the driving environment information is higher, advanced driving support can be appropriately performed using the driving environment information with higher reliability. Further, inappropriate driving assistance can be avoided by performing advanced driving assistance using traveling environment information with low reliability.

  The automation level of the automatic operation can be set stepwise, for example. Specifically, in order from the highest automation level, the automation level where the steering operation, the accelerator operation and the brake operation are all automatic operations, the automation level where the accelerator operation and the brake operations are automatic operations, and the automation where only the brake operations are automatic operations The level can be set.

  The ECU 6 includes a travel environment database that records and saves travel environment information, and functions as a drive support level calculation unit that sets a drive support level based on the reliability of the travel environment information.

  The traveling output unit 7 performs a traveling operation, a braking operation, and a steering operation of the host vehicle in accordance with a control signal output from the ECU 6, and includes, for example, an engine ECU, a brake ECU, and a steering ECU. The traveling output unit 7 functions as driving support means for performing driving support of the vehicle when performing automatic driving control.

  The automation level notification unit 8 is a notification unit that notifies the driver of the current automation level when performing automatic driving control as driving support control. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, an indicator 81 that displays the automation level. Is used. The indicator 81 includes a high-level high display portion 81a of an automation level, a medium-level medium display portion 81b, and a low-level low display portion 81c, and appropriately displays display portions 81a to 81c corresponding to the current automation level. To do. FIG. 2 shows a state where the medium display portion 81b is lit. By looking at the display of the indicator 81, the driver can recognize the current automation level. In addition to the indicator 81 in FIG. 2, the automation level notification unit 8 may be a device that displays the automation level on a liquid crystal display or a device that notifies the automation level by voice.

  Next, the operation of the driving support apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the driving support apparatus according to the present embodiment, and is an explanatory diagram of the driving support contents when the reliability of the driving environment information is high and the driving support level is high.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle M to be a driving assistance target is traveling on the route R1. When the reliability of the traveling environment information of the route R1 is low, a low driving support level, that is, an automation level is set according to the high reliability, and driving support control with a low automation level is executed. For example, automatic operation control in which only the brake operation is an automatic operation is executed.

  When the vehicle M makes a left turn at an intersection, the route is changed from the route R1 to the route R2. When the reliability of the driving environment information on the route R2 is higher than the reliability of the driving environment information on the route R1, the information reliability may be rapidly increased as shown in FIG. 4A (t = t1). .

  In this case, it is conceivable that the automation level is rapidly increased in accordance with the increase in the reliability of the travel environment information (two-dot chain line from t = t1 to t2 in FIG. 4B). The driving support level is raised according to the driving operation state of the driver. For example, the automation level is increased when the driving operation amount of the driver is small with respect to the control target value set in the automatic driving control.

  When the automatic operation control is performed for the steering operation control, the accelerator operation control, and the brake operation control, the control in which the driving operation amount of the driver is small with respect to the control target value of each control may be sequentially automated. For example, when the driver steering torque value is smaller than the steering torque control target value of the steering wheel steering control, the steering wheel steering control is automatically operated to increase the automation level. At that time, it is preferable to raise the automation level for each control sequentially and raise the automation level step by step.

  That is, as shown by the solid line from t = t1 to t2 in FIG. 4B, the automation level is gradually increased, and the automation level is gradually increased. At this time, the automatic operation content may be gradually increased to increase the automation level, or the automatic operation control amount may be gradually increased to increase the automation level.

  In addition, when the automation level is increased, it is preferable that the driver's operation load be increased as compared with the case where the automated operation is controlled before the automation level is increased. For example, when steering operation control is set to automatic driving control, the steering wheel reaction force is increased, when accelerator operating control is set to automatic driving control, accelerator operating reaction force is increased, or brake operation control is set to automatic driving control. If this happens, increase the brake operation reaction force. Thus, the driver can easily recognize through the operation feeling that the driver has switched to the automatic driving control.

  Thus, when the automation level of automatic driving control is raised, the discomfort felt by the driver by raising the driving support level can be reduced by gradually raising the automation level.

  In addition, when the automated level of automatic driving control is increased, the driving assistance level is increased according to the driving operation state of the driver, thereby reducing the uncomfortable feeling felt by the driver by raising the driving assistance level. Can do.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the driving support apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  The control process shown in FIG. 5 is repeatedly executed by the ECU 6 at a predetermined cycle, for example. First, as shown in S10 of FIG. 5, a travel environment information acquisition process is performed. The driving environment information acquisition process is a process of acquiring driving environment information of a vehicle that is a driving support target. For example, the driving environment information is acquired based on information detected by the driving environment detection unit 3. Further, the traveling environment information may be acquired based on information transmitted by the communication unit 5. The reliability of the acquired traveling environment information is recorded in the ECU 6. The automation level is set according to the reliability of the traveling environment information. At this time, the automation level is set higher as the reliability of the travel environment information is higher.

  The automation level can be set stepwise, for example. Specifically, in order from the highest automation level, the automation level where the steering operation, the accelerator operation and the brake operation are all automatic operations, the automation level where the accelerator operation and the brake operations are automatic operations, and the automation where only the brake operations are automatic operations The level is set.

  And it transfers to S12 and it is judged whether the automation level of automatic operation control is changed. This determination can be made, for example, when the driving environment information has become more reliable and the automation level has been raised due to a route change, or when the driving environment information has become less reliable and the automation level has been lowered. It is determined that the automation level is changed.

  If it is determined in S12 that the automation level of the automatic driving control is not changed, the process proceeds to S18, and driving support control is performed according to the current automation level. On the other hand, when it is determined in S12 that the automation level of the automatic driving control is changed, an automation level changing process is performed.

  This automation level changing process is a process for changing the automation level of the automatic operation control, and is a process for changing the content of the automatic operation control from the current automation level to the automation level of the change target. In this change process, when the automation level is raised, the automation level is raised step by step so that the automation level does not rise rapidly. For example, when the automation level is raised from a low level to a high level, the level is raised step by step so that the low level → the medium level → the high level.

  Moreover, when raising an automation level, it is preferable to raise a driving assistance level in steps according to a driver | operator's driving operation state. For example, the automation level is increased when the driving operation amount of the driver is small with respect to the control target value set in the automatic driving control. That is, when automatic operation control is performed for handle operation control, accelerator operation control, and brake operation control, the operation amounts of the handle operation amount, the accelerator operation amount, and the brake operation amount are detected, and the driver is detected for the control target value of each control. The control with a small amount of driving operation will be sequentially automated. Specifically, when the driver steering torque value is smaller than the steering torque control target value of the steering operation control, the steering steering control is automatically operated to increase the automation level.

  And it transfers to S16 and alerting | reporting process is performed. The notification process is a process for notifying the driver of a change in the automation level of the automatic driving control. For example, an operation signal is output from the ECU 6 to the automation level notification unit 8 and the automation level is notified by turning on the indicator 81 of the automation level notification unit 8.

  And it transfers to S18 and a driving assistance control process is performed. The driving support control process is a process for executing driving support control in accordance with the automation level. For example, when an automation level at which steering operation, accelerator operation, and brake operation are all automatic operations is set, driving support control for automatically driving the steering operation, accelerator operation, and brake operation is executed. Further, when an automation level at which the accelerator operation and the brake operation are automatically operated is set, the driving support control for automatically driving the accelerator operation and the brake operation is executed. In addition, when an automation level in which only the brake operation is an automatic operation is set, driving support control for automatically driving the brake operation is executed. Then, when the process of S18 is finished, a series of control processes are finished.

  As described above, according to the driving support apparatus according to the present embodiment, when the automation level that is the driving support level is increased, the automation level is increased by increasing the automation level according to the driving operation state of the driver. This can reduce the sense of incongruity felt by the driver.

  In addition, in the driving support device according to the present embodiment, when the automation level is increased, the automation level is gradually increased, so that the uncomfortable feeling felt by the driver due to the increased automation level can be reduced.

  In addition, embodiment mentioned above shows an example of the driving assistance device which concerns on this invention. The driving support device according to the present invention is not limited to the driving support device according to this embodiment, and the driving support device according to the embodiment may be modified or otherwise changed without changing the gist described in each claim. It may be applied to the above.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a driving support apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing of the indicator of the driving assistance device of FIG. It is explanatory drawing about operation | movement of the driving assistance apparatus of FIG. It is explanatory drawing about operation | movement of the driving assistance apparatus of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the driving assistance apparatus of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Driving assistance device, 2 ... Navigation system, 3 ... Driving environment detection part, 4 ... Driving operation amount detection part, 5 ... Communication part, 6 ... ECU, 7 ... Travel output part, 8 ... Automation level alerting | reporting part.

Claims (2)

Ambient environment information acquisition means for acquiring driving environment information around the vehicle,
Driving support means for supporting driving of the vehicle;
The driving support operation of the driving support means is controlled according to the driving environment information, and compared with a control target value set in the driving support means when raising the driving support level of the driving support means. Driving support control means for raising the driving support level when the amount of driving operation is small ;
A driving assistance device comprising:   The driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving support control unit gradually increases the driving support level when the driving support level of the driving support unit is increased.

Images