JP5185743B2 - Steering support device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a steering assistance device that steers a vehicle based on environmental information in front of the host vehicle, and more particularly, to a vehicle that controls a steering force to a steering mechanism and a braking / driving force difference between left and right wheels with a predetermined control sharing ratio. It relates to those that steer.

The steering assistance device performs steering assistance for applying a steering force to the steering mechanism based on environmental information in front of the host vehicle acquired by, for example, a stereo camera. Examples of such steering assistance include lane departure prevention control for returning the host vehicle to the center side of the lane according to the departure tendency of the host vehicle from the driving lane, and the host vehicle along the target driving locus set in the driving lane. Lane maintenance control etc. for running the vehicle.
Further, such steering of the vehicle gives a difference between the braking force and the driving force (hereinafter collectively referred to as “braking / driving force”) to the left and right wheels instead of applying the steering force to the steering mechanism, It is also possible by generating a yaw moment.
For example, in Patent Document 1, in the lane departure prevention device, for the purpose of accurately correcting the course in the departure avoidance direction, the steering control sharing amount and the braking force control in the departure avoidance control according to the turning state of the host vehicle. It is described that the uncomfortable feeling due to the increase in the lateral acceleration is prevented by calculating the share amount.

Further, the steering assistance device only supports or assists the driver's driving device, and continues to travel depending on the control of the steering assistance device, even though the driver's driving intention is reduced. That is not preferable.
As an index indicating the driver's driving intention, for example, arousal level, muzziness level, and the like can be given. The degree of arousal is an index that decreases when it is close to a physiological sleeping state. Ambiguousness is an index that increases when the driver's intention is more than driving.

As a technique for detecting the degree of arousal, for example, Patent Document 2 discloses a plurality of types of movements of a subject, movements obtained based on the detection results of movements in a state where the degree of arousal is grasped, and the degree of arousal. A wakefulness estimation device that estimates a subject's wakefulness from time-series data representing the relationship is described.
For example, Patent Document 3 discloses a technique for detecting the illusion degree, in which a gaze direction is detected from an image obtained by imaging the position of the eye iris of a driver, and an abrupt operation is detected using the statistical processing value. .
JP 2005-178743 A JP 2007-312905 A Japanese Patent No. 3257310

A vehicle steering wheel is a means for a driver to give a steering angle to the steering mechanism to generate vehicle yaw, and also functions as a human-machine interface (HMI) that conveys information from the road surface or system to the driver as a steering reaction force To do.
In a state where the driver's arousal level is high and the sensation level is low, the steering force application control to the steering mechanism tends to interfere with the driver's steering operation, and may give the driver a sense of incongruity. However, when the driver's arousal level is low or the level of ambiguity is high, it is considered effective to transmit the steering force to the driver via the steering wheel or the like to give the driver a warning.
The subject of this invention is providing the steering assistance apparatus which sets appropriately the control sharing ratio of steering control and braking / driving force control according to the driver | operator's driving | operation consciousness.

The present invention solves the above-described problems by the following means.
The invention according to claim 1 is a steering assistance device that steers the host vehicle based on the environment information ahead of the host vehicle, and detects the vehicle state of the host vehicle, environment recognition means for recognizing the environment information ahead of the host vehicle. Vehicle state detection means, steering control means for applying a steering force to the steering mechanism, braking / driving force control means for generating a yaw moment by causing a braking / driving force difference between the left and right wheels, the environment recognition means, and the vehicle state A target steering amount setting unit that sets a target steering amount of the host vehicle using a detection unit; and a target steering amount of the steering control unit and a target braking / driving force difference of the braking / driving force control unit based on the target steering amount. Steering control means for setting and awakening degree detecting means for detecting a driver's arousal level, wherein the steering control means determines the target steering amount and the target braking / driving with respect to the target steering amount according to the arousal level. Control difference with force difference Set the ratio with a decrease of the degree of awakening, a steering assistance apparatus, characterized in that the ratio of the target steering amount relative to the target steering amount is set to the control distribution ratio to increase.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an absurdity detection means for detecting a vagueness of the driver, and the steering control means further sets the control sharing ratio according to the abscissa, and the abscissa is increased. 2. The steering assist device according to claim 1, wherein the control sharing ratio is set so that the ratio of the target steering amount to the target steering amount increases accordingly.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the steering control means sets an evaluation value for each of the arousal level and the absurdity level, and the control is performed based on the arousal level and the absurdity level that have the larger evaluation value. The steering assist device according to claim 2, wherein a sharing ratio is set.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the steering assistance device for steering the host vehicle based on the environment information ahead of the host vehicle, the environment recognition means for recognizing the environment information ahead of the host vehicle and the vehicle state of the host vehicle are detected. Vehicle state detection means, steering control means for applying a steering force to the steering mechanism, braking / driving force control means for generating a yaw moment by causing a braking / driving force difference between the left and right wheels, the environment recognition means, and the vehicle state A target steering amount setting unit that sets a target steering amount of the host vehicle using a detection unit; and a target steering amount of the steering control unit and a target braking / driving force difference of the braking / driving force control unit based on the target steering amount. Steering control means for setting, and randomness detection means for detecting the degree of ambiguity of the driver, the steering control means according to the degree of ambiguity, the target steering amount and the target braking / driving for the target steering amount Control difference with force difference Set the ratio a steering assistance apparatus, characterized in that the ratio of the target steering amount relative to the target steering amount according to the aimless degree becomes high to set the control sharing ratio to increase.

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The control sharing ratio is set so that the ratio of the target steering amount to the target steering amount increases in accordance with a decrease in the driver's arousal level. The driver's awakening and voluntary driving operation can be promoted. In addition, when the arousal level is not reduced, the ratio of the target steering amount to the target steering amount can be reduced, and instead, the ratio of the target braking / driving force difference can be increased. While performing steering assistance based on this, it is possible to prevent the driver from feeling uncomfortable by preventing interference between the system and the driver due to steering control.
(2) by the ratio of the target steering amount relative to the target steering amount according to the driver's careless degree is high to set the control distribution ratio to increase, becomes high aimless degree feel the steering torque to the driver the in and status can be reported, it can be promoted reduction and voluntary driving operation of the driver of aimless degree. In addition, in a state where the degree of randomness is not high, the ratio of the target steering amount to the target steering amount can be reduced, and instead, the ratio of the target braking / driving force difference can be increased. Interference can be prevented and the driver can be prevented from feeling uncomfortable.
(3) Appropriate control according to the state of the driver is set by setting an evaluation value for each of the arousal level and the sloppyness level, and setting a control sharing ratio based on the wakefulness level and the sloppyness level having a large evaluation value. The sharing ratio can be set.

The present invention, the problem of providing a steering assist apparatus for appropriately setting the control sharing ratio between the longitudinal force control and steering control in accordance with the driver's driving consciousness, it increases the awareness decrease or aimless level of the driver Accordingly, the control sharing ratio of the steering force control with respect to the target steering amount is increased by increasing the control sharing ratio of the braking / driving force control.

Embodiments of the steering assistance device to which the present invention is applied will be described below.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration of a vehicle including the steering assistance device according to the embodiment.
In this embodiment, the vehicle is, for example, a four-wheel engine-electric hybrid passenger car that steers the two front wheels.

The vehicle includes a left front wheel _WFL , a right front wheel _WFR , a left rear wheel _WRL , a right rear wheel _WRR , an engine 10, a motor 20, an inverter 30, a motor control ECU 40, an electric power steering (EPS) device 50, and steering control. ECU100 grade | etc., Is provided.
The vehicle drives the left front wheel _WFL and the right front wheel _WFR by the engine 10, and uses a motor 20 provided on the left rear wheel _WRL and the right rear wheel _WRR to perform motor assist during acceleration and power regeneration during deceleration. Is supposed to do.

Engine 10 is an internal combustion engine such as gasoline engine or the like, a transmission (not shown), a differential gear via a power transmission mechanism such as a drive shaft, it transmits the driving force to the left front wheel W _FL and the right front wheel W _FR.

The motor 20 is an in-wheel motor provided on each of the left rear wheel _WRL and the right rear wheel _WRR . (The left and right motors 20 are shown with suffixes L and R, respectively.) The motor 20 assists in driving the rear wheels during acceleration of the vehicle and also performs power regeneration during deceleration of the vehicle.
The inverter 30 exchanges power with a battery (not shown), supplies power to the motor 20 during drive assist, and regenerates power from the motor 20 during regeneration.
The motor control ECU 40 controls the hybrid system including the motor 20 and the like by controlling the inverter 30.

The electric power steering device 50 is provided in a steering mechanism (not shown) that rotates the left front wheel _WFL and the right front wheel _WFR about a predetermined steering axis (king pin) to give a steering angle. The electric power steering apparatus 50 includes an electric power steering ECU (EPS ECU) 51, a motor 52, a steering angle sensor 53, and the like.
The EPS ECU 51 is a microcomputer that comprehensively controls the electric power steering apparatus 50.
The motor 52 is an electric actuator that applies a steering torque to the steering mechanism in response to a command from the EPS ECU 51.
The steering angle sensor 53 detects a steering angle (steer angle) given to the steering mechanism.

The steering control ECU 100 makes a left-right difference in the steering force control for applying a steering torque to the steering mechanism and the driving force or regenerative braking braking force of the motor 20 based on the environmental information ahead of the host vehicle and the traveling state of the host vehicle. The generated braking / driving force control is performed to steer the vehicle.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the steering control ECU 100.
The steering control ECU 100 includes an environment recognition unit 110, a target travel position setting unit 120, a host vehicle traveling path estimation unit 130, a target steering amount setting unit 140, a driver camera 150, a wakefulness detection unit 160, a muffledness detection unit 170, and a control. It is configured to include a sharing ratio setting unit 180, a steering force control unit 190, a braking / driving force control unit 200, and the like.

The environment recognition unit 110 recognizes the shape of the traveling lane of the host vehicle based on image information obtained by imaging the front of the host vehicle.
The environment recognition unit 110 is connected to a stereo camera 111, an image processing unit 112, and the like.
The stereo camera 111 includes, for example, a pair of main cameras and sub-cameras provided near the room mirror base at the upper end of the front window of the vehicle. Each of the main camera and the sub camera has a CCD camera. The main camera and the sub camera are installed apart from each other in the vehicle width direction. The main camera and the sub camera capture a reference image and a comparative image, respectively, and output image data related to these images to the image processing unit 112.
The image processing unit 112 performs A / D conversion on the image data of the reference image and the comparison image output from the stereo camera 111, performs predetermined image processing, and outputs the result to the environment recognition unit 110. This image processing includes, for example, correction of an attachment position error of each camera, noise removal, gradation optimization, and the like. The digitized image has, for example, a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. Each of these pixels has a luminance value corresponding to the brightness of the subject.

  The environment recognition unit 110 detects the parallax of a pixel group that is a block composed of an arbitrary pixel or a plurality of pixels on the reference image based on the data of the reference image and the comparison image. This parallax is the amount of deviation between the position on the reference image and the position on the comparison image of a certain pixel or pixel group. Using this parallax, the distance from the vehicle to the subject corresponding to the pixel can be calculated based on the principle of triangulation.

Moreover, the environment recognition means 110 recognizes the shape of the white line etc. which are arrange | positioned at the lane both ends ahead of the own vehicle. In this specification, claims, etc., a white line means a continuous line or a broken line drawn at the end in the width direction of the lane, and the actual color is other than white (for example, amber) Includes lines.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a planar arrangement of the host vehicle, the traveling lane, and the steering target position.
The environment recognition unit 110 detects a pixel group in the white line WL portion based on the luminance data of the pixel from the reference image data. The orientation of the pixel group of the white line WL portion with respect to the host vehicle OV is detected based on the pixel position on the image data. Specifically, an area corresponding to the pixel position in the vertical direction on the road surface is scanned in the horizontal direction, and a portion where the brightness value changes suddenly is recognized as the outline of the white line WL. Then, the position of the white line WL is detected by calculating the distance of the pixel group in the white line WL portion.
The environment recognition unit 110 continuously detects the position of the white line WL to set a plurality of lane candidate points in the traveling direction of the vehicle, ignores the lane candidate points that cannot be matched, and sets the lane candidate points. The area that could not be recognized is recognized as a lane shape ahead of the host vehicle by performing a predetermined complement process.
The environment recognition unit 110 has a function of detecting the lane yaw angle of the host vehicle OV using the detected lane shape.

  The target travel position setting unit 120 sets the target travel position Xc at the center in the width direction of the travel lane of the host vehicle set by the environment recognition unit 110.

A vehicle speed sensor 131 and a yaw rate sensor 132 are connected to the own vehicle traveling path estimation means 130.
The vehicle speed sensor 131 is provided in a housing that holds the hub bearing of each wheel, and outputs a vehicle speed pulse signal corresponding to the wheel speed. The vehicle speed pulse signal is subjected to predetermined processing, whereby the traveling speed of the vehicle can be obtained.
The yaw rate sensor 132 detects a rotational speed (yaw rate) around the vertical axis of the vehicle body using, for example, a vibrating gyroscope.
The own vehicle traveling path estimation unit 130 functions as the vehicle state detection unit of the present invention in cooperation with the vehicle speed sensor 131, the yaw rate sensor 132, and the like.

The own vehicle traveling path estimating means 130 is based on information from the environment recognizing means 110, the running state of the vehicle detected by the steering angle sensor 53, the vehicle speed sensor 131, the yaw rate sensor 132, and the known vehicle specifications. The vehicle traveling path is estimated.
The own vehicle traveling path is estimated by, for example, calculating the lateral position Xe of the own vehicle OV at the gaze distance Z in front of the vehicle.
This will be described below using a coordinate system having an X-axis extending in the vehicle width direction and a Z-axis extending forward of the vehicle body with the center of gravity of the host vehicle OV as the origin.
The estimated lateral position Xe of the host vehicle's center of gravity at the gaze distance Z is obtained by the following equation 1 using the handle angle α.

In addition, the vehicle traveling path estimation unit 130 may estimate the lateral position using the yaw rate detected by the yaw rate sensor 132 as shown in the following equation 2, instead of estimating the lateral position using the steering wheel angle. it can.

Xe = Z ² γ / 2V (Formula 2)
Xe: Estimated lateral position of the center of gravity of the vehicle at the gaze distance Z [m]
Z: Gaze distance [m]
γ: vehicle yaw rate [rad / sec]

  The target steering amount setting unit 140 sets the target steering amount of the host vehicle using the environment recognition unit 110, the target travel position setting unit 120, the host vehicle traveling path estimation unit 130, and the like. The target travel amount setting means 140 is, for example, a deviation of the lateral position Xe of the own vehicle estimated by the own vehicle traveling path estimation means 130 with respect to the target travel position Xc set by the target travel position setting means 120 and In accordance with the lane yaw angle, a target steering amount in a direction to reduce the deviation and the yaw angle is set.

  The driver camera 150 is an imaging unit that captures an image of a driver's head and the like. The driver camera 150 includes an imaging optical system such as a lens, a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD and a CMOS, and an image processing unit that generates output image data. The driver camera 150 is provided on an interior member such as an instrument panel and a steering column cover part, for example.

The awakening level detection means 160 detects the driver's awakening level A using the driver image captured by the driver camera 150. When the arousal level detection means 160 detects, for example, a driver action (awakening level decrease operation) peculiar to a decrease in the arousal level, such as blinking, shortage, frowning, etc., the arousal level A is decreased. judge.
In addition, the arousal level detection means 160 weights different arousal level lowering operations or sets the driver's arousal level A according to the detection frequency of the arousal level lowering operation at a plurality of discrete levels (for example, the arousal level is A1, A2, and A3 are detected in order from A to A.

  The illusion degree detection means 170 detects the driver's line-of-sight direction using two images of the visible light sensing camera and infrared light detection camera as the driver camera 150, and detects the driver's ambiguity L based on the line-of-sight direction. It is. Generally, in a situation where the driver is driving loosely, that is, in a situation where he is looking at a single point in front, the driver's face orientation is almost the same as during normal driving. For this reason, it is impossible to determine whether or not the state is unambiguous by detecting the degree of arousal based on the above-described face orientation, blinking, or the like. Therefore, in the present embodiment, attention is paid to the line-of-sight direction of the driver at the time of the rough driving, and the looseness L is detected. Specifically, since there is a tendency to gaze at a specific direction during normal driving, the driver's gaze direction is detected, the gaze stop time is measured, and the degree of mood depends on this stop time. L is detected by stratifying into a plurality of discrete levels (for example, L1, L2, and L3 are evaluation values in ascending order). In addition, the detection of the illusion degree L is not limited to this method. For example, since the frequency of confirmation of the rearview mirror and the side mirror is reduced during mundane driving, the direction of the driver's line of sight is detected, and the rearview mirror and side mirror within a predetermined time are detected. The degree of ambiguity may be detected according to the confirmation frequency of the mirror.

The control sharing ratio setting means 180 is based on the target steering amount set by the target steering amount setting means 140 on the basis of the arousal level A output from the arousal level detection means 160 and the randomness level L output from the randomness detection means 170. A control sharing ratio R _STR : R _DYC (R _STR + R _DYC = 1) between the steering force control unit 190 and the braking / driving force control unit 200 is set. The control share ratio setting means 180 functions as the steering control means according to the present invention.
Control sharing ratio setting unit 180, the awakening level A and the control distribution ratio _{R STR:} accumulated alertness map the relationship between _{R DYC,} and aimless degree L and the control distribution ratio _{R STR:} accumulating the relationship between _{R DYC} Has a randomness map.

Figure 4 is a wakefulness A, aimless degree L and the control distribution ratio _{R STR:} is a diagram showing the relationship between _{R DYC.}
Control sharing ratio _{R STR} of the steering force control unit 190 is configured to decrease stepwise in accordance with the increase from A1 to A2, A3 of alertness A, depending on the aimless degree L is increased to the L1 L2, L3 Is set to increase gradually.

When the degree of awakening is An (evaluation value n = 1, 2, 3) and the ambiguity Lm (evaluation value m = 1, 2, 3), the control sharing ratio setting unit 180 is n> m. The control sharing ratio R _STR : R _DYC is set based on the arousal level An using the arousal level map. On the other hand, if n <m, the control sharing ratio R _STR : R _DYC is set based on the ambiguity Lm using the ambiguity map. When n = m, the wakefulness level An is prioritized over the illicit level Lm, and the control sharing ratio R _STR : R _DYC is set based on the wakefulness level An.

The steering force control means 190 controls the motor 52 via the EPS ECU 51 and steers the vehicle by applying a steering torque to the steering mechanism. The target steering torque, the target rudder angle, and the like given here are based on the target steering amount set by the target steering amount setting unit 140 and the control sharing ratio R _STR : R _DYC set by the control sharing ratio setting unit 180. Is set.
The target steering torque is obtained by the following formula 3.

The braking / driving force control means 200 controls the inverter 30 via the motor control ECU 40 and generates a yaw moment in the vehicle by steering the left and right rear wheels to generate a braking force difference or a driving force difference. is there. The target yaw moment generated here is set based on the target steering amount set by the target steering amount setting means 140 and the control sharing ratio R _STR : R _DYC set by the control sharing ratio setting means 180.
The target yaw moment is obtained by the following equation 4.

Also, the command values (target output torque) to the motor 20L for the left rear wheel and the motor 20R for the right rear wheel are obtained by the following formulas 5 and 6, respectively.

Next, the steering assistance control in the steering assistance apparatus of an Example is demonstrated.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation during steering assist control. Hereinafter, the steps will be described step by step.
<Step S01: Measuring environment recognition and lane information>
The environment recognition unit 110 recognizes the environment ahead of the host vehicle OV and measures information such as the lane shape. Further, the target travel position setting unit 120 sets the target travel position Xc at the center of the recognized lane.
Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S02.

<Step S02: Vehicle state measurement>
Each sensor such as the vehicle speed sensor 131, the yaw rate sensor 132, and the steering angle sensor 53 measures the state quantity of the vehicle necessary for the estimation of the own vehicle traveling path and provides it to the own vehicle traveling path estimation means 130.
Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S03.

<Step S03: Estimation of own vehicle traveling path>
Based on the vehicle state quantity acquired in step S02, the own vehicle traveling path estimation unit 130 estimates the own vehicle traveling path using the above-described equation 1 and the like, and calculates the estimated lateral position Xe at the gaze distance Z. .
Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S04.

<Step S04: Control Target Value Calculation>
The target steering amount setting means 140 calculates a lateral deviation of the estimated lateral position Xe of the host vehicle with respect to the target travel position Xc and a lane yaw angle of the host vehicle OV, and calculates a target steering amount that is a control target value.
Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S05.

<Step S05: Driver State Quantity, Driver Visual Information Measurement>
The arousal level detection unit 160 and the absurdity level detection unit 170 measure the driver state quantity and visual information necessary for the detection of the awakening level A and the vagueness level L based on the image captured by the driver camera 150.
Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S06.

<Step S06: Driver Arousal Level A and Mandatory Level L Calculation>
The arousal level detection means 160 detects the driver's awakening level An (n = 1, 2, 3).
Further, the ambiguity detection means 170 detects the ambiguity Lm (m = 1, 2, 3) of the driver.
Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S07.

<Step S07: Precise Awakening / Mandatory Degree>
The control sharing ratio setting means 180 compares the level of the arousal level An with the level of the amorousness Lm, and when the level of the arousal level An is equal to or higher than the level of the arousal level Lm (when n ≧ m), the arousal level An has priority. Then, the process proceeds to step S08, and in other cases, the ambiguity Lm is prioritized and the process proceeds to step S09.

<Step S08: Set control sharing ratio based on wakefulness map>
The control sharing ratio setting unit 180 sets the control sharing ratio R _STR : R _DYC using the arousal level map based on the arousal level An.
Then, it progresses to step S10.

<Step S09: Setting a control sharing ratio based on the randomness map>
Control sharing ratio setting unit 180, based on careless degree Lm, control sharing ratio with aimless level map _{R STR:} Setting the _{R DYC.}
Then, it progresses to step S10.

<Step S10: Steering torque command value calculation>
The steering control means 190 calculates the target steering torque using the above-described equation 3, outputs an instruction value to the EPS ECU 51, and causes the steering mechanism to apply the steering torque by the motor 52.
Then, it progresses to step S11.

<Step S11: Calculation of each wheel driving force instruction value>
The braking / driving force control means 200 calculates the target steering torque of the left and right rear wheel motors 20L, 20R using the above-described equations 4 to 6, outputs an instruction value to the motor control ECU 40, and each motor 20L, A yaw moment is generated in the vehicle by 20R.
Thereafter, the series of processing is terminated (returned).

According to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) By increasing the control sharing ratio R _STR of the steering control means 190 according to the decrease in the driver's arousal level A, the driver can feel the steering torque and can notify the driver of the decreased arousal level. Arousal and voluntary driving can be encouraged. Further, when the arousal level A is not lowered, the control share ratio R _STR of the steering control means 190 can be lowered, so that the system and the driver are prevented from interfering with each other, thereby preventing the driver from feeling uncomfortable. it can.
(2) by increasing the control distribution ratio R _STR of the steering control means 190 in response to the driver's careless degree L is high, feel the steering torque to the driver to inform the state of aimless degree is high It is possible to promote a decrease in driver's ambiguity and voluntary driving operation. In addition, in the state where the degree L is not high, the control sharing ratio R _STR of the steering control means 190 can be lowered, thereby preventing the system and the driver from interfering with each other and preventing the driver from feeling uncomfortable. it can.
(3) Evaluation values 1 to 3 are set for each of the arousal level A and the illness level L, and the control sharing ratio R _STR : R _DYC is set based on the evaluation level of the awakening level A and the illness level L. Thus, it is possible to set an appropriate control sharing ratio according to the state of the driver.

(Modification)
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and changes are possible, and these are also within the technical scope of the present invention.
(1) In the embodiment, the control sharing ratio between the steering force control and the braking / driving force control is set based on the arousal level and the absurdity level. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and either the arousal level or the amorousness level is set. The control sharing ratio may be set based on only one of them. In this case, it is preferable to increase the control sharing ratio of the steering force control to the braking / driving force control as the arousal level decreases or as the ambiguity increases.
(2) The method for detecting the degree of arousal and the level of ambiguity is not limited to that of the embodiment, and can be changed as appropriate. For example, the history of the steering torque input by the driver may be detected, and the arousal level may be detected based on the duration of the state where the input steering torque is a predetermined value or less.
(3) In the above-described embodiment, the yaw moment is generated by the torque difference between the left and right in-wheel motors. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a torque distribution device that unevenly distributes the driving force of the engine or the like is provided. The present invention can also be applied to setting a control sharing ratio between driving force control that generates a yaw moment by giving a driving force difference between the left and right driving wheels and steering control that applies steering force to the steering mechanism. Further, the present invention can also be applied to the control share ratio setting between the braking force control for generating the yaw moment by the brake braking force difference in the dynamic braking of the left and right wheel service brakes or the parking brake and the steering control.
(4) In the embodiment, the environment recognition means detects the lane shape using a stereo camera. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the map data prepared for the navigation device etc. The lane shape may be detected based on the positioning information.

It is a figure which shows the system configuration | structure of the vehicle provided with the Example of the steering assistance apparatus to which this invention is applied. It is a figure which shows the structure of steering control ECU100 of the steering assistance apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the planar arrangement | positioning of the own vehicle, a travel lane, and a steering target position. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the arousal level in the steering assistance apparatus of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the steering assistance control in the steering assistance apparatus of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

10 Engine 20 (20L, 20R) Motor 30 Inverter 40 Motor control ECU
50 Electric Power Steering (EPS) Device 51 Electric Power Steering (EPS) ECU
52 Motor 53 Steering angle sensor 100 Steering control ECU 110 Environment recognition unit 111 Stereo camera 112 Image processing unit 120 Target travel position setting unit 130 Vehicle traveling path estimation unit 131 Vehicle speed sensor 132 Yaw rate sensor 140 Target steering amount setting unit 150 Driver camera 160 Arousal level detection means 170 Fragility level detection means 180 Control sharing ratio setting means 190 Steering force control means 200 Braking / driving force control means W _FL left front wheel W _FR right front wheel W _RL left rear wheel W _RR right rear wheel OV Own vehicle WL White line Xc Target travel position Xe Own vehicle estimated lateral position

Claims (4)

In the steering assistance device that steers the vehicle based on environmental information in front of the vehicle,
Environment recognition means for recognizing environmental information ahead of the vehicle;
Vehicle state detection means for detecting the vehicle state of the host vehicle;
Steering control means for applying a steering force to the steering mechanism;
Braking / driving force control means for generating a yaw moment by causing a braking / driving force difference between the left and right wheels;
Target steering amount setting means for setting a target steering amount of the host vehicle using the environment recognition means and the vehicle state detection means;
Steering control means for setting a target steering amount of the steering control means and a target braking / driving force difference of the braking / driving force control means based on the target steering amount;
An arousal level detecting means for detecting a driver's arousal level,
The steering control means sets a control sharing ratio between the target steering amount and the target braking / driving force difference with respect to the target steering amount in accordance with the arousal level, and the target steering operation in accordance with a decrease in the arousal level. The steering support apparatus is characterized in that the control sharing ratio is set so that a ratio of the target steering amount to a direction amount increases. Comprising a meandering degree detecting means for detecting the meandering degree of the driver,
The steering control means further sets the control sharing ratio according to the degree of muzziness, and the control so that the ratio of the target steering amount to the target steering amount increases as the degree of muzziness increases. The steering assist device according to claim 1, wherein a sharing ratio is set. The steering control means sets an evaluation value for each of the arousal level and the absurdity level, and sets the control sharing ratio based on the awakening level and the vagueness level that have the larger evaluation value. The steering assistance device according to claim 2, wherein In the steering assistance device that steers the vehicle based on environmental information in front of the vehicle,
Environment recognition means for recognizing environmental information ahead of the vehicle;
Vehicle state detection means for detecting the vehicle state of the host vehicle;
Steering control means for applying a steering force to the steering mechanism;
Braking / driving force control means for generating a yaw moment by causing a braking / driving force difference between the left and right wheels;
Target steering amount setting means for setting a target steering amount of the host vehicle using the environment recognition means and the vehicle state detection means;
Steering control means for setting a target steering amount of the steering control means and a target braking / driving force difference of the braking / driving force control means based on the target steering amount;
And a means of detecting the driver's mood,
The steering control means sets a control sharing ratio between the target steering amount and the target braking / driving force difference with respect to the target steering amount according to the degree of muzziness, and the target according to an increase in the degree of muzziness The steering support apparatus, wherein the control sharing ratio is set so that a ratio of the target steering amount to a steering amount increases.

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