JP2001239855A - Follow-up traveling device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce a burden on a driver by allowing a cut-in vehicle in traffic congestion to perform a follow-up run as a preceding vehicle. SOLUTION: When a cut-in switch is turned on during follow-up running (YES of S1, S2, and S3), a distance between vehicles required for cut-in is induced by a calculation (S4), and an electronic throttle and a brake actuator are controlled so as to maintain or assure the induced cut-in distance between vehicles (S6, S7). When the invasion of a cut-in vehicle occurs (YES of S8), the cut-in vehicle is recognized as a new preceding vehicle (S9), a cut-in control flag is turned off (S12), and then the operation of an interrupt control routine is completed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention detects an inter-vehicle distance between a host vehicle and a preceding vehicle traveling in the same lane and controls acceleration / deceleration means to maintain the inter-vehicle distance at a target distance corresponding to the host vehicle speed. And a follow-up traveling device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a follow-up traveling device such as an inter-vehicle distance control type constant-speed traveling device mounted as an assist for safe traveling of an automobile has conventionally been, for example, 60 m or 10 m when the vehicle speed is 50 km / h.
At 0 km / h, the target distance is determined according to the vehicle speed of the own vehicle, such as 100 m, and the inter-vehicle distance between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle traveling in the same lane is detected by the inter-vehicle distance detecting means including the inter-vehicle distance sensor. If the inter-vehicle distance is smaller than the target distance, the throttle is decelerated by closing a throttle valve or forcibly operating a brake, and control is performed to maintain the inter-vehicle distance at the target distance. In some cases, control is performed based on the inter-vehicle time instead of the inter-vehicle distance.

The inter-vehicle distance sensor is composed of, for example, a scanning laser radar. Usually, the inter-vehicle distance sensor irradiates a laser beam in front of the own vehicle, scans the vehicle at a predetermined angle in a horizontal direction, and receives the reflected light by a light receiver. By calculating the distance to the preceding vehicle traveling in the same lane as the own vehicle from the time until the vehicle, the inter-vehicle distance is detected.

By the way, in such a follow-up traveling device,
In particular, during a traffic jam, the following inconveniences have occurred.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3, a laser beam S is emitted from an inter-vehicle distance sensor comprising a scanning laser radar in front of the own vehicle 1 so that the own vehicle 1 follows the preceding vehicle 2 while maintaining a target distance L. While the detection range of the inter-vehicle distance sensor, that is, the scanning range θ of the laser beam is constant, when the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle 2 becomes smaller, the vehicle width M of the preceding vehicle 2 becomes smaller. Scanning range θ
When the vehicle width M of the preceding vehicle 2 is out of the scanning range θ of the laser beam,
Even if the reflected light from the object is received, it cannot be determined as the reflected light from the preceding vehicle 2, and the object cannot be recognized as the preceding vehicle 2.

Particularly, in a traffic jam, since the speed of the preceding vehicle and the speed of the own vehicle are both low, the target distance L corresponding to the low speed is smaller than that in high-speed driving. As shown, when the interrupting vehicle 3 enters between the own vehicle 1 and the preceding vehicle 2, the inter-vehicle distance between the interrupting vehicle 3 and the own vehicle 1 is very small. Protrudes from the scanning range θ of the laser beam, the interrupting vehicle 3 cannot be recognized as a new preceding vehicle, and the interrupting vehicle 3
Cannot be performed as a new preceding vehicle.

Conventionally, in order to solve such inconveniences, sub-sensors comprising, for example, ultrasonic sensors are provided at the left and right end portions of the front portion of the vehicle 1, and ultrasonic waves P are emitted forward from both sub-sensors. It has been considered that the vehicle can be fired to recognize the intrusion of the interrupting vehicle 3 within a short distance.

[0008]

However, the sub-sensor composed of such an ultrasonic sensor has a detectable distance of 4 to 4.
Although it is as short as 5 m and it is possible to detect the presence of any obstacle in front by a sub-sensor composed of an ultrasonic sensor, it has been difficult to clearly identify whether or not the obstacle is a vehicle.

Therefore, when an obstacle is detected ahead by the sub sensor composed of the ultrasonic sensor, only rough control such as not accelerating the vehicle 1 or performing deceleration control can be performed. When the interrupting vehicle 3 enters between the host vehicle 1 and the preceding vehicle 2, the driver recognizes the intrusion of the interrupting vehicle 3 and decelerates by operating the brake pedal by himself.

[0010] However, since the following running device is usually configured so that the following running control is released by the driver operating the brake pedal, the own vehicle 1 is decelerated by the braking operation. If the inter-vehicle distance with the interrupting vehicle 3 is secured and the intrusion of the interrupting vehicle 3 is permitted, the following cruise control is released, and then the following cruise control is resumed with the interrupting vehicle 3 as a new preceding vehicle. In addition, the driver has to operate a dedicated operation unit such as a setting switch for follow-up traveling control, and the operation is complicated and the burden on the driver is large.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to make it possible to follow an interrupted vehicle in a traffic jam as a new preceding vehicle so that the driver can follow the vehicle and reduce the burden on the driver.

[0012]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a follow-up traveling device according to the present invention detects an inter-vehicle distance between a host vehicle and a preceding vehicle traveling in the same lane, and accelerates / decelerates the acceleration / deceleration means. In a follow-up traveling device that controls and maintains the inter-vehicle distance at a target distance corresponding to the own vehicle speed, an inter-vehicle distance detecting unit that detects an inter-vehicle distance between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle; and a vehicle speed detecting unit that detects the own vehicle speed. An interrupt switch that is operated when an interrupting vehicle enters between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle during a traffic jam; and when the interrupt switch is operated, the interrupting vehicle is switched to a new preceding vehicle. An arithmetic unit for calculating an inter-vehicle distance between the own vehicle and the interrupting vehicle according to the own vehicle speed at that time detected by the vehicle speed detecting means, and the dividing unit derived by the calculating unit. Control the acceleration / deceleration means to maintain the distance between vehicles It is characterized in that a that the control unit.

According to such a configuration, when the own vehicle is following the preceding vehicle while maintaining the target distance during traffic congestion, when the interrupting vehicle enters between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle. To
When the interrupt switch is operated by the driver, the arithmetic unit calculates the inter-vehicle distance between the own vehicle and the interrupt vehicle in accordance with the own vehicle speed at that time, and holds the inter-vehicle distance. Acceleration / deceleration control is performed by the control unit.

Therefore, the driver only has to operate the interrupt switch, and in order to maintain the calculated inter-vehicle distance,
Following the interrupting vehicle as a new preceding vehicle, the driver can continue following the vehicle.Even if the driver recognizes the intrusion of the interrupting vehicle, the driver operates the brake pedal or releases the brake pedal as in the past. It is not necessary to operate a dedicated switch or the like for restarting the following running, and the burden on the driver can be greatly reduced.

Further, in the following traveling apparatus according to the present invention, the arithmetic unit selects the inter-interval distance to be equal to or greater than the target distance immediately before the operation of the interrupt switch.

According to such a configuration, the inter-vehicle distance between the own vehicle and the interrupt vehicle is selected to be equal to or greater than the target distance immediately before the operation of the interrupt switch. Can be smoothly tolerated.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a block diagram, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation.

As shown in FIG. 1, an inter-vehicle distance sensor 11 as an inter-vehicle distance detecting means comprising, for example, a scanning laser radar irradiates a laser beam in front of the own vehicle and at a predetermined angle (for example, 0.1 °). Scanning is performed in the horizontal direction, and the reflected light is received by the light receiver, and the inter-vehicle distance between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle traveling in the same lane is detected from the time from the irradiation of the laser light to the reception of the reflected light. The time required for such one inter-vehicle distance detection process is about 100.
This is a short time of about msec, and this detection operation is repeated at regular intervals.

Further, a vehicle speed sensor 12 as a vehicle speed detecting means for detecting the vehicle speed is provided, and a setting switch and various switches 13 for follow-up running control are also provided.
Further, there is provided an interrupt switch 14 which is operated when there is an interrupting vehicle during a traffic jam.

The signals from the sensors 11 and 12 and the switches 13 and 14 are taken in by an electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as an ECU) 15.
15 controls each part.

Specifically, the ECU 15 derives a target distance corresponding to the own vehicle speed at that time based on the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle detected by the inter-vehicle distance sensor 11 and the own vehicle speed by the vehicle speed sensor 12. Control of the electronic throttle 17 and the brake actuator 18 as acceleration / deceleration means to maintain the inter-vehicle distance with the preceding vehicle at the target distance;
That is, control of the opening of the electronic throttle 17 and drive control of the brake actuator 18 are performed. Further, a notifying unit 19 is provided from an alarm buzzer, an alarm lamp, and the like, and the ECU 15 controls the notifying unit 19, for example, when the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle is too close to the target distance during the follow-up driving control, The notification unit 19 operates to issue a warning to the driver.

If the driver operates the interrupt switch 14 when there is an interrupted vehicle between the preceding vehicle following the traffic and the host vehicle during the traffic jam, the ECU 15 renews the interrupted vehicle. In order to maintain the derived inter-vehicle distance by newly calculating the inter-vehicle distance between the own vehicle and the interrupt vehicle in accordance with the own vehicle speed at that time detected by the vehicle speed sensor 12, The electronic throttle 17 or the brake actuator 18 is controlled to perform acceleration / deceleration control. EC like this
The process of deriving the inter-interruption distance by U15 corresponds to the calculation unit, and the acceleration / deceleration process by the control of the electronic throttle 17 or the brake actuator 18 corresponds to the control unit.

At this time, the distance between the interrupted vehicles calculated by the ECU 15 is equal to or more than the target distance between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle immediately before the operation of the interrupt switch 14 in order to allow a smooth entry of the interrupted vehicle. Is preferably selected.

Next, the operation of the interrupt control routine will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Now, it is determined whether or not the interrupt switch 14 is turned on by the driver during the follow-up running (S1). If the determination result is YES, for example, an interrupt occurs during a traffic jam and the interrupt switch 14 is operated. Since it can be determined that the interrupt has been made, the interrupt control flag including a register and the like provided in the ECU 15 is turned on (S2), and then the process proceeds to step S3 together with the case where the determination result of step S1 is NO.

Then, it is determined whether or not the interrupt control flag is ON (S3). If the result of this determination is NO, there is no need for interrupt control, so that the operation ends, and the result of the determination is YES. If so, the inter-vehicle distance required for the interruption is derived by calculation (S4), and it is determined whether or not the own vehicle has achieved the inter-vehicle distance based on the detection result of the inter-vehicle distance sensor 11 (S5). If the answer is YES, the electronic throttle 17 is maintained to maintain the derived inter-vehicle distance.
And the brake actuator 18 and the like are controlled (S
6) If the determination result is NO, control (mainly deceleration control) of the electronic throttle 17 and the brake actuator 18 is performed to secure the derived inter-vehicle distance (S).
7).

Subsequently, after the processing in steps S6 and S7, the process proceeds to step S8, where it is determined whether or not an interrupting vehicle has entered (S8). If the result of this determination is YES If so, the interrupted vehicle is recognized as a new preceding vehicle (S9).

On the other hand, if the decision result in the step S8 is NO, since there is no interrupting vehicle, it is decided whether or not a predetermined time measured by a built-in timer of the ECU 15 has elapsed since the start of this routine. Is made (S10),
If the result of the determination is NO, the operation ends as it is. If the result of the determination is YES, the previous preceding vehicle is re-recognized as the preceding vehicle (S11), and after the process of step S9, the process is repeated in step S12. Then, the interrupt control flag is turned off (S12), and then the operation of the interrupt control routine ends.

Therefore, according to the above-described embodiment, the driver only needs to operate the interrupt switch 14, and the following vehicle is continued as a new preceding vehicle in order to maintain the calculated inter-vehicle distance. Even if the driver recognizes the intrusion of the interrupted vehicle, the driver operates the brake pedal or operates a dedicated switch for resuming the following operation released by operating the brake pedal, as in the related art. There is no need to perform this, and the burden on the driver can be greatly reduced.

In the above-described embodiment, the case has been described where the inter-vehicle distance detecting means is the inter-vehicle distance sensor 11 comprising a scanning laser radar. However, the inter-vehicle distance detecting means is limited to such an inter-vehicle distance sensor 11. Of course not.

Further, the inter-interval distance does not have to be equal to or larger than the target distance immediately before the operation of the interrupt switch 14 as described above, and is the same as the target distance immediately before the operation of the interrupt switch 14. It does not matter.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various changes other than those described above can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0032]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the driver only has to operate the interrupt switch, and a new interrupt vehicle is required to maintain the calculated distance between the interrupt vehicles. Because it is possible to continue following as a preceding vehicle,
Even if the driver recognizes the intrusion of the interrupting vehicle, the driver does not need to operate the brake pedal or the special switch for resuming the following operation released by operating the brake pedal. It is possible to assist safer driving.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the value of the inter-vehicle distance between the own vehicle and the interrupt vehicle is selected to be equal to or greater than the target distance immediately before the operation of the interrupt switch. It is possible to smoothly allow the intrusion of the interrupting vehicle.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an operation explanatory diagram of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 own vehicle 2 preceding vehicle 3 interrupt vehicle 11 inter-vehicle distance sensor 12 vehicle speed sensor 14 interrupt switch 15 ECU (calculation unit, control unit) 17 electronic throttle (acceleration / deceleration means) 18 brake actuator (acceleration / deceleration means)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A follow-up traveling device that detects an inter-vehicle distance between a host vehicle and a preceding vehicle traveling in the same lane and controls acceleration / deceleration means to maintain the inter-vehicle distance at a target distance corresponding to the host vehicle speed. An inter-vehicle distance detecting means for detecting an inter-vehicle distance between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle; a vehicle speed detecting means for detecting the own vehicle speed; and a case where an interrupting vehicle enters between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle during a traffic jam. An interrupt switch that is operated at a time when the interrupt switch is operated, the interrupt vehicle is set as a new preceding vehicle, and the own vehicle is driven according to the own vehicle speed at that time detected by the vehicle speed detecting means. And a control unit for controlling the acceleration / deceleration means so as to maintain the inter-vehicle distance derived by the calculation unit. A follow-up traveling device, characterized in that: 2. The follow-up traveling device according to claim 1, wherein the arithmetic unit selects the inter-vehicle distance equal to or greater than the target distance immediately before the operation of the interrupt switch. .