JP7256475B2 - Vehicle running control device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention is a vehicle travel control device that decelerates a vehicle when the driver is in an "abnormal state in which the driver has lost the ability to drive the vehicle (hereinafter also referred to as an "undrivable abnormal state")." Regarding.

A conventional vehicle cruise control device (hereinafter referred to as a "conventional device") determines whether or not the driver is in a drivable abnormal state, and if such a determination is made, the vehicle is controlled in a predetermined manner. , and automatically stops the vehicle (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2010-125923 A

The conventional device does not take into account the driving support control that is performed when the driver recovers from the abnormal state in which the vehicle cannot be driven to the normal state while the automatic stop control is being executed.

Therefore, in a situation where an emergency driving operation (for example, a braking operation to suddenly brake the vehicle) is required, such as a situation where the preceding vehicle suddenly decelerates, the driver returns from the abnormal state of being unable to drive to the normal state. In this case, the driver who has returned to the normal state must immediately perform an emergency driving operation. Therefore, in this case, the driver who has returned to the normal state cannot drive the vehicle comfortably.

The present invention has been made to address the above-mentioned problems. That is, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a vehicle cruise control system (hereinafter referred to as "the control system of the present invention") that allows the driver to drive the vehicle with a margin when the driver recovers from the drivable abnormal state to the normal state. (also referred to as "equipment").

The control device of the present invention is applied to a vehicle.
The control device of the present invention includes an abnormality determination section (10) for determining whether or not the driver of the vehicle is in an abnormal state in which the driver has lost the ability to drive the vehicle; The vehicle is stopped by decreasing the speed of the vehicle to zero after the abnormality determination time when it is determined that the vehicle is in the abnormal state (“Yes” determination at step 260) (step 420). and a control unit (10) for executing deceleration control in the event of an abnormality.
The control unit controls the acceleration of the vehicle so that the vehicle speed of the vehicle coincides with a target vehicle speed set by the driver when there is no preceding vehicle that is another vehicle existing in front of the vehicle. and when the preceding vehicle is present , cruise control can be executed to control the acceleration of the vehicle so that the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle becomes a predetermined target inter-vehicle distance.
When it is determined that the driver is not in the abnormal state after the abnormality determination time (determination of "No" in step 410), the control unit controls the control unit when the preceding vehicle exists (in step 440). (determination of "Yes"), the abnormal deceleration control is terminated, and the cruise control is executed (step 445). If the preceding vehicle does not exist, the abnormal deceleration control is terminated and the cruise It is configured not to execute control (step 450).

According to this, when the driver recovers from the abnormal state to the normal state, the driver can drive the vehicle with a margin.

In the above description, in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, names and/or symbols used in the embodiments are added in parentheses to configurations of the invention corresponding to the embodiments to be described later. However, each component of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments defined by the names and/or symbols.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle travel control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing a routine executed by the CPU shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing a routine executed by the CPU shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing a routine executed by the CPU shown in FIG.

<Configuration>
A vehicle cruise control device according to an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "this embodiment device") is a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as "self-vehicle" in order to distinguish it from other vehicles). may be applied).

As shown in FIG. 1, the system includes a driving support ECU 10, an engine ECU 20, a brake ECU 30, an electric parking brake ECU 40, a steering ECU 50, a meter ECU 60, an alarm ECU 70, and a navigation ECU 80. In the following description, the driving assistance ECU 10 is referred to as "DSECU". The electric parking brake ECU 40 is called "EPB-ECU 40".

These ECUs are electric control units having microcomputers as main parts, and are connected via a CAN (Controller Area Network) (not shown) so as to be able to transmit and receive information to each other. A microcomputer includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a readable and writable nonvolatile memory, an interface I/F, and the like. The CPU implements various functions by executing instructions (programs, routines) stored in the ROM.

The DSECU is connected to the sensors (including switches) listed below, and acquires detection signals or output signals of those sensors every time a predetermined time elapses. Each sensor may be connected to an ECU other than the DSECU.

The accelerator pedal operation amount sensor 11 detects the operation amount (accelerator opening) of the accelerator pedal 11a of the host vehicle and outputs a signal representing the accelerator pedal operation amount AP.
A brake pedal operation amount sensor 12 detects an operation amount of a brake pedal 12a of the own vehicle and outputs a signal representing the brake pedal operation amount BP.
The stop lamp switch 13 outputs a low level signal when the brake pedal 12a is not depressed (not operated), and outputs a high level signal when the brake pedal 12a is depressed (operated). Output.

The steering angle sensor 14 detects the steering angle of the host vehicle and outputs a signal representing the steering angle θ.
The steering torque sensor 15 detects the steering torque applied to the steering shaft US of the host vehicle by operating the steering wheel SW, and outputs a signal representing the steering torque Tra.
The vehicle speed sensor 16 detects the running speed (vehicle speed) of the host vehicle and outputs a signal representing the vehicle speed SPD.

The surrounding sensor 17 acquires information on at least the road in front of the vehicle and targets existing on the road (moving objects such as pedestrians, cyclists and automobiles, and fixed objects such as utility poles and guardrails). It's like

Ambient sensors 17 include, for example, radar sensors and camera sensors, both of which are well known. For the sake of convenience, the camera sensor may be called an "imaging device".

The radar sensor radiates radio waves in the millimeter wave band to a surrounding area of the own vehicle, including an area in front of the own vehicle, and receives radio waves (that is, reflected waves) reflected by targets existing within the radiating range. Based on the phase difference between the transmitted radio wave and the received reflected wave, the attenuation level of the reflected wave, the time from the transmission of the radio wave to the reception of the reflected wave, etc., the radar sensor detects each detected target. Information about the relative relationship between the own vehicle and the target (hereinafter referred to as "target information") is obtained every time a predetermined time elapses.

The camera sensor acquires a pair of left and right image data by photographing the scenery in the left and right areas in front of the vehicle, and outputs "presence or absence of a target and target information" based on the image data. The DSECU synthesizes information output from each of the radar sensor and the camera sensor to determine target information.

Furthermore, the camera sensor detects the left and right marking lines (hereinafter referred to as "white lines") of the road on which the vehicle is traveling (own lane) based on the road image data corresponding to the road included in the image data. do.). The camera sensor outputs information about the lane width, road shape, and positional relationship between the road and the host vehicle based on the recognition result. Information (including target information) acquired by the surrounding sensor 17 is referred to as "surrounding information".

The operation switch 18 is a switch operated by the driver. By operating the operation switch 18, the driver can select whether or not to execute lane keeping control (LTA: Lane Tracing Assist), which will be described later. Further, the driver can select whether or not to execute adaptive cruise control (ACC), which will be described later, by operating the operation switch 18 .

A yaw rate sensor 19 detects the yaw rate of the host vehicle and outputs a yaw rate YRa.

The engine ECU 20 is connected to an engine actuator 21 for changing the operating state of the internal combustion engine 22 . In this example, the internal combustion engine 22 is a gasoline fuel injection, spark ignition, multi-cylinder engine. The engine actuator 21 includes at least a throttle valve actuator that changes the opening of the throttle valve of the internal combustion engine 22 .

The engine ECU 20 can change the torque generated by the internal combustion engine 22 by driving the engine actuator 21 . Torque generated by the internal combustion engine 22 is transmitted to driving wheels (not shown) via a transmission and a hydraulic torque converter (not shown). Therefore, by controlling the engine actuator 21, the engine ECU 20 can control the driving force of the own vehicle and change the acceleration state (acceleration).

If the own vehicle is a hybrid vehicle, the engine ECU 20 can control the driving force of the own vehicle generated by either one or both of "the engine and the electric motor" as the vehicle drive source. Furthermore, when the own vehicle is an electric vehicle, the engine ECU 20 can control the driving force of the own vehicle generated by the electric motor as the vehicle drive source.

The brake ECU 30 is connected to the brake actuator 31 . The brake actuator 31 is provided in a hydraulic circuit between a master cylinder (not shown) that pressurizes hydraulic oil according to the force applied to the brake pedal 12a and friction brake mechanisms 32 that are provided on the left and right front and rear wheels.

The brake actuator 31 adjusts the hydraulic pressure of the working oil supplied to the wheel cylinder built in the brake caliper 32b according to the instruction from the brake ECU 30, and the hydraulic pressure operates the wheel cylinder to press the brake pad against the brake disc 32a. . As a result, a frictional braking force is generated. Therefore, the brake ECU 30 can control the braking force of the own vehicle by controlling the brake actuator 31 .

The EPB-ECU 40 is connected to a parking brake actuator (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “PKB actuator”) 41 . The PKB actuator 41 is an actuator for pressing the brake pad against the brake disc 32a. Therefore, the EPB-ECU 40 can apply the parking brake force to the wheels using the PKB actuator 41 to keep the vehicle stationary.

The steering ECU 50 is a well-known controller for an electric power steering system and is connected to a motor driver 51 . The motor driver 51 is connected to the steering motor 52 . The steering motor 52 is incorporated in a "steering mechanism including a steering wheel SW, a steering shaft US connected to the steering wheel SW, and a steering gear mechanism (not shown)" of the vehicle. The steering motor 52 generates torque by electric power supplied from the motor driver 51, and can apply steering assist torque or steer the left and right steered wheels with this torque.

The meter ECU 60 is connected to a digital display meter (not shown), and is also connected to a hazard lamp 61 and a stop lamp 62 . The meter ECU 60 can blink the hazard lamps 61 and light the stop lamps 62 according to instructions from the DSECU.

The alarm ECU 70 is connected to the buzzer 71 and the indicator 72 . The alarm ECU 70 can call the driver's attention by sounding a buzzer 71 in response to an instruction from the DSECU, and can light a mark (for example, a warning lamp) on the display 72 for calling attention. , the operation status of the driving support control can be displayed.

The navigation ECU 80 includes a GPS receiver 81 that receives "signals from artificial satellites (for example, GPS signals)" for detecting the current position of the vehicle, a map database 82 that stores map information including road information, and a touch panel. It is connected to the display 83 and the like of the formula.

The navigation ECU 80 identifies the current position of the vehicle based on the GPS signal, performs various arithmetic processing based on the position of the vehicle and map information stored in the map database 82, and uses the display 83. route guidance. Since these devices (80 to 83) provide route guidance, they are also called "navigation devices".

<Driving support control>
The DSECU is configured to be able to execute various types of driving support control for assisting the driving of the driver. One of the driving support controls is to determine whether or not the driver is in an abnormal state in which the driver has lost the ability to drive the own vehicle (that is, an inoperable abnormal state), and determines that the driver is in an abnormal state. This is an abnormal deceleration stop control for decelerating and stopping the own vehicle in the case of an emergency, and then holding the own vehicle in a stopped state.

The DSECU is configured to be able to execute the following driving support control in addition to the emergency deceleration stop control.

Lane tracing assist (referred to as LTA control)
Adaptive cruise control (called ACC control or cruise control)

LTA control uses surrounding information to adjust the steering angle (and thus the steering wheel (steering angle) is automatically changed.

In ACC control, when the driver selects the constant speed control mode using a setting operation device (not shown), the vehicle is driven at a constant speed set by the setting operation device, and the driver performs the setting operation. When the follow-up control mode is selected by the device, this control assists the driver's driving operation (pedal operation) by causing the own vehicle to follow the preceding vehicle.

The DSECU determines whether or not there is another vehicle in front of the lane in which the vehicle is traveling (own lane) based on surrounding information supplied from the surrounding sensor 17 (camera sensor and radar sensor). If there are other vehicles in front of the vehicle, the other vehicle closest to the own vehicle is selected as the preceding vehicle. The DSECU calculates a target acceleration for causing the host vehicle to follow the preceding vehicle while maintaining a predetermined inter-vehicle distance (target inter-vehicle distance). Furthermore, when there is no preceding vehicle, the operation is similar to that in the constant speed mode, and the DSECU calculates a target acceleration for causing the host vehicle to run at the set vehicle speed.

The DSECU calculates a required driving force for accelerating the host vehicle at a target acceleration (decelerates the vehicle if the target acceleration is a negative value), and transmits a driving command representing the required driving force to the engine ECU 20 . As a result, the driving force is controlled (acceleration is controlled) so that the host vehicle accelerates (including decelerates) at the target acceleration.

<Outline of operation>
The DSECU determines whether the driver is in an abnormal state while the host vehicle is traveling on the road. An abnormal condition is a condition in which the driver has lost the ability to drive the vehicle (ie, an inoperable abnormal condition). The DSECU determines that the driver has fallen into an abnormal state when a situation in which it can be assumed that there is no driving operation of the own vehicle (also referred to as a "driving non-operation state") continues for a predetermined time or longer. However, as will be described later, the determination of whether or not the driver is in an abnormal state is not limited to this.

The non-operating state means that any of parameters (in this example, AP, BP and Tra) consisting of a combination of one or more of "accelerator pedal operation amount AP, brake pedal operation amount BP and steering torque Tra" is determined by the driver. is in a state of no change.

When the DSECU determines that the driver is in an abnormal state, the DSECU executes the abnormal deceleration stop control. The abnormal deceleration stop control includes the abnormal deceleration control and the stop holding control.

In the abnormal deceleration control, the own vehicle is controlled at a predetermined deceleration (for example, constant deceleration) α until the vehicle speed SPD of the own vehicle becomes zero (“0”) (that is, until the own vehicle stops). It is a control to decelerate. The DSECU uses the engine ECU 20 to control the engine actuator 21 and the brake ECU 30 to control the brake actuator 31 so that the deceleration of the own vehicle matches the deceleration α. In this case, the DSECU may prohibit acceleration (including deceleration) of the host vehicle based on changes in the accelerator pedal operation amount AP (ie, prohibit accelerator override). In other words, the DSECU nullifies (ignores) the driving state change request (acceleration request) based on the operation of the accelerator pedal 11a unless the driver's driving operation is detected.

When the vehicle speed SPD of the own vehicle becomes "0" due to the abnormal deceleration control, the DSECU ends the abnormal deceleration control and executes the stop holding control. The stop holding control is control to keep the own vehicle in a stopped state by applying a parking brake force to the wheels using the EPB-ECU 40 . Also in this case, the accelerator override may be prohibited.

If the driver is no longer in an abnormal state during the execution of the deceleration control in the event of an abnormality, the DSECU performs the following operations depending on whether there is another vehicle (preceding vehicle) traveling in front of the own vehicle. Control differently.

(If there is a preceding vehicle)
Terminate the deceleration control in case of an abnormality and execute the ACC control. As a result, for example, when the preceding vehicle suddenly decelerates in a situation where the driver returns from an abnormal condition to a normal condition, the ACC control automatically decelerates the vehicle. Less need to operate. Therefore, the apparatus of this embodiment allows the driver who has recovered from the abnormal state to the normal state to drive the own vehicle with ease.

(When there is no preceding vehicle)
The DSECU terminates the abnormal deceleration control. Note that the DSECU does not execute ACC control. When ACC control is executed, the host vehicle may suddenly accelerate toward the set vehicle speed. In this case, if the acceleration is not intended by the driver, the driver urgently needs to drive the own vehicle, such as by immediately weakening the acceleration. On the other hand, if the ACC control is not executed, the vehicle does not suddenly accelerate toward the set vehicle speed. For the above reasons, in this embodiment, the DSECU does not execute the ACC control when there is no preceding vehicle. As a result, the device of this embodiment can allow the driver who has recovered from the abnormal state to the normal state to drive the own vehicle with time to spare.

<Specific operation>
The CPU of the DSECU (hereinafter simply referred to as "CPU") executes each of the routines shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 2 to 4 each time a predetermined period of time elapses.

Therefore, at a predetermined timing, the CPU starts the process from step 200 in FIG. 2, proceeds to step 210, and determines whether or not the value of the abnormality flag Xh is "0". When the value of the abnormality flag Xh is "1", it indicates that the current state of the driver is "abnormal state". If the value of the abnormality flag Xh is "0", it means that the current state of the driver is "normal". The value of the abnormality flag Xh is set to "0" in the initialization routine executed by the CPU when the ignition key switch (not shown) of the host vehicle is changed from the off position to the on position.

If the value of the abnormality flag Xh is not "0", the CPU determines "No" at step 210, proceeds to step 295, and ends this routine. On the other hand, if the value of the abnormality flag Xh is "0", the CPU determines "Yes" in step 210 and proceeds to step 220, where the driver is not performing driving operation (the above-described driving operation). (non-operating state). That is, the CPU operates in the non-operating state when none of the accelerator pedal operation amount AP, the brake pedal operation amount BP, and the steering torque Tra have changed between the previous execution of this routine and the current time. Determine that there is.

If the vehicle is not in the non-operating state, the CPU makes a "No" determination in step 220, executes the process of step 230 described below, and then proceeds to step 295 to once end this routine.

Step 230: The CPU sets the value of the abnormality judgment timer t1 to "0".

On the other hand, if the vehicle is in the non-operating state, the CPU determines "Yes" in step 220, proceeds to step 240, and increases the value of the abnormality determination timer t1 by "1".

Thereafter, the CPU proceeds to step 250 to determine whether or not the value of the abnormality determination timer t1 is equal to or greater than a preset abnormality determination time tref . If the abnormality determination timer t1 is less than the abnormality determination time tref , the CPU determines "No" in step 250, proceeds to step 295, and terminates this routine. As can be understood from the above, if the non-operating state continues, the process of step 240 gradually increases the value of the abnormality determination timer t1. In other words, the value of the abnormality determination timer t1 represents the duration of the no operation state.

Therefore, if the driver is in an abnormal state, the non-operating state of the driver continues, so the abnormality determination timer t1 becomes equal to or longer than the abnormality confirmation time tref . In this case, when the CPU proceeds to step 250, it determines "Yes" at step 250, proceeds to step 260, and sets the value of the abnormality flag Xh to "1". In other words, the CPU determines that the driver is in an abnormal state. After that, the CPU proceeds to step 295 and temporarily terminates this routine.

At a predetermined timing, the CPU starts processing from step 300 in FIG. 3, proceeds to step 310, and determines whether or not the value of the abnormal deceleration stop control execution flag Xg is "0". It should be noted that the abnormal deceleration stop control execution flag Xg is hereinafter simply referred to as "control execution flag Xg".

The value of the control execution flag Xg is set to "1" when the CPU is in a state in which the CPU should execute the deceleration stop control in the event of an abnormality. Its value is set to "0". The value of the control execution flag Xg is set to "0" in the initialization routine executed by the CPU when the ignition key switch (not shown) of the host vehicle is changed from the off position to the on position.

If the value of the control execution flag Xg is "1", the CPU makes a "No" determination in step 310, proceeds to step 395, and terminates this routine. On the other hand, if the value of the control execution flag Xg is "0", the CPU determines "Yes" in step 310 and proceeds to step 320 to determine whether the value of the abnormality flag Xh is "1". It is determined whether or not the driver is in an abnormal state by determining whether or not.

If the driver is not in an abnormal state, the CPU makes a "No" determination at step 320, proceeds to step 395, and terminates this routine. On the other hand, if the driver is in an abnormal state, the CPU determines "Yes" at step 330, proceeds to step 330, and sets the value of the control execution flag Xg to "1". After that, the CPU proceeds to step 395 and temporarily terminates this routine.

At a predetermined timing, the CPU starts processing from step 400 in FIG. 4, proceeds to step 405, and determines whether or not the value of the control execution flag Xg is "1". If the value of the control execution flag Xg is not "1", the CPU determines "No" at step 405, proceeds to step 495, and ends this routine.

On the other hand, if the value of the control execution flag Xg is "1", the CPU determines "Yes" in step 405 and proceeds to step 410 to determine whether the driver's abnormal state continues. judge. This determination is made, for example, based on whether or not the driver has performed a driving operation. That is, when the driver does not operate the vehicle and the non-operating state continues, it is determined that the abnormal state continues. When the driver performs the driving operation and the non-driving state does not continue, it is determined that the abnormal state does not continue.

If the driver's abnormal condition continues, the CPU determines "Yes" in step 410 and proceeds to step 415 to determine whether the host vehicle has stopped (that is, whether the vehicle speed SPD is "0"). No) Determine.

If the vehicle speed SPD is not "0" (that is, if the host vehicle is not stopped), the CPU makes a "No" determination in step 415, proceeds to step 420, and executes the abnormal deceleration control. That is, the CPU decelerates the own vehicle at a preset constant deceleration α. After that, the CPU proceeds to step 495 and once terminates this routine.

After that, the process of step 420 is repeated, so the vehicle speed SPD of the own vehicle gradually decreases and reaches "0". That is, the own vehicle stops. In this case, the CPU makes a "Yes" determination in step 415, proceeds to step 425, ends the abnormal deceleration control, and executes stop holding control. That is, the CPU uses the EPB-ECU 40 to apply the parking brake force to the wheels. As a result, the DSECU maintains the host vehicle in a stopped state. After that, the CPU proceeds to step 495 and temporarily terminates this routine.

On the other hand, when the abnormal state of the driver does not continue at the time of executing the process of step 410 (that is, when the driver recovers from the abnormal state to the normal state), the CPU determines "No" in step 410. and proceed to step 430 .

When the CPU proceeds to step 430, it sets the value of the abnormality flag Xh to "0", and then proceeds to step 435 to determine whether the vehicle speed SPD is greater than "0" (that is, whether or not the vehicle is stopped). or).

If the vehicle speed SPD is greater than "0", the CPU proceeds to step 440 and determines whether or not there is a preceding vehicle.

If there is a preceding vehicle, the CPU makes a "Yes" determination in step 440, executes the processing of steps 445 and 450 described below in order, and then proceeds to step 495 to once terminate this routine.

Step 445: The CPU ends the abnormal deceleration stop control and executes the ACC control.
Step 450: The CPU sets the value of the control execution flag Xg to "0".

On the other hand, if there is no preceding vehicle, a "No" determination is made at step 440, and the process proceeds to step 455 to end the abnormal deceleration/stop control (in this case, the abnormal deceleration control). After that, the CPU advances to step 450 to execute the processing already described, and then advances to step 495 to end this routine.

If the vehicle speed SPD is "0" (i.e., if the host vehicle is stopped) at the time the CPU executes the process of step 435, the CPU determines "No" in step 435. Proceeding to 435, the abnormal deceleration stop control (in this case, stop holding control) is ended. After that, the CPU advances to step 450 to execute the processing already described, and then advances to step 495 to end this routine.

<effect>
As described above, the system according to the present embodiment allows the driver to drive the vehicle with ease when the driver recovers from the abnormal state to the normal state.

<Modification>
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications based on the technical idea of the present invention can be adopted within the scope of the present invention.

For example, the DSECU may determine whether or not the driver is in an abnormal state based on the so-called "driver monitor technology" disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2013-152700. Briefly, a vehicle running control device equipped with driver monitoring technology captures a driver using a camera provided in a member (for example, a steering wheel, a pillar, etc.) in the vehicle interior, and uses the captured image. The direction of the line of sight or the direction of the face of the driver is monitored by the driver, and the direction of the line of sight or the direction of the face of the driver continues for a predetermined time or more in a direction that the driver does not face for a long time during normal driving of the own vehicle. If so, it is determined that the driver is in an abnormal state.

Further, the DSECU displays and/or audibly prompts the user to operate a "confirmation button that can be operated by the driver if the driver is normal" every time a certain first period of time elapses. It may be determined that the driver is in an abnormal state when it continues for a second time longer than the first time.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Driving support ECU, 14... Steering angle sensor, 17... Surrounding sensor, 20... Engine ECU, 21... Engine actuator, 30... Brake ECU, 31... Brake actuator, 32... Friction brake mechanism, 40... Electric parking brake ECU, 41... parking brake actuator, 50... steering ECU, 51... motor driver, 52... steering motor.

Claims (1)

A vehicle travel control device applied to a vehicle,
an abnormality determination unit that determines whether or not the driver of the vehicle is in an abnormal state in which the driver has lost the ability to drive the vehicle;
After an abnormality determination time when the abnormality determination unit determines that the driver is in the abnormal state, the vehicle speed of the vehicle is reduced to zero to execute an abnormality deceleration control for stopping the vehicle. a control unit;
with
The control unit
When there is no preceding vehicle that is another vehicle existing in front of the vehicle, the acceleration of the vehicle is controlled so that the vehicle speed of the vehicle coincides with a target vehicle speed set by the driver, and the preceding vehicle is present , cruise control can be executed to control the acceleration of the vehicle so that the inter -vehicle distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle becomes a predetermined target inter-vehicle distance,
The control unit
When it is determined that the driver is not in the abnormal state after the abnormality determination time,
if the preceding vehicle exists, the abnormal deceleration control is terminated and the cruise control is executed;
When the preceding vehicle does not exist, the abnormal deceleration control is terminated and the cruise control is not executed.
Vehicle travel control device.

Images