JP2005082041A - Automatic braking device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic braking device for a vehicle to suppress the operation of an accelerator pedal during automatic braking to work in association with a system in which the amount of pedal depression and the opening of a throttle valve are put in linkage physically and also one capable of distinguishing whether the accelerator operation after automatic braking is made by the will of the driver in a system in which an accelerator operation by the driver is admitted or taken in priority after automatic braking. <P>SOLUTION: The automatic braking device for the vehicle to exert a braking force without resorting to a braking operation under a specified condition is furnished with a restricting means to restrict the operation amount of the specified driving operation by the driver in case the automatic braking is actuated, the specified driving operation being, for example the pedal stamping operation, capable of restricting the operating amount by increasing the pedal reaction force of the accelerator pedal, for example using an actuator. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention generally relates to a vehicular automatic brake device that exerts a braking force without depending on a brake operation under a predetermined condition, and in particular, when an automatic brake is operated, an operation amount of a predetermined drive operation by a driver. The present invention relates to an automatic brake device for a vehicle that restricts

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a so-called automatic brake device that exerts a braking force without relying on a driver's brake operation when it is determined that the risk of a collision with an obstacle ahead of the host vehicle has increased has been known. Yes.

  As known to those skilled in the art, there are various algorithms and ideas regarding at what stage / in what situation the automatic braking is applied, and when the risk of collision is judged to have increased. Proposed.

  Also, various system designs can be considered for the processing when the driver depresses the accelerator pedal after the automatic brake operation.

  For example, after the automatic brake operation, the acceleration pedal is always or in a predetermined case (for example, when collision cannot be avoided by braking or steering) so that acceleration control opposite to the braking control is not performed. A system design that ignores input is also possible.

On the contrary, in order to respect the driver's intention, a system design that allows the accelerator operation even after the automatic brake operation can be considered. Furthermore, when the accelerator operation is performed after the automatic brake is activated, a system design for canceling the automatic brake control is also proposed, assuming that the collision avoidance operation by the driver is performed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .
JP 2003-48524 A

  In the above-described prior art, in the case of the former system in which the input from the accelerator pedal is ignored always after the automatic braking operation or in a predetermined case, if the system is electronically controlled, the accelerator pedal stroke is controlled by the ECU that controls the throttle valve opening. Since it is sufficient to ignore the signal from the sensor, it is relatively easy to implement. However, in the case of a system such as a wire type in which the accelerator pedal depression amount and the throttle valve opening are physically linked, it is difficult to apply.

  In the latter system, which allows or gives priority to the accelerator operation by the driver after the automatic brake is activated, if the driver's foot rests on the accelerator pedal when the deceleration by the automatic brake occurs in the vehicle, the inertial force Therefore, there is a possibility that the accelerator pedal may be depressed more than the driver's intention. Therefore, it is necessary to take measures to prevent acceleration that increases or accelerates the possibility or timing of the collision.

  The present invention is to solve such a problem, and an automatic brake device that suppresses an operation of an accelerator pedal during an automatic brake operation in a system in which an accelerator pedal depression amount and a throttle valve opening are physically linked. Is one of the main purposes.

  Further, the present invention provides an automatic brake device capable of discriminating whether or not the accelerator operation after the automatic brake operation is due to the intention of the driver in a system that allows or gives priority to the accelerator operation by the driver after the automatic brake operation. Providing is one of the main purposes.

  One aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object is an automatic brake device for a vehicle that exerts a braking force without depending on a brake operation under a predetermined condition. This is an automatic brake device for a vehicle having a restricting means for restricting an operation amount of a predetermined driving operation.

  In this aspect, the “predetermined driving operation” is, for example, a steering operation of the steering handle, a depression operation of an accelerator pedal or a brake pedal, and the like.

  Further, in this aspect, “regulating the operation amount” means, for example, reducing the operation amount output when the same operation force is input by applying a load, or making the operable range within a predetermined range. Various regulatory techniques such as limiting may be included.

  According to this aspect, when the automatic brake is activated, a predetermined driving operation by the driver can be suppressed, so that the driving operation unnecessary or harmful to the braking control by the automatic brake control is performed. It can be avoided. Also, when regulating by increasing the operation load, whether the operation is an aggressive operation according to the driver's intention is identified based on whether an operation force or operation load that exceeds (defeats) the load is input. can do.

  Further, according to this aspect, since the driver can easily sense that the operation amount is regulated as compared with the normal time by performing the predetermined driving operation, the automatic brake control is performed or performed. You can easily know that.

  In this aspect, the restricting means reduces the deceleration of the own vehicle so as not to reduce the operation amount unnecessary or harmful to the braking control by the automatic brake control. It is preferable to restrict to For example, the operation amount of the steering operation of the steering wheel may be regulated within a predetermined range so that the grip force of the tire is exerted only for braking or to prevent a sudden handle that causes a spin, or The acceleration pedal depressing operation may be restricted by applying a load so that acceleration control opposite to braking control is not performed or is difficult to be performed.

  When the operation amount (depression amount) of the depression operation of the accelerator pedal is regulated, the control device further includes detection means for detecting the operation posture of the driver, and the restriction means is configured so that the detection means takes the depression posture of the accelerator pedal. The operation amount may be restricted only when it is determined that the operation is performed.

  Here, the “operation posture” means what kind of driving operation can be performed, and the depression posture of the accelerator pedal means a state in which the driver can step on the accelerator pedal at any time (for example, It means that the driver's foot and the accelerator pedal are in contact) or that the accelerator pedal is currently depressed (depressed state).

  In the former case, the detection means may be, for example, a contact sensor that detects that the driver's foot and the accelerator pedal are in contact with each other, or uses imaging and image analysis by a camera. May be. In the latter case, the detection means can use an existing accelerator pedal / stroke sensor as it is.

  Further, the control of the operation amount of the accelerator pedal depression operation can be realized by increasing the pedal reaction force of the accelerator pedal using, for example, hydraulic control or an actuator. The magnitude of the pedal reaction force is preferably variable according to the magnitude of the deceleration of the host vehicle so that the accelerator pedal is more difficult to be depressed as the deceleration of the host vehicle is greater.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the automatic brake apparatus which suppresses operation of the accelerator pedal in the time of an automatic brake operation can be provided in the system which the accelerator pedal depression amount and throttle valve opening degree physically linked. It is also possible to provide an automatic brake device that can identify whether or not the accelerator operation after the automatic brake operation is due to the driver's intention in a system that allows or gives priority to the accelerator operation by the driver after the automatic brake operation. it can.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The basic concept, main hardware configuration, operating principle, basic control method, and the like of the vehicle automatic brake device are known to those skilled in the art, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a system schematic diagram of a vehicle automatic brake device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The automatic brake device according to the present embodiment includes an electronic control unit (ECU) 101 and is controlled by the ECU 101.

  The ECU 101 is connected to a laser radar sensor 102 disposed on, for example, a front grill of the host vehicle. The laser radar sensor 102 irradiates a laser beam toward a predetermined area in front of the host vehicle, and receives a reflected wave of the laser beam irradiated in front of the host vehicle.

  The laser radar sensor 102 is configured to scan a predetermined area in front of the host vehicle at a predetermined cycle. The laser radar sensor 102 reflects a signal and a reflected wave according to time until the irradiated laser light is reflected by an obstacle existing in front of the host vehicle (hereinafter simply referred to as “front obstacle”) and received. A signal corresponding to the incident angle is output to the ECU 101.

  The ECU 101 detects the distance to the front obstacle existing in a predetermined area in front of the host vehicle based on the output signal of the laser radar sensor 102, and differentiates the detected distance to differentiate the host vehicle with respect to the front obstacle. The relative speed of is calculated.

  In addition, a vehicle speed sensor 103 is connected to the ECU 101. The vehicle speed sensor 103 outputs a pulse signal to the ECU 101 at a cycle corresponding to the traveling speed of the vehicle. The ECU 101 detects the host vehicle speed based on the output signal of the vehicle speed sensor 103.

  The ECU 101 determines the possibility of a collision with the obstacle from the distance to the obstacle, the relative speed, and the own vehicle speed, and activates the automatic brake. As described above, there are various methodologies for determining in which case there is a possibility of a collision, and in what case the magnitude of the automatic brake is activated. The differences between these methodologies are not the focus of the present invention, and the present invention can be applied to all cases. Therefore, for the sake of convenience, in the description of this embodiment, simply “automatic braking is applied when there is a possibility of a collision. All cases shall be comprehensively described with the expression “activate”.

  Further, an accelerator pedal contact sensor 104 is connected to the ECU 101. The accelerator pedal contact sensor 104 is a pressure sensor that is provided in an accelerator pedal (not shown) and detects contact between the accelerator pedal and the driver's foot, for example.

  Further, an accelerator pedal reaction force actuator 105 is connected to the ECU 101. The accelerator pedal reaction force actuator 105 is an actuator that acts on the accelerator pedal and generates a pedal reaction force of the accelerator pedal. Normally, the actuator 105 is in a non-operating state, and the pedal reaction force of the accelerator pedal remains at a mechanically set default value.

  In this embodiment, when the automatic brake is operated, the ECU 101 instructs the actuator 105 to generate the pedal reaction force of the accelerator pedal at various timings as will be described in detail later. When the actuator 105 generates a pedal reaction force on the accelerator pedal, the pedal reaction force of the accelerator pedal becomes a value obtained by adding the reaction force generated by the actuator 105 to a mechanically determined default value, which is larger than the default value. Become.

  That is, after the actuator 105 is actuated, in order to realize the same accelerator pedal operation amount (depressing amount), it is necessary to depress the pedal with a larger pedaling force than before the actuator is actuated. Become.

  In this way, when the operation of the accelerator pedal is restricted by the actuator 105 generating the pedal reaction force, the driver depresses the accelerator pedal (the pedal reaction force when the accelerator pedal is depressed). It can be easily felt that the repulsive force or the stepping load is increased.

  Therefore, according to the automatic brake device of the present embodiment, for example, in a system in which the accelerator pedal depression amount and the throttle valve opening, such as a wire type, are physically linked, the accelerator pedal is always or after the automatic brake operation. When it is desired to construct a system that ignores the input from, an equivalent function can be realized by increasing the pedal reaction force of the accelerator pedal generated by the actuator 105 so that an ordinary person cannot step on the accelerator pedal.

  Further, according to the automatic brake device of the present embodiment, when applied to a system that allows or gives priority to the accelerator operation by the driver after the automatic brake is activated, the inertial force corresponding to the deceleration of the own vehicle (that is, the inertial force that can be generated). By generating an accelerator pedal reaction force of a magnitude (according to the above) in the actuator 105, even if the driver puts his / her foot on the accelerator pedal, the inertial force does not depress the accelerator pedal more than the driver's intention. .

  Furthermore, according to the automatic brake device of the present embodiment, when applied to a system that allows or gives priority to the accelerator operation by the driver after the automatic brake is activated, the driver is informed that the automatic brake is activated or is activated. If the driver depresses the accelerator pedal while recognizing, it can be recognized that the accelerator operation is based on the driver's positive intention. For example, in a situation where a collision occurs while the collision can be avoided by both braking and steering, if the automatic brake control is activated but a stepping load exceeding the pedal reaction force increment by the actuator 105 is applied, the driver steers The accelerator operation can be allowed or prioritized as if the collision avoidance (for example, lane change) is selected.

  Next, in this embodiment, the timing at which the actuator 105 increases the pedal reaction force of the accelerator pedal will be described.

  Basically, the accelerator pedal reaction force increasing process according to the present embodiment may be executed at an arbitrary timing as long as the automatic brake is activated, a) before the automatic brake is activated, and b) automatic. It may be when the brake is activated, or c) after the automatic brake is activated.

  a) An example in which the accelerator pedal reaction force is increased before the automatic brake operation is shown in FIG. In this case, if there is a possibility of collision (“YES” in S201), the ECU 101 first instructs the actuator 105 to increase the pedal reaction force of the accelerator pedal (S202), and then, for example, a predetermined condition is satisfied. The automatic brake is activated at any timing such as time (S203). If there is no possibility of a collision (“NO” in S201), the pedal reaction force of the accelerator pedal is not increased and the automatic brake is not activated (S204).

  b) FIG. 3 shows an example in which the accelerator pedal reaction force is increased when the automatic brake is activated. In this case, when there is a possibility of a collision (“YES” in S301), the ECU 101 instructs the actuator 105 to increase the pedal reaction force of the accelerator pedal and activates the automatic brake (S302). If there is no possibility of a collision (“NO” in S301), the pedal reaction force of the accelerator pedal is not increased and the automatic brake is not activated (S303).

  c) An example in which the accelerator pedal reaction force is increased after the automatic brake operation is shown in FIGS. The timing at which the accelerator pedal reaction force is increased after the automatic braking operation may be arbitrary, and FIGS. 4 and 5 are merely examples.

  FIG. 4 shows a case where the accelerator pedal reaction force is increased only when the driver's foot is in contact with the accelerator pedal using the above-described accelerator pedal contact sensor 104. In this case, if there is a possibility of a collision (“YES” in S401), the ECU 101 first activates an automatic brake (S402). Next, when it is determined that the driver's foot is in contact with the accelerator pedal based on the signal from the contact sensor 104 (“YES” in S403), the ECU 101 increases the accelerator pedal reaction force on the actuator 105. (S404).

  If there is no possibility of a collision (“NO” in S401), the automatic brake is not activated and the accelerator pedal reaction force is not increased (S405). Even after the automatic brake is activated, the accelerator pedal is also determined when it is determined that the driver's foot is not in contact with the accelerator pedal (for example, during a foot brake operation) (“NO” in S403). The reaction force is not increased (S405).

  FIG. 5 shows a system in which the automatic brake is operated from a stage where the possibility of collision (risk) is relatively low, and the emergency brake is operated when the risk is increased. This is a case where the accelerator pedal reaction force is increased only when the foot is in contact with the accelerator pedal.

  In this case, if there is a possibility of a collision (“YES” in S501), the ECU 101 first activates an automatic brake (S502). Next, the ECU 101 determines whether or not the emergency brake needs to be actuated (S503). When the emergency brake is activated (“YES” in S503), the ECU 101 determines that the driver's foot is in contact with the accelerator pedal based on the signal from the contact sensor 104 (“YES” in S504). And instructing the actuator 105 to increase the accelerator pedal reaction force (S505).

  If there is no possibility of a collision (“NO” in S501), or if there is a possibility of a collision and the emergency brake is not activated (“NO” in S503), the accelerator pedal reaction force is not increased (S506). Even after the emergency brake is activated, the accelerator pedal is also determined when it is determined that the driver's foot is not in contact with the accelerator pedal (for example, because the foot brake is being operated) (“NO” in S504). The reaction force is not increased (S506).

  As described above, the accelerator pedal reaction force increasing process according to the present embodiment can be executed at an arbitrary timing as long as the automatic brake is operated. Can be obtained.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the depression operation of the accelerator pedal is regulated has been described. However, instead of or in addition to this, the grip force of the tire is exhibited only for braking or causes a spin. In order to prevent sudden steering, the operation amount of the steering operation of the steering handle may be restricted within a predetermined range.

  In the above embodiment, the accelerator pedal contact sensor 104 detects whether or not the accelerator pedal may be depressed more than the driver's intention due to inertial force. May be used to detect whether or not the accelerator pedal is depressed even a little.

  However, if the driver puts his feet on the accelerator pedal, the inertial force may cause the accelerator pedal to be depressed regardless of the driver's intention even if no depression load is applied. As in one embodiment, it is preferable to make the determination based on the contact between the driver's foot and the accelerator pedal. Note that the contact between the driver's foot and the accelerator pedal may be detected, for example, by imaging with a camera and image processing.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the accelerator pedal reaction force applied by the actuator 105 is variable according to the deceleration of the host vehicle. However, the inertial force generated by the deceleration is an object on which the inertial force acts (this In this case, the magnitude of the accelerator pedal reaction force may be determined in consideration of the driver's physique in addition to the deceleration of the host vehicle. The driver's physique or similar indicators (height, weight, etc.) may be input and transmitted to the vehicle side by the driver, and the data stored in the vehicle side in advance is referred to as a smart key (registered trademark) or the like. It may be invoked by the personal identification function of known keyless entry systems.

  The present invention can be used for an automatic brake device for vehicles. The appearance, weight, size, running performance, etc. of the vehicle are not limited.

1 is a system schematic diagram of a vehicle automatic brake device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the timing which performs the increase process of an accelerator pedal reaction force in the automatic brake device for vehicles which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the timing which performs the increase process of an accelerator pedal reaction force in the automatic brake device for vehicles which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the timing which performs the increase process of an accelerator pedal reaction force in the automatic brake device for vehicles which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the timing which performs the increase process of an accelerator pedal reaction force in the automatic brake device for vehicles which concerns on one Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

101 ECU
102 Laser radar sensor 103 Vehicle speed sensor 104 Accelerator pedal contact sensor 105 Accelerator pedal reaction force actuator

Claims (7)

An automatic brake device for a vehicle that exerts a braking force without depending on a brake operation under a predetermined condition,
An automatic brake device for a vehicle, comprising a restricting means for restricting an operation amount of a predetermined driving operation by a driver when the automatic brake is operated. The automatic brake device for a vehicle according to claim 1,
The automatic braking device for vehicles, wherein the restriction means restricts the operation amount so that the deceleration of the host vehicle does not decrease. The automatic brake device for a vehicle according to claim 2,
The vehicle automatic brake device, wherein the predetermined driving operation is an accelerator pedal depression operation. The vehicle automatic brake device according to claim 3,
It further has detection means for detecting the driver's operating posture,
The vehicle automatic brake device according to claim 1, wherein the restricting means restricts the operation amount only when the detecting means determines that the driver is depressing an accelerator pedal. The automatic brake device for a vehicle according to claim 4,
The detection means detects contact between the driver's foot and the accelerator pedal,
The automatic braking device for vehicles, wherein the restricting means restricts the operation amount only when the detecting means determines that the driver's foot and the accelerator pedal are in contact with each other. The vehicle automatic brake device according to any one of claims 3 to 5,
The automatic braking device for vehicles, wherein the restricting means restricts an operation amount of a depression operation of the accelerator pedal by increasing a pedal reaction force of the accelerator pedal. The vehicle automatic brake device according to claim 6,
The automatic braking device for vehicles, wherein the restricting means changes the magnitude of the pedal reaction force in accordance with the magnitude of deceleration of the host vehicle.

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