FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
[See section 10, Rule 13]
AUTOMATIC STEERING CONTROL DEVICE AND AUTOMATIC STEERING
CONTROL SYSTEM FOR VEHICLE
MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION, A CORPORATION ORGANISED AND
EXISTING UNDER THE LAWS OF JAPAN, WHOSE ADDRESS IS 7-3,
MARUNOUCHI 2-CHOME, CHIYODA-KU, TOKYO 100-8310, JAPAN
THE FOLLOWING SPECIFICATION PARTICULARLY DESCRIBES THE
INVENTION AND THE MANNER IN WHICH IT IS TO BE PERFORMED.
2
5 DESCRIPTION
Technical Field
[0001]
The present application relates to an automatic steering
10 control device and an automatic steering control system for a
vehicle.
Background Art
15 [0002]
In an automatic steering control device that
automatically steers the steering wheel of a vehicle, a
technique for canceling the automatic steering control based
on the steering of the driver has been proposed. For example,
20 Patent Document 1 below discloses a technique of canceling the
automatic steering mode and switching to the power steering
mode when the steering torque of the steering wheel becomes a
predetermined value or more in the automatic steering mode.
25 [0003]
Further, in Patent Document 2, when the traveling
position of the vehicle increases outward with respect to the
target path, a technique that alerts the driver to deviation
by increasing the steering reaction force acting on the
30 steering of the driver has been proposed.
[Patent Literature 1] JP H4-55168 A
[Patent Literature 2] JP 2019-182303 A
35 Disclosure of Invention
Technical Problem
[0004]
In the technique of Patent Document 1, even when the
lateral deviation, with respect to the target path of the
40 vehicle is increasing, when the steering torque applied to the
steering wheel by the driver steering increases, the automatic
steering is canceled or restricted as when the lateral
deviation is small. Therefore, if the driver unintentionally
steers the steering wheel while the lateral deviation of the
45 running vehicle is increasing, if the automatic steering is
canceled or restricted immediately, the driver may feel uneasy
or uncomfortable.
Further, in the technique of Patent Document 2, the
driver is alerted by applying a steering reaction force when
50 the lateral deviation with respect to the target path
increases due to the steering operation of the driver, but the
3
5 steering reaction force is given by changing the reference
point used for calculating the target path for automatic
steering and increasing the control amount, even if the driver
intentionally applies a large steering force to increase the
lateral deviation, automatic steering or driving support are
10 not properly released, and when avoiding obstacles, if the
target route is erroneously generated, the driver will feel
annoyed, and automatic steering or steering support in a
direction different from the intention of the driver will be
continued.
15
[0005]
The present application discloses a technique made in
view of the above circumstances, and the purpose is to
appropriately control automatic steering or steering support
20 in response to the steering intention of the driver.
Solution to Problem
[0006]
The automatic steering control device for vehicle
25 disclosed in the present application is an automatic steering
control device for vehicle; wherein,
based on a calculation result of the automatic steering
control amount calculation part that calculates the automatic
steering control amount, the automatic steering control device
30 for vehicle performs an automatic steering control that
changes the traveling direction of an own vehicle according to
a road information on a travel path to the own vehicle that is
automatically driven on the travel path, and wherein,
based on a steering force of a driver's operation of the
35 steering wheel detected by a steering force detection part and
a lateral deviation of the own vehicle detected by a lateral
deviation calculation part in the direction perpendicular to
the traveling direction on the travel path, compared to when
the lateral deviation is small corresponding to the magnitude
40 of the lateral deviation, when the lateral deviation is large,
the automatic steering control amount is controlled so that
the automatic steering control amount acting on the steering
force of the steering wheel operation by the driver becomes
larger.
45
[0007]
Further, the other automatic steering control device for
vehicle disclosed in the present application is an automatic
steering control device for vehicle; wherein,
50 based on a calculation result of the automatic steering
control amount calculation part that calculates the automatic
4
5 steering control amount, the automatic steering control device
for vehicle performs an automatic steering control that
changes the traveling direction of an own vehicle according to
a road information on a travel path to the own vehicle that is
automatically driven on the travel path, and wherein,
10 based on a steering force of a driver's operation of the
steering wheel detected by a steering force detection part and
a lateral deviation of the own vehicle detected by a lateral
deviation calculation part in the direction perpendicular to
the traveling direction on the travel path, compared to when
15 the lateral deviation is large corresponding to the magnitude
of the lateral deviation, when the lateral deviation is small,
the automatic steering control amount acting on the steering
force is controlled so that the automatic steering control
amount acting on the steering force of the steering wheel
20 operation by the driver becomes smaller.
[0008]
Furthermore, another automatic steering control device
for vehicle disclosed in the present application is an
25 automatic steering control device for vehicle; wherein,
based on a calculation result of the automatic steering
control amount calculation part that calculates the automatic
steering control amount, the automatic steering control device
for vehicle performs an automatic steering control that
30 changes the traveling direction of an own vehicle according to
a road information on a travel path to the own vehicle that is
automatically driven on the travel path, and wherein,
based on the steering force of a driver's operation of
the steering wheel detected by a steering force detection part
35 and a lateral acceleration of the own vehicle detected by a
lateral acceleration detection part, compared to when the
lateral acceleration is small corresponding to the magnitude
of the lateral acceleration, when the lateral acceleration is
large, the automatic steering control amount acting on the
40 steering force is controlled so that the automatic steering
control amount acting on the steering force of the steering
wheel operation by the driver becomes larger.
[0009]
45 Furthermore, another automatic steering control device
for vehicle disclosed in the present application is an
automatic steering control device for vehicle; wherein,
based on a calculation result of the automatic steering
control amount calculation part that calculates the automatic
50 steering control amount, the automatic steering control device
for vehicle performs an automatic steering control that
5
5 changes the traveling direction of an own vehicle according to
a road information on a travel path to the own vehicle that is
automatically driven on the travel path, and wherein,
based on the steering force of a driver's operation of
the steering wheel detected by the steering force detection
10 part and a lateral acceleration of the vehicle detected by a
lateral acceleration detection part, compared to when the
lateral acceleration is large corresponding to the magnitude
of the lateral acceleration, when the lateral acceleration is
small, the automatic steering control amount acting on the
15 steering force is controlled so that the automatic steering
control amount acting on the steering force of the steering
wheel operation by the driver becomes smaller.
[0010]
20 Further, the automatic steering control system for a
vehicle disclosed in the present application is an automatic
steering control system for a vehicle, wherein,
in the automatic steering control system for a vehicle,
an automatic steering control that changes the travel
25 direction of an own vehicle according to a road information on
a travel path is performed by an automatic steering control
device based on the calculation results of an automatic
steering control amount calculation part that calculates the
automatic steering control amount, wherein,
30 the automatic steering control system for vehicle
provides a steering force detection part that detects the
steering force of the operation of the steering wheel by the
driver, and a lateral deviation calculation part that detects
the lateral deviation in the direction perpendicular to the
35 traveling direction of the own vehicle on the travel path, and
wherein,
the automatic steering control that changes the
traveling direction of the vehicle according to the road
information on the travel path to the own vehicle that is
40 automatically driven on the travel path, based on the steering
force of the driver's operation of the steering wheel detected
by the steering force detection part and the lateral deviation
of the own vehicle detected by the lateral deviation
calculation part in the direction perpendicular to the travel
45 direction on the travel path, compared to when the lateral
deviation is small corresponding to the magnitude of the
lateral deviation, when the lateral deviation is large, the
automatic steering control amount acting on the steering force
is controlled so that the automatic steering control amount
50 acting on the steering force of the steering wheel operation
by the driver becomes larger.
6
5
[0011]
Further, the automatic steering control system for a
vehicle disclosed in the present application is an automatic
steering control system for a vehicle, wherein,
10 in the automatic steering control system for a vehicle,
an automatic steering control that changes the travel
direction of an own vehicle according to a road information on
a travel path is performed by an automatic steering control
device based on the calculation results of an automatic
15 steering control amount calculation part that calculates the
automatic steering control amount, wherein,
the automatic steering control system for vehicle
provides a steering force detection part that detects the
steering force of the operation of the steering wheel by the
20 driver, and a lateral deviation calculation part that detects
the lateral deviation in the direction perpendicular to the
traveling direction of the own vehicle on the travel path, and
wherein,
the automatic steering control that changes the
25 traveling direction of the vehicle according to the road
information on the travel path to the own vehicle that is
automatically driven on the travel path, based on the steering
force of the driver's operation of the steering wheel detected
by the steering force detection part and the lateral deviation
30 of the own vehicle detected by the lateral deviation
calculation part in the direction perpendicular to the travel
direction on the travel path, compared to when the lateral
deviation is large corresponding to the magnitude of the
lateral deviation, when the lateral deviation is small, the
35 automatic steering control amount acting on the steering force
is controlled so that the automatic steering control amount
acting on the steering force of the steering wheel operation
by the driver becomes smaller.
40
[0012]
Further, the automatic steering control system for a
vehicle disclosed in the present application is an automatic
steering control system for a vehicle, wherein,
45 in the automatic steering control system for a vehicle,
the automatic steering control that changes the travel
direction of an own vehicle according to the road information
on a travel path is performed by an automatic steering control
device based on the calculation results of an automatic
50 steering control amount calculation part that calculates the
automatic steering control amount, wherein,
7
5 the automatic steering control system for vehicle
provides a steering force detection part that detects the
steering force of the operation of the steering wheel by the
driver, and a lateral acceleration detection part that detects
the lateral acceleration, and wherein,
10 the automatic steering control that changes the
traveling direction of the own vehicle according to the road
information on the travel path to the own vehicle that is
automatically driven on the travel path, based on the steering
force of the driver's operation of the steering wheel detected
15 by the steering force detection part and the lateral
acceleration of the own vehicle detected by the lateral
acceleration detection part, compared to when the lateral
acceleration is small corresponding to the magnitude of the
lateral acceleration, when the lateral acceleration is large,
20 the automatic steering control amount acting on the steering
force is controlled so that the automatic steering control
amount acting on the steering force of the steering wheel
operation by the driver becomes larger.
25 [0013]
Further, the other automatic steering control system for
vehicle disclosed in the present application is an automatic
steering control system for a vehicle, wherein,
in the automatic steering control system for a vehicle,
30 an automatic steering control that changes the travel
direction of an own vehicle according to the road information
on a travel path is performed by an automatic steering control
device based on the calculation results of an automatic
steering control amount calculation part that calculates the
35 automatic steering control amount, wherein,
the automatic steering control system for vehicle
provides a steering force detection part that detects the
steering force of the operation of the steering wheel by the
driver, and a lateral acceleration detection part that detects
40 the lateral acceleration, and wherein,
the automatic steering control that changes the
traveling direction of the own vehicle according to the road
information on the travel path to the own vehicle that is
automatically driven on the travel path, based on the steering
45 force of the driver's operation of the steering wheel detected
by the steering force detection part and the lateral
acceleration of the own vehicle detected by the lateral
acceleration detection part, compared to when the lateral
acceleration is large corresponding to the magnitude of the
50 lateral acceleration, when the lateral acceleration is small,
the automatic steering control amount acting on the steering
8
5 force is controlled so that the automatic steering control
amount acting on the steering force of the steering wheel
operation by the driver becomes smaller.
Advantageous Effects of Invention
10 [0014]
According to the present application, in an automatic
steering control device or an automatic steering control
system,
as an automatic steering control that changes the traveling
15 direction of the vehicle according to the road information on
the road to the vehicle that is automatically driven on the
driving road, based on the steering force of the driver's
operation of the steering wheel detected by the steering force
detection part and the lateral acceleration of the vehicle
20 detected by the lateral acceleration detection part, compared
to when the lateral acceleration is small corresponding to the
magnitude of the lateral acceleration, when the lateral
acceleration is large, the automatic steering control amount
acting on the steering force is controlled so that the
25 automatic steering control amount acting on the steering force
of the steering wheel operation by the driver becomes larger,
and
as an automatic steering control that changes the traveling
direction of an own vehicle according to a road information on
30 a travel path to the own vehicle that is automatically driven
on the travel path, based on the steering force of the
driver's operation of the steering wheel detected by the
steering force detection part and the lateral deviation of the
vehicle detected by the lateral deviation calculation part in
35 the direction perpendicular to the travel direction on the
travel path, compared to when the lateral deviation is large
corresponding to the magnitude of the lateral deviation, when
the lateral deviation is small, the automatic steering control
amount acting on the steering force is controlled so that the
40 automatic steering control amount acting on the steering force
of the steering wheel operation by the driver becomes smaller,
automatic steering control or steering support control is
appropriately performed in response to the steering intention
of the driver.
45
[0015]
Further, according to the present application, in an
automatic steering control device or an automatic steering
control system,
50 as an automatic steering control that changes the traveling
direction of an own vehicle according to a road information on
9
5 a travel path to the own vehicle that is automatically driven
on the travel path, based on the steering force of a driver's
operation of the steering wheel detected by a steering force
detection part and a lateral acceleration of the own vehicle
detected by a lateral acceleration detection part, compared
10 to when the lateral acceleration is small corresponding to the
magnitude of the lateral acceleration, when the lateral
acceleration is large, the automatic steering control amount
acting on the steering force is controlled so that the
automatic steering control amount acting on the steering force
15 of the steering wheel operation by the driver becomes larger,
and
as an automatic steering control that changes the traveling
direction of an own vehicle according to a road information on
a travel path to the own vehicle that is automatically driven
20 on the travel path, based on the steering force of a driver's
operation of the steering wheel detected by the steering force
detection part and a lateral acceleration of the vehicle
detected by a lateral acceleration detection part, compared
to when the lateral acceleration is large corresponding to the
25 magnitude of the lateral acceleration, when the lateral
acceleration is small, the automatic steering control amount
acting on the steering force is controlled so that the
automatic steering control amount acting on the steering force
of the steering wheel operation by the driver becomes smaller,
30 automatic steering control or steering support control is
appropriately performed in response to the steering intention
of the driver.
Brief Description of Drawings
35
[0016]
[FIG. 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the first
embodiment, and is a configuration diagram schematically
showing an automatic steering control system in a vehicle from
40 a structural point of view.
[FIG. 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the first
embodiment, and is a block diagram showing an automatic
steering control device in an automatic steering control
45 system in a functional block diagram.
[FIG. 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the first
embodiment, and is a block diagram showing an automatic
steering control system in a functional block diagram.
50
10
5 [FIG. 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the first
embodiment and is a diagram for explaining a lateral deviation
gain.
[FIG. 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the first
10 embodiment and is a diagram for explaining a lateral
acceleration gain.
[FIG. 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the first
embodiment and is a diagram for explaining a steering force
15 upper limit gain.
[FIG. 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the first
embodiment and is a diagram for explaining an automatic
steering control limit gain.
20
[FIG. 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the first
embodiment and is a flowchart showing the operation of the
automatic steering control system.
25 [FIG. 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the first
embodiment, and is a system configuration diagram
schematically showing an automatic steering control system and
a system configuration of an automatic steering control
system.
30
[FIG. 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the first
embodiment and is a conceptual diagram for explaining the
relationship between automatic steering control and lateral
deviation for a vehicle traveling on a travel path.
35
Description of Embodiments
[0017]
The first embodiment of the present invention will be
40 described below with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 10. Further,
in the following description, the vehicle equipped with the
automatic steering control device according to the embodiment
of the present application will be referred to as “own
vehicle”.
45
[0018]
First Embodiment
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the first embodiment of the
present application, and is a configuration diagram
50 schematically showing an automatic steering control system in
an own vehicle from a structural point of view. In FIG. 1, is
11
5 a device that changes the direction of the own vehicle by
steering the left and right steering wheels 3 according to the
rotation of the steering wheel shaft 2 connected to the
steering wheel 1 provided on the own vehicle body 9 of the own
vehicle, in the motor 4, the steering wheel 3 can be steered
10 by generating a motor torque with respect to the steering
wheel shaft 2. In the automatic steering control device 8
which is also called a steering controller, based on the
steering force applied to the steering wheel 1 by the driver
detected by the steering force detection part 5, the own
15 vehicle position information detected by the own vehicle
position detection part 6 and the lateral acceleration
detected by the lateral acceleration detector, the current
required to generate the motor torque in the motor 4 is
supplied.
20
[0019]
In the automatic steering control system 80 and the
automatic steering control device 8 in the system 80
exemplified in the first embodiment, from the output steering
25 force of the steering force detection part 5, the own vehicle
position which is the output of the own vehicle position
detection part 6, and the lateral acceleration which is the
output of the lateral acceleration detection part 7, the
function of calculating the current supplied to the steering
30 actuator 4 such as the motor in the steering controller 8 must
be executed by the software installed in the automatic
steering control device 8 configured by the microcomputer.
The steering control system of the present application
applies to anyone of the “fully automatic steering control
35 system or fully automatic steering control device”, in which a
driver or other person covers problems caused by the system's
automatic driving of the own vehicle, and the “steering
support control system or steering support control device”
that assists the driver's driving on the system side.
40
[0020]
In the “fully automatic steering control system or fully
automatic steering control device” or the “steering support
control system or steering support control device”, as
45 illustrated in FIG. 10, when there is roadblock 10RO on travel
path 10 of the left side lane marking 10LL and the right side
lane marking 10RL, for example, for the lateral deviation at
each point P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 along the travel route 10TL to
become LD-P1, LD-P2, LD-P3, LD-P4, LD-P5, in other words, as
50 shown in FIG. 10, for the tracing to be illustrated by the
thick arrow, the automatic steering control of the own vehicle
12
5 9O is performed. The points P1, P2, and P3 are in the
straight-line area of the travel path 10, and the points P4
and P5 are in the travel path curve area 10RC.
[0021]
10 The automatic steering control device 8 of the automatic
steering control system 80 is as illustrated in FIG. 9 is
composed of an arithmetic processing device 81, a storage
device 82 having a ROM as a read-only memory, a RAM as a
random-access memory, and an interface 83. The arithmetic
15 processing device 81, the storage device 82, and the interface
83 are connected to each other via the internal bus 84.
For example, the output signal of the own vehicle
position detection part 6 input to the interface 83 and stored
in the RAM, in other words, the position signal of the own
20 vehicle with respect to the target route, the output signal of
the steering force detection part 5, in other words, the
steering force signal, which is the force for operating the
steering wheel by the driver, and the output signal of the
lateral acceleration detection part 7, in other words, the
25 acceleration signal that acts on the own vehicle in the
lateral direction (direction perpendicular to the traveling
direction of the own vehicle) when the own vehicle travels on
the traveling path curve, according to the program stored in
the ROM, executes the arithmetic processing necessary for the
30 steering control system of the present application and the
automatic steering control device in the system with the
arithmetic processing part 81, executes a software such as
temporarily saving the result of the calculation in the RAM,
performs predetermined control operations required for the
35 steering control system of the present application and the
automatic steering control device in the system as follows.
[0022]
First, a main part of the automatic steering control
40 device 8 of a vehicle, which is also called a steering
controller or a steering control part, and an outline of its
operation will be described with reference to FIG. 2.
The automatic steering control device 8 has a target
route calculation part 201, a lateral deviation calculation
45 part 202, which calculates the lateral deviation based on the
result of the target route calculation part 201, and an
automatic steering control amount calculation part 203 that
calculates the automatic steering control amount required to
follow the own vehicle to the target route, but these
50 calculations may use well-known techniques used in own vehicle
lane keeping control, and as a method for calculating the
13
5 lateral deviation of the own vehicle with respect to the
target route and a method for calculating the automatic
steering control amount, a well-known calculation method may
be adopted.
10 [0023]
Here, a method of calculating the automatic steering
control limit gain Ktrq that limits the calculated automatic
steering control amount according to the steering of the
driver will be described.
15 The lateral deviation gain Gy is calculated in the
lateral deviation gain map 204 based on the lateral deviation
y calculated based on the own vehicle position output from the
own vehicle position detection part 6. Further, the lateral
acceleration gain Glg is calculated in the lateral
20 acceleration gain map 205 based on the lateral acceleration lg
output by the lateral acceleration detection part 7. The
product of the calculated lateral deviation gain Gy and the
lateral acceleration gain Glg is output as the limit
suppression gain Gdec.
25
[0024]
In the steering force upper limit gain map 206, the
steering force upper limit gain Gmaxt is output based on the
steering force detected by the steering force detection part
30 5. In the maximum value selection part 207, the limit
suppression gain Gdec and the steering force upper limit gain
Gmaxt are compared, and the larger value is set as the limit
rate correction gain Grev.
35 [0025]
Based on the corrected steering torque Trev, which is
the result of taking the product of the steering force Trq
detected by the steering force detection part 5 and the limit
factor correction gain Grev calculated by the maximum value
40 selection part 207, the automatic steering control limit gain
Ktrq is calculated in the automatic steering control limit
gain map 208. By taking the product of the calculated
automatic steering control limit gain Ktrq and the automatic
steering control amount calculated by the automatic steering
45 control amount calculation part 203, the control output for
the actuator 4 such as a motor is determined, when the
actuator 4 is a motor, the drive current of the motor is
determined.
50 [0026]
The detailed processing flow of each gain map will be
14
5 described below based on the functional block diagram of FIG.
3.
[0027]
FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the
10 configuration of the automatic steering control system 80
according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the
automatic steering control device provides an automatic
steering control amount calculation part 203, a steering force
detection part 5, a lateral deviation calculation part 202, a
15 lateral acceleration detection part 7, a limit suppression
gain calculation part 301, a limit factor correction gain
calculation part 302, an automatic steering control limit gain
calculation part 303, an automatic steering control limit part
304 and an automatic steering control part 305.
20
[0028]
The automatic steering control amount calculation part
203 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) calculates the control amount to the
actuator 4 required to change the own vehicle traveling
25 direction so that the own vehicle follows the target route.
The target route is calculated from the lane information
obtained from the camera attached to the own vehicle, the
LIDAR (Light Detector and Raging), the trajectory of the
preceding vehicle traveling ahead, map information and own
30 vehicle position information, the steering angle control
amount required to follow the target route is calculated by
the automatic steering control amount calculation part 203.
The steering angle control amount is calculated by the
automatic steering control amount calculation part 203
35 according to the deviation between the target steering angle
required to follow the target route and the actual steering
angle. Further, the control amount may be calculated according
to the deviation between the target steering torque required
to follow the target route and the actual detected steering
40 torque.
[0029]
The steering force detection part 5 outputs the steering
force applied to the steering wheel by the driver as the
45 steering torque detected by the torque sensor.
[0030]
The lateral deviation calculation part 202 detects the
lateral deviation of the own vehicle with respect to the
50 target route of the own vehicle. The lateral deviation may be
the lateral deviation at the current traveling position of the
15
5 own vehicle, or the lateral deviation at the front gaze
destination of the own vehicle may be used.
[0031]
The lateral acceleration detection part 7 outputs the
10 value detected by the sensor for the lateral acceleration
generated in the own vehicle or the curvature-converted
lateral acceleration converted from the product of the target
route curvature and the square of the own vehicle speed as the
lateral acceleration.
15
[0032]
The limit suppression gain calculation part 301
calculates the limit suppression gain Gdec based on the
lateral deviation y of the own vehicle detected by the lateral
20 deviation calculation part 202 and the lateral acceleration lg
generated in the own vehicle detected by the lateral
acceleration detection part.
[0033]
25 For example, when the lateral deviation is small as
shown in FIG. 4, the value is set close to 1, when the lateral
deviation gain Gy is set so that the gain approaches 0 as the
lateral deviation increases, and when the lateral acceleration
is small as shown in FIG. 5, the value is set close to 1, and
30 the limit suppression gain Gdec is calculated by multiplying
the lateral acceleration gain Glg set to approach 0 as the
lateral acceleration increases as shown in (Equation 1) below.
Gdec = Gy × Glg・・・(Equation 1)
The lateral deviation gain Gy starts to decrease from
35 the gain 1 when the lateral deviation becomes ya, and is
maintained at the lower limit gain Gymin when the lateral
deviation is yb or more. As a result, the limit suppression
gain Gdec does not decrease near the target route with a
lateral deviation of ya or less, and the steering intention of
40 the driver is given higher priority, but as the lateral
deviation of the own vehicle increases, the limit suppression
gain Gdec decreases, and the amount of release or restriction
of automatic steering control or steering support control, for
the steering of the driver decreases. The maximum amount of
45 suppression of the control limit rate due to the increase in
lateral deviation is determined by Gymin.
[0034]
Similarly, the lateral acceleration gain Glg starts to
50 decrease from the gain 1 when the lateral acceleration becomes
lga, and is maintained at the gain Glgmin when the lateral
16
5 acceleration is lgb or more. As a result, on a straight road
with a lateral acceleration of lga or less, the limit
suppression gain Gdec is calculated according to the lateral
deviation gain Gy, but, in the case of driving on a curve and
the lateral acceleration exceeds lga, the limit suppression
10 gain Gdec is calculated to further decreases as the magnitude
of the lateral acceleration increases. The maximum amount of
suppression of the control limit rate due to the increase in
lateral deviation is determined by the lower limit gain
Glgmin.
15
[0035]
The limit factor correction gain calculation part 302
takes a limit suppression gain Gdec calculated by the limit
suppression gain calculation part 301 and a value close to 0
20 when the steering torque by the driver detected by the
steering force detection part 5 is small, and compare with the
steering force upper limit gain Gmaxt, which takes a value
close to 1 when the steering torque exceeds a certain value,
the larger value is output to the automatic steering control
25 limit gain calculation part 303 as the limit rate correction
gain Grev.
Grev = max (Gdec, Gmaxt) ・・・(Equation 2)
For example, the lateral deviation increases when the
limit suppression gain Gdec is close to 0, by setting the
30 steering force upper limit gain Gmaxt, which becomes a value
close to 1 when the steering torque exceeds the value set as
the limit suppression upper limit steering force Tmax as shown
in FIG. 6, even when the limit suppression gain Gdec is close
to 0, the limit factor correction gain is close to 1 when the
35 steering torque exceeds the limit suppression upper limit
steering force. The magnitude of the limit suppression upper
limit steering force is set to a magnitude that allows the
driver to reasonably overcome the automatic steering.
40 [0036]
The automatic steering control limit gain calculation
part 303 calculates the automatic steering control limit gain
Ktrq based on the steering torque Trq output from the steering
force detection part 5 and the corrected steering torque Trev,
45 which is the product of the limit factor correction gain Grev
output from the limit factor correction gain calculation part
302, and is output to the automatic steering control limit
part 304.
Trev = Trq × Grev ・・・(Equation 3)
50 For example, to explain based on FIG. 7, in the case of
FIG. 10, when the own vehicle 9O is on a straight road near
17
5 the center of the road (point P1), when the lateral anomaly
(LD-P1) and the lateral acceleration are small, since the
limit suppression gain Gdec takes a value close to 1, the
corrected steering torque Trev, which is the product of the
steering torque and the limit factor correction gain, takes a
10 value close to the steering torque Trq by the driver, the
automatic steering control limit gain Ktrq that decreases as
the steering torque increases as shown by α in FIG. 7 is
output. On the other hand, when the own vehicle position
increases in the deviation direction (lateral deviation
15 increases) due to driver steering on a straight road, when the
lateral acceleration is increasing by (Point P1 (lateral
deviation LD-P1), point P2 (lateral deviation LD-P2), point P3
(lateral deviation LD-P3) in FIG. 10), or by the curve of the
traveling path 10 (point P4 (lateral deviation LD-P4), P5
20 (lateral deviation LD-P5) in FIG. 10), by taking a value close
to 0, the limit suppression gain Gdec, the product of the
steering torque and the limit factor correction gain is
smaller than the steering torque, as shown by β in FIG. 7, the
decrease in the automatic steering control limit gain becomes
25 smaller as the steering torque increases. Further, when the
lateral deviation and lateral acceleration are increasing,
such as when own the vehicle position is increasing in the
deviation direction on a curve, the value of the limit factor
correction gain takes a value closer to 0, since the corrected
30 steering torque value is even smaller than the steering
torque, reduction of automatic steering control limit gain is
suppressed, but, when the steering torque at that time reaches
the limit suppression upper limit steering force, the steering
force upper limit gain increases and the restriction
35 suppression is stopped, so the corrected steering torque
becomes a value close to the steering torque, as a result, the
automatic steering control limit gain approaches 0 as shown in
γ in FIG. 7.
40 [0037]
The automatic steering control limit part 304 limits the
automatic steering control amount calculated by the automatic
steering control amount calculation part 203 based on the
automatic steering limit gain calculated by the automatic
45 steering control limit gain calculation part 303. For example,
when the steering torque due to driver steering increases when
the lateral deviation of the own vehicle with respect to the
target path is small on a straight road, since the lateral
deviation gain and the lateral acceleration gain are close to
50 1, the limit suppression gain is also close to 1. Therefore,
the limit rate of the automatic steering control with respect
18
5 to the steering torque of the steering wheel by the driver
becomes large. On the other hand, if the lateral deviation of
the own vehicle is large, the lateral acceleration generated
in the own vehicle is large, and the steering force by the
driver does not exceed the limit suppression upper limit gain,
10 the limit rate of automatic steering control with respect to
the steering torque by the driver is corrected to be small.
[0038]
The automatic steering control part 305 controls the own
15 vehicle to follow the target route based on the restricted
automatic steering control amount calculated by the automatic
steering control limit part 304. As mentioned above, if the
lateral deviation of the own vehicle is increasing, the
lateral acceleration generated in the own vehicle is large,
20 the limit rate of automatic steering control for the steering
torque by the driver becomes smaller, automatic steering
control is less likely to be released or restricted.
[0039]
25 In this way, based on the lateral deviation with respect
to the target path of the own vehicle detected by the lateral
deviation calculation part 202 and the lateral acceleration
generated in the own vehicle detected by the lateral
acceleration detection part 7, the automatic steering control
30 limit gain calculation part 303 can calculate the automatic
steering control limit gain that suppresses the limit rate of
the automatic operation control amount corresponding to the
driver steering force according to the lateral deviation or
the lateral acceleration. As a result, by canceling or limit
35 the automatic steering according to the steering force of the
driver, when lateral deviation or lateral acceleration
increase, the automatic steering is canceled or the limit
amount is reduced by the automatic steering control limit part
304, by reducing the anxiety felt by the driver due to
40 unintentional cancellation or restriction of automatic
steering, and by not releasing or limit control by driver
steering in the event of avoidance of road obstacle 10RO or
error of target route, it is possible to reduce the annoyance
felt at the same time.
45
[0040]
Hereinafter, the operation of the automatic steering
control device according to the first embodiment will be
described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 8. The
50 flowchart of FIG. 8 shows a process of one cycle, and the
vehicle traveling support device repeatedly executes this
19
5 process as necessary.
[0041]
When the automatic steering control device starts
operation, in step ST01, the lateral deviation calculation
10 part 202 and the lateral acceleration detection part 7 detect
the lateral deviation and the lateral acceleration, and output
the lateral deviation and the lateral acceleration to the
limit suppression gain calculation part 301. Further, the
automatic steering control amount calculation part 203
15 calculates the automatic steering control amount, and the
steering force detecting part 5 detects the steering force.
[0042]
In step ST02, based on the lateral deviation and lateral
20 acceleration detected in step ST01, the limit suppression
gain, which is the product of the lateral deviation gain that
changes according to the lateral deviation and the lateral
acceleration gain that changes according to the lateral
acceleration, is calculated.
25
[0043]
In step ST03, the limit suppression gain and the
steering force upper limit gain that changes from 0 to a value
close to 1 when the steering force detected by the steering
30 force detection part 5 exceeds a certain value are used, the
limit rate correction gain calculation part 302 calculates the
limit rate correction gain.
[0044]
35 In step ST04, the automatic steering control limit gain
is calculated from the steering force detected by the steering
force detection part 5 and the limit rate correction gain is
output by the limit rate correction gain calculation part 302.
40 [0045]
In step ST05, by taking the product of the automatic
steering control amount output by the automatic steering
control amount calculation part 203 and the automatic steering
control limit gain output by the automatic steering control
45 limit gain calculation part 303, the restricted automatic
steering control amount is calculated by reducing the
automatic steering control amount according to the steering
torque.
50 [0046]
In step ST06, automatic steering control is performed
20
5 based on the restricted automatic steering control amount is
output by the automatic steering control limit part 304.
[0047]
Although the embodiment of the present application has
10 been described above, it is intended to appropriately release
or suppress control of the steering of the driver during
automatic steering, not only steering assist with electric
power steering, but also steering assist, and it can also be
applied to vehicles having a steering mechanism such as steer15 by-wire and variable gear ratio.
Further, the lateral deviation gain, the lateral
acceleration gain, and the steering force upper limit gain are
all shown to increase or decrease linearly in the present
embodiment, but the method of increasing or decreasing does
20 not have to be linear. Furthermore, although each gain is
provided with a dead zone so that it changes after the input
becomes a certain value or more, the dead zone may not be
provided, and the gain may be increased or decreased in
response to a change in the input value.
25 The limit suppression gain was calculated by multiplying
the lateral deviation gain and the lateral acceleration gain,
but the minimum values of the lateral deviation gain and the
lateral acceleration gain may be set as the limit suppression
gain.
30 Further, although the upper limit value of the steering
force upper limit gain is set to 1, when the limit suppression
upper limit steering force is exceeded, it is set to a value
of 1 or more, the limit rate may be increased to give priority
to driver steering.
35
[0048]
As is apparent from the above description and each of
the drawings, the first embodiment has the following first
technical characteristics 1 to 7.
40
Technical characteristic 1:
To suppress the control decrease based on the lateral
deviation increase, an automatic steering control device or an
automatic steering control system that corrects in order to
45 the limit rate of the automatic steering control amount due to
the automatic steering control limit gain becomes smaller as
the lateral deviation becomes larger, and is equipped with the
automatic steering control amount calculation part that
calculates the automatic steering control amount for
50 automatically following the own vehicle on the target route,
the steering force detector that detects the steering force of
21
5 the driver on the steering wheel, the lateral deviation
detection part that obtains the lateral deviation with respect
to the target route of the own vehicle, the automatic steering
control limit gain calculation part that calculates the
automatic steering control limit gain that reduces the
10 automatic steering control amount as the steering force
increases, the automatic steering control limit part that
limits the automatic steering control amount based on the gain
and then sets it as the automatic steering control amount, the
automatic steering control part that performs automatic
15 steering control of the own vehicle based on the amount of
automatic steering control after restriction, when the lateral
deviation increases, the automatic steering control is less
likely to be released or restricted.
20 [0049]
Technical characteristic 2:
The automatic steering control device or automatic
steering control system of the Technical characteristic 1,
when the lateral acceleration is large on a curve, the control
25 decrease is further suppressed, is equipped with a lateral
acceleration detection part that detects the lateral
acceleration generated in the own vehicle, the limit rate of
the amount of automatic steering control by the automatic
steering control limit gain is corrected so that it becomes
30 smaller as the lateral deviation increases, the larger the
lateral acceleration, the smaller the limit rate of the
automatic steering control amount due to the automatic
steering control limit gain, the tighter the curve, the less
likely it is that automatic steering control will be released
35 or restricted.
[0050]
Technical characteristic 3:
In the automatic steering control device or automatic
40 steering control system of Technical characteristic 1 or 2, in
order to calculate the control limit suppression gain by
lateral deviation gain X lateral acceleration gain, when a
lateral deviation occurs on a curve, the automatic steering
control is less likely to be released or restricted, the
45 automatic steering control limit gain calculation part limits
the amount of automatic steering control based on the lateral
deviation correction gain calculated by the limit suppression
gain calculation part so that the larger the lateral
deviation, the smaller the limit factor of the automatic
50 steering control amount due to the automatic steering control
limit gain and the limit suppression gain, which is the
22
5 product of the lateral acceleration correction gain, such that
the larger the lateral acceleration, the smaller the limit
rate of the automatic steering control amount due to the
automatic steering control limit gain.
10 [0051]
Technical characteristic 4:
In the automatic steering control device or automatic
steering control system of Technical characteristics 1 to 4,
in order to calculate the amount of control reduction by
15 steering torque X limit suppression gain, the automatic
steering control limit gain calculation part calculates the
automatic steering control limit gain based on the product of
the limit suppression gain and the steering force, it is
possible to correct the limit rate that changes as the
20 steering torque increases with lateral deviation and lateral
acceleration.
[0052]
Technical characteristic 5:
25 In the automatic steering control device or automatic
steering control system according to any one of the Technical
characteristics 1 to 4, in order to stop the control reduction
suppression if the steering torque is too large, the automatic
steering control limit gain calculation part calculates the
30 automatic steering control limit gain based on the limit rate
correction gain corrected so as to stop the decrease of the
limit rate due to the limit suppression gain when the steering
force exceeds a certain level, when the steering torque is too
large, it is possible to increase the limit rate and give
35 priority to the steering of the driver even when the lateral
deviation or lateral acceleration increase.
[0053]
Technical characteristic 6:
40 According to the embodiment of the present application,
automatic steering control or steering support control can be
appropriately released or restricted according to the
intention of the driver.
45 [0054]
Technical characteristic 7:
Both reduction of annoyance coming from the driver's
anxiety is reduced by immediately canceling and suppressing
the automatic steering control when the lateral deviation
50 increases, and the automatic steering control is not released
or restricted even though the driver is steering.
23
5
[0055]
In the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate
the same or corresponding parts.
The embodiment can be appropriately modified or omitted.
10 Although various exemplary embodiments and examples are
described in this application, the various features, modes,
and functions described in one or more embodiments are not
limited to the application of a particular embodiment, but can
be applied to embodiments alone or in various combinations.
15 Accordingly, countless variations not illustrated are
envisioned within the scope of the art disclosed in this
application. For example, this shall include cases where at
least one component is transformed, added or omitted, and even
where at least one component is extracted and combined with
20 components of other embodiments.
Reference Signs List
[0056]
25 1. Steering wheel,
2. Steering wheel axis,
3. Steering wheel,
4. Steering actuator,
5. Steering force detection part,
30 6. Own vehicle position detection part,
7. Lateral acceleration detection part,
8. Automatic steering control device,
80. Automatic steering control system,
9. Vehicle body,
35 9O. Own vehicle,
10. Travel path,
10TL. Travel route,
10LL. Left side lane marking,
10RL. Right side lane marking,
40 10RC. Travel path curve area,
10RO. Roadblock,
P1, P2, P3, P4. Point,
LD-P1, LD-P2, LD-P3, LD-P4, LD-P5. Lateral deviation,
201. Target route calculation part,
45 202. Lateral deviation calculation part,
203. Automatic steering control amount calculation part,
204. Lateral deviation gain map,
205. Lateral acceleration gain map,
206. Steering force upper limit gain map,
50 207. Maximum value selection part,
208. Automatic steering control limitation gain map,
24
5 301. Limit suppression gain calculation part,
302. Limit rate correction gain calculation part,
303. Automatic steering control limitation gain calculation
part,
304. Automatic steering control limitation part,
10 305. Automatic steering control part.

5 WE CLAIM:
[Claim 1]
An automatic steering control device for vehicle;
wherein,
10 based on a calculation result of the automatic steering
control amount calculation part that calculates the automatic
steering control amount, the automatic steering control device
for vehicle performs an automatic steering control that
changes the traveling direction of an own vehicle according to
15 a road information on a travel path to the own vehicle that is
automatically driven on the travel path, and wherein,
based on a steering force of a driver's operation of the
steering wheel detected by a steering force detection part and
a lateral deviation of the own vehicle detected by a lateral
20 deviation calculation part in the direction perpendicular to
the traveling direction on the travel path, compared to when
the lateral deviation is small corresponding to the magnitude
of the lateral deviation, when the lateral deviation is large,
the automatic steering control amount is controlled so that
25 the automatic steering control amount acting on the steering
force of the steering wheel operation by the driver becomes
larger.
[Claim 2]
30 An automatic steering control device for vehicle;
wherein,
based on a calculation result of the automatic steering
control amount calculation part that calculates the automatic
steering control amount, the automatic steering control device
35 for vehicle performs an automatic steering control that
changes the traveling direction of an own vehicle according to
a road information on a travel path to the own vehicle that is
automatically driven on the travel path, and wherein,
based on a steering force of a driver's operation of the
40 steering wheel detected by a steering force detection part and
a lateral deviation of the own vehicle detected by a lateral
deviation calculation part in the direction perpendicular to
the traveling direction on the travel path, compared to when
the lateral deviation is large corresponding to the magnitude
45 of the lateral deviation, when the lateral deviation is small,
the automatic steering control amount acting on the steering
force is controlled so that the automatic steering control
amount acting on the steering force of the steering wheel
operation by the driver becomes smaller.
50
26
5 [Claim 3]
The automatic steering control device for vehicle
according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,
the automatic steering control amount is controlled
based on the lateral deviation gain that changes according to
10 the magnitude of the lateral deviation of the lateral
deviation calculation part.
[Claim 4]
An automatic steering control device for vehicle;
15 wherein,
based on a calculation result of the automatic steering
control amount calculation part that calculates the automatic
steering control amount, the automatic steering control device
for vehicle performs an automatic steering control that
20 changes the traveling direction of an own vehicle according to
a road information on a travel path to the own vehicle that is
automatically driven on the travel path, and wherein,
based on the steering force of a driver's operation of
the steering wheel detected by a steering force detection part
25 and a lateral acceleration of the own vehicle detected by a
lateral acceleration detection part, compared to when the
lateral acceleration is small corresponding to the magnitude
of the lateral acceleration, when the lateral acceleration is
large, the automatic steering control amount acting on the
30 steering force is controlled so that the automatic steering
control amount acting on the steering force of the steering
wheel operation by the driver becomes larger.
[Claim 5]
35 An automatic steering control device for vehicle;
wherein,
based on a calculation result of the automatic steering
control amount calculation part that calculates the automatic
steering control amount, the automatic steering control device
40 for vehicle performs an automatic steering control that
changes the traveling direction of an own vehicle according to
a road information on a travel path to the own vehicle that is
automatically driven on the travel path, and wherein,
based on the steering force of a driver's operation of
45 the steering wheel detected by the steering force detection
part and a lateral acceleration of the vehicle detected by a
lateral acceleration detection part, compared to when the
lateral acceleration is large corresponding to the magnitude
of the lateral acceleration, when the lateral acceleration is
50 small, the automatic steering control amount acting on the
steering force is controlled so that the automatic steering
27
5 control amount acting on the steering force of the steering
wheel operation by the driver becomes smaller.
[Claim 6]
The automatic steering control device for vehicle
10 according to claim 4 or 5, wherein,
the amount of automatic steering control acting on the
steering force is controlled based on the lateral acceleration
gain that changes according to the magnitude of the lateral
acceleration detected by the lateral acceleration detection
15 part.
[Claim 7]
An automatic steering control system for vehicle;
wherein,
20 in the automatic steering control system for a vehicle,
an automatic steering control that changes the travel
direction of an own vehicle according to a road information on
a travel path is performed by an automatic steering control
device based on the calculation results of an automatic
25 steering control amount calculation part that calculates the
automatic steering control amount, wherein,
the automatic steering control system for vehicle
provides a steering force detection part that detects the
steering force of the operation of the steering wheel by the
30 driver, and a lateral deviation calculation part that detects
the lateral deviation in the direction perpendicular to the
traveling direction of the own vehicle on the travel path, and
wherein,
the automatic steering control that changes the
35 traveling direction of the vehicle according to the road
information on the travel path to the own vehicle that is
automatically driven on the travel path, based on the steering
force of the driver's operation of the steering wheel detected
by the steering force detection part and the lateral deviation
40 of the own vehicle detected by the lateral deviation
calculation part in the direction perpendicular to the travel
direction on the travel path, compared to when the lateral
deviation is small corresponding to the magnitude of the
lateral deviation, when the lateral deviation is large, the
45 automatic steering control amount acting on the steering force
is controlled so that the automatic steering control amount
acting on the steering force of the steering wheel operation
by the driver becomes larger.
50
28
5 [Claim 8]
An automatic steering control system for vehicle;
wherein,
in the automatic steering control system for a vehicle,
an automatic steering control that changes the travel
10 direction of an own vehicle according to a road information on
a travel path is performed by an automatic steering control
device based on the calculation results of an automatic
steering control amount calculation part that calculates the
automatic steering control amount, wherein,
15 the automatic steering control system for vehicle
provides a steering force detection part that detects the
steering force of the operation of the steering wheel by the
driver, and a lateral deviation calculation part that detects
the lateral deviation in the direction perpendicular to the
20 traveling direction of the own vehicle on the travel path, and
wherein,
the automatic steering control that changes the
traveling direction of the vehicle according to the road
information on the travel path to the own vehicle that is
25 automatically driven on the travel path, based on the steering
force of the driver's operation of the steering wheel detected
by the steering force detection part and the lateral deviation
of the own vehicle detected by the lateral deviation
calculation part in the direction perpendicular to the travel
30 direction on the travel path, compared to when the lateral
deviation is large corresponding to the magnitude of the
lateral deviation, when the lateral deviation is small, the
automatic steering control amount acting on the steering force
is controlled so that the automatic steering control amount
35 acting on the steering force of the steering wheel operation
by the driver becomes smaller.
[Claim 9]
The automatic steering control system for vehicle
40 according to claim 7 or 8, wherein,
the automatic steering control amount acting on the
steering force is controlled based on the lateral deviation
gain that changes according to the magnitude of the lateral
deviation of the lateral deviation calculation part.
45
[Claim 10]
An automatic steering control system for vehicle;
wherein,
in the automatic steering control system for a vehicle,
50 the automatic steering control that changes the travel
direction of an own vehicle according to the road information
29
5 on a travel path is performed by an automatic steering control
device based on the calculation results of an automatic
steering control amount calculation part that calculates the
automatic steering control amount, wherein,
the automatic steering control system for vehicle
10 provides a steering force detection part that detects the
steering force of the operation of the steering wheel by the
driver, and a lateral acceleration detection part that detects
the lateral acceleration, and wherein,
the automatic steering control that changes the
15 traveling direction of the own vehicle according to the road
information on the travel path to the own vehicle that is
automatically driven on the travel path, based on the steering
force of the driver's operation of the steering wheel detected
by the steering force detection part and the lateral
20 acceleration of the own vehicle detected by the lateral
acceleration detection part, compared to when the lateral
acceleration is small corresponding to the magnitude of the
lateral acceleration, when the lateral acceleration is large,
the automatic steering control amount acting on the steering
25 force is controlled so that the automatic steering control
amount acting on the steering force of the steering wheel
operation by the driver becomes larger.
[Claim 11]
30 An automatic steering control system for vehicle;
wherein,
in the automatic steering control system for a vehicle,
an automatic steering control that changes the travel
direction of an own vehicle according to the road information
35 on a travel path is performed by an automatic steering control
device based on the calculation results of an automatic
steering control amount calculation part that calculates the
automatic steering control amount, wherein,
the automatic steering control system for vehicle
40 provides a steering force detection part that detects the
steering force of the operation of the steering wheel by the
driver, and a lateral acceleration detection part that detects
the lateral acceleration, and wherein,
the automatic steering control that changes the
45 traveling direction of the own vehicle according to the road
information on the travel path to the own vehicle that is
automatically driven on the travel path, based on the steering
force of the driver's operation of the steering wheel detected
by the steering force detection part and the lateral
50 acceleration of the own vehicle detected by the lateral
acceleration detection part, compared to when the lateral
30
5 acceleration is large corresponding to the magnitude of the
lateral acceleration, when the lateral acceleration is small,
the automatic steering control amount acting on the steering
force is controlled so that the automatic steering control
amount acting on the steering force of the steering wheel
10 operation by the driver becomes smaller.
[Claim 12]
The automatic steering control system for vehicle
according to claim 10 or 11, wherein,
15 the amount of automatic steering control acting on the
steering force is controlled based on the lateral acceleration
gain that changes according to the magnitude of the lateral
acceleration detected by the lateral acceleration detection
part.