JP2006298310A - Travelling control device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a travelling control device for a vehicle, capable of improving responsiveness to a brake operation. <P>SOLUTION: An image taken by a camera 12 is processed by a image processing device 13 to detect an adjacent vehicle deceleration α. When the adjacent vehicle deceleration α is a predetermined threshold value Gs or larger (Yes in a step S3), required brake pre-load Pp is calculated (a step S6) to drive an actuator by a brake control device 9 (a step S7) and generate the brake pre-load. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicular travel control device that improves responsiveness to a braking operation in accordance with the travel state of a vehicle traveling ahead of the host vehicle.

  There is known a travel control device that generates brake preload when the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle is shortened or when the deceleration is low so as to reduce the responsiveness to the brake operation and the idling distance ( Patent Document 1).

JP 2000-309257 A

  However, in the conventional travel control device, the brake preload is generated when the inter-vehicle distance is equal to or less than the determination distance or the target deceleration exceeds the set value. Even if the adjacent vehicle that is traveling decelerates to avoid the obstacle in front of it, there is a problem that the brake preload cannot be generated until the obstacle is recognized in front of the host vehicle.

(1) The vehicular travel control apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention includes an adjacent vehicle speed change detecting means for detecting a speed change of an adjacent vehicle traveling on the adjacent lane ahead of the host vehicle, and an adjacent vehicle speed change detecting means. And responsiveness improving means for improving responsiveness to the braking operation when the deceleration of the adjacent vehicle detected in step exceeds a predetermined value.
(2) The vehicular travel control apparatus according to the invention of claim 10 improves the responsiveness to the braking operation when the deceleration of the adjacent vehicle traveling ahead of the host vehicle on the adjacent lane exceeds a predetermined value. It is characterized by that.

  According to the present invention, when the deceleration of the adjacent vehicle exceeds a predetermined value, the responsiveness to the braking operation is improved. Thereby, for example, when the adjacent vehicle decelerates to avoid the obstacle in front of the vehicle, the responsiveness to the braking operation can be improved before the obstacle is recognized in front of the host vehicle. Accordingly, when the driver recognizes the obstacle, the responsiveness to the braking operation is improved, so that a large braking force can be generated immediately in response to the driver's braking operation.

  With reference to FIGS. 1-6, one Embodiment of the traveling control apparatus for vehicles by this invention is described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle travel control device according to the present invention. The vehicle 100 is a vehicle that uses the engine 1 as a travel drive source, and the driving force of the engine 1 is transmitted to the drive wheels 5 a and 5 b via the automatic transmission 2, the propeller shaft 3, and the final reduction gear 4. The drive wheels 5a and 5b and the driven wheels 6a and 6b are equipped with disc brakes 7a to 7d, respectively.

The engine control device 8 performs throttle valve opening control, fuel injection control, ignition timing control, etc. of the engine 1 in accordance with the throttle valve opening command value θ ^* from the controller 14 for running control, and the torque and rotational speed of the engine 1. To control. The braking control device 9 generates a braking hydraulic pressure in accordance with a braking pressure command value P ^* from the travel control controller 14 and supplies the braking hydraulic pressure to the disc brakes 7a to 7d serving as braking devices. Further, the braking control device 9 generates a braking hydraulic pressure in response to the depression of the brake pedal 15 and supplies it to the disc brakes 7a to 7d.

  A vehicle speed sensor 10 that detects the host vehicle speed V is provided on the output side of the automatic transmission 2. The travel control controller 14 described later differentiates the host vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle speed sensor 10 to detect the acceleration of the host vehicle. An inter-vehicle distance sensor 11 that detects an inter-vehicle distance L with a preceding vehicle (hereinafter simply referred to as a preceding vehicle) on a lane (own lane) in which the host vehicle travels is provided at the lower part of the vehicle body at the front of the vehicle. The inter-vehicle distance sensor 11 emits, for example, a laser beam to receive reflected light from a preceding vehicle, measures an inter-vehicle distance L with respect to the preceding vehicle, and detects the position of the preceding vehicle to detect the preceding vehicle on the own lane. Recognize The inter-vehicle distance sensor 11 can be a scanning or multi-beam laser radar device, a millimeter wave radar device, or the like.

  On the other hand, a camera 12 for imaging the front of the vehicle is provided at the center in the vehicle width direction of the upper part of the front window in the vehicle interior. As this camera 12, a CCD camera, a CMOS camera, or the like can be used. The image processing device 13 processes the image captured by the camera 12 to reduce the number of vehicles (adjacent vehicles) traveling in the same direction as the own vehicle in the lane next to the own lane (adjacent lane) in front of the own vehicle. Detect speed.

  FIG. 2 is an image of an adjacent vehicle captured by the camera 12. The image processing device 13 processes an image captured by the camera 12 to detect a white line in the own lane, and captures an adjacent vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane as a plane. The vertical distance between the side of the adjacent vehicle on the ground side and the host vehicle is calculated as the inter-vehicle distance E of the adjacent vehicle, and the adjacent vehicle speed v and the adjacent vehicle deceleration α are detected based on the time change of the inter-vehicle distance E.

  The control switch 16 is various operation switches for performing preceding vehicle following control. Here, the preceding vehicle follow-up control is a vehicle speed control that performs inter-vehicle distance control so that the inter-vehicle distance becomes a set value when there is a preceding vehicle, and so that the vehicle speed becomes the set value when there is no preceding vehicle. Is to do. The control switch 16 includes a main switch for turning on and off the preceding vehicle tracking control system, a set switch for setting a desired vehicle speed, an acceleration switch for increasing the set vehicle speed in increments of 5 km / h, for example, and a set vehicle speed of 5 km / h, for example. A coast switch that decreases in increments, a cancel switch that cancels the preceding vehicle follow-up control, and a changeover switch that switches the set inter-vehicle distance are included.

The controller 14 for running control is based on the own vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle speed sensor 10, the presence / absence of the preceding vehicle detected by the inter-vehicle distance sensor 11, the inter-vehicle distance L, the set vehicle speed Vset set by the control switch 16, etc. vehicle speed V is set if the inter-vehicle distance L is performs adaptive cruise control such that the target value L ^*, a preceding vehicle does not exist between the preceding vehicle following set vehicle speed Vset when a preceding vehicle is present Vehicle speed control is performed so that the vehicle speed becomes Vset, a throttle valve opening command value θ ^* as a control calculation result is output to the engine control device 8, and a braking pressure command value P ^* as a control calculation result is output to the brake control device 9. . The accelerator sensor 17 detects an operation amount θ of the accelerator pedal 18.

  FIG. 3 is a control block diagram showing the traveling control function of the traveling control controller 14. The travel control controller 14 includes a target inter-vehicle distance setting unit 21, an inter-vehicle distance command value calculation unit 22, a relative speed calculation unit 23, a target vehicle speed calculation unit 24, a target vehicle speed selection unit 25 and a vehicle speed control unit 26 in the form of microcomputer software. It has.

The target inter-vehicle distance setting unit 21 sets a target inter-vehicle distance L ^* corresponding to the host vehicle speed V by the following equation.
L ^* = V × To + Lo (1)
In the equation (1), To is the inter-vehicle time, and Lo is the inter-vehicle distance when the vehicle is stopped. Instead of the own vehicle speed V, a target inter-vehicle distance L ^* corresponding to the vehicle speed Vt of the preceding vehicle may be set.

The inter-vehicle distance command value calculation unit 22 determines an inter-vehicle distance command value Lt that represents a temporal change in the inter-vehicle distance until the inter-vehicle distance L reaches the target value L ^* . Specifically, a low-pass filter Ft (s) shown in the following equation is applied to the target inter-vehicle distance L ^* to calculate an inter-vehicle distance command value Lt.
Ft (s) = ω2 / (s2 + 2ζωs + ω) (2)
In equation (2), ω and ζ are the natural frequency and damping coefficient for setting the response characteristic in the inter-vehicle distance control system as the target response characteristic, and s is a differential operator.

The relative speed calculation unit 23 calculates a relative speed ΔV with respect to the preceding vehicle based on the inter-vehicle distance L with respect to the preceding vehicle detected by the inter-vehicle distance sensor 11. Specifically, a band pass filter Fd (s) shown in the following equation is applied to the inter-vehicle distance L to calculate a relative speed ΔV.
Fd (s) = ωc ² s / (s ² + 2ζcωcs + ωc ² ) (3)
In equation (3), ωc is a natural frequency, and ζc is a damping coefficient, which are determined by the magnitude of a noise component included in the inter-vehicle distance L and the allowable value of acceleration fluctuations before and after the vehicle body in a short cycle. S is a differential operator. Note that a high-pass filter may be applied to the inter-vehicle distance L instead of the band-pass filter to calculate the relative speed ΔV.

The target vehicle speed calculation unit 24 calculates a target vehicle speed V ^* for making the inter-vehicle distance L coincide with the inter-vehicle distance command value Lt using a feedback compensator. Specifically, the target vehicle speed V ^* is calculated based on the inter-vehicle distance L with respect to the preceding vehicle and the relative speed ΔV by the following equation.
V ^* = Vt− {fd (Lt−L) + fv × ΔV} (4)
In equation (4), fd is a distance control gain, fv is a vehicle speed control gain, and Vt is a preceding vehicle speed (Vt = V + ΔV).

The target vehicle speed selection unit 25 selects one of the target vehicle speed V ^* , the set vehicle speed Vset, and the current host vehicle speed V based on the presence / absence of a preceding vehicle, and outputs the selected target vehicle speed Vs ^* .

The vehicle speed control unit 26 calculates a target braking / driving force For for making the host vehicle speed V coincide with the selected target vehicle speed Vs ^* , and based on the target braking / driving force For, the throttle valve opening command value θ ^* and the braking pressure command value are calculated. P ^* is determined and output to the engine control device 8 and the braking control device 9.

The vehicular travel control apparatus configured as described above is configured such that when the preceding vehicle is detected based on the presence or absence of the preceding vehicle, the set vehicle speed Vset, or the like, the inter-vehicle distance L with the preceding vehicle is equal to or less than the set vehicle speed Vset. The inter-vehicle distance is controlled so as to be L ^* , and when the preceding vehicle is not detected, the own vehicle speed V is controlled to become the set vehicle speed Vset.

  Further, in the vehicle travel control apparatus of the present embodiment, a preliminary braking force is applied based on the deceleration of the adjacent vehicle in addition to the preceding vehicle following control described above. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when there is an obstacle such as a vehicle or a person entering toward the adjacent lane and the own lane from a position that can be recognized from the adjacent vehicle but cannot be recognized from the own vehicle. The adjacent vehicle decelerates to avoid obstacles before the host vehicle. The control for applying the preliminary braking force is performed while the preceding vehicle follow-up control is in operation. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the main switch of the preceding vehicle follow-up control system is turned on (control standby state). ).

  Thus, even if the obstacle cannot be recognized from the own vehicle, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of deceleration of the adjacent vehicle. Therefore, in the vehicle travel control apparatus of the present embodiment, the response to the brake operation is improved in preparation for obstacle avoidance by detecting the deceleration of the adjacent vehicle and applying the preliminary braking force. Hereinafter, the provision of the preliminary braking force based on the deceleration of the adjacent vehicle in the vehicle travel control apparatus of the present embodiment will be described.

  The provision of the preliminary braking force in the present invention means that a minute braking force that is hardly felt to the driver is given, or that the braking force is not actually given, but after the driver performs a braking operation, that is, the brake. This includes making the idle running distance from when the pedal 15 is depressed to when the braking force is applied shorter than the normal state. Specifically, taking the disc brakes 7a to 7d as an example, the former case refers to a state in which the brake pad is in contact with the disc and is pinched with a minute force, and in the latter case, the brake pad is about to contact the disc. It means the state held by.

  In addition to the hydraulic brake device, the brake device in the present invention includes an electric brake device and a link type brake device using a wire. Particularly, in the case of a hydraulic braking device, the preliminary braking force is also referred to as “brake preload” because the preliminary braking force is applied by adjusting the hydraulic pressure.

--- Flow chart ---
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a brake preload control program according to the present embodiment. When the main switch of the control switch 16 is turned on, the travel control controller 14 executes a brake preload control program shown in FIG. 5 every 10 msec, for example.

  In step S1, various data necessary for brake preload control are read. The various data includes the operation state of the control switch 16, the presence / absence of a preceding vehicle on the own lane detected by the inter-vehicle distance sensor 11, the inter-vehicle distance L, the presence / absence of an adjacent vehicle detected by the camera 12 and the image processing device 13, and the adjacent vehicle. The speed v, the adjacent vehicle deceleration α, the host vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle speed sensor 10, and the operation amount θ of the accelerator pedal 18 detected by the accelerator sensor 17 are included.

  In step S2, the presence / absence of an adjacent vehicle is determined from the data read in step S1. If an affirmative determination is made in step S2, the process proceeds to step S3, and it is determined from the adjacent vehicle deceleration α whether or not the deceleration of the adjacent vehicle is equal to or greater than a threshold value Gs.

  If a positive determination is made in step S3, the process proceeds to step S4, and it is determined whether or not the accelerator pedal 18 is being operated from the data read in step S1. If a positive determination is made in step S4, the process proceeds to step S5, and 1 is set in the accelerator operation flag. If step S5 is executed or a negative determination is made in step S4, the process proceeds to step S6 to calculate the brake preload Pp. The details of the calculation of the brake preload Pp will be described later.

  After calculating the brake preload Pp in step S6, the process proceeds to step S7, the actuator is driven by the brake control device 9 to generate a brake preload, and the process proceeds to step S8. In step S8, it is determined from the data read in step S1 whether or not there is an acceleration operation from the operation amount of the accelerator pedal 18.

  If a positive determination is made in step S8, the process proceeds to step S9, and it is determined from the data read in step S1 whether or not the operation amount θ of the accelerator pedal 18 is equal to or greater than a threshold value. If a negative determination is made in step S9, the process proceeds to step S11, and it is determined whether 1 is set in the accelerator operation flag. If an affirmative determination is made in step S11, the process proceeds to step S12 to determine whether or not a predetermined time (for example, 2 seconds) has elapsed after overtaking an adjacent vehicle.

  If a positive determination is made in step S12 or a negative determination is made in any of steps S2, S3, and S11, the process proceeds to step S13, the brake preload is released, and the process proceeds to step S14. In step S14, the accelerator operation flag is set to 0 and the process returns.

If a positive determination is made in step S9, the process proceeds to step S10, and acceleration is prohibited regardless of the operation of the accelerator pedal 18. If step S10 is executed or step S8 or step S12 is negatively determined, the process returns to step S6.

--- Preload calculation ---
The calculation of the brake preload Pp in step S6 described above is performed as follows. FIG. 6 shows a calculation map of the brake preload Pp. In general, the higher the host vehicle speed V, the longer the free running distance. Further, when a certain brake preload Pp is applied, the deceleration felt by the driver is larger as the host vehicle speed V is lower. Therefore, basically, the higher the host vehicle speed V, the higher the brake preload Pp. However, when the host vehicle speed V is lower than V1, the brake preload Pp is kept constant at the minimum value Pmin, and when the host vehicle speed V is V2 or higher, the brake preload is increased. Let Pp be the maximum value Pmax constant.

  Although the vehicle weight M varies depending on the number of passengers and the amount of luggage, since the inertial force increases as the vehicle weight M increases, the deceleration felt by the driver is small even when a certain brake preload Pp is applied. Therefore, the brake preload Pp may be increased as the vehicle weight M increases. In addition, the increase / decrease in the vehicle weight M can be calculated | required by detecting the suspension sinking amount of the vehicle 100, etc. In addition, since the idling distance increases as the acceleration of the host vehicle increases, the brake preload Pp may be increased as the acceleration of the host vehicle increases. Further, the higher the adjacent vehicle deceleration α of the adjacent vehicle avoiding the obstacle, the higher the urgency, and the shorter the inter-vehicle distance E to the adjacent vehicle, the closer the obstacle is predicted to be. In any case, it is desirable to increase the brake preload Pp to shorten the idling distance.

  In the vehicle travel control device of the present embodiment, the brake preload of vehicle 100 is controlled as follows according to the behavior of the adjacent vehicle. If the deceleration of the adjacent vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold Gs (Yes in step S3), the brake preload Pp is calculated as described above (step S6), and the brake control device 9 operates the actuator. Drive (step S7) to generate a brake preload. When the acceleration operation is performed after the adjacent vehicle starts decelerating (No determination at Step S4, Yes determination at Step S8, No determination at Step S9, No determination at Step S11), it is assumed that the driver is willing to accelerate and brake preload is applied. Is released (step S13).

  Even if the acceleration operation is performed after the adjacent vehicle starts decelerating (No determination at Step S4, Yes determination at Step S8), if the operation speed of the accelerator pedal 18 is equal to or higher than the threshold value (Yes determination at Step S9). There is a possibility that the driver has stepped on the accelerator pedal 18 even though he has tried to step on the brake pedal 15 to avoid obstacles. Therefore, in this case, acceleration is prohibited regardless of the operation of the accelerator pedal 18 (step S10).

  If the accelerator operation has been performed before the adjacent vehicle starts decelerating (step S4 affirmative determination, step S5, step S11 affirmative determination), there is a possibility of emergency braking by the driver, that is, the adjacent vehicle is Until a predetermined time elapses after passing (No in step S12), the brake preload is continuously applied (steps S6 and S7). Here, the overtaking judgment of the adjacent vehicle is performed by detecting the relative speed between the adjacent vehicle and the own vehicle when the camera 12 (or the inter-vehicle distance sensor 11) cannot detect the adjacent vehicle, and the own vehicle is adjacent from the relative speed. What is necessary is just to calculate the required time until the vehicle is overtaken and to judge whether or not the required time has passed.

  If an acceleration operation is performed after a predetermined time has passed after overtaking an adjacent vehicle (step S8 affirmative determination, step S12 affirmative determination), the driver performs the acceleration operation after recognizing the surrounding situation. Since it is assumed that the brake is applied, the application of the brake preload is canceled (step S13).

  If there is no adjacent vehicle (No determination at Step S2), or if there is an adjacent vehicle and the deceleration is less than the threshold value Gs (No determination at Step S3), the brake preload is not applied (Step S13).

The vehicle travel control device of the present embodiment has the following operational effects.
(1) The brake preload is applied when the adjacent vehicle deceleration rate α detected by the camera 12 and the image processing device 13 is equal to or greater than the threshold value Gs. Thereby, for example, when the adjacent vehicle decelerates to avoid an obstacle ahead of the vehicle, the vehicle travel control device can apply the brake preload before recognizing the obstacle in front of the host vehicle. Therefore, since the brake preload is applied when the driver recognizes the obstacle, it is possible to realize the brake control with good responsiveness that can immediately generate a large braking force in response to the driver's braking operation.

(2) By setting the brake preload Pp higher as the adjacent vehicle deceleration rate α is higher, the value of the brake preload Pp to be applied can be optimized according to the degree of urgency.
(3) By setting the brake preload Pp higher as the host vehicle speed V is higher, the brake preload is lower at the low vehicle speed range, but the brake preload is large at the high vehicle speed range, and appropriate brake preload without giving the driver a sense of incongruity. Can be set.

(4) By setting the brake preload Pp higher as the host vehicle speed V or the host vehicle acceleration is higher, it is possible to effectively shorten the idling distance that increases as the host vehicle speed V or the host vehicle acceleration increases.
(5) By setting the brake preload Pp higher as the inter-vehicle distance E with the adjacent vehicle is smaller, an appropriate brake preload corresponding to an obstacle predicted to be closer as the inter-vehicle distance E with the adjacent vehicle is shorter is set. it can.

(6) By setting the brake preload Pp to be higher as the vehicle weight M is heavier, it is possible to apply a brake preload that does not give the driver a sense of incongruity by adapting to the inertial force difference due to the magnitude of the vehicle weight M.
(7) When acceleration operation is performed after overtaking an adjacent vehicle, the application of the brake preload is canceled. As a result, the acceleration state intended by the driver can be obtained.
(8) When acceleration operation is performed after overtaking an adjacent vehicle, the brake preload is continuously applied until a predetermined time elapses. Thereby, the responsiveness according to the emergency braking while there is a possibility of emergency braking by the driver can be secured.

(9) Even if the acceleration operation is performed after the adjacent vehicle starts decelerating, if the operation speed of the accelerator pedal 18 is equal to or higher than the threshold value, the acceleration is prohibited regardless of the operation of the accelerator pedal 18. It was configured as follows. As a result, even if the driver accidentally steps on the accelerator pedal 18 even though he or she tries to step on the brake pedal 15 to avoid an obstacle, the vehicle 100 does not accelerate, so safety can be improved.

---- Modified example ---
(1) In the above description, the presence or absence of the adjacent vehicle, the inter-vehicle distance E, the adjacent vehicle speed v, and the adjacent vehicle deceleration α are detected by performing image processing on the image captured by the camera 12 by the image processing device 13. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the presence / absence of an adjacent vehicle, the inter-vehicle distance E, the adjacent vehicle speed v, and the adjacent vehicle deceleration rate α may be detected by the inter-vehicle distance sensor 11, and the presence / absence of the adjacent vehicle is determined by the camera 12. Information may be detected by the inter-vehicle distance sensor 11.

(2) In the above description, the threshold value Gs for the adjacent vehicle deceleration α is a predetermined value, but the host vehicle speed V, the adjacent vehicle speed v, the lane width, the lane position where the adjacent vehicle travels, You may change according to the weather etc. For example, in the case of rain, the preliminary braking force may be applied more positively by setting the threshold value Gs to a low value. Moreover, you may comprise so that the threshold value Gs may be changed based on the information regarding the road obtained from a navigation apparatus. For example, if you are driving on a road where there are many intersecting roads and there are many vehicles entering from the side, or if you are driving on a road where there are many children jumping out, such as around a kindergarten or elementary school, If it is determined that the environment is likely to encounter objects, the threshold value Gs may be set to a low value.

(3) In the above description, the acceleration is prohibited if the operation speed of the accelerator pedal 18 is equal to or higher than the threshold value when the brake preload is applied, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the brake preload is applied, the degree of increase in the throttle valve opening command value θ ^* output from the travel control controller 14 to the engine control device 8 is suppressed even when the acceleration operation is performed, that is, the acceleration command May be suppressed to suppress acceleration of the vehicle 100. As a result, an increase in vehicle speed can be suppressed to increase the time until obstacle detection, and the free running distance and braking distance after obstacle detection can be shortened. Further, although acceleration is prohibited if the operation speed of the accelerator pedal 18 is equal to or higher than the threshold value when the brake preload is applied, the acceleration of the vehicle 100 may be suppressed (accelerated with a small acceleration).

(4) The above description does not refer to the notification to the driver when the brake preload is applied, but generates a notification sound when the brake preload is applied, or applies the brake preload to the indicator lamp or display on the instrument panel. You may make it alert by displaying that it is doing.

(5) The above description does not mention the relationship between the presence or absence of a preceding vehicle traveling in front of the own lane and the provision of a preliminary braking force based on the deceleration of an adjacent vehicle. For example, there is a preceding vehicle. In this case, the preceding vehicle follow-up control described above may be performed, and when the preceding vehicle does not exist, the preliminary braking force may be applied based on the deceleration of the adjacent vehicle described above. In addition, even if there is a preceding vehicle, if there is an adjacent vehicle before the preceding vehicle, or if the adjacent vehicle that was traveling in front of the preceding vehicle decelerates and falls behind the preceding vehicle When it is determined that the deceleration exceeds the threshold value Gs, a preliminary braking force may be applied based on the deceleration of the adjacent vehicle described above.

(6) In the above-described embodiment, an example in which a hydraulic disc brake is used as a braking device has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to a hydraulic braking device. For example, an electric braking device or a link type braking device may be used. A braking device may be used. In the case of an electric braking device, a preliminary braking force can be applied by adjusting the current flowing through the electric motor. Electric brake devices are disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 11-093991 and 2000-110860, and the brake devices disclosed in these patent documents can be applied to the present invention. Further, for example, in the case of a link type braking device in which a wire is linked from a brake pedal to a brake, an actuator for driving the wire is provided in the middle of the link, and a preliminary braking force can be applied by driving and controlling the actuator. it can. Furthermore, the braking device in the present invention may be either a disc brake or a drum brake. That is, if the responsiveness to the braking operation can be improved, the same effects as the above-described effects can be achieved. Therefore, each of the above-described components is not limited to the above configuration. In addition, in a system that applies a preliminary braking force by judging whether or not the deceleration of the adjacent vehicle is equal to or greater than the threshold value Gs from the outside, for example, based on information acquired by inter-vehicle communication with the adjacent vehicle. There may be.
(7) You may combine each embodiment and modification which were mentioned above, respectively.

  In the above embodiment and its modifications, for example, the adjacent vehicle speed change detecting means corresponds to the camera 12 and the image processing device 13 or the inter-vehicle distance sensor 11. The response improving means is realized by the travel control controller 14, the braking control device 9, and the disk brakes 7a to 7d. The accelerator pedal operation detection means corresponds to the accelerator sensor 17. The accelerator pedal operation speed detecting means is realized by the accelerator sensor 17 and the travel control controller 14. The above description is merely an example, and when interpreting the invention, there is no limitation or restriction on the correspondence between the items described in the above embodiment and the items described in the claims.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the vehicle carrying the vehicle travel control apparatus by this invention. It is the image of the adjacent vehicle imaged with the camera 12. FIG. It is a control block diagram which shows the traveling control function of the controller 14 for traveling control. It is a figure which shows a mode that an obstruction approachs an adjacent lane with respect to an adjacent vehicle. It is a flowchart which shows a brake preload control program. It is a calculation map of brake preload Pp.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Engine 2 Automatic transmission 7a-7d 8 Engine control apparatus 9 Braking control apparatus 10 Vehicle speed sensor 11 Inter-vehicle distance sensor 12 Camera 13 Image processing apparatus 14 Driving control controller 17 Acceleration sensor 100 Vehicle (own vehicle, own vehicle)

Claims (10)

An adjacent vehicle speed change detecting means for detecting a speed change of an adjacent vehicle traveling ahead of the host vehicle on the adjacent lane;
Vehicular travel, comprising: responsiveness improving means for improving responsiveness to a braking operation when a deceleration of the adjacent vehicle detected by the adjacent vehicle speed change detecting means exceeds a predetermined value. Control device. The vehicle travel control apparatus according to claim 1,
The responsiveness improving means improves responsiveness to a braking operation by generating a preliminary braking force when the deceleration of the adjacent vehicle detected by the adjacent vehicle speed change detecting means exceeds a predetermined value. A vehicular travel control device. The vehicle travel control apparatus according to claim 2,
The vehicle responsiveness control means increases the preliminary braking force to be generated as the deceleration of the adjacent vehicle detected by the adjacent vehicle speed change detecting means increases. In the vehicle travel control device according to claim 2 or 3,
The vehicle responsive control means increases the preliminary braking force to be generated as the speed of the host vehicle increases. In the vehicle travel control device according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
The vehicle responsive control means increases the preliminary braking force to be generated as the acceleration of the host vehicle increases. In the vehicle travel control device according to any one of claims 2 to 5,
The vehicle responsiveness control means increases the preliminary braking force to be generated as the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the adjacent vehicle is smaller. In the vehicle travel control device according to any one of claims 2 to 6,
The responsiveness improvement means suppresses an acceleration command of the host vehicle when the deceleration of the adjacent vehicle detected by the adjacent vehicle speed change detection means exceeds a predetermined value. apparatus. In the vehicle travel control device according to any one of claims 2 to 6,
Accelerator pedal operation detecting means for detecting whether or not the accelerator pedal is operated,
The responsiveness improving means releases the generated preliminary braking force when detecting that the accelerator pedal operation is detected by the accelerator pedal operation detecting means after generating the preliminary braking force. A vehicle travel control device. The vehicle travel control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein
An accelerator pedal operation speed detecting means for detecting the operation speed of the accelerator pedal;
Even if the responsiveness improving means detects the operation of the accelerator pedal by the accelerator pedal operation detecting means after generating the preliminary braking force, the accelerator pedal operation speed detecting means When the detected operation speed of the accelerator pedal exceeds a predetermined value, the generated braking force is not released and the acceleration force of the host vehicle generated corresponding to the operation amount of the accelerator pedal is generated. Vehicle travel control device characterized by suppressing the above.   A vehicle travel control device characterized by improving response to a braking operation when a deceleration of an adjacent vehicle traveling ahead of the host vehicle on an adjacent lane exceeds a predetermined value.

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