JP4425810B2 - Step learning system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a step learning system.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been provided a vehicle suspension control device capable of performing suspension control in accordance with road condition data provided by the navigation device in a vehicle equipped with the navigation device (for example, Patent Document 1). reference.). In this case, it is determined whether there is a step on the road based on the database, and the hardness of the suspension is controlled. Learning is also performed in which vertical acceleration, which is input from the suspension, is acquired, whether there is a step on the road based on the acquired vertical acceleration, and recorded in a database. That is, the actual suspension control result is compared with the predicted control content, and the content of the database is corrected based on the comparison result.
JP 2000-318634 A

  However, in the conventional suspension control device, the level difference on the road is learned as it is, and suspension control is performed based on the learned result. Stability may deteriorate, or the ride comfort may deteriorate due to rejection. For example, if there is a step in the corner and the suspension is softened corresponding to the step, the running stability is lowered. Further, when there is a step in a place where the road surface is greatly undulating, if the suspension is softened corresponding to the step, the vertical movement of the vehicle becomes violent and the ride comfort is reduced.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and even if a step area is detected, it is not learned in a situation that is not suitable for learning a step, thereby improving the running stability and riding of the vehicle. It is an object of the present invention to provide a step learning system capable of appropriately performing suspension control on a step without causing a decrease in comfort.

Therefore, in the level change learning system of the present invention, determination determines the step detecting means for detecting the level difference of the road, and storage means for storing level information of the stage difference stepped detecting means detects the traveling condition of the vehicle and means, based on a determination result of said determining means, the level information of the stage difference the step detecting means detects possess a storage processing means for selectively storing in said storage means, said determination means orientation of the vehicle The storage processing means does not store the step information of the step in the storage means when the posture of the vehicle is changing .

  According to the present invention, even when a step area is detected, learning is not performed in a situation that is not suitable for learning a step. Therefore, the suspension stability can be appropriately controlled with respect to the level difference without lowering the running stability and riding comfort of the vehicle.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the level difference learning system in the embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in the figure, the step learning system in the present embodiment controls a navigation device 10 as a traveling environment information output unit that outputs vehicle traveling environment information as road information, and a vehicle suspension (suspension device). A suspension control device 20 as a control unit and a suspension unit 30 are provided. Here, the vehicle may be of any type as long as it can travel on a road such as a passenger car, a truck, a bus, or a two-wheeled vehicle. A case where the vehicle is provided with two wheels will be described. It is assumed that the suspension unit 30 is attached to each of the four wheels.

  Reference numeral 11 is a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor, 12 is a gyro sensor that detects the rotational angular velocity of the vehicle, that is, a turning angle, 13 is a vehicle speed sensor that detects the vehicle speed, and 14 is a vehicle acceleration sensor. G sensor.

  Here, the navigation device 10 includes a calculation means such as a CPU and an MPU, a storage means such as a semiconductor memory and a magnetic disk, a CRT, a liquid crystal display, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) display, a display means such as a laser hologram, a touch panel, a remote A controller, input means such as a push button switch, a communication interface and the like are provided. In addition to the GPS sensor 11, the gyro sensor 12, the vehicle speed sensor 13, and the G sensor 14, the navigation device 10 includes a steering sensor that detects the steering angle of the vehicle operated by the driver, A winker sensor that detects the operation of the winker as a direction indicator, an accelerator sensor that detects an accelerator opening operated by the driver, a brake sensor that detects movement of a brake pedal of the vehicle operated by the driver, and weight information of the vehicle You may provide the vehicle weight sensor, geomagnetic sensor, distance sensor, beacon sensor, altimeter, etc. which are acquired. In this case, the GPS sensor 11 detects the current position on the earth by receiving radio waves transmitted from a GPS satellite (not shown), and the geomagnetic sensor detects the direction in which the vehicle is facing by measuring the geomagnetism. The distance sensor detects a distance between predetermined positions on the road. The beacon sensor receives position information from beacons arranged along the road and detects a current position. Then, the navigation device 10 is based on signals from the GPS sensor 11, the gyro sensor 12, the vehicle speed sensor 13, the G sensor 14, etc., the current position of the vehicle, the heading direction of the vehicle, the speed of the vehicle, The moving distance is detected.

  The storage means of the navigation device 10 includes a map data file, an intersection data file, a node data file, a road data file, and a facility information data file in which information on facilities such as hotels and gas stations in each region is stored. The map database unit 15 is provided. Further, the storage means includes information related to steps on the road detected by the suspension control device 20, that is, step information and data for searching for a route, along the searched route on the screen of the display means. A storage media unit 19 for storing various data for displaying a guide map, displaying a distance to the next intersection, a traveling direction at the next intersection, and other guidance information is provided. The storage media unit 19 also stores various data for outputting predetermined information as audio. The storage means includes all forms of storage media such as magnetic tape, magnetic disk, magnetic drum, flash memory, CD-ROM, MD, DVD-ROM, optical disk, MO, IC card, optical card, and memory card. It is also possible to use a removable external storage medium.

  The intersection data file stores intersection data, the node data file stores node data, and the road data file stores road data. The road data is displayed by the intersection data, node data, and road data. Displayed on the screen. The intersection data includes the type of intersection, that is, whether the intersection is a traffic signal lamp or an intersection where a traffic signal lamp is not installed. The node data constitutes at least the position and shape of the road in the map data recorded in the map data file, and includes actual road branch points (including intersections, T-junctions, etc.), node points And data indicating a link connecting the node points. Further, the node point indicates at least the position of a road bending point.

  The road data includes the width, gradient, cant, altitude, bank, road surface condition, number of road lanes, points where the number of lanes decreases, points where the width becomes narrower, etc. Contains data. In the case of an expressway or a main road, each lane in the opposite direction is stored as separate road data and processed as a double road. For example, in the case of a main road having two or more lanes on one side, it is processed as a two-way road, and the upward lane and the downward lane are stored in the road data as independent roads. The corner includes data such as a radius of curvature, an intersection, a T-junction, and a corner entrance. Further, the road attributes include data such as railroad crossings, expressway entrance rampways, expressway toll gates, downhill roads, uphill roads, road types (national roads, major local roads, general roads, highways, etc.).

  Further, the communication interface of the navigation device 10 communicates with the suspension control device 20 and transmits / receives various data to / from the FM transmitter, telephone line network, Internet, mobile phone network, and the like. For example, various data such as road information such as traffic jams, traffic accident information, and D-GPS information for detecting a detection error of the GPS sensor 11 received by an information sensor (not shown) is received.

  The navigation device 10 includes a current position detection unit 16 that detects a current position of the vehicle, a step area calculation processing unit 17 that executes a step area calculation process based on information about the step detected by the suspension control device 20, and A step information notification processing unit 18 that executes a step information notification process for notifying the suspension control device 20 of information about a step on the road ahead of the traveling direction of the vehicle is provided. Furthermore, the navigation device 10 has a learning request counter (not shown) as a counter that counts the number of learning requests transmitted at the same point. The navigation device 10 performs basic processing such as search for a route to a destination, travel guidance in the route, determination of a specific section, search for points, facilities, and the like, in the same manner as a normal vehicle navigation device. The map is displayed on the screen of the display means, and the current position of the vehicle, the route from the current position to the destination, guidance information along the route, etc. are displayed on the map. The guidance information may be output as a sound by a sound generation means. The navigation device 10 functions as current position specifying means for specifying the current position of the vehicle. Further, the navigation device 10 determines the shape of a corner or the like (including an intersection, a T-junction, a highway entrance / exit rampway, etc.) located in front of the vehicle in the travel route of the vehicle, a recommended approach speed to the corner, etc. Recognize the driving environment including. Then, the traveling environment information is transmitted to the suspension control device 20.

  The suspension control device 20 includes arithmetic means such as a CPU and MPU, storage means such as a semiconductor memory and a magnetic disk, a communication interface, and the like. The suspension control device 20 is communicably connected to the navigation device 10 via a communication network such as an in-vehicle LAN (Local Area Network) as a body communication network disposed in the vehicle. The suspension control device 20 includes a step detection processing unit 21 that executes a step detection process for detecting a step on the road, and a damping force control unit 25 as a suspension characteristic control unit that controls the characteristics of the suspension unit 30. Have

  The step detection processing unit 21 is connected to the step detection sensor 22 and detects that the vehicle has traveled on the step based on the detection signal of the step detection sensor 22. The step detection sensor 22 is, for example, a vertical acceleration sensor, and detects the vertical acceleration of the vehicle as an acceleration in which the sprung portion that is the vehicle body side portion of the suspension unit 30 moves in the vertical direction. Note that the G sensor 14 of the navigation device 10 and a vehicle height sensor (not shown) can also be used as the step detection sensor 22. Then, the step detection processing unit 21 extracts a high-frequency component of the vertical acceleration with a bandpass filter, and determines that the vehicle has traveled on the step if it is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold (threshold) value. When the detected vertical acceleration has a low frequency, it can be considered that it is not caused by a step, but by road surface undulations, so that it is not determined that the vehicle has traveled on the step.

  The damping force control unit 25 is connected to a vehicle speed sensor 26 that detects the speed of the vehicle and a steering sensor 27 that detects the steering angle of the steering of the vehicle operated by the driver, and the vehicle speed sensor 26 and the steering sensor 27 The characteristics of each suspension unit 30 are controlled based on the detection signal and the step information acquired from the step information notification processing unit 18 of the navigation device 10. Note that the vehicle speed sensor 13 and the steering sensor of the navigation device 10 can also be used as the vehicle speed sensor 26 and the steering sensor 27. Further, the damping force control unit 25 may control any characteristic of the suspension unit 30. For example, the damping force control unit 25 may control the value of the spring rate (spring constant or spring rate) of the spring member. A case where the damping force as a characteristic of the suspension unit 30 is controlled will be described. The damping force may be controlled by any method, but here, by driving an actuator built in the hydraulic damper 34 of each suspension unit 30 and rotating the orifice switching type damping variable valve, It is assumed that the diameter of the orifice in the oil flow path is changed.

  Here, the suspension unit 30 has one end rotatably attached to the vehicle body, the other end attached to a hub member or the like that supports the axle, a wheel support device such as an upper arm 31 and a lower arm 32, and a coil spring 33. And a shock absorber comprising a damper such as a hydraulic damper 34. The wheel support device and the shock absorber shown in the figure are merely examples, and the suspension unit 30 may have any type of wheel support device and shock absorber. The hydraulic damper 34 shown in the figure is a damping force variable damper with a built-in actuator. The suspension unit 30 transmits control status information to the suspension control device 20. In the example shown in the figure, the suspension control device 20 has an independent configuration, but the functions of the suspension control device 20 can be attached to the suspension unit 30.

  In the present embodiment, the step learning system includes a step detection unit, a storage unit, a determination unit, a storage processing unit, and a step information notification unit from the viewpoint of function. The level difference detecting means detects a level difference on the road, and includes functions such as a level difference detection processing unit 21 and a level difference detection sensor 22. The storage means stores step information of the step area detected by the step detection means, and includes functions of the storage media unit 19 and the like. Further, the determination means is for determining the traveling state of the vehicle and includes the functions of the navigation device 10 and the suspension control device 20. Further, the storage processing unit selectively stores the step information of the step area detected by the step detection unit in the storage unit based on the determination result by the determination unit. This includes functions such as the position detection unit 16 and the step area calculation processing unit 17. Further, the step information notification means notifies step information based on the current position and the step information of the step area stored in the storage means. Functions of the current position detection unit 16, the step information notification processing unit 18, and the like Is included.

  Next, the operation of the level difference learning system having the above-described configuration will be described.

  When the vehicle travels on a step on the road, for example, by reducing the damping force, by changing the characteristics of the suspension unit 30 to a soft setting, that is, to a soft setting, the riding comfort can be improved. . However, even if the characteristics of the suspension unit 30 are changed after detecting that there is a level difference, it will not be in time, so a sufficient effect cannot be obtained. Therefore, in order to obtain a sufficient effect, it is necessary to change the characteristics of the suspension unit 30 to a soft setting in advance. In order to change the characteristics of the suspension unit 30 in advance, step information is stored in advance in the map database unit 15 of the navigation device 10, and based on the step information and the current position of the vehicle, the vehicle travels forward. It may be possible to determine that there is a step within the predetermined distance range, but creating a map data file or road data file that stores step information on all the steps on the road is expensive, and the file Since the storage capacity of the system becomes enormous, it is practically difficult. In addition, it is conceivable to detect a step within a predetermined distance range ahead of the traveling direction of the vehicle by an imaging device such as a camera attached to the vehicle or a radar device such as a millimeter wave radar, but the step is detected with high accuracy. That will be costly.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the suspension control device 20 detects a step, a signal indicating that the step has been detected is transmitted to the navigation device 10 as a learning request, and the step area detected by the navigation device 10 in response to the learning request. Are stored in the storage media unit 19 for learning. The step area is a range where a step exists on the road. The step information is information relating to a step area including position information of a start point and an end point of the step area.

  When the step information is stored in the storage media unit 19 and travels on a road having the corresponding step area, the navigation device 10 transmits the stored step information of the step area to the suspension control device 20 in advance. Therefore, the suspension control device 20 can change the characteristics of the suspension unit 30 to a soft setting in advance based on the step information received from the navigation device 10. In this case, as described above, the cost does not increase and the storage capacity of the file does not become enormous, and the riding comfort can be improved.

  By the way, depending on the state of the road, if the characteristics of the suspension unit 30 are changed in advance to a soft setting based on the step information, the running stability may be lowered, or the riding comfort may be lowered. For example, when there is a step in the corner, the running stability may be reduced, and when there is a step in a place where the road surface is greatly undulating, the vertical movement of the vehicle becomes intense, On the other hand, ride comfort may be reduced.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, even when a step is detected, when it is considered that the running stability of the vehicle is lowered, when it is considered that the step is likely to be erroneously detected, and in the step area When it is considered that the position is likely to be erroneously detected, step learning is prohibited and the step information of the detected step area is not stored in the storage media unit 19.

  Here, when the running stability of the vehicle is considered to be reduced, when the vehicle is turning, the road surface freezes when the road is wavy, i.e. when it is running on a wavy road. Or when the vehicle is traveling on a frozen road. If the damping force of the suspension unit 30 is weakened while the vehicle is turning, the roll of the vehicle becomes large, and the running stability of the vehicle may further decrease. Further, if the damping force of the suspension unit 30 is weakened while traveling on a swell road, the vehicle will be largely shaken back, and the traveling stability of the vehicle may be further reduced.

  The time when it is considered that the step is likely to be erroneously detected is when the vertical acceleration of the vehicle increases when the vehicle makes a nose dive and passes through the step as in sudden deceleration. In such a case, even if the level difference level is small, the vertical acceleration value may exceed the threshold value for detecting the level difference, and the level difference may be erroneously detected.

  Also, when it is considered that the position of the stepped area is likely to be erroneously detected is when the road position is unclear, when traveling outside the road, or the like. Here, when the road position is unclear, it means that the vehicle is running on which road, such as when the vehicle is running immediately after the fork and where the two roads are approaching. This is a time when it is difficult for the navigation device 10 to identify a certain item. The time when the vehicle is traveling outside the road is when the current position of the vehicle and the road are not matched even when the navigation device 10 performs map matching, that is, when a mismatch has occurred. In such a case, there is a possibility of erroneous control.

  Even when a failure occurs, that is, when a failure occurs in the navigation device 10 or the suspension control device 20, the learning of the step is prohibited and the step information of the detected step area is stored in the storage media unit 19. do not do.

  Next, processing executed by the step learning system will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a procedure of processing executed by the level difference learning system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  First, the suspension control device 20 executes a step detection process. Here, the level difference detection process is a process in which the level difference detection processing unit 21 of the suspension control device 20 detects that the vehicle has traveled on the level difference based on the detection signal of the level difference detection sensor 22. In this case, the level difference detection processing unit 21 repeatedly executes the level difference detection process at a predetermined cycle, for example, every 10 [msec], and determines whether or not a level difference is detected each time it is executed. When the step learning prohibition condition is ON, the step detection is not performed. A step detection ON signal is transmitted to the navigation device 10 when the step changes from a state where the step is not detected to a detected state, and a step detection occurs when the step changes from a state where the step is detected to a state where it is not detected. An OFF signal is transmitted to the navigation device 10. In this case, the step detection ON signal corresponds to the start point of the learning request area as the detected step area, and the step detection OFF signal corresponds to the end point of the learning request area as the detected step area. The step detection ON signal and the step detection OFF signal are transmitted as step detection information. If no step is detected at the place where the damping force control unit 25 has executed the step control, the step deletion request information is transmitted to the navigation device 10.

  Subsequently, the navigation device 10 executes a step information storage prohibiting process. Here, in the step information storage prohibition process, the navigation device 10 determines whether or not the step information of the detected step area is stored in the storage media unit 19, and the position of the detected step area is likely to be erroneously detected. This is a process of prohibiting the storage of the step information when a failure occurs in the navigation device 10. If the detected position of the step area is easily misdetected, the step information is stored in the storage media unit 19.

  Moreover, the navigation apparatus 10 performs a level | step difference information notification process, when there exists the learned level | step difference area in the predetermined range ahead of the advancing direction of a vehicle. Here, the step information notification processing is based on the current position of the vehicle acquired from the current position detection unit 16 and the learning area information acquired from the storage media unit 19 by the step information notification processing unit 18 of the navigation device 10. This is a process of transmitting step information of a learning area as a learned step area within a predetermined range in the forward direction of the vehicle to the suspension control device 20. In this case, the step information notification processing unit 18 determines the road type of the road where the step area exists, and only the step information of the learning area in which the count value of the learning request counter is equal to or greater than the threshold corresponding to the road type is the suspension control device 20. Send to.

  Then, the suspension control device 20 executes a damping force control process. Here, in the damping force control process, the damping force control unit 25 of the suspension control device 20 reduces the damping force of the suspension unit 30 in accordance with the step level based on the step information received from the navigation device 10 to improve the riding comfort. It is a process to improve.

Next, a flowchart will be described.
Step S1: The suspension control device 20 executes a level difference detection process.
Step S2 The navigation device 10 executes a step information storage prohibiting process.

  Next, a subroutine for level difference detection processing in step S1 will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of level difference detection processing in the embodiment of the present invention.

  In this case, the step detection process is repeatedly executed at a predetermined timing, for example, once every 10 [msec]. First, the step detection processing unit 21 of the suspension control device 20 detects the vertical acceleration of the vehicle body based on a detection signal from the step detection sensor 22. And the level | step difference detection process part 21 extracts the high frequency component of a vertical acceleration.

  Subsequently, the step detection processing unit 21 executes a step learning prohibiting process. Here, the step learning prohibiting process is performed when the driving stability of the vehicle is considered to be low, when the step is considered to be erroneously detected, or when a failure occurs in the suspension control device 20. This process prohibits learning. Then, the step learning prohibiting condition is turned ON when the step learning is prohibited, and the step learning prohibiting condition is turned OFF when the step learning is not prohibited.

  Subsequently, the step detection processing unit 21 determines whether or not the step learning prohibition condition is ON. If the step learning prohibition condition is ON, step learning is prohibited, and the process is terminated. If the step learning prohibition condition is not ON, that is, if the step learning prohibition condition is OFF, it is determined whether or not step control is being performed in order to perform step learning. In this case, whether or not the damping force control unit 25 is executing control for reducing the damping force of the suspension unit 30 according to the step level and improving the riding comfort based on the step information received from the navigation device 10. Judging.

  Then, when the step control is being executed, the step detection processing unit 21 selects the step detection threshold G1 during which the step control is being executed. Here, the step detection sensor 22 is a vertical acceleration sensor, which detects the vertical acceleration of the vehicle as an acceleration in which the sprung portion that is the vehicle body side portion of the suspension unit 30 moves in the vertical direction, and the step detection sensor When it is detected based on the detection signal 22 that the vehicle has traveled on a step, even if the vehicle travels on the same step, the vertical acceleration of the vehicle differs depending on the control state of the suspension unit 30. For example, when the suspension control device 20 changes the characteristic of the suspension unit 30 to a soft setting in advance based on the step information received from the navigation device 10, the high frequency of the vertical acceleration of the vehicle even when traveling on the step. The component value decreases. In this case, the value of the high-frequency component of the vertical acceleration may be less than the threshold for detecting the step, that is, the step detection threshold, and the step may not be detected.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the damping force control unit 25 of the suspension control device 20 improves the riding comfort by reducing the damping force of the suspension unit 30 in accordance with the step information ahead from the navigation device 10, that is, When the level difference control is being executed, the level difference detection threshold is reduced. In this case, the step detection processing unit 21 selects a step detection threshold G1 during step control execution, which is a step detection threshold having a relatively small value, and executes the step detection processing. Note that the value of the step detection threshold G1 during step control execution can be set arbitrarily.

  Subsequently, the step detection processing unit 21 determines whether or not the high-frequency component of the vertical acceleration is greater than or equal to the step detection threshold G1. Here, when the high-frequency component of the vertical acceleration is equal to or higher than the step detection threshold G1 during the step control execution, the step detection flag is turned ON. If the high-frequency component of the vertical acceleration is not equal to or higher than the step detection threshold G1 during step control execution, the step detection flag is turned OFF.

  Subsequently, the step detection processing unit 21 transmits a step detection signal to the navigation device 10. The step detection signal includes a step detection ON signal indicating the start point of the step area, a step detection OFF signal indicating the end point of the step area, a calculated step level, and the like. The step detection processing unit 21 turns on the step detection flag when a step is detected in the current step detection process without detecting a step in the step detection process executed previously in the step detection process repeatedly executed. It is supposed to be. If the step detection flag is kept ON and no step is detected in the step detection process, the step detection flag is turned OFF and a step detection OFF signal is output, and the step detection flag is kept OFF. When the vehicle detects a step in the step detection process, the step detection flag is turned ON and a step detection ON signal is output.

  Further, the step detection processing unit 21 determines whether or not a step is actually detected at the place where the step control is executed. In this case, it is determined whether or not the step detection flag is turned off when the vehicle travels in a place where the damping force control unit 25 performs the damping force control process based on the step information received from the navigation device 10. . Then, if a step is actually detected, the process is terminated as it is. If no step is actually detected, the step detection processing unit 21 transmits step deletion request information to the navigation device 10 and ends the process.

  Further, when it is determined whether or not the step control is being executed and the step control is not being executed, the step detection processing unit 21 selects the step detection threshold G2 when the step control is not being executed. Note that the value of the step detection threshold G2 during the step control non-execution is larger than the value of the step detection threshold G1 during the step control execution, and can be arbitrarily set.

  Subsequently, the step detection processing unit 21 determines whether or not the high-frequency component of the vertical acceleration is greater than or equal to the step detection threshold G2. Here, when the high-frequency component of the vertical acceleration is equal to or higher than the step detection threshold G2 during the step control non-execution, the step detection flag is turned ON. If the high-frequency component of the vertical acceleration is not equal to or higher than the step detection threshold G2 during which step control is not being executed, the step detection flag is turned OFF. And the level | step difference detection process part 21 transmits a level | step difference detection signal to the navigation apparatus 10, and complete | finishes a process.

Next, a flowchart will be described.
Step S1-1: The vertical acceleration of the vehicle body is detected based on the detection signal from the step detection sensor 22.
Step S1-2: Extract high frequency components of vertical acceleration.
Step S1-3 Step difference prohibition processing is executed.
Step S1-4: It is determined whether or not the step learning prohibition condition is ON. If the step learning prohibition condition is ON, the process ends. If the step learning prohibition condition is not ON, the process proceeds to step S1-5.
Step S1-5: It is determined whether or not the step control is being executed. If step control is being performed, the process proceeds to step S1-6, and if step control is not being performed, the process proceeds to step S1-13.
Step S1-6: Select a step detection threshold G1 during step control execution.
Step S1-7: It is determined whether or not the high-frequency component of the vertical acceleration is greater than or equal to the step detection threshold G1. If the high-frequency component of vertical acceleration is greater than or equal to the step detection threshold G1, the process proceeds to step S1-8. If the high-frequency component of vertical acceleration is not greater than or equal to the step detection threshold G1, the process proceeds to step S1-9.
Step S1-8: Set the level difference detection flag to ON.
Step S1-9: The level difference detection flag is turned off.
Step S1-10: Step detection information is transmitted to the navigation device 10.
Step S1-11: It is determined whether or not a step is actually detected at the place where the step control is executed. If a step is not actually detected at the place where the step control is executed, the process proceeds to step S1-12. If a step is actually detected at the place where the step control is executed, the process ends.
Step S1-12 The step deletion request information is transmitted to the navigation device 10, and the process is terminated.
Step S1-13: Select a step detection threshold G2 when step control is not being executed.
Step S1-14: It is determined whether or not the high-frequency component of the vertical acceleration is greater than or equal to the step detection threshold G2. If the high-frequency component of the vertical acceleration is greater than or equal to the step detection threshold G2, the process proceeds to step S1-15. If the high-frequency component of the vertical acceleration is not greater than or equal to the step detection threshold G2, the process proceeds to step S1-16.
Step S1-15: Set the step detection flag to ON.
Step S1-16: The level difference detection flag is turned off.
Step S1-17 The step detection information is transmitted to the navigation device 10, and the process is terminated.

  Next, a sub-routine for the step learning prohibiting process in step S1-3 will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of step learning prohibition processing in the embodiment of the present invention.

  First, the level difference detection processing unit 21 determines whether or not the suspension control device is failing. In this case, it is determined whether or not a failure has occurred in the suspension control device 20, and if a failure has occurred, it is determined that the suspension control device has failed and the step learning prohibition condition is set to ON, and the process ends. .

  Further, if no failure has occurred, the step detection processing unit 21 determines whether or not the vehicle is turning, assuming that the suspension control device has not failed. In this case, it is determined whether the vehicle is turning based on the detection signal of the steering sensor 27. If the level difference detection processing unit 21 is connected to a yaw rate sensor or lateral acceleration sensor not shown, it is determined whether the vehicle is turning based on detection signals from the yaw rate sensor and lateral acceleration sensor. You can also. If the vehicle is turning, the step learning prohibition condition is turned on and the process is terminated.

  When the vehicle is not turning, the level difference detection processing unit 21 determines whether the vehicle is traveling on a swell road. That is, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is traveling on a road with a wavy road surface. In this case, the vertical acceleration of the vehicle body is detected based on the detection signal from the level difference detection sensor 22, and it is determined whether the vehicle is traveling on a swell road based on the low frequency component of the vertical acceleration. If the vehicle is traveling on a undulating road, the step learning prohibition condition is turned ON and the process is terminated.

  Further, when the vehicle is not traveling on a swell road, the level difference detection processing unit 21 determines whether or not the vehicle is suddenly decelerating. In this case, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is rapidly decelerating based on the detection signal of the G sensor 14. If the vehicle is suddenly decelerating, the step learning prohibition condition is set to ON and the process is terminated. If the vehicle is not rapidly decelerating, the step learning prohibiting condition is turned off and the process is terminated.

Next, a flowchart will be described.
Step S1-3-1: It is determined whether or not the suspension control device is failing. If it is during suspension control device failure, the process proceeds to step S1-3-6. If it is not during suspension control device failure, the process proceeds to step S1-3-2.
Step S1-3-2: Determine whether the vehicle is turning. If the vehicle is turning, the process proceeds to step S1-3-6. If the vehicle is not turning, the process proceeds to step S1-3-3.
Step S1-3-3: It is determined whether the vehicle is traveling on a swell road. If it is traveling on a undulating road, the process proceeds to step S1-3-6. If it is not traveling on a undulating road, the process proceeds to step S1-3-4.
Step S1-3-4: It is determined whether or not sudden deceleration is being performed. If it is suddenly decelerating, the process proceeds to step S1-3-6. If it is not suddenly decelerating, the process proceeds to step S1-3-5.
Step S1-3-5: The step learning prohibition condition is turned off and the process is terminated.
Step S1-3-6: The step learning prohibition condition is set to ON and the process is terminated.

  Next, the step information storage prohibiting subroutine in step S2 will be described.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of step information storage prohibition processing in the embodiment of the present invention.

  First, the navigation device 10 determines whether there is step detection information or step deletion request information, that is, whether the step detection information or step deletion request information is received from the step detection processing unit 21. If neither the step detection information nor the step deletion request information is present, the process is terminated as it is.

  Further, when there is step detection information or step deletion request information, the navigation device 10 determines whether or not the navigation device fails. In this case, it is determined whether or not a failure has occurred in the navigation device 10 itself, and when the failure has occurred, the step detection information or the step deletion request information is cleared, assuming that the navigation device is failing, That is, it erases and ends the processing.

  If no failure has occurred, the navigation device 10 determines that the current navigation position is unclear, assuming that the navigation device has not failed. In this case, when the road position is unclear or when traveling outside the road, it is determined that the current position detected by the current position detection unit 16 is unclear, and the navigation current position is unclear. The step detection information or the step deletion request information is cleared, that is, deleted, and the process ends.

  If the current position detected by the current position detection unit 16 is determined to be clear, the navigation device 10 stores the learning data based on the step detection information or the step deletion request information, assuming that the navigation current position is not ambiguous. The data is stored in the media unit 19 and the process is terminated.

Next, a flowchart will be described.
Step S2-1: Determine whether there is step detection information or step deletion request information. If there is step detection information or step deletion request information, the process proceeds to step S2-2. If there is no step detection information or step deletion request information, the process ends.
Step S2-2: It is determined whether or not the navigation device is failing. If the navigation device fails, the process proceeds to step S2-5. If the navigation device fails, the process proceeds to step S2-3.
Step S2-3: It is determined whether or not the current navigation position is unclear. If the current navigation position is ambiguous, the process proceeds to step S2-5. If the current navigation position is not ambiguous, the process proceeds to step S2-4.
Step S2-4: Based on the step detection information and the step deletion request information, the learning data is stored in the storage media unit 19, and the process is terminated.
Step S2-5: The step detection information and the step deletion request information are cleared, and the process ends.

  As described above, in this embodiment, even when a step on the road is detected while the vehicle is running, the detected step is not learned if the step is not suitable for learning the step. . That is, the vehicle posture is determined, and when the vehicle posture is changing, the step information of the step area is not stored in the storage media unit 19. It is determined that the posture of the vehicle is changing when the vehicle is turning, when the vehicle is traveling on a road with a wavy road, and when the vehicle is rapidly decelerating. Further, when the current position of the vehicle is determined and the current position of the vehicle is unclear, the step information of the step area is not stored in the storage media unit 19. Further, when a vehicle failure is determined and the vehicle has a failure, the step information of the step area is not stored in the storage media unit 19. Therefore, the suspension stability can be appropriately controlled with respect to the level difference without lowering the running stability and riding comfort of the vehicle.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, It can change variously based on the meaning of this invention, and does not exclude them from the scope of the present invention.

It is a flowchart which shows the subroutine of the level | step difference prohibition process in embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the level | step difference learning system in embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the process which the level | step difference learning system in embodiment of this invention performs. It is a flowchart which shows the subroutine of the level | step difference detection process in embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the subroutine of the level | step difference information storage prohibition process in embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Navigation apparatus 16 Current position detection part 17 Step area calculation process part 18 Step information notification process part 19 Storage media part 20 Suspension control apparatus 21 Step detection process part 22 Step detection sensor

Claims (2)

(A) a step detecting means for detecting a step on the road;
(B) storage means for stepped detecting means for storing level information of the stage difference detected,
(C) determination means for determining the traveling state of the vehicle;
And (d) based on the determination means according to the determination result, have a storage processing means for selectively storing level information of the stage difference the step detecting means detects in the storage means,
(E) the determination means determines the attitude of the vehicle;
(F) The step learning system , wherein the storage processing unit does not store the step information of the step in the storage unit when the posture of the vehicle is changing . The determination means determines that the attitude of the vehicle is changing when the vehicle is turning, when the vehicle is traveling on a road with a wavy road, and when the vehicle is decelerating rapidly. The step learning system according to claim 1 .

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