JPH08169253A - Vehicle speed control device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] In a vehicle speed control device for a vehicle configured to perform vehicle speed control in both forward and backward directions by inputting a target vehicle speed setting using the operating member 12, careless switching of the vehicle traveling direction by manual operation. Prevent. [Structure] The operation member 12 is manually operated to set a reference position P.
Can be selectively moved into the "advancing region" and the "retracting region" on both sides thereof. While the vehicle is traveling forward, the reference position P in the movement trajectory of the pin 32 of the operation member 12
And the movement restricting member 50 is projected between the "reverse area" to prohibit movement into the "reverse area" (A), and while the vehicle is traveling backward, between the reference position P and the "forward area" in the movement locus. The movement restricting member 50 is projected to the "forward region"
Inward movement is prohibited (B), and while the vehicle is stopped, the movement restriction member 50 is retracted outside the movement locus to release the movement prohibition (C).

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention sets a target vehicle speed by manually moving an operating member such as a lever and controls the vehicle speed so that the actual vehicle speed matches the target vehicle speed.
The present invention relates to a vehicle speed control device for an automobile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a vehicle speed control for controlling an inter-vehicle distance or the like accelerates or decelerate a vehicle by a combination of an engine throttle control according to a driver's accelerator pedal operation amount and a driver's brake pedal operation. It is done by

In the vehicle speed control by the depression operation of the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal, the driver directly controls the acceleration of the vehicle. Therefore, for example, in order to control the inter-vehicle distance, a predictive operation (differential operation) of the driver that predicts the future inter-vehicle distance based on the speed and the acceleration is required, which imposes a heavy burden on a novice driver and an elderly driver. Will be things. In addition, the frequency of pedal operation is inevitably high, so that the driver is forced to carry a high operation load for controlling the vehicle speed.

For this reason, various measures have conventionally been taken to reduce the burden of vehicle speed control due to acceleration. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 3-90437 discloses a vehicle speed control device that controls the vehicle speed at a speed according to the amount of depression of an accelerator pedal, and is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 1-182136 and 1-168831. The official gazette discloses a constant speed traveling control device that sets the vehicle speed at the vehicle speed when the accelerator pedal or the brake pedal is released.
No. 34439 discloses an inter-vehicle distance control device that detects an inter-vehicle distance from a preceding vehicle and controls the inter-vehicle distance.

By the way, the input for controlling the vehicle speed is not performed by the acceleration as in the above-mentioned conventional vehicle speed control devices.
If it is performed at speed, the burden of vehicle speed control can be reduced. For example, a method of manually moving an operating member such as a lever to set a target vehicle speed and controlling the vehicle speed so that the actual vehicle speed matches the target vehicle speed can be considered. In this case, the above-mentioned operation member will fulfill the function which integrated each function of an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and a shift lever.

When such a vehicle speed control device is adopted, it is possible to set the target vehicle speed by the operating member not only for the forward vehicle speed but also for the backward vehicle speed. For example, the operating member is selectively movable from a predetermined reference position into a first region and a second region located on both sides of the reference position. When the operating member is in the reference position, the target vehicle speed is set. To zero,
It is possible to adopt a configuration in which the vehicle speed is set to a predetermined vehicle speed in the forward direction when the vehicle is in the first area, and the vehicle speed is set to a predetermined vehicle speed in the backward direction when the vehicle is in the second area.

[0007]

However, simply adopting such a vehicle speed control device may cause the following problems.

That is, in this vehicle speed control device,
It is also possible to perform a manual operation of moving the operating member in the first area into the second area, or moving the operating member in the second area into the first area. The operation is to instruct the backward traveling even if the vehicle is traveling forward, or to instruct the forward traveling even if the vehicle is traveling backward. The abrupt switching may cause an unreasonable force to be applied to the transmission and the like, and may give a passenger an uncomfortable feeling due to a sudden change in vehicle speed, a shift shock or the like.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and in the case where the vehicle speed control in both forward and backward directions is performed by the target vehicle speed setting input using the operation member, careless operation by manual operation is performed. An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle speed control device for an automobile, which can prevent switching of various vehicle traveling directions.

[0010]

According to the present invention, the movement of the operating member into the second region during forward traveling and the movement of the operating member into the first region during backward traveling are prohibited. The above-mentioned objects are achieved.

That is, as described in claim 1, an operating member which is selectively movable from a predetermined reference position into a first region and a second region located on both sides of the reference position by a manual operation, The target vehicle speed is set to zero when the operating member is in the reference position, the target vehicle speed is set to a predetermined vehicle speed in the forward direction when the operating member is in the first region, and the operating member is set to the second region. Target vehicle speed setting means for setting the target vehicle speed to a predetermined vehicle speed in the backward direction, vehicle speed detection means for detecting the actual vehicle speed, and vehicle speed for controlling the vehicle speed so that the detected actual vehicle speed matches the target vehicle speed. A control means and a movement restricting means for prohibiting movement of the operating member into the second area during forward traveling and prohibiting movement of the operating member into the first area during backward traveling. hand And it is characterized in Rukoto.

The mode of setting the target vehicle speed in each of the first and second regions by the "target vehicle speed setting means" is not particularly limited. For example, as described in claim 3, the position of the operating member is The absolute value of the target vehicle speed can be set to be larger as the distance from the reference position increases, but in this case, the target vehicle speed may be continuously changed according to the position change of the operation member, or in steps. It may be changed.

The above-mentioned "movement restricting means" is capable of prohibiting the movement of the operating member into the second region during forward traveling and the movement of the operating member into the first region during backward traveling. Although not limited to a specific configuration, for example, the configuration described in claim 2 can be adopted.

[0014]

As described above, the operating member is located in the first area during forward traveling and in the second area during backward traveling. The movement of the operating member into the second region is prohibited during the forward traveling, and the movement of the operating member into the first region is prohibited during the backward traveling. Operation of moving the operating member in the second area into the second area (that is, instructing the backward traveling even when the vehicle is traveling in the forward direction), and moving the operating member in the second area into the first area. The manual operation to move to (i.e., to instruct the vehicle to move forward even if the vehicle is moving backward) becomes impossible.

Therefore, there is no possibility of abrupt switching of the traveling direction of the vehicle, which may result in an unreasonable force being applied to the transmission or the like, or may give an occupant a strange feeling due to a sudden change in vehicle speed or a shift shock. Disappears.

As described above, according to the present invention, when the vehicle speed is controlled in both forward and backward directions by inputting the target vehicle speed using the operating member, careless switching of the vehicle traveling direction by manual operation is prevented. be able to.

In the above structure, as described in claim 2, the structure of the movement restricting means is provided so as to be able to project in the movement locus of the operating member, and when the movement restricting means is projecting in the movement locus, The movement restricting member that restricts the movement of the operation member by the contact action of the operation member and the movement restricting member are projected between the reference position and the second region in the movement locus during forward traveling, and in the movement locus during backward traveling. Reference position and first
With the configuration including the movement restricting member driving means that protrudes between the regions and retracts to the outside of the movement locus when the vehicle is stopped, the movement restricting function of the movement restricting means with respect to the operation member can be reliably exhibited.

Further, in addition to the above-mentioned structure, as described in claim 4, there may be provided a reaction force applying means for detecting a traveling condition and imparting an operation reaction force corresponding to the traveling condition to the operation member. For example, it is possible to prevent the target vehicle speed from changing suddenly due to an inadvertent manual operation, and in the case where the structure as described in claim 2 is adopted as the movement restricting means, the operation member is the movement restricting member. It is also possible to prevent the occurrence of a situation in which the movement restricting member is damaged due to impacting contact.

Further, in the above construction, the operating member is
The vehicle speed setting permitting means as set forth in claim 5 (that is, the movement of the operating member from the reference position into each region is performed only when a predetermined additional manual operation other than the manual operation is performed on the operating member. If it is configured with (means for allowing),
It is possible to prevent the operation member from being moved by the driver's inadvertent manual operation while the vehicle is stopped to set the target vehicle speed in the forward or backward direction.

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall construction of an embodiment of a vehicle speed control device according to the present invention.

In FIG. 1, the vehicle speed control device 10 has an operating member 12, a target vehicle speed setting means 14, a vehicle speed detecting means 16, and a vehicle speed control means 18 as its main constituent elements.
A movement restricting means 20 and a reaction force applying means 22.

As shown in FIG. 2, the operating member 12 has a rectangular opening 26 in the operating frame 24 which is manually operated by a driver.
A lever member provided so as to be reciprocally movable inside, a base end portion 12a located in the operation frame 24, a shaft portion 12b extending upward from the base end portion 12a through a rectangular opening 26, and the shaft portion. It is composed of a grip portion 12c provided at the upper end of 12b. The operation frame 24 is configured as a part of a center console or the like arranged near the driver's seat.

The target vehicle speed setting means 14 is the operation member 1
The target vehicle speed V _O is set according to the moving position of 2. The target vehicle speed setting means 14 has a rectangular opening 2
The movement position of the operating member 12 within 6 is detected, and this detection signal is output to the vehicle speed control means 18 as a signal corresponding to the target vehicle speed V _O. In FIG. 2, when the operating member 12 is at the reference position (position indicated by P), the vehicle speed is zero, and when moving from the reference position P to the other side (front side of the vehicle), it is forward vehicle speed, and the front side (vehicle). When moving to the rear side), the target vehicle speed V _O is set as the backward vehicle speed. In the present embodiment, hereinafter, the moving area on the far side of the reference position P will be referred to as the “forward area”, and the moving area on the front side of the reference position P will be referred to as the “retract area”.

The target vehicle speed V _O is set so that its absolute value increases as the position of the operating member 12 moves away from the reference position P. As shown in the figure, the upper surface of the operation frame 24 is displayed along the left side portion of the rectangular opening portion 26 with a scale indicating a forward vehicle speed of up to 150 km and a backward vehicle speed of up to 50 km.

As shown in FIG. 2, the operation frame 24 is provided with an opening side wall 28 along the right side of the rectangular opening 26, and a portion of the opening side wall 28 corresponding to the reference position P is provided. A trapezoidal notch 30 is formed.

On the right side of the base end portion 12a of the operating member 12, there is provided a pin 32 which is always biased upward and protrudes to the right, and the pin 32 is below the opening side wall 28 of the operating frame 24. It is arranged so as to engage with the end face. Therefore, when the operating member 12 is moved, the pin 32 traces the lower end surface of the opening side wall 28 accordingly, and other general parts are provided in the part corresponding to the reference position P where the notch 30 is formed. It will rise to a position one step higher than in. On the other hand, the grip portion 1 of the operation member 12
On the right side of 2c, a button 34 mechanically connected to the pin 32 is provided so as to project. By pushing this button 34, the pin 32 can be lowered slightly below the lower end surface of the opening side wall 28 against the upward biasing force.

The vehicle speed detecting means 16 is adapted to detect the actual vehicle speed V of the own vehicle.

The vehicle speed control means 18 determines the actual vehicle speed V and the target vehicle speed V _O based on the information such as the actual vehicle speed V and the target vehicle speed V _O.
The vehicle speed is controlled so that the deviation | V _O −V | That is, the throttle opening control (if necessary) is performed by calculating control operation amounts for the throttle 36 (adding an AT controller if necessary) and the master cylinder 38 and outputting control signals to the control units of these actuators. The shift position switching control is added) and the master cylinder hydraulic pressure control are performed individually or in combination to control the vehicle speed.

The throttle opening control and the master cylinder hydraulic pressure control are also performed by depressing the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal, as in a normal vehicle. The switching control between the control by the pedal depression operation and the control by the vehicle speed control device 10 is performed as follows.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the switching detection means 42 detects the on / off state of the main switch 40 of the vehicle speed control device 10 and the brake depression detection means 44 detects the depression of the brake pedal. When the main switch 40 is in the on state and the brake depression detection means 44 is in the off state, the control switching means 46 is operated so that the vehicle speed control device 10 performs the control, and in other cases, the pedal depression operation is performed. As a result, the switching control is performed. This makes it possible to give priority to pedal operation by turning off the main switch 40 when delicate accelerator control is required at the time of limit cornering, etc. Also, when sudden deceleration is required, depressing the brake pedal enables instant and quick operation. In addition, when it is desired to return from the control by pedal depression to the vehicle speed control state, the vehicle can be restored without performing unnecessary operation.

Based on the actual vehicle speed V input from the vehicle speed detecting means 16, the movement restricting means 20 prohibits movement of the operating member 12 into the "reverse area" during forward traveling and also operates the operating member 12 during backward traveling. Are prohibited from moving into the "advance zone".

The movement restricting means 20 is composed of the pulse motor 4
8 is composed of a plate-shaped movement restricting member 50 attached to the output shaft 48a, and a motor drive control means 52 for driving and controlling the pulse motor 48. The movement restricting member 36 is provided so as to be able to project within the movement trajectory of the operation member 12 (more accurately, within the trajectory of the pin 32 of the base end portion 12a of the operation member 12), and is in a state of protruding within the movement trajectory. When
The movement of the operation member 12 is regulated by coming into contact with the pin 32 of the operation member 12 that has moved. The motor drive control means 52 drives and controls the pulse motor 48 to cause the movement restricting member 36 to protrude between the reference position P and the “reverse area” in the movement trajectory during the forward movement of the vehicle, and moves during the backward movement of the vehicle. It is made to project between the reference position P and the "forward region" in the trajectory, and is retracted outside the movement trajectory while the vehicle is stopped.

This will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 4, the output shaft 48a of the pulse motor 48 has a notch 30 formed in the lower end surface of the opening side wall 28 of the operation frame 24 (corresponding to the reference position P). The movement restricting member 50 faces a corner portion between the reference position P corresponding portion and the general portion on the rear side thereof by the drive control of the pulse motor 48 by the motor drive control means 52. The direction at 10 o'clock (Fig. (A)), and the direction at 2 o'clock facing the corner between the reference position P corresponding part and the general part on the front side (Fig. (B)), and the direction directly below. The rotational positioning control is selectively performed in the 6 o'clock direction (FIG. 7C). The movement restricting member 50 is positioned in the 10 o'clock direction during forward traveling of the vehicle, in the 2 o'clock direction during backward traveling of the vehicle, and in the 6 o'clock direction during stopping of the vehicle.

When attempting to move the operating member 12 by manual operation, the reaction force applying means 22 applies a reaction force corresponding to the deviation | V _O -V | between the actual vehicle speed V and the target vehicle speed V _O to the operating member. 1
By giving it to No. 2, it is possible to prevent accidental sudden acceleration and deceleration from occurring.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the contents of the movement regulation control by the motor drive control means 52 of the movement regulation means 20.

First, the actual vehicle speed V input from the vehicle speed detecting means 16 is read (step S1). As a result, V
4> A (if traveling forward), the angular position of FIG. 4 (A); V <0 (if traveling backward)
When V = 0 at the angular position of (B) (when the vehicle is stopped), the pulse motor 48 is drive-controlled so that the movement restricting member 50 is arranged at the angular position of FIG. 4C. Steps S2, S3, S4, S5). Then, the above process is repeated until the main switch 40 is turned off (step S6).

As described in detail above, the operating member 12 is in the "forward region" during forward traveling and in the "reverse region" during backward traveling.
However, in the present embodiment, the movement restricting means 20 prohibits the movement of the operating member 12 into the “reverse region” during forward traveling, and the backward movement of the operating member 12 during backward traveling. Since the movement into the "forward region" is prohibited, a manual operation for moving the operating member 12 in the "forward region" into the "reverse region" (that is, when the vehicle is traveling forward) Instructing the vehicle to run backward even though the vehicle is moving backward) and a manual operation for moving the operating member 12 in the "backward area" into the "forward area" (that is, the vehicle is moving forward even though the vehicle is moving backward). It becomes impossible to instruct driving).

Therefore, there is no possibility of a sudden changeover operation in the traveling direction of the vehicle being carried out, so that an unreasonable force is applied to the transmission or the like, or an occupant may feel uncomfortable due to a sudden change in vehicle speed or a shift shock. There is no fear.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the vehicle speed control in both the forward and backward directions is performed by the target vehicle speed setting input using the operation member 12, the careless switching of the vehicle traveling direction by the manual operation is performed. Can be prevented.

Moreover, in this embodiment, the movement restricting means 20 is provided so as to be capable of projecting within the movement locus of the operating member 12, and when the movement regulating means 20 projects within the movement locus, the operating member 1
The movement restricting member 50 that restricts the movement of the operation member 12 by the abutting action with the operation member 12, and the movement restricting member 50 is controlled by the drive of the pulse motor 48. It is provided with a motor drive control means 52 for projecting between the "reverse region", for projecting between the reference position P in the movement locus during the backward traveling and for the "forward region", and for retracting outside the movement locus during stopping. Therefore, the movement regulating function of the movement regulating means 20 with respect to the operation member 12 can be surely exhibited.

Further, in this embodiment, the reaction force applying means 22 applies an operation reaction force corresponding to the actual vehicle speed V to the operation member 12.
Therefore, it is possible to prevent the target vehicle speed V _O from changing suddenly by an inadvertent manual operation.
Further, it is possible to prevent the situation in which the operation member 12 impacts the movement restricting member 50 and damages the movement restricting member 50.

Further, in this embodiment, the operating member 1
2 is a vehicle speed setting permitting means for permitting movement of the operating member 12 from the reference position P into each area only when the button 34 is pressed as an additional manual operation other than the manual operation on the operating member 12. Since the pin 32 is provided, it is possible to prevent the operation member 12 from moving and the target vehicle speed setting in the forward or backward direction being set by the driver's inadvertent manual operation while the vehicle is stopped.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an embodiment of a vehicle speed control device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an operation member and its peripheral members in the above embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the contents of switching control between control by the vehicle speed control device of the above embodiment and control by pedal depression operation.

FIG. 4 is a view of the side wall of the opening as viewed from the right, showing the operation of the above embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the contents of movement restriction control in the above embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 vehicle speed control device 12 operation member (lever member) 14 target vehicle speed setting means 16 vehicle speed detecting means 18 vehicle speed control means 20 movement restricting means 22 reaction force applying means 28 opening side wall 30 notch 32 pin (vehicle speed setting permitting means) 48 pulse motor 48a Output shaft 50 Movement restriction member 52 Motor drive control means

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An operating member which is selectively movable from a predetermined reference position into a first region and a second region located on both sides of the reference position by a manual operation, and the operating member is in the reference position. Sometimes, the target vehicle speed is set to zero, when the operating member is in the first area, the target vehicle speed is set to a predetermined vehicle speed in the forward direction, and when the operating member is in the second area, the target vehicle speed is in the backward direction. Target vehicle speed setting means for setting a predetermined vehicle speed, vehicle speed detecting means for detecting the actual vehicle speed, vehicle speed control means for controlling the vehicle speed so that the detected actual vehicle speed matches the target vehicle speed, and The operation member is prohibited from moving into the second area, and the operation member is moved to the first area during backward traveling.
A vehicle speed control device for an automobile, comprising: a movement restricting means for prohibiting movement into the area. 2. The movement restricting means is provided so as to be capable of projecting within a movement locus of the operation member, and restricts the movement of the operation member by abutting action with the operation member when projecting within the movement locus. And a movement restricting member that protrudes between the reference position and the second region in the movement locus during forward traveling and the reference position and the first position in the movement trajectory during backward traveling. 2. A vehicle speed control device for an automobile according to claim 1, further comprising: a movement restricting member driving unit that protrudes between the regions and retracts outside the movement locus while the vehicle is stopped. 3. The target vehicle speed setting means is configured to set the absolute value of the target vehicle speed larger as the position of the operating member in each of the regions becomes farther from the reference position. The vehicle speed control device for an automobile according to claim 1 or 2. 4. A vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising reaction force applying means for detecting a traveling state and applying an operation reaction force corresponding to the traveling state to the operation member. Vehicle speed control device. 5. The operation member is allowed to move from the reference position into each area only when a predetermined additional manual operation other than the manual operation is performed on the operation member. The vehicle speed control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: