JPH0891027A - Car driving support equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract: An object of the present invention is to assist driving by detecting and determining the surrounding environment of the vehicle by the vehicle itself, and in particular, vehicle driving assistance capable of automatically controlling tire pressure according to the vehicle speed. It is to provide a device. SOLUTION: The rotation sensors 2A to 2D detect the vehicle speed, and the controller 20 energizes a heater 303 to heat a metal hydride 302 when the vehicle speed becomes higher according to the detected vehicle speed, thereby heating a metal. Gas is released from the hydride 302 to increase the tire pressure, and when the vehicle speed decreases, the tire pressure is automatically reduced.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle driving support device, and more particularly to a vehicle driving support device suitable for reducing a driver's burden in driving a vehicle equipped with a vehicle control device for controlling a controlled object. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Prior Art Attempts to drive a motor vehicle comfortably have been ongoing tasks since the invention of the engine, but it is particularly required to adjust the driving control based on the surrounding environment in which the vehicle is located. There wasn't. Therefore, conventionally, the driver recognizes and judges the surrounding environment of the vehicle, and based on the judgment, the driving method is changed according to the intention of the driver. That is, when driving a car, the road condition changes every moment, and the driver needs to continue driving while responding to the change.

[0003]

However, in recent years,
As the volume of vehicles and the speed of automobiles are increasing, changes in road conditions are requiring more rapid judgment by the driver than ever before. It has become difficult to do.

Especially for the driver,
The work of changing the tire pressure when driving on an urban road is troublesome.

An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle driving support device which enables the vehicle itself to detect and judge the surrounding environment of the vehicle to assist driving, and in particular, to automatically control the tire pressure according to the vehicle speed. is there.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention detects a vehicle speed in an automobile driving assistance device including a vehicle control device for controlling a controlled object based on a vehicle operation input amount. The vehicle speed detecting means, the tire pressure changing means for changing the tire pressure of the tire, and the vehicle control device controls the tire pressure changing means in accordance with the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detecting means, When the tire pressure becomes higher, the tire pressure becomes higher, and when the vehicle speed becomes lower, the tire pressure becomes lower. With such a constitution, the tire pressure can be automatically adjusted according to the vehicle speed.

In the above vehicle driving support device, preferably, the tire pressure varying means includes a gas discharge absorbing member which discharges and absorbs a gas contained therein according to an ambient temperature, and a heating means which heats the gas discharge absorbing member. The tire pressure can be easily controlled by adopting such a configuration.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, the basic concept of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 1, the vehicle control device has an input device 101 such as an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a steering wheel, and a shift lever. The accelerator pedal depression amount, the brake pedal depression amount, the steering wheel operation amount, and the gear shift position output from the input device 101. The vehicle operation input amount such as is input to the compensation addition device 102, and after compensating the gain of each factor operated here, the throttle valve, the brake pad, the steering ring actuator, the transmission, etc. are controlled based on the vehicle operation input amount. The object 103 is controlled. In such a vehicle control device, the vehicle driving support device of the present invention detects information related to the environment in which the vehicle is placed, for example, detecting means 104 for detecting road condition information such as vehicle speed information, vehicle body posture information, gear position information, and the like. 105,10
6 and the surrounding environment of the vehicle based on the information detected by the detection means 104, 105, 106, and the gain of the compensation addition device 102 is corrected or recompensated according to the determination result to control the control target 103. The vehicle environment determining means 107 for compensating and correcting the amount is provided.

The surrounding environment judged by the vehicle environment judging means 107 includes traveling on a highway, climbing or descending a mountain road with a slope, traveling on a curved road, whether it is in a reverse state, rainy weather, a snowy road. Whether or not it is running,
Below, specific examples of judgments regarding some of these will be described together with compensation correction contents.

FIG. 2 explains the operation of the vehicle environment judging means 107 at the start stage, and shows the contents of calculation for recognizing whether or not to judge the vehicle environment. First,
For example, the rotation sensor and the crank angle sensor detect wheel rotation and engine rotation, respectively (step 11).
1) Based on the detection value of the rotation sensor, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is stopped (step 112). If it is stopped, then it is determined whether or not the engine is stopped based on the detection value of the crank angle sensor. If the engine is also stopped (step 113), the memory in the computer circuit is cleared and the task is ended (step 114). This is because when the vehicle is stopped while the environmental information as the previous history of the vehicle is kept in the memory in the circuit, and the state is maintained and restarted, there is a possibility that dangerous operation may occur at the time of engine restart. This is to ensure safety by clearing the internal memory. If the engine is not stopped, return to the beginning and repeat the judgment. When there is no vehicle stop, it skips to another task, for example, the task shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 shows the contents of calculation for determining whether the vehicle is traveling on an expressway and controlling the steering angle change amount with respect to the steering wheel operation amount. First, the vehicle speed is detected by the detection means 104 (step 121), and it is determined whether the vehicle speed is 80 km / h or more based on the detected value (step 1).
22), when it is 80 km / h or more, it is judged that the vehicle is traveling on a highway, and the steering angle change amount with respect to the steering wheel operation amount is decreased, that is, the gain is decreased, as shown by the characteristic (2) in FIG. A sudden turn is prevented and safety is secured (step 123). When the vehicle speed is 80 km / h or less, the standard operation mode indicated by (1) in FIG. 4 is maintained (step 124). At this time, as the detection means 104, a normal vehicle speed meter using a rotation sensor can be used. In addition to the normal vehicle speed meter, an absolute vehicle speed meter with respect to the ground can be considered. Furthermore, when entering a highway gate, a signal is input from the outside by card input, wireless input, or manual input by the driver, and the controller in the vehicle receives the signal and captures it in the calculation. Good.

FIG. 5 shows the calculation contents for determining whether or not the vehicle is climbing a mountain road with many turns and optimally controlling the steering change amount with respect to the steering wheel operation amount. First, the detection means 1
05, For example, the inclination sensor detects the degree of inclination of the vehicle, for example, the steering wheel operation angle sensor detects the number of times the steering wheel is operated (step 132), and the inclination sensor detection value is used to determine whether the vehicle is climbing up a slope (step 132). ), If it is an uphill slope, it is judged whether it is a curved road by the detection value of the steering wheel operation angle sensor (step 133), and if it is a curved road, it is judged that it is an uphill traveling on a mountain road with many curves, and FIG. As shown in (), the steering angle change amount with respect to the steering wheel operation amount is increased, that is, the gain is increased to facilitate the steering wheel operation (step 134). At this time,
Preferably, the driver is notified by display or voice that the steering wheel operation mode has been changed (step 135). If it is not a slope or if it is not a bend, the steering wheel operation mode is maintained at the standard shown in FIG. 6 (1) (step 136).

It is difficult to change the steering angle gain with respect to the steering wheel operation amount as described above, because it is difficult for the system in which the steering wheel is directly connected to the steering wheel.
A system in which the steering is rotated by hydraulic pressure or electric power is desirable.

FIG. 7 shows the contents of calculation for determining whether or not the vehicle is in the reverse drive state and optimally controlling the steering angle change amount with respect to the steering wheel operation amount and the throttle opening change amount with respect to the accelerator pedal depression amount. When moving the vehicle backwards, a normal driver is often not good at driving. This is because the direction of looking is backward, so it is necessary to turn the steering wheel in the opposite way to when moving forward, and the steering wheel is turned too much or the throttle valve opening adjustment is erroneously increased to make a sudden start. Defects are likely to occur. The calculation contents of FIG. 7 are for avoiding this. First, the detecting means 10
6. For example, the gear shift position sensor detects the shift lever shift position (step 141), and it is determined whether the shift gear is in the back gear based on the detected value (step 142). Reduces the steering angle change amount with respect to the steering wheel operation amount as shown by the characteristic (2) in FIG. 8 (step 143) to facilitate the steering wheel operation. At the same time, as shown by the characteristic (2) in FIG. 9, the throttle opening change amount with respect to the accelerator depression amount is reduced (step 144) to prevent a sudden start.
By reducing the gains for the steering angle and the throttle opening in this way, it becomes easier to drive in the reverse direction. When the vehicle is not in the back gear, the steering angle change amount with respect to the steering wheel operation amount and the throttle opening change amount with respect to the accelerator pedal depression amount are maintained in the standard mode as shown in the characteristic (1) of FIGS. 8 and 9. (Steps 145, 146).

FIG. 10 shows the calculation contents for determining whether the vehicle is climbing or descending on a slope and optimally controlling the throttle opening change amount with respect to the accelerator pedal depression amount. First, the inclination of the vehicle is detected by the detecting means 105, for example, an inclination sensor (step 151), and it is determined whether or not the vehicle is a slope based on the detected value (step 15).
2) If it is a slope, it is further determined whether or not it is an uphill (step 153), and if it is an uphill, it is determined that the slope is climbing, and the characteristic (3) in FIG. As shown, the throttle opening change amount with respect to the accelerator pedal depression amount is increased (step 154) to obtain the same driving feeling as when the vehicle is flat. If it is not an uphill slope, it is determined that the vehicle is descending a slope, and the throttle opening change amount with respect to the accelerator pedal depression amount is reduced as shown by the characteristic (2) in FIG. 11 (step 155). Get a driving feeling.
When it is determined that the vehicle is not on a slope, the throttle opening change amount with respect to the accelerator pedal depression amount is maintained in the standard mode as shown by the characteristic (1) in FIG. 11 (step 156).
The characteristics (2) and (3) in FIG. 11 can be modified to characteristics (2 ′) and (3 ′), respectively.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 12, tires 1A, 1B, 1
C and 1D are provided with rotation sensors 2A, 2B, 2C and 2D for detecting the tire rotation speed and vehicle speed, the engine 3 is equipped with a crank angle sensor 4, and the vehicle body frame is provided with an inclination sensor 5. The steering wheel 6 is provided with a steering wheel operation angle sensor 7, and the shift lever 8
Is equipped with a gear position sensor 9. A wiper drive sensor 11 is provided on the wiper operating lever 10 and a vehicle height sensor 12 is provided on the rear portion of the vehicle body frame. These sensors 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 4,
The detection signals of 5, 7, 9, 11, 12 are the controller 20.
Is input to

On the other hand, a steering wheel 21 connecting the tires 1A and 1c driven by the operation of the handle 6 is constructed so as to be rotated by an actuator 22 driven electrically or hydraulically, and is provided in the intake system of the engine 3.
An actuator 25 that adjusts the opening of the throttle valve 24 that is opened and closed by the accelerator pedal 23 is connected to the throttle valve 24. Further, the brake pads 26A, 26B, 26C and 26D provided on the tires 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D are connected to the brake pedal 29 via a hydraulic line 27 and a pressure amplifier 28.
, The wiper 30 is driven by an actuator 31, and the headlights 32A, 32B can be changed in angle by an actuator 34 provided on the interlocking rod 33. Further, each tire is supported by shock absorbers 35A, 35B, 35C, 35D capable of adjusting the vehicle height. The rear wheels 1B and 1D are the deflection gears 36.
It is interlocked by the shaft 37 via. The actuators 22, 25, 31, 34, the pressure amplifier 28, and the shock absorbers 35A to 35D are driven or gain adjusted by a control signal from the controller 20.

The controller 20 constitutes a vehicle environment judging means of the automobile driving support apparatus, and as shown in FIG. 13, a CPU 40 having an arithmetic function, a RAM 41 having a memory function, and an A / D converter 42 for converting an analog signal into a digital signal. Built in. The CPU 40 has the above-mentioned sensors 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11,
Signals of the tire rotation speed and vehicle speed, the engine rotation speed, the inclination of the vehicle body with respect to the front and rear, the steering wheel operation angle, the gear position of the shift lever, the presence or absence of wiper drive, and the vertical acceleration of the vehicle body are input by 12. In addition, the controller 20
The engine combustion factor is input via the A / D converter 42. Of these signals, those required after the engine is stopped are stored in the storage device RAM 41 and backed up by a battery or the like. The output from the CPU 41 is sent to the actuators 22, 25, 31, 34, the pressure amplifier 28 and the shock absorbers 35A to 35D, the actuator 22 adjusts the steering angle change amount with respect to the steering wheel operation angle, and the actuator 25 with respect to the accelerator pedal depression amount. The throttle opening change amount is adjusted, and the pressure amplifier 29 adjusts the braking force with respect to the brake pedal force.
The vehicle speed-responsive wiper adjustment is performed to increase the wiper operation speed as the vehicle speed increases with the actuator 31.
The actuator 34 controls the headlight vertical direction depending on whether the vehicle is climbing or descending, and the shock absorber 35A to
35D adjusts the vehicle height according to the degree of rough road. Although not shown, the actuator can also perform vehicle speed responsive seat height control for adjusting the seat height according to the vehicle speed and vehicle speed responsive tire pressure control for adjusting the tire pressure according to the vehicle speed, as will be described later.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. The operation at the start stage of the vehicle environment determining means, which is performed by detecting the vehicle speed and the engine rotation speed by the rotation sensors 2A to 2D and the crank sensors 4, respectively, is described above with reference to FIG. 2. The rotation sensors 2A to 2D indicate the vehicle speed. The driving assist control that detects and adjusts the gain of the steering angle change amount with respect to the steering wheel operation amount by the actuator 22 and facilitates the steering wheel operation on the highway is described above with reference to FIGS. And steering wheel operation sensors 7 detect the inclination of the vehicle body and the number of times the steering wheel is operated, respectively, and optimally control the steering change amount with respect to the steering wheel operation amount. Refer to FIGS. As described above, the gear position is detected by the gear position sensor 9, and the steering angle change amount and the accelerator are changed with respect to the steering wheel operation amount. The drive assist control in the reverse drive state that optimally controls the throttle opening change amount with respect to the dull depression amount is described above with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9, and the inclination sensor 5 detects the inclination of the vehicle body to detect the accelerator pedal depression amount. The driving support control for climbing or descending a slope for optimally controlling the throttle opening change amount has been described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. Therefore, other control examples will be described below.

When the vehicle goes up a slope and when it goes down, the degree of braking effectiveness with respect to the amount of depression of the brake pedal 29 is different, compared to when the vehicle is flat, and it becomes easier to work on the uphill and harder to work on the downhill. Therefore, the inclination sensor 5 detects the inclination of the vehicle body to determine whether the vehicle is downhill or uphill. If the vehicle is downhill, the gain of the pressure amplifier 28 is increased to increase the braking amount with respect to the amount of depression of the brake pedal. The strength of the brake is strengthened to facilitate braking, and the gain of the pressure amplifier 28 is decreased in the case of an uphill slope to weaken the strength of the brake with respect to the depression amount of the brake pedal.

Further, the slip state of the tires 1A to 1D can be monitored from the tire rotation speed detected by the rotation sensors 2A to 2D and the vehicle speed detected by an absolute vehicle speed meter (not shown).
Via the deflection gear 36, the rear wheel tire 1B,
When 1D is linked by the shaft 37, it is possible to detect each steering wheel operation by each steering wheel operation sensor 11 and detect the slip ratio of the tires 1A and 1C only when traveling straight.

When driving at night, it is necessary to move the headlights 32A and 32B up and down depending on the road conditions, but especially on a slope, accelerating recognition ahead is effective for preventing accidents. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 14, the headlights 32A,
It is desirable to angle 32B so that it illuminates somewhat upwards and slightly downward when descending.
Therefore, the headlights 32A and 32B are generally fixed, but in the present embodiment, the angle can be changed by the interlocking rod 33 and the actuator 34 as described above, and the inclination degree of the vehicle body can be changed by the inclination sensor 5. Is detected to determine whether the vehicle is climbing or descending, and the actuator 34 adjusts the angle of the headlight according to the determination result.
Clarify the driver's forward field of view.

Further, on a bad road, the vibration is severe, and the higher the vehicle height, the easier it is to drive. Therefore, the vehicle height sensor 12 detects the vertical acceleration of the vehicle body, determines the degree of the bad road by the vertical acceleration, and when the vertical vibration becomes strong, the shock absorbers 35A to 35D are driven as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16. Adjust to increase the height. Further, as shown in FIG. 16, the vehicle speed is further detected, and even if the vehicle is on the same rough road, the higher the vehicle speed, the higher the vehicle height, and the larger vibration is dealt with.

Further, as the vehicle speed increases, the field of view tends to narrow, so the height of the seat is adjusted to cover this. That is, the vehicle speed is detected by the rotation sensors 2A to 2C,
When the vehicle speed increases, an actuator for seat height adjustment (not shown) is driven to raise the seat and secure the field of view.

Further, it is troublesome for the driver to change the tire pressure when traveling on a highway or on a city road. In order to avoid this, it is preferable to automatically control the tire pressure according to the vehicle speed. To achieve this, as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the inner surface of the tire 301 loaded on the wheel is covered with metal hydride. If a thin layer 302 is attached and heated by a heater 303 or the like as appropriate, the gas contained in the metal hydride 302 is discharged and the tire pressure is increased. The property of the metal hydride 302 is such that it operates reversibly with changes in the ambient temperature, absorbs the gas discharged as the temperature of the tire itself decreases, and lowers the tire pressure. Therefore, by using the tire 301 configured as described above, the vehicle speed is detected by the rotation sensors 2A to 2D, and the heater 303 is heated as the vehicle speed increases, the tire pressure can be increased and the heating can be stopped. If so, the tire pressure can be reduced.

[0027]

According to the present invention, the vehicle itself can detect and judge the surrounding environment of the vehicle to assist the driving, and in particular, it is possible to automatically control the tire pressure according to the vehicle speed.

[0028]

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a basic concept of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation at the start stage of the vehicle environment judging means in the vehicle driving assistance device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a specific example of driving support control.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a relationship between a steering wheel operation angle and a steering angle in an example of driving assistance control.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing another example of driving support control.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a relationship between a steering wheel operation angle and a steering angle in an example of driving assistance control.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing still another example of driving support control.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a relationship between a steering wheel operation angle and a steering angle in an example of driving support control.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a relationship between an accelerator pedal depression amount and a throttle opening degree in an example of driving support control.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing still another example of driving support control.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a relationship between an accelerator pedal depression amount and a throttle opening degree in an example of driving support control.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an overall configuration of a vehicle driving support device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a controller in the vehicle driving support device and a relationship between the controller, an input signal, and a control target.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the angular position of the headlight when flat, climbing a slope, and descending.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing vehicle heights on a flat road and a rough road.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the relationship between the degree of vertical vibration and vehicle height.

FIG. 17 is a schematic view of an automobile equipped with a tire capable of automatically adjusting a tire pressure.

FIG. 18 is a schematic view showing the structure of a tire.

[Explanation of symbols]

 20 ... Controller 101 ... Input device 102 ... Compensation adding means 103 ... Control object 104, 105, 106 ... Detecting means 107 ... Vehicle environment judging means 301 ... Tire 302 ... Metal hydride 303 ... Heater

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle driving support apparatus including a vehicle control device for controlling a controlled object, a vehicle speed detecting means for detecting a vehicle speed of a vehicle, a tire pressure varying means for varying a tire pressure of a tire, and the vehicle control described above. The device controls the tire pressure varying means according to the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detecting means,
A vehicle driving support device, wherein the tire pressure is increased when the vehicle speed is high, and the tire pressure is decreased when the vehicle speed is low. 2. The automobile driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the tire pressure varying means heats the gas discharge absorbing member that discharges and absorbs the gas contained therein according to the ambient temperature. An automobile driving support device comprising a heating means.