Motion Control Device for Vehicle

• US 20090187322A1
• Filed: 01/22/2009
• Published: 07/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advics Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Advics Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Nakano, Keita, Kondo, Yoshito, Kodama, Hiroyuki, Takeuchi, Atsushi, Miyajima, Takayuki, Yasui, Yoshiyuki, Maruyama, Masaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,195,371 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/70
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/11 Stepped gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/20 Road profile, i.e. the change in elevation or curvature of a plurality of continuous road segments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/30 Road curve radius
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/045 Improving turning performance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18145 Cornering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/072 Curvature of the road
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/076 Slope angle of the road

Abstract

A motion control device for a vehicle includes a vehicle speed obtaining means for obtaining a speed of the vehicle, a curve shape obtaining means for obtaining a shape of a curve existing ahead of the vehicle on a road on which the vehicle is traveling, a position obtaining means for obtaining a relative position of the vehicle to the curve, a determining means for determining an appropriate vehicle speed for the vehicle to travel through the curve based on the shape of the curve obtained by the curve shape obtaining means, and a speed reduction controlling means for performing a speed reduction control on the vehicle based on the appropriate vehicle speed determined by the determining means.

Claims

1. A motion control device for a vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle speed obtaining means for obtaining a speed of the vehicle;

a curve shape obtaining means for obtaining a shape of a curve existing ahead of the vehicle on a road on which the vehicle is traveling;

a position obtaining means for obtaining a relative position of the vehicle to the curve;

a determining means for determining an appropriate vehicle speed for the vehicle to travel through the curve based on the shape of the curve obtained by the curve shape obtaining means; and

a speed reduction controlling means for performing a speed reduction control on the vehicle based on the appropriate vehicle speed determined by the determining means.

2. The motion control device according to claim 1, wherein the determining means determines, on the basis of the shape of the curve, a reference point in the middle of the curve and the appropriate vehicle speed for the vehicle to pass over the reference point, the device further comprising:

a calculating means for calculating, on the basis of the reference point and the appropriate vehicle speed, a target vehicle speed characteristic which is a target of a reduction characteristic of the vehicle speed relative to a position on the road in a case where the vehicle is decelerated on the road between the reference point and a point closer to the vehicle relative to the reference point, wherein the speed reduction controlling means starts the speed reduction control for decelerating the vehicle in a case where a relationship between the vehicle speed and a position of the vehicle relative to the reference point obtained from the relative position meets a control start condition determined on the basis of the target vehicle speed characteristic and finishes the speed reduction control in a case where the vehicle speed falls within a predetermined range in which the appropriate vehicle speed is included.

3. The motion control device according to claim 2, wherein the determining means determines the reference point at an ending point of an advance transition curve zone of the curve or at a point closer to the vehicle relative to the ending point.

4. The motion control device according to claim 2, further comprising:

an acceleration limit controlling means for limiting a degree of an acceleration of the vehicle for a predetermined time from an end point of the speed reduction control.

5. The motion control device according to claim 2, further comprising:

an acceleration limit controlling means for limiting a degree of an acceleration of the vehicle while the vehicle is traveling for a predetermined distance from an end point of the speed reduction control.

6. The motion control device according to claim 4, wherein the acceleration limit controlling means determines the predetermined time based on a distance of a constant curvature radius zone of the curve.

7. The motion control device according to claim 2, further comprising a limit vehicle speed calculating means for calculating a limit vehicle speed characteristic based on the shape of the curve obtained by the curve shape obtaining means, wherein the target vehicle speed characteristic calculated by the calculating means is equal to or smaller than the limit vehicle speed characteristic.

8. The motion control device according to claim 5, wherein the acceleration limit controlling means determines the predetermined distance based on a distance of a constant curvature radius zone of the curve.

9. The motion control device according to claim 2, wherein when the curve shape obtaining means obtains the shape of two or more of the curves existing ahead of the vehicle, the determining means is configured to determine the reference point and the appropriate vehicle speed for each of the curves, and the calculating means calculates, on the basis of the reference point and the appropriate vehicle speed determined for each of the curves, a characteristic which corresponds to the target vehicle speed characteristic and based on which the control start condition is satisfied for each of the curves, the characteristic for the control start condition that is satisfied at the earliest timing being used as the target vehicle speed characteristic used by the speed reduction controlling means.

10. The motion control device according to claim 2, wherein the target vehicle speed characteristic calculated by the calculating means includes at least one of properties in which a deceleration of the vehicle increases at a first-half of the speed reduction control and the deceleration decreases at a second-half of the speed reduction control.

11. The motion control device according to claim 1, wherein the determining means includes a first determining means determining the appropriate vehicle speed as a first appropriate vehicle speed and a second determining means determining a second appropriate vehicle speed which is greater than the first appropriate vehicle speed and is an appropriate vehicle speed for the vehicle passing through the curve based on the shape of the curve, the device further comprising:

a first calculating means for calculating, on the basis of the first appropriate vehicle speed, a first target vehicle speed characteristic which is a target of a reduction characteristic of the vehicle speed relative to a position on the road in a case where the vehicle is decelerated when advancing to the curve;

a second calculating means for calculating, on the basis of the second appropriate vehicle speed, a second target vehicle speed characteristic which is a target of the reduction characteristic of the vehicle speed relative to a position on the road in a case where the vehicle is decelerated when advancing to the curve; and

a deceleration operation obtaining means for obtaining a deceleration operation by a driver, wherein the speed reduction controlling means includes a first controlling means for starting and executing a first control for decelerating the vehicle to the first appropriate vehicle speed in a state where a first control permission condition is satisfied and the deceleration operation is performed, the first control permission condition in which a relationship between the vehicle speed and the relative position is determined on the basis of the first target vehicle speed characteristic, and a second controlling means for starting and executing a second control for decelerating the vehicle to the second appropriate vehicle speed regardless of whether or not the deceleration operation is performed in a state where a second control execution condition is satisfied, the second control execution condition in which a relationship between the vehicle speed and the relative position is determined on the basis of the second target vehicle speed characteristic, the second controlling means stating and executing the second control regardless of whether or not the first control is being executed, the first controlling means being prevented from starting the first control during the execution of the second control.

12. The motion control device according to claim 11, wherein

the first determining means is configured to determine a first reference point on the road based on the shape of the curve end to determine a vehicle speed appropriate for the vehicle to pass over the first reference point as the first appropriate vehicle speed,

the first calculating means calculates, on the basis of the first reference point and the first appropriate vehicle speed, the first target vehicle speed characteristic which is the target of the reduction characteristic of the vehicle speed relative to the position on the road closer to the vehicle relative to the first reference point in a case where the vehicle is decelerated when advancing to the curve,

the second determining means is configured to determine, on the basis of the shape of the curve, a second reference point on the road farther from the vehicle relative to the first reference point and to determine a vehicle speed appropriate for the vehicle to pass over the second reference point as the second appropriate vehicle speed, and

the second calculating means calculates, on the basis of the second reference point and the second appropriate vehicle speed, the second target vehicle speed characteristic which is the target of the reduction characteristic of the vehicle speed relative to the position on the road closer to the vehicle relative to the second reference point it a case where the vehicle is decelerated when advancing to the curve.

13. The motion control device according to claim 11, wherein a reduction degree of the vehicle speed in the second target vehicle speed characteristic is specified to be larger than a reduction degree of the vehicle speed in the first target vehicle speed characteristic, the first controlling means being configured to perform the first control to decrease the vehicle speed along the first target vehicle speed characteristic, the second controlling means being configured to perform the second control to decrease the vehicle speed along the second target vehicle speed characteristic.

14. The motion control device according to claim 11, further comprising:

a friction coefficient obtaining means for obtaining a friction coefficient between a surface of the road and a tire;

wherein

the first and second determining means are configured to determine the first and second appropriate vehicle speeds to be smaller when the friction coefficient is smaller,

the first and second calculating means are configured to specify the reduction degree of the vehicle speed in the first and second target vehicle speed characteristics to be smaller when the friction coefficient is smaller, and

the first controlling means is configured not to perform the first control in a case where the friction coefficient is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value.