VEHICLE DRIVING OPERATION SUPPORT APPARATUS/PROCESS AND COOPERATION CONTROL

• US 20100222960A1
• Filed: 02/23/2010
• Published: 09/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Hosaka, Motoaki, Kimura, Takeshi, Tange, Satoshi, Kobayashi, Yosuke, Murata, Toshiyuki, Suzuki, Taku, Takigawa, Yoshifumi, Oida, Tomoaki, Kikuchi, Hironobu, Chai, Yuwun
• Granted Patent: US 8,364,345 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0195 characterised by the regulation being combined with other vehicle control systems conjoint control of vehicle sub-units including control of suspension systems B60W10/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/823 Obstacle sensing
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/242 Obstacle avoidance manoeuvre
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/501 actively controlled suspension, e.g. electronic control
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/508 Scissors-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/544 Compression or tension springs B60N2/542 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/22 including control of suspension systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/22 Suspension systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/05 Type of road, e.g. motorways, local streets, paved or unpaved roads
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/025 related to comfort of drivers or passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/025 Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation B62D1/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0265 Automatic obstacle avoidance by steering
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/029 Steering assistants using warnings or proposing actions to the driver without influencing the steering system
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/0472 : for damping vibrations

Abstract

A vehicle driving operation support apparatus for a vehicle, includes a sensing section to sense a traveling condition of the vehicle including a surrounding condition inclusive of an obstacle around the vehicle; and a control section to calculate a risk potential for the vehicle in accordance with the traveling condition. The control section performs a support control to support the driver in accordance with the risk potential, performs a first assist control to restrain disturbance (such as vibration from a road) transmitted to the driver in accordance with the risk potential, and performs a second assist control to produce inducement simulating a condition change (such as a vehicle behavior) attributable to an increase of the risk potential, in accordance with the risk potential. The control section further performs a cooperation control to coordinate the first assist control and the second assist control.

Claims

1. A vehicle driving operation support apparatus comprising:

a vehicle condition sensing section to sense a vehicle condition of a vehicle;

an obstacle condition sensing section to monitor a surrounding condition including an obstacle around the vehicle;

an operation input section to which a driver'"'"'s driving operation is inputted by a driver to operate the vehicle;

a motion regulating section to regulate a movement of the driver; and

a control section

to calculate a risk potential to the obstacle in accordance with the vehicle condition and the surrounding condition,

to provide an operational reaction to the driving operation in accordance with the risk potential;

to perform a first assist control to restrain disturbance transmitted to the driver in accordance with the risk potential by controlling the motion regulating section,

to perform a second assist control to produce a pseudo behavior simulating a vehicle behavior responsive to a driving operation increasing the risk potential, by controlling the motion regulating section in accordance with the risk potential, and

to coordinate the first assist control and the second assist control.

2. The vehicle driving operation support apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the driving operation support apparatus further comprises a road condition sensing section to sense a road condition;

the motion regulating section is arranged to regulate a vertical movement in a vertical direction inputted to the driver; and

the control section is configured,

to calculate the risk potential to the obstacle in accordance with the vehicle condition and the surrounding condition,

to perform a support control to control the operational reaction to the driving operation in accordance with the risk potential,

to perform the first assist control to restrain disturbance transmitted to the driver in accordance with the risk potential by controlling the motion regulating section in accordance with the vehicle condition and the road condition, and to transmit disturbance information to the driver,

to perform the second assist control to produce the pseudo behavior simulating a vehicle behavior responsive to a driving operation increasing the risk potential, by controlling the motion regulating section in accordance with the vehicle condition and the risk potential, and

to perform a cooperation control to coordinate a first assist control quantity calculated by the first assist control and a second assist control quantity calculated by the second assist control.

3. The vehicle driving operation support apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vehicle driving operation support apparatus further comprises an operational reaction imparting section to impart the operational reaction to the driving operation of the driver, and the control section comprises:

a risk potential calculating section to calculate the risk potential to the obstacle in accordance with the vehicle condition and the surrounding condition,

a support controlling section to control the operational reaction to the driving operation in accordance with the risk potential by controlling the operational reaction imparting section;

a first assist controlling section to perform the first assist control to control transmission of movement to the driver in accordance with the risk potential by controlling the motion regulating section,

a second assist controlling section to perform the second assist control to produce the pseudo behavior in accordance with the risk potential, by controlling the motion regulating section, and

a cooperation controlling section to coordinate the first assist control and the second assist control.

4. The vehicle driving operation support apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control section is configured to determine a first weight for the first assist control and a second weight for the second assist control in accordance with the risk potential, and to adjust a first control quantity of the first assist control with the first weight and a second control quantity of the second assist control with the second weight.

5. The vehicle driving operation support apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the control section is configured to increase the second weight for the second assist control to produce the pseudo behavior as the risk potential becomes higher.

6. The vehicle driving operation support apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the control section is configured to increase the first weight for the first assist control to restrain the transmission of the movement to the driver as the risk potential becomes higher.

7. The vehicle driving operation support apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the control section is configured to increase the first weight for the first assist control to restrain the transmission of movement to the driver as a stability of the vehicle becomes lower.

8. The vehicle driving operation support apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control section is configured to increase a degree of restraint for restraining the transmission of movement to the driver as the risk potential becomes higher

9. The vehicle driving operation support apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control section is configured to vary a degree of restraint for restraining the transmission of movement to the driver in accordance with a stability of the vehicle.

10. The vehicle driving operation support apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control section is configured to calculate a front risk potential of the vehicle in a forward direction in accordance with the vehicle condition and the surrounding condition, and to perform the second assist control to produce the pseudo behavior simulating an accelerating motion of the vehicle by controlling the motion regulating section when the front risk potential becomes higher.

11. The vehicle driving operation support apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control section is configured to calculate a rear risk potential of the vehicle in a rearward direction in accordance with the vehicle condition and the surrounding condition, and to perform the second assist control to produce the pseudo behavior simulating an decelerating motion of the vehicle by controlling the motion regulating section when the rear risk potential becomes higher.

12. The vehicle driving operation support apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control section is configured to calculate a lateral risk potential of the vehicle in a lateral direction in accordance with the vehicle condition and the surrounding condition, and to perform the second assist control to produce the pseudo behavior simulating a rolling motion of the vehicle by controlling the motion regulating section when the lateral risk potential becomes higher.

13. The vehicle driving operation support apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the motion regulating section includes a suspension device for regulating a vertical movement.

14. The vehicle comprising the driving operation support apparatus as claimed in claim 1.

15. A vehicle driving operation support apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a sensing section to sense a traveling condition of the vehicle including a surrounding condition inclusive of an obstacle around the vehicle; and

a control section

to calculate a risk potential for the vehicle in accordance with the traveling condition,

to perform a support control to support the driver in accordance with the risk potential,

to perform a first assist control to restrain disturbance transmitted to the driver in accordance with the risk potential,

to perform a second assist control to produce inducement simulating a condition change attributable to an increase of the risk potential, in accordance with the risk potential, and

to perform a cooperation control to coordinate the first assist control and the second assist control.

16. The vehicle driving operation support apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the vehicle driving operation support apparatus further comprises an actuating section to control the vehicle for supporting the driver of the vehicle in accordance with the traveling condition, and the control section is configured to perform the first assist control to restrain movement transmitted to the driver by controlling the actuating section in accordance with the risk potential, and to perform the second assist control to produce the inducement which is a pseudo behavior simulating a behavior attributable to a driving operation increasing the risk potential, by controlling the actuating section in accordance with the risk potential.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the control section is configured:

to perform the support control of producing a reaction of the vehicle influencing the driver in response to a change in the risk potential, by controlling the actuating section;

to perform the first assist control of varying a degree of restraint for restraining transmission of the disturbance to the driver;

to perform the second assist control of producing the inducement to induce the driver to a driving operation in a direction to lower the risk potential; and

to perform the cooperation control of coordinating the first assist control and the second assist control in accordance with at least one of the risk potential and a stability of the vehicle.

18. The vehicle driving operation support apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the actuating section includes a reaction regulating section to produce a reaction of the vehicle, and a motion regulating section to regulate a movement transmitted to the driver, and the control section is configured to perform the support control by producing a reaction of the vehicle influencing the driver in response to an increase in the risk potential by controlling the reaction regulating section of the actuating section, to perform the first assist control of varying the degree of restraint for restraining transmission of the movement to the driver by controlling the motion regulating section of the actuating section, and to perform the second assist control of producing the inducement in the form of the pseudo behavior to induce the driver to a driving operation in a direction to lower the risk potential by controlling the motion regulating section of the actuating section.

19. The vehicle driving operation support apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the vehicle driving operation support apparatus further comprises a first assist actuating element to restrain transmission of disturbing information to the driver in response to a first assist control signal produced by the first assist control, and a second assist actuating element to produce the inducement in response to a second assist control signal produced by the second assist control, the inducement being stimulus perceptible by the driver in the form of at least one of a pitching inclination of a vehicle body of the vehicle, a rolling inclination of the vehicle body, a forward or rearward inclination of a driver'"'"'s seat, a leftward or rightward inclination of the driver'"'"'s seat, an audible noise simulating an increase of the risk potential, vibration in a part of the vehicle, and a swing motion of the vehicle body.

20. A vehicle driving operation support process for a vehicle, comprising:

sensing a traveling condition of the vehicle including a surrounding condition inclusive of an obstacle around the vehicle;

calculating a risk potential for the vehicle in accordance with the traveling condition;

performing a support control to support the driver in accordance with the risk potential;

performing a first assist control to restrain disturbance transmitted to the driver in accordance with the risk potential;

performing a second assist control to produce inducement simulating a condition change attributable to an increase of the risk potential, in accordance with the risk potential; and

performing a cooperation control to coordinate the first assist control and the second assist control.