Vehicle running control apparatus
The vehicle running control apparatus (driving support ECU 10 ) determines whether or not the driver of the vehicle is in an abnormal state in which the driver has lost an ability to drive the vehicle, and stops the vehicle by reducing the vehicle speed to 0 after an abnormality determination time point when the driver is determined to be in the abnormal state. The vehicle running control apparatus predicts a position at which the vehicle stops when the vehicle speed is reduced at a predetermined deceleration, when the predicted stop position is not within a stop prohibited area (for example, a curved road and a section within a predetermined distance from a point at which the road changes from the curved road to the straight road), it decelerates the vehicle with the deceleration and stops the vehicle. In contrast, the vehicle running control apparatus makes the vehicle ran with a constant speed when the predicted stop position is within the stop prohibited area.
1. A vehicle running control apparatus applied to a vehicle comprising an electronic control unit configured to:
determine whether or not a driver of said vehicle is in an abnormal state where said driver loses an ability to drive said vehicle; and
decrease a vehicle speed of said vehicle to zero to stop said vehicle after an abnormality determination time point which is a time point at which it is determined that said driver is in said abnormal state,
wherein,
said electronic control unit is configured to:
control said vehicle speed of said vehicle so as not to stop said vehicle within a stop prohibited area, wherein a curved road is defined as said stop prohibited area;
decrease said vehicle speed of said vehicle toward a first vehicle speed greater than zero after said abnormality determination time point;
perform a stop position prediction process for predicting a stop position of said vehicle in a case where said vehicle is decelerated with a constant deceleration from a state in which said vehicle speed is said first vehicle speed; and
decrease said vehicle speed of said vehicle with said constant deceleration to zero, if said predicted stop position is not within said stop prohibited area.
2. The vehicle running control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein,
said electronic control unit is configured to define a section between a first point at which a road changes from a curved road to a straight road and a second point to which said straight road extends for a first predetermined distance from said first point as said stop prohibited area.
3. The vehicle running control apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein,
said electronic control unit is configured to define a section between a pass point at which a gradient of a road changes from an ascending gradient to a descending gradient and a point that is a second predetermined distance away from said pass point as said stop prohibited area.
4. The vehicle running control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein,
said electronic control unit is configured to:
perform said stop position prediction process again after maintaining said vehicle speed of said vehicle at said first vehicle speed for a predetermined time, if said predicted stop position is within said stop prohibited area; and
decrease said vehicle speed of said vehicle with said constant deceleration to stop said vehicle, if said predicted stop position is not within said stop prohibited area.
5. The vehicle running control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein,
said electronic control unit is configured to:
determine that said driver of said vehicle is in a tentative abnormal state when a first driving state which occurs when there is a possibility that said driver of said vehicle has lost said ability to drive said vehicle continues for a first threshold time or more; and
determine that said driver of said vehicle is in said abnormal state when a second driving state which occurs when there is a possibility that said driver of said vehicle has lost said ability to drive said vehicle continues for a second threshold time or more from a time point at which it is determined that said driver is in said tentative abnormal state;
decrease said vehicle speed of said vehicle toward said first vehicle speed with a first deceleration from a time point at which it is determined that said driver of said vehicle is in said tentative abnormal state;
maintain said vehicle speed of said vehicle at said first vehicle speed when said vehicle speed of said vehicle reaches said first vehicle speed before a time point at which it is determined that said driver is in said abnormal state;
perform said stop position prediction process for predicting said stop position of said vehicle in a case where said vehicle is decelerated with a constant second deceleration as said constant deceleration from said state in which said vehicle speed is said first vehicle speed after a time point at which it is determined that said driver is in said abnormal state;
perform said stop position prediction process again after maintaining said vehicle speed of said vehicle at said first vehicle speed for a predetermined time, if said predicted stop position is within said stop prohibited area; and
decrease said vehicle speed of said vehicle with said constant second deceleration to stop said vehicle, if said predicted stop position is not within said stop prohibited area.
6. The vehicle running control apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein,
said electronic control unit is configured to set said first predetermined distance to a distance which becomes longer as a radius of curvature of said curved road connected to said first point becomes smaller.
7. The vehicle running control apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein,
said electronic control unit is configured to control said vehicle speed of said vehicle in such a manner that said vehicle speed of said vehicle does not become lower than a lower limit vehicle speed which becomes higher as a radius of curvature of a curved road on which said vehicle runs becomes smaller, after said abnormality determination time point.
8. A vehicle running control apparatus applied to a vehicle comprising an electronic control unit configured to:
determine whether or not a driver of said vehicle is in an abnormal state where said driver loses an ability to drive said vehicle; and
decrease a vehicle speed of said vehicle to zero to stop said vehicle after an abnormality determination time point which is a time point at which it is determined that said driver is in said abnormal state,
wherein,
said electronic control unit is configured to:
determine that said driver of said vehicle is in a tentative abnormal state when a first driving state which occurs when there is a possibility that said driver of said vehicle has lost said ability to drive said vehicle continues for a first threshold time or more;
determine that said driver of said vehicle is in said abnormal state when a second driving state which occurs when there is a possibility that said driver of said vehicle has lost said ability to drive said vehicle continues for a second threshold time or more from a time point at which it is determined that said driver is in said tentative abnormal state;
control said vehicle speed of said vehicle so as not to stop said vehicle within a stop prohibited area, wherein a curved road is defined as said stop prohibited area;
decrease said vehicle speed of said vehicle toward a first vehicle speed with a first deceleration from a time point at which it is determined that said driver of said vehicle is in said tentative abnormal state;
maintain said vehicle speed of said vehicle at said first vehicle speed when said vehicle speed of said vehicle reaches said first vehicle speed before a time point at which it is determined that said driver is in said abnormal state;
perform a stop position prediction process for predicting a stop position of said vehicle in a case where said vehicle is decelerated with a constant second deceleration from a state in which said vehicle speed is said first vehicle speed after a time point at which it is determined that said driver is in said abnormal state;
perform said stop position prediction process again after maintaining said vehicle speed of said vehicle at said first vehicle speed for a predetermined time, if said predicted stop position is within said stop prohibited area; and
decrease said vehicle speed of said vehicle with said constant second deceleration to stop said vehicle, if said predicted stop position is not within said stop prohibited area.
9. A vehicle running control apparatus applied to a vehicle comprising an electronic control unit configured to:
determine whether or not a driver of said vehicle is in an abnormal state where said driver loses an ability to drive said vehicle; and
decrease a vehicle speed of said vehicle to zero to stop said vehicle after an abnormality determination time point which is a time point at which it is determined that said driver is in said abnormal state,
wherein,
said electronic control unit is configured to:
control said vehicle speed of said vehicle so as not to stop said vehicle within a stop prohibited area, wherein a curved road is defined as said stop prohibited area;
define a section between a first point at which a road changes from a curved road to a straight road and a second point to which said straight road extends for a first predetermined distance from said first point as said stop prohibited area; and
control said vehicle speed of said vehicle in such a manner that said vehicle speed of said vehicle does not become lower than a lower limit vehicle speed which becomes higher as a radius of curvature of a curved road on which said vehicle runs becomes smaller, after said abnormality determination time point.