Vehicle steering control apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9981691-B2
Application number	US-201615182105-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 14, 2016
Priority date	Nov 17, 2015
Publication date	May 29, 2018
Grant date	May 29, 2018

Abstract

A vehicle steering control apparatus having high robustness while ensuring the accuracy of automatic parking. The steering control apparatus includes a target parking position computing module to calculate a target parking position, a target line computing module to calculate a target parking line, an own vehicle position target attitude angle computing module to calculate an own vehicle position target attitude angle, an own vehicle attitude angle, and the target parking line, an own vehicle position target curvature computing module to calculate an own vehicle position target curvature, and a steering controller for calculating a target steering angle based on the own vehicle position target curvature and performing control such that the actual steering angle matches the target steering angle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle steering control apparatus comprising:
a traveling direction detector for detecting a traveling direction of an own vehicle;
a steering angle detector for detecting an actual steering angle of the own vehicle;
an own vehicle position attitude angle computing module to calculate an own vehicle position and an own vehicle attitude angle from a reference point based on a vehicle signal from the own vehicle;
an obstacle detector for detecting an obstacle around the own vehicle including a parked vehicle and outputting an obstacle detection result;
a target parking position computing module to calculate a target parking position from the obstacle detection result;
a target line computing module to calculate a target parking line passing through the target parking position based on an own vehicle target parking attitude calculated from the target parking position and an attitude of the parked vehicle;
a gain computing module to calculate a target attitude angle calculation gain and a target curvature calculation gain based on the obstacle detection result and the target parking position or the own vehicle position;
an own vehicle position target attitude angle computing module to calculate an own vehicle position target attitude angle based on the traveling direction, the own vehicle position, the target parking line, and the target attitude angle calculation gain;
an own vehicle position target curvature computing module to calculate an own vehicle position target curvature based on the own vehicle position, the own vehicle attitude angle, the target parking line, the target curvature calculation gain, and the own vehicle position target attitude angle; and
a steering controller for calculating a target steering angle based on the own vehicle position target curvature and performing control such that the actual steering angle matches the target steering angle,
wherein control is performed such that the own vehicle travels with the own vehicle position target attitude angle so as to be aligned on the target parking line.

2. The vehicle steering control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the own vehicle position target attitude angle computing module calculates the own vehicle position target attitude angle based on a difference between the target parking position included in the target parking line and the own vehicle position.

3. The vehicle steering control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the own vehicle position target curvature computing module calculates the own vehicle position target curvature based on a difference between the own vehicle position target attitude angle and the own vehicle attitude angle.

4. The vehicle steering control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the gain computing module is configured to variably set the target attitude angle calculation gain and the target curvature calculation gain based on a distance between the own vehicle position and the target parking line at a time of start of parking.

5. The vehicle steering control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the gain computing module is configured to fixedly set the target attitude angle calculation gain and the target curvature calculation gain based on an obstacle position determined from the obstacle detection result and the own vehicle position.

6. The vehicle steering control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the own vehicle position target attitude angle computing module includes:
a first own vehicle position target attitude angle computing module to calculate an own vehicle position target attitude angle such that the own vehicle converges on the target parking line at the own vehicle position target attitude angle; and
a second own vehicle position target attitude angle computing module to calculate an own vehicle position target attitude angle such that the own vehicle converges to the target parking position at the own vehicle position target attitude angle, and
the first own vehicle position target attitude angle computing module and the second own vehicle position target attitude angle computing module are switched according to a distance between the own vehicle position and the target parking line.

7. The vehicle steering control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the own vehicle position target attitude angle computing module includes:
a first own vehicle position target attitude angle computing module to calculate an own vehicle position target attitude angle such that the own vehicle converges on the target parking line at the own vehicle position target attitude angle; and
a second own vehicle position target attitude angle computing module to calculate an own vehicle position target attitude angle such that the own vehicle converges to the target parking position at the own vehicle position target attitude angle, and
the first own vehicle position target attitude angle computing module and the second own vehicle position target attitude angle computing module are switched according to a distance between the own vehicle position and the target parking position.

8. The vehicle steering control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the own vehicle position target attitude angle computing module includes:
a first own vehicle position target attitude angle computing module to calculate an own vehicle position target attitude angle such that the own vehicle converges on the target parking line at the target attitude angle; and
a second own vehicle position target attitude angle computing module to calculate an own vehicle position target attitude angle such that the own vehicle converges to the target parking position at the target attitude angle, and
the first own vehicle position target attitude angle computing module and the second own vehicle position target attitude angle computing module are switched according to at least the obstacle detection result.

9. The vehicle steering control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each of said computing modules comprises at least one of a logic circuit and a CPU executing a program.

10. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said target parking line is independent of said own vehicle position.

11. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said target parking line is a straight line.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Azuma Michitoshi
• Akemi Yukiyasu
• Mori Kohei
• Takeuchi Yu
• Satake Toshihide
• Endo Masaya

Classifications

• B62D15/021

  Determination of steering angle · CPC title

• B60W10/20

  including control of steering systems · CPC title

• B62D15/0285 Primary

  Parking performed automatically · CPC title

• B62D15/0265

  Automatic obstacle avoidance by steering · CPC title

• B60W30/06

  Automatic manoeuvring for parking · CPC title