Autonomous driving device and vehicle control device

• US 10,065,656 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2016
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Otsuka, Kohei
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Nga X
• Application Number:
  US15/179,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20160362116A1
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 701 23- 26, 701 36- 38, 701 52- 56, 701300-302
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0095 Automatic control mode change
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/21 Voice
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/082 Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0051 from occupants to vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0059 Estimation of the risk associated with autonomous or manual driving, e.g. situation too complex, sensor failure or driver incapacity
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

If the difference of the manual driving operation amount, detected by a manual driving operation amount detection portion, from the autonomous driving operation amount, calculated by an autonomous driving operation amount calculation portion, is equal to or smaller than an operation amount threshold during manual driving, a driving state switching portion switches the driving state from manual driving to autonomous driving in response to an autonomous driving switching request from a host vehicle'"'"'s driver. This configuration prevents the switching from manual driving to autonomous driving if the driver'"'"'s manual driving operation differs much from the autonomous driving operation with a high possibility that the autonomous driving operation suitable for the actual traveling environment will not be performed. Therefore, this configuration prevents the switching from manual driving to autonomous driving if the possibility is high that the autonomous driving operation suitable for the actual traveling environment will not be performed.

Claims

1. An autonomous driving device configured to switch a driving state of a host vehicle from manual driving to autonomous driving, the autonomous driving device comprising:

an HMI comprising any one of a display panel, a microphone, an operation button, a touch panel, and a mobile information terminal, configured to allow a driver of the host vehicle to request that the driving state of the host vehicle be changed from the manual driving to the autonomous driving;

a manual driving operation amount detection portion configured to detect, during the manual driving, a manual driving operation amount of a manual driving operation performed by a driver of the host vehicle, wherein the manual driving operation amount is at least one of;

(i) a steering angle or torque corresponding to a steering wheel on the vehicle, (ii) an acceleration throttle angle corresponding to an acceleration pedal on the vehicle, and (iii) a brake force corresponding to a brake pedal on the vehicle;

an autonomous driving operation amount calculation portion configured to calculate, during the manual driving, an autonomous driving operation amount of an autonomously-controlled autonomous driving operation based on a traveling environment of the host vehicle assuming that the driving state were to be switched from the manual driving to the autonomous driving, wherein the autonomous driving operation amount corresponds to the manual driving operation amount; and

a driving state switching portion configured to determine whether a difference between the manual driving operation amount and the autonomous driving operation amount is equal to or smaller than an operation amount threshold, and based upon the difference being lower than the operation amount threshold, to switch, during the manual driving, the driving state from the manual driving to the autonomous driving in response to the request by the driver of the host vehicle to switch to the autonomous driving.

2. The autonomous driving device according to claim 1, wherein

the manual driving operation amount detection portion determines each of a steering operation and an acceleration/deceleration operation performed via the manual driving operation by the driver of the host vehicle based on the detected manual driving operation amount during the manual driving,

the autonomous driving operation amount calculation portion determines each of the steering operation and the acceleration/deceleration operation performed via the autonomous driving operation by the host vehicle assuming that each of the steering operation and the acceleration/deceleration operation was being performed via the autonomously-controlled autonomous driving operation, and

the driving state switching portion switches the steering operation to the autonomously-controlled autonomous driving operation in response to the switching request if the difference between the manual driving operation amount of the steering operation performed via the manual driving operation and the autonomous driving operation amount of the steering operation performed via the autonomous driving operation is equal to or smaller than the operation amount threshold that is set for the steering operation, and switches the acceleration/deceleration operation to the autonomously-controlled autonomous driving operation in response to the switching request if the difference between the manual driving operation amount of the acceleration/deceleration operation performed via the manual driving operation and the autonomous driving operation amount of the acceleration/deceleration operation performed via the autonomous driving operation is equal to or smaller than the operation amount threshold that is set for the acceleration/deceleration operation.

3. A vehicle control device that can control a driving state of a vehicle by switching the driving state from manual driving to autonomous driving, the vehicle control device comprising:

an external sensor that detects an external environment of the vehicle;

an internal sensor that detects information indicating a traveling state of the vehicle and a manual driving operation amount performed by a driver, wherein the manual driving operation amount is at least one of;

(i) a steering angle or torque corresponding to a steering wheel on the vehicle, (ii) an acceleration throttle angle corresponding to an acceleration pedal on the vehicle, and (iii) a brake force corresponding to a brake pedal on the vehicle;

an actuator that performs traveling control of the vehicle; and

an ECU configured to;

receive an input request by a driver via an HMI during the manual driving, wherein the HMI is one of a display panel, a microphone, an operation button, a touch panel, and a mobile information terminal;

calculate, based on the detected external environment of the vehicle, an autonomous driving operation amount to be operated if the driving state were to be switched to the autonomous driving, wherein the autonomous driving operation amount corresponds to the manual driving operation amount;

compare a difference between the detected manual operation amount and the calculated autonomous driving operation amount with an operation amount threshold to determine whether it is possible to switch the driving state of the vehicle from the manual driving to the autonomous driving; and

based upon the difference being equal to or lower than the operation amount threshold, control the vehicle to switch from the manual driving to the autonomous driving.

4. A method for switching a driving state of a vehicle from a manual driving to an autonomous driving comprising:

receiving an input request by a driver via a human machine interface (HMI) during the manual driving, wherein the HMI is one of a display panel, a microphone, an operation button, a touch panel, and a mobile information terminal;

detecting, in response to the received input, a manual operation amount during the manual driving, wherein the manual driving operation amount is at least one of;

(i) a steering angle or torque corresponding to a steering wheel on the vehicle, (ii) an acceleration throttle angle corresponding to an acceleration pedal on the vehicle, and (iii) a brake force corresponding to a brake pedal on the vehicle;

calculating, based on a detected environment of the vehicle, an autonomous driving operation amount to be operated if the driving state were to be switched to the autonomous driving, wherein the autonomous driving operation amount corresponds to the manual driving operation amount;

comparing a difference between the detected manual operation amount and the calculated autonomous driving operation amount with an operation amount threshold to determine whether it is possible to switch the driving state of the vehicle from the manual driving to the autonomous driving; and

controlling the vehicle to start the autonomous driving based upon the difference being equal to or lower than the operation amount threshold.

5. The method for switching the driving state of the vehicle according to claim 4, wherein before starting the autonomous driving, issuing a notification to the driver that the autonomous driving will be started.

6. The method for switching the driving state of the vehicle according to claim 4, wherein after the state in which the difference of the manual driving operation amount and the autonomous driving operation amount is determined to be equal to or smaller than the operation amount threshold continues for a predetermined time, the autonomous driving is started.

7. A method for switching a driving state of a vehicle from a manual driving to an autonomous driving, comprising:

detecting a manual operation amount during the manual driving, wherein the manual driving operation amount is at least one of;

(i) a steering angle or torque corresponding to a steering wheel on the vehicle, (ii) an acceleration throttle angle corresponding to an acceleration pedal on the vehicle, and (iii) a brake force corresponding to a brake pedal on the vehicle;

calculating, based on a detected environment of the vehicle, an autonomous driving operation amount to be operated if the driving state were to be switched to the autonomous driving, wherein the autonomous driving operation amount corresponds to the manual driving operation amount;

comparing a difference between the detected manual operation amount and the calculated autonomous driving operation amount with an operation amount threshold to determine whether it is possible to switch the driving state of the vehicle from the manual driving to the autonomous driving;

receiving an input request by a driver via a human machine interface (HMI) during the manual driving, wherein the HMI is one of a display panel, a microphone, an operation button, a touch panel, and a mobile information terminal;

in response to the received input and the determination that the difference is equal to or lower than the operation amount threshold, controlling the vehicle to start the autonomous driving.