Autonomous driving control apparatus

• US 10,222,796 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2017
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ichikawa, Kentaro, Sugaiwa, Taisuke, Okumura, Bunyo
• Primary Examiner(s): Goldman, Richard A
• Application Number:
  US15/445,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20170315550A1
• Time in Patent Office: 735 Days
• Field of Search: 701 1, 701 23, 701 36, 701 41, 701 93, 701 96, 701117, 701301, 701538
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/408 Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/125 Lateral acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/28 Wheel speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/16 Ratio selector position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/223 Posture, e.g. hand, foot, or seat position, turned or inclined
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/30 Road curve radius
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/50 Barriers
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/53 Road markings, e.g. lane marker or crosswalk
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4026 Cycles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4029 Pedestrians
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4041 Position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/60 Traversable objects, e.g. speed bumps or curbs
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/80 Spatial relation or speed relative to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/00 Details of control systems for road vehicle drive control not related to the control of a particular sub-unit , e.g. process diagnostic or vehicle driver interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/082 : Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/087 : where the control system corrects or modifies a request from the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 : Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0051 : from occupants to vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0053 : from vehicle to occupant
• 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

Abstract

An autonomous driving control apparatus executes an autonomous driving control of a vehicle. The autonomous driving control apparatus includes: a first determination unit configured to determine whether the autonomous driving control can be engaged or not; an autonomous driving control engage trigger input unit; a triggered engage mode configured to engage the autonomous driving control when an autonomous driving control engage trigger is input by a driver to the autonomous driving control engage trigger input unit after the first determination unit determines that the autonomous driving control can be engaged; an automatic engage mode configured to automatically engage the autonomous driving control when the first determination unit determines that the autonomous driving control can be engaged; and a switching unit configured to switch between the triggered engage mode and the automatic engage mode.

Claims

1. An autonomous driving control apparatus that executes an autonomous driving control of a vehicle, the autonomous driving control apparatus comprising:

a control device that determines whether the autonomous driving control can be engaged or not, and engages the autonomous driving control in a triggered engage mode or an automatic engage mode;

a human machine interface that receives a triggered engage mode input; and

a switching device that switches between the triggered engage mode and the automatic engage mode,

wherein when the triggered engage mode is selected, the control device engages the autonomous driving control in response to receiving the triggered engage mode input through the human machine interface after determining that the autonomous driving control can be engaged, and

wherein when the automatic engage mode is selected by the switching device, the control device automatically engages the autonomous driving control in response to determining that the autonomous driving control can be engaged.

2. The autonomous driving control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a determination criterion used by the control device for determining that the autonomous driving control can be engaged is less likely to be met when the automatic engage mode is selected than when the triggered engage mode is selected.

3. The autonomous driving control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein before an elapse of a predetermined period of time after the autonomous driving control is automatically engaged in the automatic engage mode, the control device deactivates the autonomous driving control when an operation amount of at least one of a steering operation, an acceleration operation, and a braking operation, performed by a driver of the vehicle, is equal to or more than a first threshold, and

wherein after the elapse of the predetermined period of time after the autonomous driving control is automatically engaged in the automatic engage mode, the control device deactivates the autonomous driving control when the operation amount is equal to or more than a second threshold larger than the first threshold.

4. A method, comprising:

receiving, by an electronic control unit (ECU) of a vehicle and from a switching device of the vehicle, information identifying whether a first mode or a second mode is selected;

determining, by the ECU of the vehicle, that autonomous driving control of the vehicle can be engaged; and

engaging, by the ECU of the vehicle, the autonomous driving control of the vehicle based on determining that the autonomous driving control of the vehicle can be engaged and based on the information identifying whether the first mode or the second mode is selected,

wherein, in a situation where the first mode is selected, the ECU automatically engages the autonomous driving control of the vehicle based on determining that the autonomous driving control of the vehicle can be engaged, and

wherein, in another situation where the second mode is selected, the ECU engages the autonomous driving control based on determining that the autonomous driving control of the vehicle can be engaged and based on receiving, via a human machine interface of the vehicle, an input that identifies that the autonomous driving control of the vehicle is to be engaged.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

deactivating, by the ECU of the vehicle, the autonomous driving control of the vehicle based on an operation amount of at least one of a steering operation, an acceleration operation, and a braking operation, performed by a user of the vehicle, satisfying a first threshold within a first predetermined period of time of the autonomous driving control of the vehicle being engaged, or

deactivating, by the ECU of the vehicle, the autonomous driving control of the vehicle based on another operation amount, performed by the user of the vehicle, satisfying a second threshold, that is different than the first threshold, within a second predetermined period of time of the autonomous driving control of the vehicle being engaged.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving, by the ECU of the vehicle, information from a plurality of sensors of the vehicle; and

wherein determining that the autonomous driving control of the vehicle can be engaged comprises determining that the autonomous driving control of the vehicle can be engaged based on the information from the plurality of sensors.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the switching device is a shift lever.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the switching device is a pedal of the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the switching device is associated with a steering wheel of the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein the switching device includes a graphical user interface.