AUTOMATIC OPERATION CONTROL APPARATUS, AUTOMATIC OPERATION CONTROL METHOD,VEHICLE CRUISE SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE VEHICLE CRUISE SYSTEM

• US 20100036578A1
• Filed: 11/09/2007
• Published: 02/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Taguchi, Koji, Doi, Tomoyuki
• Application Number:
  US12/312,224
• Publication Number:
  US 20100036578A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/93
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0008 including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/15 Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4042 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/804 Relative longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/08 Active safety systems predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision or attempting to minimise its consequences
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/04 Traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0295 by at least one leading vehicle of the fleet
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 2201/0213 Road vehicle, e.g. car or truck

Abstract

An automatic operation control apparatus controls an automatic operation of a host vehicle in cooperation with another vehicle. In this apparatus, a nearby vehicle behavior prediction unit predicts the behavior of a vehicle near the host vehicle, a reception unit receives the result of prediction on the behavior of a vehicle, the prediction being made at the other vehicle, and a cruise control plan preparation unit prepares a cruise control plan for the host vehicle using the result of prediction made at the host vehicle and the result of prediction received from the other vehicle.

Claims

1. An automatic operation control apparatus that is provided in a host vehicle and that controls an automatic operation of the host vehicle in cooperation with another vehicle, comprising:

a behavior prediction unit that predicts a behavior of a first vehicle that runs near the host vehicle;

a behavior prediction result reception unit that receives a result of prediction on a behavior of a second vehicle, the prediction being made at the other vehicle; and

a cruise control plan preparation unit that prepares a cruise control plan for the host vehicle using a result of prediction made by the behavior prediction unit and the result of prediction received by the behavior prediction result reception unit.

2. The automatic operation control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a cruise control plan reception unit that receives a cruise control plan for the other vehicle, which is prepared at the other vehicle,

wherein

the cruise control plan preparation unit prepares the cruise control plan for the host vehicle using the received cruise control plan for the other vehicle.

3. The automatic operation control apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein

the first vehicle of which the behavior is predicted at the host vehicle and the second vehicle of which the behavior is predicted at the other vehicle are different from each other, and

the cruise control plan reception unit receives the cruise control plan for the other vehicle, which is prepared using the result of prediction on the behavior of the second vehicle, the prediction being made at the other vehicle.

4. The automatic operation control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein

the first vehicle of which the behavior is predicted at the host vehicle and the second vehicle of which the behavior is predicted at the other vehicle are one and the same, and

the behavior prediction unit predicts the behavior of the first vehicle using the result of prediction received by the behavior prediction result reception unit.

5. The automatic operation control apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein

the other vehicle is a manually-operated vehicle that is communicable with the host vehicle, and

the other vehicle and the second vehicle are one and the same.

6. The automatic operation control apparatus according to claim 1

wherein

the other vehicle is an automatically-operated vehicle, and

the second vehicle is a vehicle that runs near the other vehicle.

15. The automatic operation control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein

the other vehicle is a manually-operated vehicle that is communicable with the host vehicle, and

the other vehicle and the second vehicle are one and the same.

7. A vehicle cruise system under which multiple automatically-operated vehicles having cruise control plans run, wherein

each of the multiple automatically-operated vehicles includes:

a cruise control plan preparation unit that prepares the cruise control plan;

a first behavior prediction unit that predicts a behavior of a nearby vehicle; and

a behavior prediction result reception unit that receives a result of prediction on a behavior of a nearby vehicle, the prediction being made at another automatically-operated vehicle among the multiple automatically-operated vehicles,

wherein

the first behavior prediction unit predicts the behavior of the nearby vehicle using the result of prediction received by the behavior prediction result reception unit, and

the cruise control plan preparation unit prepares the cruise control plan using the result of prediction on the behavior of the nearby vehicle.

8. The vehicle cruise system according to claim 7,

wherein

the behavior of one and the same vehicle is predicted at the multiple automatically-operated vehicles.

9. The vehicle cruise system according to claim 7, further comprising:

a manually-operated vehicle that is communicable with at least one of the plurality of automatically-operated vehicles,

wherein

the behavior prediction result reception unit further receives a result of prediction on a behavior of the manually-operated vehicle,

the manually-operated vehicle includes;

a second behavior prediction unit that predicts a behavior of the manually-operated vehicle using the result of prediction that is predicted at least one of the multiple automatically-operated vehicles,

wherein

the cruise control plan preparation unit prepares the cruise control plan using the result of prediction received by the behavior prediction result reception unit.

10. A vehicle cruise system under which multiple automatically-operated vehicles run according to cruise control plans wherein:

each of the multiple automatically-operated vehicles includes;

a cruise control plan preparation unit that prepares the cruise control plan;

a behavior prediction unit that predicts a behavior of a nearby vehicle that runs near a host vehicle; and

a cruise control plan reception unit that receives the cruise control plan prepared at another automatically-operated vehicle among the multiple automatically-operated vehicles,

wherein

the cruise control plan preparation unit prepares the cruise control plan for the host vehicle using a result of prediction on the behavior of the nearby vehicle, the prediction being made at the host vehicle, and the cruise control plan for the other automatically-operated vehicle, which is prepared using a result of prediction on a behavior of a nearby vehicle that runs near the other automatically-operated vehicle, the prediction being made at the other automatically-operated vehicle.

11. The vehicle cruise system according to claim 10, wherein

the vehicles of which the behaviors are predicted at the multiple automatically-operated vehicles are different from each other.

12. An automatic operation control method for controlling an automatic operation of a host vehicle in cooperation with another vehicle, comprising:

predicting a behavior of a first vehicle that runs near the host vehicle;

receiving a result of prediction on a behavior of a second vehicle, the prediction being made at the other vehicle; and

preparing a cruise control plan for the host vehicle using a result of prediction on the behavior of the first vehicle and the result of prediction on the behavior of the second vehicle.

13. A method for controlling a vehicle cruise system under which multiple automatically-operated vehicles having cruise control plans run, comprising:

in each of the multiple automatically-operated vehicles, predicting a behavior of a nearby vehicle;

receiving a result of prediction on a behavior of a nearby vehicle, the prediction being made at another automatically-operated vehicle among the multiple automatically-operated vehicles;

predicting the behavior of the nearby vehicle using the received result of prediction; and

preparing the cruise control plan using the result of prediction on the behavior of the nearby vehicle.

14. A method for controlling a vehicle cruise system under which multiple automatically-operated vehicles run according to cruise control plans, comprising:

in each of the multiple automatically-operated vehicles,

predicting a behavior of a nearby vehicle that runs near a host vehicle;

receiving the cruise control plan prepared at another automatically-operated vehicle among the multiple automatically-operated vehicles; and

preparing the cruise control plan for the host vehicle using a result of prediction on the behavior of the nearby vehicle, the prediction being made at the host vehicle, and the cruise control plan for the other automatically-operated vehicle, which is prepared using a result of prediction on a behavior of a nearby vehicle that runs near the other automatically-operated vehicle, the prediction being made at the other automatically-operated vehicle.