TRAVEL CONTROL PLAN GENERATION SYSTEM AND COMPUTER PROGRAM

• US 20100042282A1
• Filed: 11/20/2007
• Published: 02/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Aso, Makoto, Taguchi, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 9,076,338 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/25
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/202 Steering torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4041 Position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4042 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4049 Relationship among other objects, e.g. converging dynamic objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/80 Spatial relation or speed relative to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 Lane keeping
• 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 40/02 related to ambient conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/072 Curvature of the road
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/076 Slope angle of the road
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication

Abstract

A travel control plan generating system 1 includes: upper level plan generating means 22a for generating an upper level plan corresponding to a travel policy of a vehicle A; lower level plan generating means 22b for generating a lower level plan, which is a plan for achieving the upper level plan and includes at least a travel course; lower level plan obtaining means 16, 30 for obtaining a lower level plan including at least a travel course of a peripheral vehicle B, C; evaluating means 24 for evaluating the lower level plan of the vehicle A in accordance with a predetermined index, taking into account the lower level plan of the peripheral vehicle B, C; and lower level plan selecting means 26 for selecting a lower level plan to be executed by the vehicle A on the basis of an evaluation performed by the evaluating means 24.

Claims

1. A travel control plan generating system, comprising:

upper level plan generating means for generating an upper level plan corresponding to a travel policy of a vehicle;

lower level plan generating means for generating a lower level plan, which is a plan for achieving said upper level plan and includes at least a travel course;

lower level plan obtaining means for obtaining a lower level plan including at least a travel course of a peripheral vehicle of said vehicle;

evaluating means for evaluating said lower level plan of said vehicle in accordance with a predetermined index, taking into account said lower level plan of said peripheral vehicle; and

lower level plan selecting means for selecting a lower level plan to be executed by said vehicle on the basis of an evaluation performed by said evaluating means.

2. The travel control plan generating system according to claim 1, wherein said lower level plan generating means generates a plurality of lower level plans for said vehicle, and

said lower level plan selecting means selects said lower level plan to be executed from said plurality of lower level plans on the basis of said evaluation performed by said evaluating means.

3. The travel control plan generating system according to claim 1, wherein said upper level plan generating means regenerates said upper level plan when said lower level plan cannot be generated.

4. The travel control plan generating system according to claim 1, wherein said upper level plan generating means regenerates said upper level plan in accordance with said evaluation performed by said evaluating means.

5. The travel control plan generating system according to claim 1, wherein said lower level plan generating means includes inferring means for inferring said lower level plan of said peripheral vehicle on the basis of a behavior of said peripheral vehicle, and

said lower level plan of said peripheral vehicle is obtained from an inference by said inferring means.

6. The travel control plan generating system according to claim 5, wherein said lower level plan obtaining means includes communicating means for communicating with said peripheral vehicle, and

said lower level plan of said peripheral vehicle is obtained through communication performed by said communicating means.

7. The travel control plan generating system according to claim 6, wherein said evaluating means evaluates said lower level plan of said vehicle taking into account a reliability of said lower level plan of said peripheral vehicle.

8. The travel control plan generating system according to claim 7, wherein a reliability of a lower level plan obtained from said inferring means is lower than a reliability of a lower level plan of an automatically driven vehicle obtained from said communicating means.

9. The travel control plan generating system according to claim 1, wherein said lower level plan includes a speed pattern of said vehicle.

13. The travel control plan generating system according to claim 1, wherein a time scale of said lower level plan is smaller than a time scale of said upper level plan.

10. A computer program for causing a computer to execute:

an upper level plan generating step for generating an upper level plan corresponding to a travel policy of a vehicle;

a lower level plan generating step for generating a lower level plan, which is a plan for achieving said upper level plan and includes at least a travel course;

a lower level plan obtaining step for obtaining a lower level plan including at least a travel course of a peripheral vehicle of said vehicle;

an evaluating step for evaluating said lower level plan of said vehicle in accordance with a predetermined index, taking into account said lower level plan of said peripheral vehicle; and

a lower level plan selecting step for selecting a lower level plan to be executed by said vehicle on the basis of an evaluation performed in said evaluating step.

11. A travel control plan generating system for generating a plan including at least a travel course of a vehicle, wherein a plan including at least a travel course of a peripheral vehicle of said vehicle is inferred on the basis of a behavior of said peripheral vehicle, and

said plan including at least said travel course of said vehicle is generated after taking into consideration a reliability of said inferred plan.

12. A travel control plan generating system for generating a plan including at least a travel course of a vehicle, wherein a plan including at least a travel course of a peripheral vehicle of said vehicle is inferred on the basis of a behavior of said peripheral vehicle,

said plan including at least said travel course of said peripheral vehicle is obtained through communication with said peripheral vehicle, and

said plan including at least said travel course of said vehicle is generated on the basis of said inferred plan and said plan obtained through communication.

14. A travel control plan generating system, comprising a computer:

said computer generates an upper level plan corresponding to a travel policy of a vehicle;

generates a lower level plan, which is a plan for achieving said upper level plan and includes at least a travel course;

obtains a lower level plan including at least a travel course of a peripheral vehicle of said vehicle;

evaluates said lower level plan of said vehicle in accordance with a predetermined index, taking into account said lower level plan of said peripheral vehicle; and

selects a lower level plan to be executed by said vehicle on the basis of the evaluation of said lower level plan of said vehicle.