CONTROL APPARATUS OF VEHICLE

• US 20150153733A1
• Filed: 11/19/2014
• Published: 06/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: OHMURA, Shigeru, OSHIDA, Kei
• Granted Patent: US 9,429,941 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/18 for vehicle drivers or machine operators
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/06 responsive to incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0827 due to sleepiness
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0836 due to alcohol
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0845 due to drugs
• 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 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/221 Physiology, e.g. weight, heartbeat, health or special needs
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/225 Direction of gaze
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/26 Incapacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2756/10 Involving external transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/165 Automatically following the path of a preceding lead vehicle, e.g. "electronic tow-bar"
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/082 Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/12 Limiting control by the driver depending on vehicle state, e.g. interlocking means for the control input for preventing unsafe operation
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0295 : by at least one leading vehicle of the fleet
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 : Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/22 : Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles

Abstract

A control apparatus of a vehicle is provided. In the control apparatus, an unable-to-drive state of the driver of the vehicle is detected or determined. The unable-to-drive state is a state where the driver is unable to drive the vehicle. When the emergency that the driver has become the unable-to-drive state is detected or determined, the detection or determination result is notified to the outside. A leading vehicle which is adapted to leading the vehicle based on the notification, is recognized. Automatic follow-up running control is performed wherein the vehicle is made to automatically follow the leading vehicle.

Claims

1. A control apparatus of a vehicle, comprising:

detection/determination means for detecting or determining an unable-to-drive state of the driver of said vehicle, the unable-to-drive state being a state where the driver is unable to drive said vehicle;

notifying means for notifying the outside of the detection/determination result by said detection/determination means when said detection/determination means detects or determines that the driver has become the unable-to-drive state;

leading vehicle recognizing means for recognizing a leading vehicle which is adapted to leading said vehicle based on the notification made by said notifying means; and

follow-up running control means for making said vehicle automatically follow said leading vehicle.

2. The control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising invalidating means for invalidating an operation system which is operated by the driver of said vehicle.

3. The control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

joining point obtaining means for obtaining a joining point at which said vehicle joins said leading vehicle; and

automatic joining driving means for performing autonomous and automatic driving of said vehicle to the joining point.

4. The control apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

joining point obtaining means for obtaining a joining point at which said vehicle joins said leading vehicle; and

automatic joining driving means for performing autonomous and automatic driving of said vehicle to the joining point.

5. A control apparatus of a vehicle comprising:

unable-to-drive vehicle recognizing means for recognizing an unable-to-drive vehicle of which the driver has become an unable-to-drive state where the driver is unable to drive the vehicle; and

lead running control means for performing a lead running control for making said unable-to-drive vehicle follow said vehicle.

6. The control apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising invalidating means for invalidating an operation system which is operated by the driver of said unable-to-drive vehicle.

7. The control apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

joining point obtaining means for obtaining a joining point at which said vehicle joins said unable-to-drive vehicle; and

automatic joining driving means for autonomously and automatically driving said vehicle to the joining point.

8. The control apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

joining point obtaining means for obtaining a joining point at which said vehicle joins said unable-to-drive vehicle; and

automatic joining driving means for autonomously and automatically driving said vehicle to the joining point.

9. The control apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising final stop position obtaining means for obtaining a final stop position at which said unable-to-drive vehicle should be stopped,

wherein said lead running control means leads said unable-to-drive vehicle to the final stop position by autonomous and automatic driving.

10. The control apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising final stop position obtaining means for obtaining a final stop position at which said unable-to-drive vehicle should be stopped,

wherein said lead running control means leads said unable-to-drive vehicle to the final stop position by autonomous and automatic driving.

11. The control apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising final stop position obtaining means for obtaining a final stop position at which said unable-to-drive vehicle should be stopped,

wherein said lead running control means leads said unable-to-drive vehicle to the final stop position by autonomous and automatic driving.

12. The control apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising final stop position obtaining means for obtaining a final stop position at which said unable-to-drive vehicle should be stopped,

wherein said lead running control means leads said unable-to-drive vehicle to the final stop position by autonomous and automatic driving.

13. The control apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the final stop position is determined based on a configuration of the road on which said vehicle is running

14. The control apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the final stop position is determined based on a configuration of the road on which said vehicle is running

15. The control apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the final stop position is determined based on a configuration of the road on which said vehicle is running

16. The control apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the final stop position is determined based on a configuration of the road on which said vehicle is running

17. The control apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the final stop position is determined based on location information of medical institutions.

18. The control apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the final stop position is determined based on location information of medical institutions.

19. The control apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the final stop position is determined based on location information of medical institutions.

20. The control apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the final stop position is determined based on location information of medical institutions.