VEHICLE CONTROL DEVICE

• US 20160041553A1
• Filed: 07/06/2015
• Published: 02/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: SATO, Jun, IWASAKI, Masahiro
• Granted Patent: US 9,606,536 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/066 actuating a signalling device B60K28/063 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0818 Inactivity or incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/221 Physiology, e.g. weight, heartbeat, health or special needs
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/223 Posture, e.g. hand, foot, or seat position, turned or inclined
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/225 Direction of gaze
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/229 Attention level, e.g. attentive to driving, reading or sleeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/26 Incapacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/00 Input parameters relating to data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 related to drivers or passengers
• 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 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• 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

Abstract

In a vehicle control device that is configured to be capable of switching from an automatic travel of the vehicle to manual travel by a driver, a manual driving adaptation degree of a driver during an automatic travel is calculated based on a driver state (S16), a notification timing is set such that the notification timing is earlier as the manual driving adaptation degree becomes lower (S18), and the automatic travel end notification is given to the driver at the set notification timing (S20).

Claims

1. A vehicle control device that is configured to be capable of switching from an automatic travel of the vehicle to manual travel by a driver, comprising:

a driver state detection unit that is configured to detect a driver state of the driver of the vehicle;

a calculation unit that is configured to calculate a manual driving adaptation degree of the driver during the automatic travel of the vehicle based on the driver state detected by the driver state detection unit; and

a notification unit that is configured to perform an automatic travel end notification to the driver before the vehicle arrives at an automatic travel ending point set in advance,

wherein the notification unit performs the automatic travel end notification at an earlier timing as the manual driving adaptation degree becomes lower.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a driving operation detector that is configured to detect a driving operation state of the driver;

a driving operation state determination unit that is configured to determine whether or not the driver is in a manual driving acceptance state based on the driving operation state detected by the driving operation detector after the automatic travel end notification is performed by the notification unit; and

a vehicle travel control unit that is configured to change the travel state of the vehicle in a case where it is determined by the driving operation state determination unit that the driver is not in the manual driving acceptance state.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 2,

wherein, in a case where it is determined that the driver is not in the manual driving acceptance state by the driving operation state determination unit, the vehicle travel control unit decreases the vehicle speed.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 2,

wherein, in a case where it is determined that the driver is not in the manual driving acceptance state by the driving operation state determination unit, the vehicle travel control unit stops the vehicle.

5. The vehicle control device according to claim 1,

wherein the calculation unit calculates a wakefulness degree of the driver as the manual driving adaptation degree, and

wherein the notification unit performs the automatic travel end notification at the earlier timing as the wakefulness degree of the driver becomes lower.

6. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage unit that is configured to store data in which the manual driving adaptation degree at the time when the automatic travel end notification is performed and a time it takes from the automatic travel end notification to the time when the driver is in the manual driving adaptation state in the above manual driving adaptation degree are associated with each other,

wherein the notification unit performs the automatic travel end notification at the timing set based on the manual driving adaptation degree calculated by the calculation unit and the data stored in the storage unit.