STEERING ASSIST CONTROL APPARATUS AND STEERING ASSIST CONTROL METHOD

• US 20160101812A1
• Filed: 10/09/2015
• Published: 04/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: NIKI, Keitaro
• Granted Patent: US 10,046,801 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/025 Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation B62D1/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/029 Steering assistants using warnings or proposing actions to the driver without influencing the steering system
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road

Abstract

In a steering assist control apparatus including a steering assist control unit that controls the steering of an own vehicle by a manipulated variable allowing the own vehicle to run along a lane recognized by a lane recognition unit, and a control stop unit that decrease the manipulated variable with time when an abnormality detection unit detects a recognition abnormality in the lane recognition unit, the control stop unit decreases the manipulated variable at a manipulated variable decrease rate corresponding to a manner of the recognition abnormality. Thereby, at the time of the occurrence of the abnormality, it is possible to more adequately decrease the manipulated variable for the steering assist control, corresponding to the manner of the abnormality.

Claims

1. A steering assist control apparatus comprising:

a lane recognition unit configured to recognize a lane using a pickup image, the lane being a lane along which an own vehicle runs, the pickup image being a pickup image of a forward sight of the own vehicle in a travelling direction of the own vehicle;

a steering assist control unit configured to give a manipulated variable to a steering system of the own vehicle such that the own vehicle runs along the lane recognized by the lane recognition unit, the manipulated variable being a manipulated variable by which steering of the own vehicle is controlled;

an abnormality detection unit configured to detect at least any one of (i) an abnormality in recognition of the lane made by the lane recognition unit and a manner of the abnormality in the recognition and (ii) a control abnormality in the steering assist control unit and a manner of the control abnormality; and

a control stop unit configured to decrease the manipulated variable with time, when the abnormality detection unit detects at least any one of the abnormality in recognition of the lane made by the lane recognition unit and the control abnormality in the steering assist control unit,

wherein the control stop unit decreases the manipulated variable at a manipulated variable decrease rate corresponding to at least any one of the manner of the abnormality in recognition and the manner of the control abnormality.

2. The steering assist control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the abnormality detection unit is configured to

detect a first abnormality manner, a second abnormality manner and a third abnormality manner, as the manner of the abnormality in recognition of the lane made by the lane recognition unit, the first abnormality manner being an abnormality manner in which the lane recognition unit cannot discriminate a lane line from the pickup image, the lane line demarcating the lane, the second abnormality manner being an abnormality manner in which an interval between two of the lane lines discriminated by the lane recognition unit is broader than a previously set value, the third abnormality manner being an abnormality manner in which the position of the lane line discriminated by the lane recognition unit varies at a higher frequency than a previously set frequency, and

the control stop unit is configured to

decrease the manipulated variable at a first manipulated variable decrease rate as the manipulated variable decrease rate when the abnormality detection unit detects the first abnormality manner,

decrease the manipulated variable at a second manipulated variable decrease rate as the manipulated variable decrease rate when the abnormality detection unit detects the second abnormality manner, the second manipulated variable decrease rate being higher than the first manipulated variable decrease rate, and

decrease the manipulated variable at a third manipulated variable decrease rate as the manipulated variable decrease rate when the abnormality detection unit detects the third abnormality manner, the third manipulated variable decrease rate being higher than the second manipulated variable decrease rate.

3. The steering assist control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

when the abnormality detection unit simultaneously detects two different abnormality manners of the first abnormality manner, the second abnormality manner and the third abnormality manner, the control stop unit is configured to select the highest manipulated variable decrease rate of manipulated variable decrease rates respectively corresponding to the manners of the recognition abnormalities.

4. The steering assist control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the abnormality detection unit is configured to

detect a communication interruption abnormality, an output value abnormality and an actuator abnormality, as the manner of the control abnormality in the steering assist control unit, the communication interruption abnormality being an abnormality in which communication between the steering assist control unit and the lane recognition unit is interrupted, the output value abnormality being an abnormality in which an output value from the steering assist control unit is abnormal, the actuator abnormality being an abnormality of an actuator that generates steering torque, and

the control stop unit is configured to

decrease the manipulated variable at a fourth manipulated variable decrease rate as the manipulated variable decrease rate when the abnormality detection unit detects the communication interruption abnormality,

decrease the manipulated variable at a fifth manipulated variable decrease rate as the manipulated variable decrease rate when the abnormality detection unit detects the output value abnormality, the fifth manipulated variable decrease rate being higher than the fourth manipulated variable decrease rate, and

decrease the manipulated variable at a sixth manipulated variable decrease rate as the manipulated variable decrease rate when the abnormality detection unit detects the actuator abnormality, the sixth manipulated variable decrease rate being lower than the fourth manipulated variable decrease rate.

5. The steering assist control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a curvature acquisition unit configured to acquire curvature of the lane along which the own vehicle runs,

wherein

when the curvature acquired by the curvature acquisition unit is a previously set threshold or more, the control stop unit is configured, for the same manner of the recognition abnormality, to decrease the manipulated variable at a lower manipulated variable decrease rate than a manipulated variable decrease rate when the curvature is less than the threshold.

6. The steering assist control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a holding detection unit configured to detect whether a driver of the own vehicle holds a steering wheel,

wherein

when the holding detection unit detects that the driver holds the steering wheel, the control stop unit is configured, for the same manner of the recognition abnormality, to decrease the manipulated variable at a higher manipulated variable decrease rate than a manipulated variable decrease rate when the holding detection unit does not detect that the driver holds the steering wheel.

7. The steering assist control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

an awakening degree detection unit configured to detect awakening degree of a driver of the own vehicle,

wherein

the control stop unit is configured to decrease the manipulated variable at a lower decrease rate, as the awakening degree of the driver detected by the awakening degree detection unit becomes lower.

8. The steering assist control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a traffic volume detection unit configured to detect traffic volume around the own vehicle,

wherein

the control stop unit is configured to decrease the manipulated variable at a lower decrease rate, as the traffic volume detected by the traffic volume detection unit becomes larger.

9. A steering assist control method comprising:

recognizing a lane using a pickup image, the lane being a lane along which an own vehicle runs, the pickup image being a pickup image of a forward sight of the own vehicle in a travelling direction of the own vehicle;

detecting at least any one of (i) an abnormality in recognition of the lane and a manner of the abnormality in recognition and (ii) a control abnormality in a steering assist control unit that gives a manipulated variable to a steering system of the own vehicle such that the own vehicle runs along the lane recognized and a manner of the control abnormality;

calculating a manipulated variable by which the own vehicle runs along the recognized lane;

setting a decrease rate corresponding to at least any one of the manner of the recognition abnormality and the manner of the control abnormality; and

performing steering assist control based on the manipulated variable decreased at the decrease rate.