VEHICLE CONTROL APPARATUS

• US 20170080934A1
• Filed: 08/22/2016
• Published: 03/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Morimoto, Kazuhiro, Matsuoka, Katsuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 10,040,452 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2400/00 Indexing codes relating to detected, measured or calculated conditions or factors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/215 Selection or confirmation of options
• 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 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 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention

Abstract

A vehicle control apparatus of the invention determines whether or not an informing condition is satisfied. The informing condition becomes satisfied when a particular situation regarding an own vehicle traveling that a driver of the own vehicle should be alerted occurs. The apparatus executes an informing control for alerting the driver when the informing condition is satisfied and executes a cruise control for causing the own vehicle to travel when a cruise condition is satisfied. The apparatus executes an adjustment process for forbidding the informing control and permitting the cruise control when both the informing and cruise conditions are satisfied and the own vehicle is accelerated or decelerated by the cruise control and for permitting both the informing and cruise controls when both the informing and cruise conditions are satisfied and the own vehicle is not accelerated nor decelerated by the cruise control.

Claims

1. A vehicle control apparatus, comprising:

a road situation information acquisition device configured to acquire road situation information on a road situation from an outside of an own vehicle through a wireless communication;

determination means configured to determine whether or not an informing condition is satisfied on the basis of the road situation information, the informing condition becoming satisfied when a particular situation regarding an own vehicle traveling that a driver of the own vehicle should be alerted occurs;

informing means configured to execute an informing control for alerting the driver of the own vehicle when the informing condition is satisfied;

cruise means configured to execute a cruise control for causing the own vehicle to travel without an operation of one of an acceleration operator of the own vehicle and an brake operator of the own vehicle when a cruise condition is satisfied; and

adjustment means configured to execute a first adjustment process;

for forbidding an execution of the informing control by the informing means and permitting an execution of the cruise control by the cruise means when both the informing condition and the cruise condition are satisfied and the own vehicle is accelerated or decelerated by the cruise control, and

for permitting both the execution of the informing control by the informing means and the execution of the cruise control by the cruise means when both the informing condition and the cruise condition are satisfied and the own vehicle is not accelerated nor decelerated by the cruise control.

2. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment means is configured:

to execute the first adjustment process when the informing condition becomes satisfied with the cruise control having been executed since the cruise condition becomes satisfied before the informing condition becomes satisfied; and

to execute a second adjustment process for permitting the execution of the informing control by the informing means and forbidding the execution of the cruise control by the cruise means when the cruise condition becomes satisfied with the informing control having been executed since the informing condition becomes satisfied before the cruise condition becomes satisfied.

3. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment means is configured:

to execute the first adjustment control when the own vehicle is accelerated or decelerated by the cruise control and a predetermined informing requirement level is a low requirement level with both the informing condition and the cruise condition being satisfied, the informing requirement level representing a level of a requirement of informing the driver of the own vehicle an occurrence of the particular situation, and

to execute a third adjustment process for permitting the execution of the informing control by the informing means and forbidding the execution of the cruise control by the cruise means when the own vehicle is accelerated or decelerated by the cruise control and the predetermined informing requirement level is a high level with both the informing condition and the cruise condition are satisfied.