VEHICLE CONTROL SYSTEM

• US 20180105184A1
• Filed: 10/02/2017
• Published: 04/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: URANO, Hiromitsu, KINDO, Toshiki
• Granted Patent: US 10,449,970 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0008 including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0096 Control during transition between modes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• 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 2540/229 Attention level, e.g. attentive to driving, reading or sleeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/08 Interaction between the driver and the control system
• 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 60/0051 from occupants to vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0053 from vehicle to occupant
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0055 only part of driving tasks shifted to occupants
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa

Abstract

A vehicle control system is configured to switch a driving mode of a vehicle among an automatic driving mode, a transition mode, and a manual driving mode. The vehicle control system includes: a notification device and an electronic control unit. The notification device is configured to notify the driver of information. The electronic control unit is configured to recognize a vehicle state of the vehicle, and notify, by using the notification device, the driver of a reason for switching the driving mode to the transition mode, when the driving mode is switched from the automatic driving mode or the manual driving mode to the transition mode based on the vehicle state.

Claims

1. A vehicle control system, the vehicle control system being configured to switch a driving mode of a vehicle among an automatic driving mode in which the vehicle travels by using a traveling plan created based on a predetermined target route, a transition mode in which the vehicle travels using cooperation between a driving operation of a driver of the vehicle and traveling control of causing the vehicle to travel by using the traveling plan, and a manual driving mode in which the vehicle travels based on an operation amount of the driving operation of the driver, the vehicle control system comprising:

a notification device configured to notify the driver of information; and

at least one electronic control unit configured to

recognize a vehicle state of the vehicle, and

notify, by using the notification device, the driver of a reason for switching the driving mode to the transition mode, when the driving mode is switched from the automatic driving mode or the manual driving mode to the transition mode based on the vehicle state.

2. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein

the at least one electronic control unit is configured to notify, when the driving mode is switched from the automatic driving mode or the manual driving mode to the transition mode, the driver of a necessary condition to switch the driving mode to the automatic driving mode.

3. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein

the at least one electronic control unit is configured to:

notify, when the driving mode is switched from the transition mode to the automatic driving mode based on the vehicle state, the driver of a reason for switching the driving mode from the transition mode to the automatic driving mode by using the notification device; and

notify, when the driving mode is switched from the transition mode to the manual driving mode based on the vehicle state, the driver of a reason for switching the driving mode from the transition mode to the manual driving mode by using the notification device.

4. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein

the at least one electronic control unit is configured to:

recognize an occupant state of the vehicle; and

notify, when the driving mode is switched from the automatic driving mode or the manual driving mode to the transition mode based on the occupant state, the driver of a reason for switching the driving mode to the transition mode by using the notification device based on the occupant state.

5. The vehicle control system according to claim 4, wherein

the at least one electronic control unit is configured to:

notify, when the driving mode is switched from the transition mode to the automatic driving mode based on the occupant state, the driver of a reason for switching the driving mode from the transition mode to the automatic driving mode by using the notification device; and

notify, when the driving mode is switched from the transition mode to the manual driving mode based on the occupant state, the driver of a reason for switching the driving mode from the transition mode to the manual driving mode by using the notification device.

6. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein

the at least one electronic control unit is configured to:

evaluate an automatic driving mode familiarity level, the automatic driving mode familiarity level being a degree of familiarity of the driver with the automatic driving mode; and

change a notification style to the driver based on the automatic driving mode familiarity level.

7. The vehicle control system according to claim 6, wherein

the at least one electronic control unit is configured to evaluate the automatic driving mode familiarity level, based on at least one of the number of times that the driver has executed the automatic driving mode and an accumulated time period during which the driving mode is the automatic driving mode.

8. The vehicle control system according to claim 4, wherein

the at least one electronic control unit is configured to:

when the vehicle travels in the automatic driving mode, determine whether the occupant state and the vehicle state satisfy a first condition and a second condition, the first condition and the second condition being different from each other;

maintain the automatic driving mode when the at least one electronic control unit determines that the first condition and the second condition are satisfied;

switch the driving mode to the transition mode when one condition of the first condition and the second condition is satisfied and the other condition of the first condition and the second condition is not satisfied;

switch the driving mode to the manual driving mode when neither of the first condition and the second condition is satisfied;

notify the driver of a reason for switching the driving mode to the transition mode when the driving mode is switched to the transition mode; and

notify the driver of a reason for switching to the manual driving mode when the driving mode is switched to the manual driving mode.

9. The vehicle control system according to claim 4, wherein

the at least one electronic control unit is configured to:

when the vehicle travels in the manual driving mode, determine whether the occupant state and the vehicle state satisfy a first condition and a second condition, the first condition and the second condition being different from each other;

switch the driving mode to the automatic driving mode when the at least one electronic control unit determines that the first condition and the second condition are satisfied;

switch the driving mode to the transition mode when one condition of the first condition and the second condition is satisfied and the other condition of the first condition and the second condition is not satisfied;

maintain the manual driving mode when neither of the first condition and the second condition is satisfied;

notify the driver of a reason for switching the driving mode to the transition mode when the driving mode is switched to the transition mode; and

notify the driver of a reason for maintaining the manual driving mode when the manual driving mode is maintained.

10. The vehicle control system according to claim 6, wherein

the notification style includes an amount of information notified to the driver by the notification device.