VEHICLE CONTROL DEVICE

• US 20180129206A1
• Filed: 11/01/2017
• Published: 05/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2016
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Harada, Riho, Honda, Shigehiro, Tanaka, Jun, Mukai, Takuyuki, Ibuka, Jun
• Application Number:
  US15/800,193
• Publication Number:
  US 20180129206A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/346 with automatic actuation
• 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 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/10 Number of lanes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4049 Relationship among other objects, e.g. converging dynamic objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/406 Traffic density
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/802 Longitudinal distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/207 Steering angle of wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/08 Active safety systems predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision or attempting to minimise its consequences
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18163 Lane change; Overtaking manoeuvres
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/082 Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0015 specially adapted for safety
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0053 from vehicle to occupant
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0255 Automatic changing of lane, e.g. for passing another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa

Abstract

A vehicle control device is equipped with a merging point detection unit adapted to detect a merging point during a congested state on a planned travel route of a host vehicle, an entry space searching unit adapted to search for an entry space for the host vehicle within a merging destination lane, a countermeasure control unit adapted to perform a countermeasure control to contend with merging into the merging destination lane while continuing to automatically drive the host vehicle, in the event that a search result is obtained which indicates that an entry space does not exist.

Claims

1. A vehicle control device adapted to at least partially carry out a travel control for a host vehicle by way of automated driving, comprising:

a merging point detection unit adapted to detect a merging point during a congested state on a planned travel route of a host vehicle;

an entry space searching unit adapted to search for an entry space for the host vehicle within a merging destination lane that passes through the merging point, while the host vehicle is traveling by way of automated driving in a pre-merging lane that leads to the merging point detected by the merging point detection unit; and

a countermeasure control unit adapted to perform a merging control that causes the host vehicle to enter into the entry space in the event that a search result is obtained from the entry space searching unit which indicates that the entry space exists, or on the other hand, to perform a countermeasure control to contend with merging into the merging destination lane while continuing to automatically drive the host vehicle, in the event that a search result is obtained which indicates that an entry space does not exist.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein, in the case that a search result is obtained which indicates that the entry space does not exist, the countermeasure control unit performs the countermeasure control to cause the host vehicle to stop in the pre-merging lane on a front side of the merging point.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein the countermeasure control unit performs the countermeasure control to cause the host vehicle to stop in a direction that facilitates merging of the host vehicle.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 3, wherein the countermeasure control unit performs the countermeasure control to cause the host vehicle to stop in a state in which a vehicle body or a steering angle thereof is inclined in an orientation converging with the merging destination lane.

5. The vehicle control device according to claim 4, wherein, in the case that another vehicle in the pre-merging lane approaches from behind the host vehicle, the countermeasure control unit performs the countermeasure control to incline the steering angle in a direction away from the merging destination lane in a stopped state of the host vehicle.

6. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, further comprising a takeover request unit adapted to perform a request operation to request that a driver take over manual operation of the host vehicle, in the event that a search result is obtained which indicates that the entry space does not exist after a predetermined time period has elapsed from a point in time when the host vehicle was stopped.

7. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein, in the case that a search result is obtained which indicates that the entry space does not exist, the countermeasure control unit performs the countermeasure control to operate a direction indicator on a side of the merging destination lane.