VEHICLE CONTROL DEVICE

• US 20180159970A1
• Filed: 11/06/2017
• Published: 06/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: HIROKI, Daisuke
• Granted Patent: US 10,911,589 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0373 Voice control in general G10L
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6083 by interfacing with the vehicle audio system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72484 wherein functions are triggered by incoming communication events

Abstract

A vehicle control device includes an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to execute a command switching process according to the prediction node. In a transition prediction process, a node of the data for prediction corresponding to a current node of a vehicle is set to a start point node based on data for prediction, and at least one of candidate nodes is set to a prediction node specifying a future state of the vehicle. The electronic control unit is configured to execute a command generation process of generating a command for controlling the devices in the vehicle based on a correspondence relationship according to an input operation performed to the input device.

Claims

1. A vehicle control device that controls a plurality of types of devices in a vehicle according to an input operation performed to an input device in which an instruction to the vehicle is performed by a user, the vehicle control device comprising an electronic control unit,

the electronic control unit being configured to:

execute a transition prediction process of predicting at least one of candidate nodes as a prediction node specifying a future state, the candidate nodes being reached through one or a plurality of transitions defined by a link and having a starting point that is a node of data for prediction corresponding to a current node of the vehicle, the starting point node being set based on data for prediction in which the link of a directed graph is defined by the transition of a node, the directed graph being defined based on a data group that is a plurality of types of data including data regarding the device that is controlled according to the input operation performed to the input device, the data group being acquired in the same period of time;

execute a command switching process of switching a correspondence relationship between the input operation performed to the input device and a type of process of controlling the device in the vehicle according to the prediction node predicted through the transition prediction process; and

execute a command generation process of generating a command for controlling the devices in the vehicle based on the correspondence relationship according to the input operation performed to the input device.

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

the device in the vehicle includes a response device that is configured to perform an incoming call response of a phone; and

the command switching process includes a process of associating the incoming call response of the response device with the input operation performed to the input device on condition that the prediction node is a node representing the incoming call response of the phone.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein:

the input device includes a steering switch that is a switch provided on a steering of the vehicle;

the command switching process includes a process of associating the incoming call response of the response device with an input operation performed to the steering switch on condition that the prediction node is a node representing the incoming call response of the phone.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein:

the input device includes a voice sensing device;

the electronic control unit is configured to execute a voice specifying process of specifying voice input to the voice sensing device based on an output of the voice sensing device;

the command generation process includes a process of generating a command for controlling any one of the plurality of types of devices based on a correspondence relationship between the voice specified through the voice specifying process and control of the plurality of types of devices in the vehicle; and

the command switching process includes a process of changing the device that is associated with the voice by the correspondence relationship based on the prediction node.

5. The vehicle control device according to claim 4, wherein the electronic control unit is configured to execute an active state switching process of causing the voice specifying process to enter an active state on condition that the prediction node is a node representing execution of the voice specifying process in an inactive state in which the voice specifying process is not executed.

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

the input device includes an image sensing device that senses an image in the vehicle;

the electronic control unit is configured to execute an operation specifying process of specifying an operation of the user based on an output of the image sensing device;

the command generation process includes a process of generating a command for controlling any one of the plurality of types of devices based on a correspondence relationship between the operation specified by the operation specifying process and the control of the plurality of types of devices in the vehicle; and

the command switching process includes a process of changing the device that is associated with the operation according to the correspondence relationship based on the prediction node.

7. The vehicle control device according to claim 6, wherein the electronic control unit is configured to execute an active state switching process of causing the operation specifying process to enter an active state on condition that the prediction node is a node representing execution of the operation specifying process in an inactive state in which the operation specifying process based on the output of the image sensing device is not executed.

8. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle includes an image display device;

the input device includes a touch panel overlapping the image display device;

the electronic control unit is configured to execute a display switching process of changing an image displayed on the image display device based on the prediction node;

the command generation process includes a process of controlling any one of the plurality of types of devices based on a correspondence relationship between a specific position on the touch panel and the control of the device in the vehicle; and

the command switching process includes a process of changing a correspondence relationship between the specific position on the touch panel and a command corresponding to the position based on the prediction node.

9. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic control unit is configured to execute a correspondence relationship generation process of newly generating the correspondence relationship based on the prediction node.

10. The vehicle control device according to claim 9, wherein:

the correspondence relationship generation process includes a process of generating a correspondence relationship for associating a process of performing control to change a state of any one of the plurality of types of devices from a state represented by a current node to a state represented by the prediction node with an input operation indicating permission of the user for performing of the process; and

the electronic control unit is configured to execute a guidance recommendation process of guiding or recommending an input operation indicating permission of the user when switching to the correspondence relationship generated through the command switching process is performed.

11. A vehicle control device that controls a plurality of types of devices in a vehicle according to an input operation performed to an input device in which an instruction to the vehicle is performed by a user, the vehicle control device comprising an electronic control unit,

the electronic control unit being configured to execute a transition prediction process of predicting at least one of candidate nodes as a prediction node specifying a future state, the candidate nodes being reached through one or a plurality of transitions defined by a link and having a starting point node that is a node of data for prediction corresponding to a current node of the vehicle, the starting point node being setting based on data for prediction in which the link of a directed graph is defined by the transition of a node, the directed graph being defined based on a data group that is a plurality of types of data including data regarding the device that is controlled according to the input operation performed to the input device, the data group being acquired in the same period of time.

12. The vehicle control device according to claim 11, wherein:

the data for prediction includes data regarding an average value of a duration of the node; and

the electronic control unit is configured to

execute a duration prediction process of predicting a duration of the current node based on the current node and the data regarding the average value, and

execute at least one of a permission process of determining whether the duration predicted through the duration prediction process is equal to or longer than a threshold time and permitting execution of the transition prediction process on condition that the duration is equal to or longer than the threshold time, and a limiting process of limiting the number of the candidate nodes when the duration is relatively shorter to a smaller value than that when the duration is relatively longer.