VEHICLE CONTROL DEVICE

• US 20180162396A1
• Filed: 12/05/2017
• Published: 06/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Ibuka, Jun, Tanaka, Jun, Mukai, Takuyuki, Honda, Shigehiro, Harada, Riho
• Granted Patent: US 10,435,021 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0872 Driver physiology
• 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 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/20 Direction indicator values
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/406 Traffic density
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/095 Predicting travel path or likelihood of collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/10 Path keeping cruise control for automatically following a preceding vehicle B60W30/165
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18 Propelling the vehicle
• 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: G01C 21/3658 Lane guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 where the received information generates an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096758 where no selection takes place on the transmitted or the received information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 : where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 : where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 : where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 : Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

A vehicle control device includes a lane determining unit which, in the event there is a branching path or a merging path in a planned travel route of a host vehicle, is adapted to determine whether or not a lane in which the host vehicle is traveling differs from a lane in which the branching path or the merging path exists, and a lane change instructing unit which, in the event it is determined by the lane determining unit that the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling differs from the lane in which the branching path or the merging path exists, is adapted to set a route so that the host vehicle automatically performs a lane change into the lane in which the branching path or the merging path exists.

Claims

1. A vehicle control device adapted to automatically control traveling of a host vehicle at least partially, comprising:

a lane determining unit which, in the event there is a branching path or a merging path in a planned travel route of the host vehicle, is adapted to determine whether or not a lane in which the host vehicle is traveling differs from a lane in which the branching path or the merging path exists; and

a lane change instructing unit which, in the event it is determined by the lane determining unit that the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling differs from the lane in which the branching path or the merging path exists, is adapted to set a route so that the host vehicle automatically performs a lane change into the lane in which the branching path or the merging path exists.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the lane determining unit performs the determination at a point in time when the host vehicle has reached a predetermined distance in front of the branching path or the merging path, or at a point in time when the host vehicle has reached a predetermined time period before a point in time at which the host vehicle reaches the branching path or the merging path.

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

the host vehicle comprises a traffic congestion information receiving unit adapted to receive traffic congestion information by way of communications; and

the lane determining unit performs the determination when the traffic congestion information is updated.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the lane determining unit performs the determination when the planned travel route of the host vehicle is changed.

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

for a case in which a travel lane and a passing lane exist in the planned travel route of the host vehicle, and the branching path is present in the planned travel route of the host vehicle,

in the case it is determined that the host vehicle is traveling in the travel lane and the branching path exists in the passing lane, the lane determining unit sets an action plan for changing the lane of the host vehicle to the passing lane in the planned travel route, and continues with automated driving.

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

the host vehicle comprises a traffic congestion information receiving unit adapted to receive traffic congestion information by way of communications; and

the lane determining unit comprises a vehicle control unit adapted to automatically control the host vehicle so as to behave in a manner to facilitate lane changing, at a point in time when the host vehicle has reached a predetermined distance in front of the branching path or the merging path, or at a point in time when the host vehicle has reached a predetermined time period before a point in time at which the host vehicle reaches the branching path or the merging path, and in the case it is predicted by the traffic congestion information receiving unit that the branching path or the merging path is in a congested state.

7. The vehicle control device according to claim 6, wherein, in the case it is predicted that the branching path or the merging path is in a congested state, the vehicle control unit decreases or increases any one of a vehicle velocity, an acceleration, a deceleration, and a steering amount of the host vehicle, as compared with a condition thereof prior to predicting the congested state.

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

a road departure mitigation control unit adapted to perform a road departure mitigation control for suppressing departure of the host vehicle from the road, at least when the host vehicle is made to undergo automated traveling along the road; and

the host vehicle includes a traffic congestion information receiving unit adapted to receive traffic congestion information by way of communications;

wherein, at a point in time when the host vehicle has reached a predetermined distance in front of the branching path or the merging path, or at a point in time when the host vehicle has reached a predetermined time period before a point in time at which the host vehicle reaches the branching path or the merging path; and

in the case it is determined by the lane determining unit, on the basis of the information received by the traffic congestion information receiving unit, that a traffic congestion distance is longer than a length of the branching path or the merging path;

the road departure mitigation control by the road departure mitigation control unit is alleviated.

9. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, comprising:

a travel route setting unit adapted to set a travel route of the host vehicle; and

a traffic congestion information receiving unit adapted to receive traffic congestion information by way of communications;

wherein, at a point in time when the host vehicle has reached a predetermined distance in front of the branching path or the merging path, or at a point in time when the host vehicle has reached a predetermined time period before a point in time at which the host vehicle reaches the branching path or the merging path; and

in the case it is determined by the lane determining unit, on the basis of the information received by the traffic congestion information receiving unit, that a traffic congestion distance is longer than a length of the branching path or the merging path;

the travel route setting unit changes the travel route so as to avoid the branching path or the merging path.