AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE CONTROL DEVICE

• US 20190308636A1
• Filed: 04/08/2019
• Published: 10/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: HASE, Tomomi, IKEMOTO, Noriaki, HIGASHITANI, Mitsuharu
• Granted Patent: US 10,926,778 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0292 Fail-safe or redundant systems, e.g. limp-home or backup systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/165 Automatically following the path of a preceding lead vehicle, e.g. "electronic tow-bar"
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0205 Diagnosing or detecting failures; Failure detection models
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/029 Adapting to failures or work around with other constraints, e.g. circumvention by avoiding use of failed parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention

Abstract

An autonomous vehicle control device for controlling an own vehicle that is an autonomous vehicle including an alarm sound output device which outputs alarm sound for at least a person. In the autonomous vehicle control device, a determination unit determines whether there is an abnormality in the alarm sound output device during execution of autonomous driving. When the determination unit determines that there is an abnormality in the alarm sound output device, a safety assurance unit performs a safety assurance process for assuring human safety.

Claims

1. An autonomous vehicle control device for controlling an own vehicle that is an autonomous vehicle including an alarm sound output device which outputs an alarm sound for at least a person, the autonomous vehicle control device comprising:

a determination unit which determines whether there is an abnormality in the alarm sound output device during execution of autonomous driving; and

a safety assurance unit which, when the determination unit determines that there is an abnormality in the alarm sound output device, performs a safety assurance process for assuring human safety.

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

the autonomous vehicle includes a communication device which performs communication with another vehicle, and

when there is another vehicle nearby that is traveling in the same direction as the own vehicle and an operating condition of the alarm sound output device is satisfied, the safety assurance unit uses the communication device to request the other vehicle to output an alarm sound as the safety assurance process.

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

when there is another vehicle nearby that is traveling in the same direction as the own vehicle, the safety assurance unit performs a process for causing the own vehicle to follow the other vehicle as the safety assurance process.

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

when there is a driver in the autonomous vehicle, the safety assurance unit prohibits autonomous driving as the safety assurance process.

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

the safety assurance unit limits a speed of the own vehicle as the safety assurance process.

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

the safety assurance unit prohibits passing another vehicle as the safety assurance process.

7. The autonomous vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein

the safety assurance unit controls a travel position according to a road condition in a direction of travel as the safety assurance process, the travel position being a widthwise position in a traffic lane.

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

when there is one of a blind spot and an intersection within a predetermined distance in a direction of travel, the safety assurance unit performs the safety assurance process.

9. The autonomous vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein

when a road on which the own vehicle is traveling has a structure satisfying a specific condition, the safety assurance unit performs the safety assurance process.

10. The autonomous vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein

when a person is detected in a direction of travel, the safety assurance unit performs the safety assurance process.

11. The autonomous vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein

when there is another vehicle nearby that is traveling in the same direction as the own vehicle and sound which the other vehicle emits has a volume lower than or equal to a predetermined value, the safety assurance unit performs the safety assurance process.

12. The autonomous vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein

the autonomous vehicle includes an internal combustion engine, and

the safety assurance unit increases a rotational speed of the internal combustion engine as the safety assurance process.

13. The autonomous vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein

the autonomous vehicle includes a travel motor and an inverter that drives the travel motor, and

the safety assurance unit changes a carrier frequency of the inverter as the safety assurance process.

14. The autonomous vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein

the autonomous vehicle includes a light-emitting device which emits light outward, and

the safety assurance unit causes the light-emitting device to emit light as the safety assurance process.

15. The autonomous vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein

the alarm sound output device includes a horn and an approach notification device which emits an alarm sound for persons under a predetermined condition, and

when an abnormality occurs in the approach notification device, the safety assurance unit uses the horn to output sound under the predetermined condition as the safety assurance process.