LATERAL ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

• US 20200130690A1
• Filed: 10/31/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Chow, Justin J.
• Granted Patent: US 11,254,311 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/04 including control of propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/20 Direction indicator values
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/80 Spatial relation or speed relative to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/801 Lateral distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/802 Longitudinal distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/803 Relative lateral speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/804 Relative longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/60 Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/0956 the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/14 Adaptive cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/162 Speed limiting therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18163 Lane change; Overtaking manoeuvres
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention

Abstract

A system for lateral adaptive cruise control for use in a vehicle includes a main body, a power source, and a brake. The system further includes an input device to receive an adaptive cruise control request. The system further includes an object sensor to detect lateral object data. The system further includes an ECU designed to determine a velocity of the lateral object or a relative distance to the lateral object based on the lateral object data, determine a lane entrance event corresponding to the lateral object traveling towards a current lane occupied by the main body based on the at least one of the velocity of the lateral object or the relative distance to the lateral object, and control at least one of the power source or the brake to adjust a current speed of the main body based on the lane entrance event.

Claims

1. A system for lateral adaptive cruise control for use in a vehicle, the system comprising:

a main body configured to support at least one driver;

a power source configured to generate power to propel the main body along a roadway;

a brake configured to apply a braking force to the main body;

an input device configured to receive an adaptive cruise control request corresponding to a request for the vehicle to operate in an adaptive cruise control mode;

an object sensor located on the main body and configured to detect lateral object data including data corresponding to at least one of a velocity of a lateral object or a relative distance to the lateral object, the lateral object being located at a lateral location relative to the main body; and

an electronic control unit (ECU) coupled to the power source, the input device, and the object sensor and configured to;

determine the at least one of the velocity of the lateral object or the relative distance to the lateral object based on the lateral object data,

determine a lane entrance event corresponding to the lateral object traveling towards a current lane occupied by the main body based on the at least one of the velocity of the lateral object or the relative distance to the lateral object, and

control at least one of the power source or the brake to adjust a current speed of the main body based on the lane entrance event.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the ECU is further configured to:

determine a lane change event corresponding to the main body being controlled to travel into a second lane adjacent to the current lane; and

control at least one of the power source or the brake to adjust the current speed of the main body based on the lane change event and the at one of the velocity of the lateral object or the relative distance to the lateral object.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the ECU is configured to control the at least one of the power source or the brake to increase the current speed of the main body when the lane entrance event indicates that the lateral object is traveling to a location behind the main body, and to decrease the current speed of the main body when the lane entrance event indicates that the lateral object is traveling to a location in front of the main body.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the object sensor is further configured to detect at least one of an additional velocity of a third vehicle in front of or behind the main body or an additional relative distance to the third vehicle, and the ECU is further configured to determine whether to increase the current speed of the main body or to decrease the current speed of the main body based on the at least one of the additional velocity or the additional relative distance.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a camera configured to detect a blinker status of the lateral object, wherein the ECU is further configured to determine the lane entrance event based on the blinker status of the lateral object.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one of a camera configured to detect image data or a global positioning sensor configured to detect location data, wherein the ECU is further configured to determine an adjacent lane end event corresponding to an adjacent lane ending based on the at least one of the image data or the location data, and to determine the lane entrance event based on the adjacent lane end event.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the ECU is further configured to determine a size of the lateral object, and to determine the lane entrance event when the size of the lateral object is greater than or equal to a size threshold.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising a speed sensor coupled to the ECU and configured to detect the current speed of the main body, wherein the ECU is further configured to control the at least one of the power source or the brake based on the current speed of the main body.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the ECU is further configured to calculate an ideal speed of the main body based on the at least one of the velocity of the lateral object or the relative distance to the lateral object and the lane entrance event, and to control the at least one of the power source or the brake to cause the current speed of the main body to be equal to the ideal speed.

10. The system of claim 9 further comprising an output device configured to output data, wherein the ECU is further configured to control the output device to output data requesting that at least one of acceleration or braking of the main body be controlled by a driver when the ECU is unable to calculate the ideal speed.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the ECU is further configured to determine a relative location of the lateral object based on the lateral object data, and to control the at least one of the power source or the brake to increase or decrease the current speed of the main body to cause the lateral object to remain out of a blind spot of a driver based on the relative location of the lateral object.

12. A system for lateral adaptive cruise control for use in a vehicle, the system comprising:

a main body configured to support at least one driver;

a power source configured to generate power to propel the main body along a roadway;

a brake configured to apply a braking force to the main body;

an input device configured to receive an adaptive cruise control request corresponding to a request for the vehicle to operate in an adaptive cruise control mode;

an object sensor located on the main body and configured to detect lateral object data including data corresponding to at least one of a velocity of a lateral object or a relative distance to the lateral object, the lateral object being located at a lateral location relative to the main body; and

an electronic control unit (ECU) coupled to the power source, the input device, and the object sensor and configured to;

determine the at least one of the velocity of the lateral object or the relative distance to the lateral object based on the lateral object data,

determine a lane change event corresponding to the main body being controlled to travel into a second lane adjacent to a current lane of the main body, and

control at least one of the power source or the brake to adjust a current speed of the main body based on the lane change event and the at least one of the velocity of the lateral object or the relative distance to the lateral object.

13. The system of claim 12 further comprising at least one of a camera configured to detect image data or a global positioning sensor configured to detect location data, wherein the ECU is further configured to determine a lane end event corresponding to the current lane ending based on the at least one of the image data or the location data, and to determine the lane change event based on the lane end event.

14. The system of claim 12 further comprising a lane change input device configured to receive a user request to turn on a blinker of the main body, wherein the ECU is further configured to determine the lane change event based on the user request to turn on the blinker of the main body.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the ECU is further configured to determine a speed limit of a current roadway, and to further control the at least one of the power source or the brake to adjust the current speed of the main body to remain at or below the speed limit.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein the ECU is further configured to calculate an ideal speed of the main body based on the at least one of the velocity of the lateral object or the relative distance to the lateral object and the lane change event, and to control the at least one of the power source or the brake to cause the current speed of the main body to be equal to the ideal speed.

17. A method for lateral adaptive cruise control for use in a vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving, by an input device, an adaptive cruise control request corresponding to a request for the vehicle to operate in an adaptive cruise control mode;

detecting, by an object sensor located on a main body, lateral object data including data corresponding to at least one of a velocity of a lateral object or a relative distance to the lateral object, the lateral object being located at a lateral location relative to the main body;

determining, by an electronic control unit (ECU), the at least one of the velocity of the lateral object or the relative distance to the lateral object based on the lateral object data;

determining, by the ECU, a lane entrance event corresponding to the lateral object traveling towards a current lane occupied by the main body based on the at least one of the velocity of the lateral object or the relative distance to the lateral object; and

controlling, by the ECU, at least one of a power source or a brake to adjust a current speed of the main body based on the lane entrance event.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

determining, by the ECU, a lane change event corresponding to the main body being controlled to travel into a second lane adjacent to the current lane; and

controlling, by the ECU, at least one of the power source or the brake to adjust the current speed of the main body based on the lane change event and the at one of the velocity of the lateral object or the relative distance to the lateral object.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

controlling, by the ECU, the at least one of the power source or the brake to increase the current speed of the main body when the lane entrance event indicates that the lateral object is traveling to a location behind the main body; and

controlling, by the ECU, the at least one of the power source or the brake to decrease the current speed of the main body when the lane entrance event indicates that the lateral object is traveling to a location in front of the main body.

20. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

detecting, by the object sensor, at least one of an additional velocity of a third vehicle in front of or behind the main body or an additional relative distance to the third vehicle; and

determining, by the ECU, whether to increase the current speed of the main body or to decrease the current speed of the main body based on the at least one of the additional velocity or the additional relative distance.