Auto-drive control unit for vehicles

• US 5,774,069 A
• Filed: 11/05/1996
• Issued: 06/30/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kagawa, Kazunori, Tanaka, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US08/743,184
• Time in Patent Office: 602 Days
• Field of Search: 340/903, 340/905, 340/991, 340/992, 340/993, 340/436, 364/461, 364/424.028, 364/436, 364/460, 364/424.081, 364/424.027, 180/167, 180/168
• US Class Current: 340/903
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/12 for automatic initiation; for initiation not subject to will of driver or passenger limiting speed of vehicles other than rail vehicles B60K31/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/082 Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0057 Estimation of the time available or required for the handover
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/28 non-mechanical , e.g. following a line or other known markers
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/025 Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation B62D1/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS

Abstract

An auto-drive control unit which can switch a vehicle provided with an auto-drive mode from the auto-drive mode to a manual drive mode at a desired point. Based on detection signals from various types of sensors, an auto-drive controller controls an actuator to perform auto-drive. A changeover switch is provided to switch between the auto-drive and manual drive. The current position of the vehicle is detected by a GPS, and the controller calculates the time to reach the desired point. According to a shifting time to complete the shift to the manual drive, timing for operating the changeover switch is determined, and a message is shown on a warning display to urge a driver to operate the switch. When it is judged that the changeover cannot be completed in time, the controller forcedly decelerate the vehicle.

Claims

1. An auto-drive control unit for a vehicle having auto-drive and manual drive modes of operation, comprising:

running control means for performing auto-drive control running of the vehicle based on detection signals from a plurality of sensors,

changeover means for switching between the auto-drive and manual drive, memory means for storing a transition time inherent to the vehicle involved in the shift from the auto-drive to the manual drive,

arithmetic means for determining operation timing of said changeover means, on the basis of the transition time, required to complete the shift from the auto-drive to the manual drive before the vehicle has reached a scheduled location where the vehicle is to be run in the manual drive, and

information means for urging on the basis of said operation timing a driver to operate said changeover means.

2. The auto-drive control unit according to claim 1, further comprising:

vehicle speed detecting means for detecting a vehicle speed and

position detecting means for detecting the current position of the vehicle, wherein

said arithmetic means calculate a scheduled location arrival time of the vehicle on the basis of the vehicle speed and a distance between the current position and the scheduled location where the vehicle shall be driven in the manual drive and determine said operation timing on the basis of a difference between said transition time and said scheduled location arrival time.

3. The auto-drive control unit according to claim 1, further comprising:

auto-brake means for decelerating the vehicle when the driver does not operate said changeover means at said operation timing.

4. The auto-drive control unit according to claim 3, further comprising:

auto-steering means for moving the vehicle from an auto-drive lane.

5. The auto-drive control unit according to claim 1, wherein the scheduled location where the vehicle is to run in the manual drive is a safety zone of the auto-drive lane.

6. An auto-drive control unit for a vehicle having auto-drive and manual drive modes, comprising:

a controller for performing auto-drive,

a mode changeover switch for alternately switching between an auto-drive mode and a manual drive mode,

a memory for storing a transition time inherent to the vehicle involved in the shift from the auto-drive mode to the manual drive mode, and

information means for giving, at a time based on the transition time, a message advising operating said changeover switch to shift to the manual drive mode to a driver while the vehicle is running in the auto-drive mode.

7. The auto-drive control unit according to claim 6, further comprising:

an auto-braking device for decelerating the vehicle when said changeover switch is not operated in accordance with said message.