Vehicle movement actuator controller using travel condition detector input

• US 8,738,234 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2011
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Irie, Yoshiaki, Kojima, Yoshiko, Meguro, Junichi, Takeyama, Kojiro, Hattori, Yoshikazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Algahaim, Helal A
• Assistant Examiner(s): WALLACE, DONALD JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US13/574,174
• Publication Number:
  US 20120323473A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• Field of Search: 340/435, 340/905, 701/41, 701/117, 701/300, 701/301, 701/48, 188/350
• US Class Current: 701/48
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• 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 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/095 Predicting travel path or likelihood of collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 Lane keeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for

Abstract

A vehicle control device includes travel condition detection devices configured to detect conditions around a vehicle and performs travel control of the vehicle according to the conditions around the vehicle by controlling a plurality of actuators according to information detected by the travel condition detection devices. The vehicle control device has a plurality of the travel condition detection devices. A control amount of at least one of the actuators, from among the plurality of actuators, is restricted according to reliability of a plurality of pieces of the information detected by the plurality of travel condition detection devices.

Claims

1. A vehicle control device comprising:

a plurality of electronic travel condition detection devices configured to detect conditions around a vehicle;

a plurality of mechanical actuators configured to enable the vehicle to travel; and

a controller that performs travel control of the vehicle according to the conditions around the vehicle by controlling the plurality of actuators, according to information detected by the travel condition detection devices, thereby assisting driving operations performed by a driver, wherein;

a control amount of at least one of the actuators, from among the plurality of actuators, is restricted according to reliability of a plurality of pieces of the information detected by the plurality of travel condition detection devices, and

when a control amount of at least one of the actuators is restricted according to reliability of a plurality of pieces of the information detected by the plurality of travel condition detection devices, a control amount of another actuator, from among the plurality of actuators, is increased.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein a control amount, of at least one of the actuators, from among the plurality of actuators, is restricted according to reliability of a plurality of pieces of the information detected by the plurality of travel condition detection devices, when the reliability of the information is low.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein when a control amount of at least one of the actuators is restricted according to reliability of a plurality of pieces of the information detected by the plurality of travel condition detection devices, the actuator for which the control amount is restricted is changed according to the travel condition detection device that has detected the information.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 3, wherein when the reliability of the information detected by at least one of the travel condition detection devices, from among the plurality of travel condition detection devices, is low, a control amount of at least one of the actuators is restricted so as to restrict the travel control of the vehicle in a direction in which the information with low reliability is detected by the at least one of the travel condition detection devices.

5. The vehicle control device according to claim 3, further comprising a travelable region derivation unit that derives a region in which the vehicle can travel around the vehicle, wherein

the travelable region derived by the travelable region derivation unit is changed according to reliability of a plurality of pieces of the information detected by the plurality of travel condition detection devices, and

a control amount of at least one of the actuators is restricted so as to restrict the travel control of the vehicle according to the travelable region.

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

the plurality of travel condition detection devices include at least a transverse condition detection device for measuring a position of the vehicle in a transverse direction, and

a control amount of the actuator, from among the plurality of actuators, that performs travel control of the vehicle in the transverse direction is restricted when reliability of the information detected by the transverse condition detection device is low.

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

the plurality of travel condition detection devices include at least a longitudinal condition detection device for measuring a position of the vehicle in a longitudinal direction, and

a control amount of the actuator, from among the plurality of actuators, that performs travel control of the vehicle in the longitudinal direction is restricted when reliability of the information detected by the longitudinal condition detection device is low.

8. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of electronic travel condition detection devices comprises a camera unit, a radar unit, and a car navigation system connected to a drive plan generating unit that generates a drive plan.

9. A vehicle control device comprising:

a plurality of electronic travel condition detection devices configured to detect conditions around a vehicle;

a plurality of mechanical actuators configured to enable the vehicle to travel; and

a controller that performs travel control of the vehicle according to the conditions around the vehicle by controlling the plurality of actuators, according to information detected by the travel condition detection devices, thereby assisting driving operations performed by a driver, wherein;

a control amount of at least one of the actuators, from among the plurality of actuators, is restricted according to reliability of a plurality of pieces of the information detected by the plurality of travel condition detection devices,

when a control amount of at least one of the actuators is restricted according to reliability of a plurality of pieces of the information detected by the plurality of travel condition detection devices, a control amount of another actuator, from among the plurality of actuators, is increased,

the plurality of travel condition detection devices include at least a transverse condition detection device for measuring a position of the vehicle in a transverse direction,

a control amount of the actuator, from among the plurality of actuators, that performs travel control of the vehicle in the transverse direction is restricted when reliability of the information detected by the transverse condition detection device is low, and

when a control amount of the actuator that performs travel control of the vehicle in the transverse direction is restricted due to the low reliability of the information detected by the transverse condition detection device, a control amount of the actuator, from among the plurality of actuators, that performs travel control of the vehicle in a longitudinal direction is increased.

10. A vehicle control device comprising:

a plurality of electronic travel condition detection devices configured to detect conditions around a vehicle;

a plurality of mechanical actuators configured to enable the vehicle to travel; and

a controller that performs travel control of the vehicle according to the conditions around the vehicle by controlling the plurality of actuators, according to information detected by the travel condition detection devices, thereby assisting driving operations performed by a driver, wherein;

a control amount of at least one of the actuators, from among the plurality of actuators, is restricted according to reliability of a plurality of pieces of the information detected by the plurality of travel condition detection devices,

when a control amount of at least one of the actuators is restricted according to reliability of a plurality of pieces of the information detected by the plurality of travel condition detection devices, a control amount of another actuator, from among the plurality of actuators, is increased,

the plurality of travel condition detection devices include at least a longitudinal condition detection device for measuring a position of the vehicle in a longitudinal direction,

a control amount of the actuator, from among the plurality of actuators, that performs travel control of the vehicle in the longitudinal direction is restricted when reliability of the information detected by the longitudinal condition detection device is low, and

when a control amount of the actuator that performs travel control of the vehicle in the longitudinal direction is restricted due to the low reliability of the information detected by the longitudinal condition detection device, a control amount of the actuator, from among the plurality of actuators, that performs travel control of the vehicle in the transverse direction is increased.