System provided with an assistance-controller for assisting an operator of the system, control-operation assisting device, control-operation assisting method, driving-operation assisting device, and driving-operation assisting method

• US 9,387,878 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2013
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Delft University Of Technology, Entropy Control Inc., Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Delft University Of Technology, Entropy Control Inc., Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Mulder, Mark, Abbink, David, Van Paassen, Rene, Mulder, Max, Van Der Helm, Frans, Boer, Erwin R., Takada, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): CHEN, SHELLEY
• Application Number:
  US13/965,919
• Publication Number:
  US 20140046503A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,064 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 Lane keeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/02 related to ambient conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/072 Curvature of the road
• 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: B62D 6/00 Arrangements for automatically controlling steering depending on driving conditions sensed and responded to, e.g. control circuits means for initiating a change in direction B62D1/00; steering valves B62D5/06; combined with means for inclining the vehicle body or wheels on bends B62D9/00
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/002 computing target steering angles for front or rear wheels B62D7/159 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287

Abstract

A target-travel-path generating circuit calculates a target travel path along which a controlled object can travel in the future from a current controlled object position. An ideal-control-signal calculating circuit calculates a control profile to travel along the target travel path, and a difference calculating circuit calculates a difference between an ideal control magnitude and a current control magnitude. A controller controls an operation system based on a magnitude of the difference to assist a control operation and a control-operation-state of an operator, an environment-state, and a required operation-precision. The operator receives assistance corresponding to the magnitude of the difference from an ideal control state, the control-operation-state, the environment-state, and the required operation-precision. An outputted control-operation assistance control is suitable for conditions that characterize the operator state, the environment, and the controlled object.

Claims

1. A control-operation assisting method for assisting a control operation of an operator for control of a controlled object, comprising:

generating an ideal control path of the controlled object from information about a control operation state of the operator and information about a control operation environment on a periphery of the controlled object;

calculating, as an ideal control signal, a control profile of an operation system for the controlled object to operate along the generated ideal control path;

calculating a difference between the calculated ideal control signal and the information about the control operation state;

controlling the operation system based on a magnitude of the calculated difference to assist the control operation of the operator for the operation system; and

estimating an accuracy required for the control operation of the controlled object, from the information about the control operation state and/or the information about the control operation environment,

wherein in assisting the control operation of the operator, an assistance level of the operation system is increased as the estimated accuracy becomes higher.

4. The control-operation assisting method of claim 1, wherein the controlled object is a remotely controlled vehicle.

5. The control-operation assisting method of claim 1, wherein the controlled object is a surgery assisting device.

6. The control-operation assisting method of claim 1, wherein the controlled object is an aircraft.

2. A driving-operation assisting device that assists a vehicle operation of an operator for an operation target object, comprising:

a vehicle-operation-state detecting unit that detects information about a vehicle operation state of the operator;

an environment-state detecting unit that detects information about a vehicle operation environment on a periphery of the operation target object;

an ideal-control-path generating unit that generates an ideal control path of the operation target object from the information about the vehicle operation state detected by the vehicle-operation-state detecting unit and the information about the vehicle operation environment detected by the environment-state detecting unit;

an ideal-control-signal calculating unit that calculates, as an ideal control signal, a control history of an operation system for the operation target object to operate along the ideal control path generated by the ideal-control-path generating unit;

a difference calculating unit that calculates a difference between the ideal control signal calculated by the ideal-control-signal calculating unit and the information about the vehicle operation state detected by the vehicle-operation-state detecting unit;

an operation-system assistance controller that controls the operation system based on a magnitude of the difference calculated by the difference calculating unit to assist an operation of the operator for the operation system; and

an operation-precision estimating unit that estimates an accuracy required for the vehicle operation of the operation target object, from the information about the vehicle operation state detected by the vehicle-operation-state detecting unit and/or the information about the vehicle operation environment detected by the environment-state detecting unit,

wherein the operation-system assistance controller increases a control level of the operation system as the accuracy estimated by the operation-precision estimating unit becomes higher.

3. A driving-operation assisting method for assisting a vehicle operation of an operator for an operation target object, comprising:

generating an ideal control path of the operation target object from information about a vehicle operation state of the operator and information about a vehicle operation environment on a periphery of the operation target object;

calculating, as an ideal control signal, a control history of an operation system for the operation target object to operate along the generated ideal control path;

calculating a difference between the calculated ideal control signal and the information about the vehicle operation state;

controlling the operation system based on a magnitude of the calculated difference to assist an operation of the operator for the operation system; and

estimating an accuracy required for the vehicle operation of the operation target object, from the information about the vehicle operation state and/or the information about the vehicle operation environment,

wherein in assisting the operation of the operator, a control level of the operation system is increased as the estimated accuracy becomes higher.