Control apparatus of vehicle

• US 9,429,941 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2014
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Ohmura, Shigeru, Oshida, Kei
• Primary Examiner(s): FREJD, RUSSELL WARREN
• Application Number:
  US14/547,701
• Publication Number:
  US 20150153733A1
• Time in Patent Office: 650 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/18 for vehicle drivers or machine operators
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/06 responsive to incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0827 due to sleepiness
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0836 due to alcohol
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0845 due to drugs
• 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 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/221 Physiology, e.g. weight, heartbeat, health or special needs
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/225 Direction of gaze
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/26 Incapacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2756/10 Involving external transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/165 Automatically following the path of a preceding lead vehicle, e.g. "electronic tow-bar"
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/082 Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/12 Limiting control by the driver depending on vehicle state, e.g. interlocking means for the control input for preventing unsafe operation
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0295 : by at least one leading vehicle of the fleet
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 : Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/22 : Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles

Abstract

A control apparatus of a vehicle is provided. In the control apparatus, an unable-to-drive state of the driver of the vehicle is detected or determined. The unable-to-drive state is a state where the driver is unable to drive the vehicle. When the emergency that the driver has become the unable-to-drive state is detected or determined, the detection or determination result is notified to the outside. A leading vehicle which is adapted to leading the vehicle based on the notification, is recognized. Automatic follow-up running control is performed wherein the vehicle is made to automatically follow the leading vehicle.

Claims

1. A control apparatus of a leading vehicle comprising:

unable-to-drive vehicle recognizing means for recognizing an unable-to-drive vehicle of which a driver thereof has come into an unable-to-drive state where the driver is unable to drive the unable-to-drive vehicle;

lead running control means for performing a lead running control for making said unable-to-drive vehicle follow said leading vehicle;

joining point obtaining means for determining a joining point at which said leading vehicle is to join said unable-to-drive vehicle;

automatic joining driving means for autonomously and automatically driving said leading vehicle to the joining point such that the unable-to-drive vehicle joins thereto; and

final stop position obtaining means for obtaining a final stop position near a medical institution,

wherein said lead running control means controls said unable-to-drive vehicle to follow the leading vehicle to the final stop position by autonomous and automatic driving.

2. The control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising invalidating means for invalidating an operation system which is normally operable by the driver of said unable-to-drive vehicle.

3. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control apparatus promptly stops said unable-to-drive vehicle when the unable-to-drive state of the driver is detected or determined, and the joining point obtaining means obtains a stop position of said unable-to-drive vehicle as the joining point.

4. A control method for first and second vehicles, comprising the steps of:

a) detecting or determining, in said first vehicle, an unable-to-drive state of the driver of said first vehicle, the unable-to-drive state being a state where the driver is unable to drive said first vehicle;

b) sending outside notification from said first vehicle of the detection/determination result when it is detected or determined that the driver of the first vehicle has come into the unable-to-drive state;

c) recognizing, in said second vehicle, based on the notification sent in said step b) that the driver of said first vehicle has come into the unable-to-drive state;

d) obtaining, in said first vehicle, a joining point at which said first vehicle is to join said second vehicle;

e) obtaining, in said second vehicle, the joining point at which said second vehicle is to join said first vehicle;

f) performing, in said first and second vehicles, autonomous and automatic driving of said first and second vehicles to the joining point;

g) recognizing, in said first vehicle, said second vehicle at the joining point;

h) recognizing, in said second vehicle, said first vehicle at the joining point; and

i) performing, in said first vehicle, a follow-up running control for making said first vehicle automatically follow said second vehicle, and performing, in said second vehicle, a lead running control for leading said first vehicle to a final stop position near a medical institution.

5. The control method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of invalidating an operation system which is normally operable by the driver of said first vehicle.

6. The control method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of promptly stopping said first vehicle when the unable-to-drive state of the driver of said first vehicle is detected or determined, and a stop position of said first vehicle is determined as the joining point.