Automatic operation vehicle control apparatus

• US 9,643,620 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2015
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Odate, Shotaro
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stroud, James E
• Application Number:
  US14/822,036
• Publication Number:
  US 20160039428A1
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 701 23
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0073 Driver overrides controller
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2400/00 Indexing codes relating to detected, measured or calculated conditions or factors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/221 Physiology, e.g. weight, heartbeat, health or special needs
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/00 Details of control systems for road vehicle drive control not related to the control of a particular sub-unit , e.g. process diagnostic or vehicle driver interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0055 only part of driving tasks shifted to occupants
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa

Abstract

An automatic operation vehicle control apparatus includes a contact detecting unit, an override detecting unit, and an automatic operation control unit. The contact detecting unit detects the presence of contact of a hand or hands of a driver with a steering wheel of a vehicle. The override detecting unit detects the presence of override on the steering wheel by the driver on the basis of the result of the detection by the contact detecting unit. The automatic operation control unit switches the operation mode at least including the automatic operation and the manual operation of the vehicle on the basis of the result of the detection by the override detecting unit.

Claims

1. An automatic operation vehicle control apparatus comprising:

a hand contact detector provided to a steering wheel of a vehicle and configured to detect a contact of a driver'"'"'s hand with the steering wheel;

an override detector that detects an override operation on a steering wheel by the driver, the override detector being configured to detect the override operation on a basis of a result of the hand detection by the hand contact detector; and

a controller that configured to perform different operation modes comprising at least an automatic operation mode and a manual operation mode of the vehicle and to switch the operation modes on a basis of a result of the override detection by the override detector,

wherein the hand contact detector comprises at least two electrodes respectively provided to one side and another opposite side of the steering wheel which are defined as left and right sides of the steering wheel when the steering wheel is at a straight position and is configured to detect a difference in voltage between the two electrodes, and

wherein the hand contact detector determines whether one or both of the hands of the driver contact with the steering wheel on a basis of the detected difference in voltage between the two electrodes.

2. The automatic operation vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the hand contact detector is configured to detect a contact area in which the hand of the driver is in contact with the steering wheel and to determine that the contact of the hand with the steering wheel occurs if the detected contact area is higher than or equal to a predetermined value.

3. The automatic operation vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the hand contact detector is configured to detect the contact of each of both hands of the driver with the steering wheel and to determine whether only one of the hands contacts the steering wheel, or both of the hands contact the steering wheel, or none of the hands contacts with the steering wheel, and

wherein the controller switches the operation modes on the basis of the result of the hand detection by the hand contact detector.

4. The automatic operation vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the hand contact detector is configured to detect the contact of each of both hands of the driver with the steering wheel, and

wherein the controller performs the manual operation mode which allows the driver to fully operate the driving operations of the vehicle when the hand contact detector detects the contacts of both hands of the driver.

5. The automatic operation vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the hand contact detector is configured to detect the contact of each of both hands of the driver with the steering wheel,

wherein the operation modes further comprises a semi-automatic operation mode which allows the driver to operate only part of the driving operations of the vehicle, and

wherein the controller perform the semi-automatic operation mode when the hand contact detector detects the contact of only one of the hands of the driver.

6. The automatic operation vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein each of the electrodes is in a form of paint applied on a surface of the steering wheel, the paint containing conductive material.

7. The automatic operation vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the hand contact detector further comprises a heartbeat detector configured to detect a heartbeat of the driver, the heartbeat being detected if the difference in voltage meets a predetermined relationship in a state where both hands of the driver contact with the respective left and right electrodes, and

wherein the hand contact detector determines that both hands of the driver contact with the steering wheel if the hand contact detector detects the heartbeat of the driver.