Travel control device

• US 9,880,558 B2
• Filed: 02/29/2016
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Antonucci, Anne M
• Application Number:
  US15/055,968
• Publication Number:
  US 20160259338A1
• Time in Patent Office: 701 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/125 Lateral acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/15 Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/30 Road curve radius
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/53 Road markings, e.g. lane marker or crosswalk
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/24 Direction of travel
• 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 30/18145 Cornering
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287

Abstract

A travel control device which allows a vehicle to travel along a lane of a travel path recognizes lane markers on the right and left of a lane, sets a travel area of the vehicle between the lane markers, selects a travel path candidate having high straightness among a plurality of travel path candidates with priority and determines the selected travel path candidate as a target travel path, and performs travel control according to the target travel path.

Claims

1. A travel control device which allows a vehicle to travel along a lane of a travel path, the travel control device comprising:

a detection unit which detects lane markers provided on the right and left of the lane;

a travel area setting unit which sets a travel area of the vehicle between the lane markers in front of the vehicle;

a path generation unit which generates a target travel path of the vehicle within the travel area set; and

a travel control unit which controls the vehicle to travel along the target travel path,

wherein the path generation unit selects a travel path candidate having high straightness among a plurality of travel path candidates with priority and determines the selected travel path candidate as the target travel path,

wherein, when the vehicle is turning, the path generation unit generates a returning path, which is a path where a steering wheel and a steering are returned, as a travel path candidate with priority over a steering angle maintaining path, which is a path where a steering angle of the steering wheel and a steering state are maintained, and an additional turning path, which is a path where the steering wheel and steering are turned, and

when the generated travel path candidate is generated within the travel area, the travel path candidate is determined as the target travel path.

2. The travel control device according to claim 1,

wherein the travel area setting unit sets a lateral width of the travel area to be narrower with increasing distance from the vehicle while taking a center position of the travel area as a center position of the lane.

3. The travel control device according to claim 1,

wherein the path generation unit generates a travel path candidate having high straightness with priority, and when the generated travel path candidate is generated within the travel area, determines the travel path candidate as the target travel path.

4. The travel control device according to claim 1,

wherein the path generation unit determines that straightness is higher when the curvature of the travel path is smaller.

5. A travel control device which allows a vehicle to travel along a lane of a travel path, the travel control device comprising:

a sensor configured to detect lane markers provided on a right side of the lane and a left side of the lane; and

an ECU configured to;

set a travel area of the vehicle between the lane markers in front of the vehicle;

generate a target travel path of the vehicle within the set travel area;

set a travel path candidate having a high straightness among a plurality of travel path candidates with priority;

determine the selected travel path candidate as the target travel path; and

control the travel along the target travel path,

wherein, when the vehicle is turning, the path generation unit generates a returning path, which is a path where a steering wheel and a steering are returned, as a travel path candidate with priority over a steering angle maintaining path, which is a path where a steering angle of the steering wheel and a steering state are maintained, and an additional turning path, which is a path where the steering wheel and steering are turned, and

when the generated travel path candidate is generated within the travel area, the travel path candidate is determined as the target travel path.