Vehicle control device

• US 10,759,333 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2017
• Issued: 09/01/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Ochida, Jun, Kanou, Tadahiko, Mukai, Takuyuki, Tsuji, Kanta, Tsujioka, Takashi, Ibuka, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Nwugo, Ojiako K
• Application Number:
  US16/478,201
• Publication Number:
  US 20190366914A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,322 Days
• Field of Search: 340468
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/346 with automatic actuation
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/44 for indicating braking action or preparation for braking, e.g. by detection of the foot approaching the brake pedal
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/46 for giving flashing caution signals during drive, other than signalling change of direction, e.g. flashing the headlights or hazard lights
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/507 specific to autonomous vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/543 for indicating other states or conditions of the vehicle indicating taxis' state of hire or fare G07B13/045
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 11/005 for lighting devices, e.g. indicating if lamps are burning or not
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/02 Ensuring safety in case of control system failures, e.g. by diagnosing, circumventing or fixing failures

Abstract

A vehicle control device of the present invention at least partially automatically performs drive control for a vehicle by self-drive and is provided with: a hazard lamp for notification around the vehicle; and a light emitting control unit which, when a predetermined condition is satisfied during self-drive, performs light emitting control causing the hazard lamp to emit light. The light emitting control unit, as well as causing the hazard lamp to emit light, performs light emitting control whereby a lighting member, different from the hazard, for notification around the vehicle is caused to emit light when the hazard lamp is not normal.

Claims

1. A vehicle control device configured to at least partially automatically perform travel control of a vehicle by automated driving, the vehicle control device comprising:

a hazard lamp configured to provide notification to surrounding of the vehicle; and

a light emission control unit configured to perform light emission control to cause the hazard lamp to emit light when a predetermined condition is satisfied during the automated driving,

wherein the light emission control unit is configured to perform the light emission control to cause the hazard lamp to emit the light, and if the hazard lamp is not normal, cause a lamp body other than the hazard lamp to emit light in order to provide notification to the surrounding of the vehicle, and

wherein if a takeover to manual driving has not been performed since the vehicle in the automated driving started a fallback operation, the light emission control unit is configured to perform the light emission control by assuming that the predetermined condition is satisfied.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the lamp body is at least one of a headlamp, a tail lamp, a position lamp, a high mount stop lamp, a rear fog lamp, a license lamp, a room lamp, and a pilot lamp.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a failure diagnosis unit configured to diagnose whether there is a failure in function of automatic driving of the vehicle; and

a fallback management unit configured to continue the automated driving while partially stopping the function of the automated driving of the vehicle, when the failure diagnosis unit has diagnosed a failure.