Vehicle traveling controller

• US 10,759,419 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2018
• Issued: 09/01/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kindo, Toshiki, Aso, Kazuaki, Harada, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Holloway, Jason
• Application Number:
  US15/913,440
• Publication Number:
  US 20180194348A1
• Time in Patent Office: 910 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0818 Inactivity or incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/00 Input parameters relating to occupants
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/80 Spatial relation or speed relative to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/60 Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/18 Braking system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/20 Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/095 Predicting travel path or likelihood of collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18172 Preventing, or responsive to skidding of wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/08 Interaction between the driver and the control system
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0265 Automatic obstacle avoidance by steering
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

A vehicle traveling controller performs emergency evacuation traveling in the case of an emergency. The vehicle traveling controller determines whether a vehicle traveling in accordance with a normal traveling rule is not dangerous and becomes proper traveling or not based on environmental information around the vehicle, when it is determined that the vehicle traveling in accordance with the normal traveling rule becomes proper traveling, executes normal traveling control for instructing the vehicle to travel in accordance with the normal traveling rule, and when the vehicle traveling in accordance with the normal traveling rule does not become proper traveling, executes emergency evacuation traveling control for instructing the vehicle to perform emergency evacuation traveling not in accordance with the normal traveling rule. Therefore, emergency evacuation traveling with high safety can be performed, compared with vehicle traveling in accordance with the normal traveling rule, so safety of vehicle traveling can be improved.

Claims

1. A vehicle traveling apparatus comprising:

an electronic control unit configured to;

determine whether a vehicle traveling in accordance with traffic rules defined by traffic law is proper traveling or not on the basis of environmental information around the vehicle;

instruct the vehicle to travel in accordance with the traffic rules when it is determined that the vehicle travelling in accordance with the traffic rules is proper travelling; and

instruct the vehicle to perform emergency evacuation traveling, which is not in accordance with at least one traffic rule of the traffic rules, when it is determined that the vehicle traveling in accordance with the traffic rules is not proper traveling,

wherein the at least one traffic rule includes at least one of observance of a signal indication, observance of slow at a place with a blocked view, observance of stop, observance of do not enter, observance of stop with a space on a roadside, observance of no stray, observance of a minimum speed, and observance of a speed limit.

2. The vehicle traveling apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electronic control unit is configured to determine whether or not the vehicle cannot continue to travel in accordance with all of the traffic rules.

3. The vehicle traveling apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electronic control unit is configured to instruct the vehicle to perform emergency evacuation traveling when there is no dangerousness associated with the emergency evacuation traveling.