Vehicle control device

• US 10,807,609 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2018
• Issued: 10/20/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Goto, Takeru, Takano, Toshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Elchanti, Hussein
• Application Number:
  US16/162,674
• Publication Number:
  US 20190118833A1
• Time in Patent Office: 734 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/007 Switching between manual and automatic parameter input, and vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/22 Psychological state; Stress level or workload
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/60 Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/10 Path keeping cruise control for automatically following a preceding vehicle B60W30/165
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 Lane keeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/082 Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/087 where the control system corrects or modifies a request from the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0057 Estimation of the time available or required for the handover
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa

Abstract

A vehicle control device includes a restricted section setting unit configured to set a restricted section where manual driving is restricted on a scheduled travel route of a host vehicle, and a takeover process unit configured to perform a takeover process regarding handover of automated driving to the manual driving in accordance with a request from a driver of the host vehicle. In a case where the request for the handover is received in the set restricted section, the takeover process unit performs the takeover process that differs depending on at least one of the type of the restricted section, and a distance and a time it takes for the host vehicle to pass through the restricted section.

Claims

1. A vehicle control device configured to perform travel control of a host vehicle at least partially automatically, comprising one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to:

set a restricted section where manual driving is restricted on a scheduled travel route of the host vehicle; and

perform a takeover process regarding handover of automated driving to the manual driving, in accordance with a request from a driver of the host vehicle,

wherein in a case where a request for the handover is received in the restricted section, the one or more processors are further configured to perform the takeover process that differs depending on at least one of a type of the restricted section, and a distance and a time that the host vehicle takes to pass through the restricted section.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein if a distance from a position of the host vehicle where the request from the driver is received to an end position of the restricted section and/or a time from when the request from the driver is received until when the host vehicle reaches the end position of the restricted section is smaller than a threshold, the one or more processors are further configured to perform the takeover process after the host vehicle exits the restricted section.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein if the distance and/or the time is larger than the threshold, the one or more processors are further configured to invalidate the request from the driver.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to recognize a state of the driver,

wherein the one or more processors are further configured to set the threshold that is different depending on the state of the driver.

5. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein if the type of the restricted section is a railroad crossing, the one or more processors are further configured to perform the takeover process after the host vehicle exits the restricted section.