Autonomous driving device

• US 9,671,782 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2015
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamaoka, Masaaki, Katoh, Kohshi, Takeuchi, Eishi, Kuriyama, Tomoyuki, Sato, Hikaru
• Primary Examiner(s): Dager, Jonathan M
• Application Number:
  US14/878,006
• Publication Number:
  US 20160209841A1
• Time in Patent Office: 607 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/408 Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/202 Steering torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/16 Ratio selector position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/00 Purposes of road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub-unit, e.g. of systems using conjoint control of vehicle sub-units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/082 Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0051 from occupants to vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0053 from vehicle to occupant
• 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

There is provided an autonomous driving device that improves the convenience for a driver in the switching between autonomous driving and manual driving. When the driver discovers an obstacle which cannot be detected by an autonomous driving device, and performs a driving operation which causes a manual driving switching threshold value to be exceeded for an operation time less than or equal to an operation threshold value so as to avoid the obstacle, a control unit of the autonomous driving device switches autonomous driving to manual driving, and then the control unit switches manual driving to autonomous driving even if the driver does not perform an autonomous driving switching operation. For this reason, it is possible to improve the convenience for the driver in the switching between autonomous driving and manual driving.

Claims

1. An autonomous driving device comprising:

a control unit configured to control switching between manual driving and autonomous driving of a vehicle; and

a detection unit configured to detect a driving operation by a driver of the vehicle,

wherein when a driving operation value of the driving operation is less than or equal to a manual driving switching threshold value during autonomous driving, the control unit continues to perform autonomous driving,

wherein when the driving operation value of the driving operation exceeds the manual driving switching threshold value during autonomous driving, the control unit switches autonomous driving to manual driving, and

wherein when autonomous driving is switched to manual driving due to the driving operation value exceeding the manual driving switching threshold value, and a driving operation time from when the driving operation value exceeds a timing start threshold value to when the driving operation value is less than or equal to an autonomous driving switching threshold value is less than or equal to an operation time threshold value, the control unit switches manual driving to autonomous driving, and

wherein the operation time threshold value is changed depending on a traveling status of the vehicle and the timing start threshold value is changed depending on the traveling status of the vehicle.

2. The autonomous driving device according to claim 1,

wherein the autonomous driving switching threshold value is set to a value which is less than the manual driving switching threshold value.

3. The autonomous driving device according to claim 1,

wherein the manual driving switching threshold value is changed depending on the traveling status of the vehicle.

4. The autonomous driving device according to claim 1,

wherein the autonomous driving switching threshold value is changed depending on the traveling status of the vehicle.