Drive assist device

• US 9,707,973 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2012
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kobana, Masumi, Nagata, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Nga X
• Application Number:
  US14/408,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20150203126A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,820 Days
• Field of Search: 701 1, 701 93, 600300, 600529
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/06 responsive to incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/066 actuating a signalling device B60K28/063 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0074 Driver shifts control to the controller, e.g. by pressing a button
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/106 Rate of change
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/165 Rate of change
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/22 Psychological state; Stress level or workload
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/221 Physiology, e.g. weight, heartbeat, health or special needs
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/225 Direction of gaze
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/229 Attention level, e.g. attentive to driving, reading or sleeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/26 Incapacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/80 Spatial relation or speed relative to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 Lane keeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18159 Traversing an intersection
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/087 where the control system corrects or modifies a request from the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/12 Limiting control by the driver depending on vehicle state, e.g. interlocking means for the control input for preventing unsafe operation

Abstract

Disclosed is a drive assist device including: a driver state detection unit that outputs a control start signal; a consent confirmation unit that inquires of a driver, whether the driver consents to execution of an emergency evacuation control, and receives a reply to the inquiry from the driver; a control section that executes the emergency evacuation control when receiving a consent reply of the execution of the emergency evacuation control from the driver; and an erroneous operation determination unit that determines whether the driving operation of the driver is an erroneous operation, in which the control section limits the driving operation of the driver when it is determined that the driving operation of the driver is an erroneous operation in a period from the time when the control start signal is received to the time when the consent reply of execution of the control is received.

Claims

1. A drive assist device comprising:

a start signal output unit that outputs a control start signal;

a consent confirmation unit that inquires of a driver, when receiving the control start signal from the start signal output unit, whether the driver consents to execution of an emergency evacuation control for stopping a vehicle at a safe position regardless of a driving operation of the driver, and receives a reply to the inquiry from the driver;

a control section that executes the emergency evacuation control when receiving a consent reply of the execution of the emergency evacuation control from the driver by the consent confirmation unit;

an erroneous operation determination unit that determines whether the driving operation of the driver is an erroneous operation,

wherein the control section limits the driving operation of the driver when (i) the consent reply of execution of the control is not received by the consent confirmation unit after a receipt of the control start signal and (ii) it is determined that the driving operation of the driver is an erroneous operation by the erroneous operation determination unit;

a drive assist unit that performs a drive assist for assisting traveling of the vehicle,

wherein the drive assist unit is capable of switching an operation and a release of the drive assist,

the erroneous operation determination unit determines whether the operation of the drive assist by the driver is an erroneous operation, and

the control section nullifies the operation when it is determined that the operation is an erroneous operation by the erroneous operation determination unit,

wherein the drive assist is a constant speed traveling control, and

the erroneous operation determination unit determines that an operation of the constant speed traveling control is an erroneous operation when the operation of the constant speed traveling is performed by the driver in the period from the time when the control start signal is received by the start signal output unit to the time when the consent reply of the execution of the control is received by the consent confirmation unit.

5. The drive assist device according to claim 1, wherein

the erroneous operation determination unit determines, when a temporal change of a steering angle of steering performed by the driver is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, that a steering operation of the driver is an erroneous operation.

8. The drive assist device according to claim 1, wherein

the erroneous operation determination unit determines, when a temporal change of throttle opening performed by the driver is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, that an accelerating operation of the driver is an erroneous operation.

11. The drive assist device according to claim 1, wherein

the erroneous operation determination unit determines that an operation of changing a shift lever to a state other than parking while the vehicle is stopped is an erroneous operation.

14. The drive assist device according to claim 1, wherein

the erroneous operation determination unit determines that an operation of changing a shift lever to a state other than traveling while the vehicle is traveling is an erroneous operation.

17. The drive assist device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a traveling information acquisition unit that acquires traveling information of the vehicle;

an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information relating to a peripheral environment of the vehicle; and

a risk degree acquisition unit that acquires the degree of risk of colliding with an obstacle based on at least one of the traveling information and the environmental information,

wherein the control section nullifies a part of the driving operation when the degree of risk is higher than a predetermined value.

2. A drive assist device comprising:

a start signal output unit that outputs a control start signal;

a consent confirmation unit that inquires of a driver, when receiving the control start signal from the start signal output unit, whether the driver consents to execution of an emergency evacuation control for stopping a vehicle at a safe position regardless of a driving operation of the driver, and receives a reply to the inquiry from the driver;

a control section that executes the emergency evacuation control when receiving a consent reply of the execution of the emergency evacuation control from the driver by the consent confirmation unit;

an erroneous operation determination unit that determines whether the driving operation of the driver is an erroneous operation,

wherein the control section limits the driving operation of the driver when (i) the consent reply of execution of the control is not received by the consent confirmation unit after a receipt of the control start signal and (ii) it is determined that the driving operation of the driver is an erroneous operation by the erroneous operation determination unit;

a drive assist unit that performs a drive assist for assisting traveling of the vehicle,

wherein the drive assist unit is capable of switching an operation and a release of the drive assist,

the erroneous operation determination unit determines whether the operation of the drive assist by the driver is an erroneous operation, and

the control section nullifies the operation when it is determined that the operation is an erroneous operation by the erroneous operation determination unit,

wherein the drive assist is a lane keeping assist control, and

the erroneous operation determination unit determines that an operation of the lane keeping assist control is an erroneous operation when the operation of the lane keeping assist control is performed by the driver in the period from the time when the control start signal is received by the start signal output unit to the time when the consent reply of the execution of the control is received by the consent confirmation unit.

6. The drive assist device according to claim 2, wherein

the erroneous operation determination unit determines, when a temporal change of a steering angle of steering performed by the driver is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, that a steering operation of the driver is an erroneous operation.

9. The drive assist device according to claim 2, wherein

the erroneous operation determination unit determines, when a temporal change of throttle opening performed by the driver is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, that an accelerating operation of the driver is an erroneous operation.

12. The drive assist device according to claim 2, wherein

the erroneous operation determination unit determines that an operation of changing a shift lever to a state other than parking while the vehicle is stopped is an erroneous operation.

15. The drive assist device according to claim 2, wherein

the erroneous operation determination unit determines that an operation of changing a shift lever to a state other than traveling while the vehicle is traveling is an erroneous operation.

3. A drive assist device comprising:

a start signal output unit that outputs a control start signal;

a consent confirmation unit that inquires of a driver, when receiving the control start signal from the start signal output unit, whether the driver consents to execution of an emergency evacuation control for stopping a vehicle at a safe position regardless of a driving operation of the driver, and receives a reply to the inquiry from the driver;

a control section that executes the emergency evacuation control when receiving a consent reply of the execution of the emergency evacuation control from the driver by the consent confirmation unit;

an erroneous operation determination unit that determines whether the driving operation of the driver is an erroneous operation,

wherein the control section limits the driving operation of the driver when (i) the consent reply of execution of the control is not received by the consent confirmation unit after a receipt of the control start signal and (ii) it is determined that the driving operation of the driver is an erroneous operation by the erroneous operation determination unit; and

a drive assist unit that performs a drive assist for assisting traveling of the vehicle,

wherein the drive assist unit is capable of switching an operation and a release of the drive assist,

the erroneous operation determination unit determines whether the release of the drive assist by the driver is an erroneous operation, and

the control section nullifies the release when it is determined that the release is an erroneous operation by the erroneous determination unit.

4. The drive assist device according to claim 3, wherein

the control section nullifies the driving operation of the driver when it is determined that the driving operation of the driver is an erroneous operation by the erroneous operation determination unit.

7. The drive assist device according to claim 3, wherein

the erroneous operation determination unit determines, when a temporal change of a steering angle of steering performed by the driver is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, that a steering operation of the driver is an erroneous operation.

10. The drive assist device according to claim 3, wherein

the erroneous operation determination unit determines, when a temporal change of throttle opening performed by the driver is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, that an accelerating operation of the driver is an erroneous operation.

13. The drive assist device according to claim 3, wherein

the erroneous operation determination unit determines that an operation of changing a shift lever to a state other than parking while the vehicle is stopped is an erroneous operation.

16. The drive assist device according to claim 3, wherein

the erroneous operation determination unit determines that an operation of changing a shift lever to a state other than traveling while the vehicle is traveling is an erroneous operation.