Vehicle travel control system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10864901-B2
Application number	US-201916253418-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 22, 2019
Priority date	Mar 19, 2018
Publication date	Dec 15, 2020
Grant date	Dec 15, 2020

Abstract

A vehicle travel control system installed on a vehicle includes: a recognition sensor configured to recognize a situation around the vehicle; a sensor cleaning device configured to clean the recognition sensor; and a control device configured to execute vehicle travel control based on result of recognition by the recognition sensor, and to actuate the sensor cleaning device to execute sensor cleaning processing that cleans the recognition sensor. The control device permits execution of the sensor cleaning processing in a situation where decrease in recognition performance has a small influence on the vehicle travel control. For example, when a surrounding vehicle recognized by a first recognition sensor is also recognized by a second recognition sensor, the control device permits execution of the sensor cleaning processing that cleans the first recognition sensor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle travel control system installed on a vehicle and comprising:
a recognition sensor configured to recognize a situation around the vehicle;
a sensor cleaning device configured to clean the recognition sensor; and
a control device configured to execute vehicle travel control based on result of recognition by the recognition sensor, and to actuate the sensor cleaning device to execute sensor cleaning processing that cleans the recognition sensor,
wherein:
the recognition sensor includes a first recognition sensor and a second recognition sensor;
a cleaning permission condition with respect to the first recognition sensor is that a surrounding vehicle recognized by the first recognition sensor is also recognized by the second recognition sensor; and
the control device is further configured to:
permit execution of the sensor cleaning processing that cleans the first recognition sensor when the cleaning permission condition is satisfied; and
prohibit the execution of the sensor cleaning processing that cleans the first recognition sensor when the cleaning permission condition is not satisfied.

2. A vehicle travel control system installed on a vehicle and comprising:
a recognition sensor configured to recognize a situation around the vehicle;
a sensor cleaning device configured to clean the recognition sensor;
a control device configured to execute vehicle travel control based on result of recognition by the recognition sensor, and to actuate the sensor cleaning device to execute sensor cleaning processing that cleans the recognition sensor; and
a map database,
wherein:
a recognized road shape is a road shape that is in a recognition area around the vehicle and recognized by the recognition sensor;
a registered road shape is another road shape that is in the recognition area and registered in the map database;
a cleaning permission condition is that degree of coincidence between the recognized road shape and the registered road shape is equal to or higher than a threshold; and
the control device is further configured to:
permit execution of the sensor cleaning processing when the cleaning permission condition is satisfied; and
prohibit the execution of the sensor cleaning processing when the cleaning permission condition is not satisfied.

3. A vehicle travel control system installed on a vehicle and comprising:
a recognition sensor configured to recognize a situation around the vehicle;
a sensor cleaning device configured to clean the recognition sensor; and
a control device configured to execute vehicle travel control based on result of recognition by the recognition sensor, and to actuate the sensor cleaning device to execute sensor cleaning processing that cleans the recognition sensor,
wherein:
the control device creates a vehicle travel plan and executes the vehicle travel control in accordance with the vehicle travel plan;
the vehicle travel control includes steering control;
a cleaning permission condition is that the vehicle is in a section where the steering control is not planned; and
the control device is further configured to:
refer to the vehicle travel plan to determine whether the cleaning permission condition is satisfied;
permit execution of the sensor cleaning processing when the cleaning permission condition is satisfied; and
prohibit the execution of the sensor cleaning processing when the cleaning permission condition is not satisfied.

4. The vehicle travel control system according to claim 3 ,
wherein:
the control device refers to the vehicle travel plan to determine whether or not a remaining time before end of the vehicle travel control is less than a predetermined value; and
when the remaining time is less than the predetermined value, the control device executes the sensor cleaning processing after the end of the vehicle travel control.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ikebata Yusuke
• Kokubo Shinpei

Classifications

• G08G1/166 Primary

  for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes · CPC title

• B60S1/56

  specially adapted for cleaning other parts or devices than front windows or windscreens {(rear-view mirror arrangements mounted on vehicle exterior including cleaning devices B60R1/0602)} · CPC title

• B60R16/02

  electric {constitutive elements} · CPC title

• B60W10/20 Primary

  including control of steering systems · CPC title

• B60W30/09

  Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering · CPC title