Vehicle control apparatus and vehicle control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11220273-B2
Application number	US-202117160496-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 28, 2021
Priority date	Feb 5, 2020
Publication date	Jan 11, 2022
Grant date	Jan 11, 2022

Abstract

The present invention provides a vehicle control apparatus that controls automated driving of a vehicle, comprising: a first travel controller configured to control travel of the vehicle; a second travel controller configured to control travel of the vehicle based on an instruction from the first travel controller; a first controller configured to control a first actuator based on an instruction from the first travel controller; and a second controller configured to control a second actuator based on an instruction from the second travel controller, wherein in a case in which degradation of a communication function between the first travel controller and the second travel controller is detected in a state where the actuator group is performed by the second controller, alternative control of the vehicle is performed by the second travel controller.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle control apparatus that controls automated driving of a vehicle, comprising:
a first travel controller configured to perform travel control of the vehicle, the travel control including control of steering and acceleration/deceleration of the vehicle;
a second travel controller configured to perform recognition of a peripheral travel environment of the vehicle and driving support of the vehicle;
a first controller configured to control a first actuator based on an instruction from the first travel controller; and
a second controller configured to control a second actuator based on an instruction from the second travel controller,
wherein the first controller gives, to the second controller, notification for switching a control state from control of the first actuator by the first controller to control of the second actuator by the second controller, in a case where the instruction from the first travel controller cannot be received by the first controller, and
wherein the second travel controller performs alternative control of the vehicle, in a case of detecting degradation of a communication function of the second travel controller with the first travel controller and detecting that the control state comprises the second controller controlling the second actuator and not the first controller controlling the first actuator, and
wherein the first travel controller performs degeneracy control for performing a function restriction related to control of the automated driving of the vehicle, in a case of detecting degradation of a communication function with the second travel controller.

2. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the alternative control is an alternative control for performing a function restriction related to control of the automated driving of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the first travel controller and the second travel controller are connected by a first communication line and a second communication line which is different from the first communication line, and
the second travel controller performs the alternative control of the vehicle by controlling the second actuator, in a case of detecting degradation of communication functions in the first communication line and the second communication line and detecting that the control state is a state of controlling the second actuator by the second controller.

4. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first actuator and the second actuator is an actuator related to steering or braking of the vehicle.

5. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
to the first actuator, power is supplied via a first power supply circuit, and
to the second actuator, power is supplied via a second power supply circuit different from the first power supply circuit.

6. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
to the first actuator, power is supplied from a first power supply, and
to the second actuator, power is supplied from a second power supply different from the first power supply.

7. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the first controller detects, via a relay unit, a state of controlling the second actuator by the second controller, and
the second controller detects, via the relay unit, a state of controlling the first actuator by the first controller.

8. A vehicle control method for controlling automated driving of a vehicle, comprising:
a first travel controller configured to perform travel control of the vehicle, the travel control including control of steering and acceleration/deceleration of the vehicle,
a second travel controller configured to perform recognition of a peripheral travel environment of the vehicle and driving-support of the vehicle,
a first controller configured to control a first actuator based on an instruction from the first travel controller, and
a second controller configured to control a second actuator based on an instruction from the second travel controller,
wherein the first controller gives, to the second controller, notification for switching a control state from control of the first actuator by the first controller to control of the second actuator by the second controller, in a case where the instruction from the first travel controller cannot be received by the first controller, and
wherein the second travel controller performs alternative control of the vehicle, in a case of detecting degradation of a communication function of the second travel controller with the first travel controller and detecting that the control state comprises the second controller controlling the second actuator and not the first controller controlling the first actuator, and
wherein the second travel controller does not perform the alternative control in a case of detecting that the control state is a state of controlling the first actuator by the first controller, even if detecting the degradation of the communication function with the first travel controller.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ochida Jun
• Nakashima Hiroyuki
• Ibuka Jun

Classifications

• B60W60/00186

  related to the vehicle · CPC title

• B60W50/029 Primary

  Adapting to failures or work around with other constraints, e.g. circumvention by avoiding use of failed parts · CPC title

• B60W2050/0297

  Control Giving priority to different actuators or systems · CPC title

• B60W2050/0292

  Fail-safe or redundant systems, e.g. limp-home or backup systems · CPC title

• B60W50/035

  Bringing the control units into a predefined state, e.g. giving priority to particular actuators · CPC title