Vehicle control apparatus, vehicle, vehicle control method, and non transitory computer readable storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11760366-B2
Application number	US-202117155178-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 22, 2021
Priority date	Jan 29, 2020
Publication date	Sep 19, 2023
Grant date	Sep 19, 2023

Abstract

A vehicle control apparatus includes a first control unit and a second control unit each configured to perform travel control of a vehicle based on a recognition result of an external recognition device group configured to obtain external information of the vehicle and a detection result of a vehicle information detection unit configured to obtain state information of an actuator group of the vehicle. In a case in which functional degradation of at least one of the external recognition device group, the actuator group, and the vehicle information detection unit is detected, based on the recognition result and the detection result, the first control unit determines contents of vehicle control in fallback control for restricting a travel control function of the vehicle and determines whether to execute the fallback control by one of the first control unit and the second control unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle control apparatus that includes a first control unit configured to control steering and acceleration/deceleration of a vehicle; and a second control unit configured to control steering and deceleration of the vehicle and execute travel support control for the vehicle,
wherein the first control unit is connected to the second control unit,
a first sensor, which detects rotation of left and right wheels of the vehicle, is connected to the first control unit,
a second sensor, which detects a number of rotations of an output shaft of the vehicle, is connected to the first control unit,
in alternative control for restricting a travel control function of the vehicle,
the first control unit transits a state of the vehicle to a state in which the vehicle is stopped within a travel lane or a state in which the vehicle is stopped on a shoulder of the travel lane,
in the alternative control when a function of the first sensor is deteriorated, the first control unit transits the state of the vehicle to the state in which the vehicle is stopped within the travel lane,
in the alternative control when a function of the second sensor is deteriorated, the first control unit transits the state of the vehicle to the state in which the vehicle is stopped on the shoulder of the travel lane.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in a case in which functional degradation of the external recognition device group is determined based on the recognition result of the external recognition device group, the first control unit will cause, as the alternative control, the vehicle to stop in a travel lane.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein in a case in which functional degradation of the external recognition device group is determined, the first control unit changes a control state of automated driving of the vehicle from a first control state to a second control state.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the first control state is a control state which has one of a high vehicle control automation rate and a low degree of vehicle operation contribution required of a driver compared to the second control state.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein in a case in which degradation of a function of the vehicle information detection unit is determined, the first control unit changes the control state of automated driving of the vehicle from the first control state to a third control state.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the third control state is a control state which has one of a low vehicle control automation rate and a high degree of vehicle operation contribution required of a driver compared to the second control state.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in a case in which degradation of a detection function of a wheel speed sensor, as the vehicle information detection unit, provided in each of four wheels of the vehicle is determined, the first control unit causes, as the alternative control, the vehicle to stop in a travel lane.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in a case in which degradation of a detection function of a rotation speed sensor, as the vehicle information detection unit, configured to detect a rotation speed of an output shaft of an automatic transmission of the vehicle is determined, the first control unit causes, as the alternative control, the vehicle to stop on a shoulder of a travel lane.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in a case in which degradation of a detection function of a steering angle sensor, as the vehicle information detection unit, configured to detect a steering angle of the vehicle is determined, the first control unit causes, as the alternative control, the vehicle to stop in a travel lane.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in a case in which degradation of a detection function of a yaw rate sensor configured to detect a rotation angular speed about a vertical axis of the vehicle is determined based on communication with the second control unit, the first control unit causes, as the alternative control, the vehicle to stop in a travel lane.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in a case in which degradation of a function of a first steering device of the vehicle is determined based on the detection result of the vehicle information detection unit, the first control unit causes the second control unit to execute the alternative control.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in a case in which degradation of a function of a second steering device of the vehicle is determined based on the detection result of the vehicle information detection unit by communication with the second control unit, the first control unit causes, as the alternative control, the vehicle to stop on a shoulder of a travel lane.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in a case in which degradation of a function of a first hydraulic device configured to function as an electric servo brake of the vehicle is determined based on the detection result of the vehicle information detection unit, the first control unit causes the second control unit to execute the alternative control.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in a case in which degradation of a function of a second hydraulic device configured to function as an anti-skid device of the vehicle is determined based on the detection result of the vehicle information unit by communication with the second control unit, the first control unit causes, as the alternative control, the vehicle to stop in a travel lane.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in a case in which map information cannot be obtained via a communication device as the vehicle information detection unit, the first control unit causes, as the alternative control, the vehicle to stop in a travel lane.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in a case in which degradation of a detection function of a grip sensor, as the vehicle information detection unit, configured to detect whether a driver is gripping a steering wheel of the vehicle is determined, the first control unit causes, as the alternative control, the vehicle to stop on a shoulder of a travel lane.

17. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in a case in which degradation of a detection function of a camera, as the vehicle information detection unit, configured to detect a state of a driver during driving is determined, the first control unit causes, as the alternative control, the vehicle to stop on a shoulder of a travel lane.

18. A vehicle comprising a vehicle control apparatus defined in claim 1 .

19. A vehicle control method of a vehicle control apparatus that includes a first control unit configured to control steering and acceleration/deceleration of a vehicle and a second control unit configured to control steering and deceleration of the vehicle and execute driving support control for the vehicle,
wherein the first control unit is connected to the second control unit,
a first sensor, which detects rotation of left and right wheels of the vehicle, is connected to the first control unit, as an information acquisition sensor,
a second sensor, which detects a number of rotations of an output shaft of the vehicle, is connected to the first control unit,
in alternative control for restricting a travel control function of the vehicle,
the first control unit transits a state of the vehicle to a state in which the vehicle is stopped within a travel lane or a state in which th

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Aoyagi Akihiko
• Tsuji Kanta
• Kanoh Tadahiko
• MUKAI Takuyuki
• Ochida Jun
• Hashimoto Yasuharu
• Komori Yuichi
• Kuboshima Takashi

Classifications

• B60W50/029 Primary

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

• B60W60/0018 Primary

  by employing degraded modes, e.g. reducing speed, in response to suboptimal conditions · CPC title

• B60W50/0205 Primary

  Diagnosing or detecting failures; Failure detection models · CPC title

• B60W60/0016

  of the vehicle or its occupants · CPC title

• B60W60/005

  Handover processes (Handing over between remote control and on-board control or handing over between remote control arrangements G05D1/227) · CPC title