Vehicle control interface and vehicle system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11794773-B2
Application number	US-202016802671-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2020
Priority date	Apr 10, 2019
Publication date	Oct 24, 2023
Grant date	Oct 24, 2023

Abstract

A vehicle control interface connects a vehicle platform including a first computer that performs travel control of a vehicle and an autonomous driving platform including a second computer that performs autonomous driving control of the vehicle. The vehicle control interface includes a control unit configured to execute: acquiring, from the second computer, a first control command including at least one of first data on designating acceleration or deceleration and second data on designating a travel track; converting the first control command into a second control command for the first computer; and transmitting the second control command to the first computer. The first control command is data for controlling the vehicle platform.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle control interface that connects a vehicle platform including a first computer that performs travel control of a vehicle and an autonomous driving platform including a second computer that performs autonomous driving control of the vehicle, the vehicle control interface comprising:
a control unit configured to act as a relay between the first computer of the vehicle platform and the second computer of the autonomous driving platform by executing:
acquiring, from the second computer, a first control command including first data designating a travel track, the first control command being data configured to control the vehicle platform;
converting the first control command into a second control command that is in a format that is executable by the first computer; and
transmitting the second control command to the first computer,

wherein the first data further designates a steering angle,
the control unit is configured to calculate a range of an amount of change in the steering angle requestable to the first computer based on information acquired from the vehicle platform, and
the control unit is further configured to notify the second computer of the amount of change in the steering angle requestable to the first computer.

2. The vehicle control interface according to claim 1 , wherein the first control command is data that is not specific to the first computer provided in the vehicle, and the second control command is data that is specific to the first computer.

3. The vehicle control interface according to claim 1 , wherein when the first control command includes additional data different than the first data, the control unit is configured to discard the additional data without converting the additional data.

4. The vehicle control interface according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a memory configured to store conversion information that is a rule controlling converting the first control command and the second control command,
wherein the control unit is configured to convert the first control command into the second control command based on the conversion information.

5. The vehicle control interface according to claim 1 , wherein when the amount of change in the steering angle designated by the first data exceeds the range requestable to the first computer, the control unit is configured to correct the range of the amount of change in the steering angle in a predetermined range.

6. A vehicle system comprising:
a vehicle platform including a first computer that performs travel control of a vehicle; and
a vehicle control interface configured to connect the vehicle platform to an autonomous driving platform including a second computer that performs autonomous driving control of the vehicle, the vehicle control interface including a control unit configured to act as a relay between the first computer of the vehicle platform and the second computer of the autonomous driving platform by executing:
acquiring, from the second computer, a first control command including first data designating a travel track, the first control command being data for controlling the vehicle platform;
converting the first control command into a second control command that is in a format that is executable by the first computer; and
transmitting the second control command to the first computer,

wherein the first data further designates a steering angle,
the control unit is configured to calculate a range of an amount of change in the steering angle requestable to the first computer based on information acquired from the vehicle platform, and
the control unit is further configured to notify the second computer of the amount of change in the steering angle requestable to the first computer.

7. The vehicle control interface according to claim 1 , wherein the first control command further includes second data designating acceleration or deceleration.

8. The vehicle system according to claim 6 , wherein the first control command further includes second data designating acceleration or deceleration.

9. The vehicle control interface according to claim 1 , wherein when the first control command includes additional data different than the first data and related to a command for a vehicle component that is not authorized for access by the autonomous driving platform, the control unit is configured to discard the additional data without converting the additional data.

10. A vehicle control interface that connects a vehicle platform including a first computer that performs travel control of a vehicle and an autonomous driving platform including a second computer that performs autonomous driving control of the vehicle, the vehicle control interface comprising:
a control unit configured to act as a relay between the first computer of the vehicle platform and the second computer of the autonomous driving platform by executing:
acquiring, from the second computer, a first control command including at least one of first data designating a travel track and second data designating acceleration or deceleration, the first control command being data configured to control the vehicle platform;
converting the first control command into a second control command that is in a format that is executable by the first computer; and
transmitting the second control command to the first computer,

wherein the first data designates a steering angle and the second data designates the acceleration or deceleration, and
the control unit is further configured to:
calculate a range of the acceleration or deceleration or a range of an amount of change in the steering angle requestable to the first computer based on information acquired from the vehicle platform; and
notify the second computer of the range of the acceleration or deceleration or the amount of change in the steering angle requestable to the first computer.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ando Eisuke

Classifications

• B60W60/001 Primary

  Planning or execution of driving tasks · CPC title

• B60R16/0231

  Circuits relating to the driving or the functioning of the vehicle (monitoring tyres B60C23/00; indicating overspeed B60K31/00; for dash boards B60K37/00, B60Q3/10; for indicating emergencies B60Q1/52; brake control systems B60T; registering or indicating the working of vehicles G07C5/00; measuring distance G01C, e.g. combinations of speed and distance G01C23/00; engine indicators G01L; measuring speed or acceleration G01P) · CPC title

• B60W10/04

  including control of propulsion units · CPC title

• B60W10/20

  including control of steering systems · CPC title

• B60W50/00

  Details of control systems for road vehicle drive control not related to the control of a particular sub-unit {, e.g. process diagnostic or vehicle driver interfaces} · CPC title