Travel control device and travel control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12330656-B1
Application number	US-202418969714-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Dec 5, 2024
Priority date	Feb 28, 2024
Publication date	Jun 17, 2025
Grant date	Jun 17, 2025

Abstract

The travel control device includes an abnormality detection unit that detects an abnormality of the first automated driving control unit and the second automated driving control unit, a first switching unit that switches to the automated driving control of the other of the first automated driving control unit and the second automated driving control unit when one of the first automated driving control unit and the second automated driving control unit during the automated driving control is detected to be abnormal, a permission unit that instructs the end of the automated driving control to the first automated driving control unit and the second automated driving control unit, and a second switching unit that switches between the automated driving control and the manual driving control in response to an instruction from the permission unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A travel control device, comprising:
a first automated driving control unit configured to perform automated driving control for autonomously driving a vehicle;
a second automated driving control unit configured to perform the automated driving control for autonomously driving the vehicle;
an abnormality detection unit configured to detect an abnormality of the first automated driving control unit and an abnormality of the second automated driving control unit;
a first switching unit configured to, when one of the first automated driving control unit and the second automated driving control unit that are performing the automated driving control is detected to be abnormal, switch to the automated driving control of another of the first automated driving control unit and the second automated driving control unit;
a permission unit configured to instruct the first automated driving control unit and the second automated driving control unit to end the automated driving control; and
a second switching unit configured to switch between the automated driving control and manual driving control in response to an instruction from the permission unit, wherein when the second switching unit receives an instruction to end the automated driving control from the permission unit, the second switching unit waits to end the automated driving control until a predetermined wait time elapses.

2. The travel control device according to claim 1 , wherein when the second switching unit receives the instruction to end the automated driving control from the permission unit and a detection result from the abnormality detection unit after elapse of the predetermined wait time indicates that one of the first automated driving control unit and the second automated driving control unit is abnormal, the second switching unit does not end the automated driving control and the first switching unit switches to the automated driving control of another of the first automated driving control unit and the second automated driving control unit.

3. The travel control device according to claim 1 , wherein when the second switching unit receives the instruction to end the automated driving control from the permission unit and the detection result from the abnormality detection unit after elapse of the predetermined wait time indicates that both of the first automated driving control unit and the second automated driving control unit are normal, the second switching unit ends the automated driving control and switches to the manual driving control.

4. The travel control device according to claim 1 , wherein the permission unit does not permit to start the automated driving control when either or both of the first automated driving control unit and the second automated driving control unit are detected to be abnormal, and permits to start the automated driving control when both the first automated driving control unit and the second automated driving control unit are detected to be normal.

5. A travel control method whose steps are performed by a travel control device, the travel control device including a first automated driving control unit and a second automated driving control unit that are configured to perform automated driving control for autonomously driving a vehicle, the travel control method comprising the steps of:
detecting an abnormality of the first automated driving control unit and an abnormality of the second automated driving control unit;
when only one of the first automated driving control unit and the second automated driving control unit is detected to be abnormal during the automated driving control, switching to the automated driving control of another of the first automated driving control unit and the second automated driving control unit;
instructing the first automated driving control unit and the second automated driving control unit to end the automated driving control; and
when an instruction to end the automated driving control is received, waiting to end the automated driving control until a predetermined wait time elapses.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Watari Yuji
• Irie Ryo

Classifications

• B60W2050/0292

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

• B60W50/029

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

• B60W50/0205

  Diagnosing or detecting failures; Failure detection models · CPC title

• B60W60/0015

  specially adapted for safety · CPC title

• B60W50/023

  Avoiding failures by using redundant parts · CPC title