Vehicle controller, method, and computer program for vehicle control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12397830-B2
Application number	US-202318449151-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 14, 2023
Priority date	Aug 25, 2022
Publication date	Aug 26, 2025
Grant date	Aug 26, 2025

Abstract

A vehicle controller includes a processor configured to determine whether a vehicle under manual driving control is in a situation that allows for starting autonomous driving control of the vehicle, switch, when the vehicle is in a situation that allows for starting autonomous driving control, control of the vehicle from manual driving control to autonomous driving control in the case where operating mode of a device related to ensuring visibility of a driver of the vehicle is set to automatic mode to automatically control the device, and continue manual driving control in the case where the operating mode of the device related to ensuring the driver's visibility is set to manual mode to manually control the device and where the driver's visibility will not be ensured unless the device operates.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle controller comprising:
a processor configured to:
determine whether a vehicle under manual driving control is in a situation that allows for starting autonomous driving control of the vehicle,
switch, when the vehicle is in a situation that allows for starting autonomous driving control, control of the vehicle from manual driving control to autonomous driving control when an operating mode of a device related to ensuring visibility of a driver of the vehicle is set to automatic mode to automatically control the device,
continue control of the vehicle that remains manual driving control when the operating mode of the device is set to manual mode to manually control the device and where the driver's visibility will not be ensured unless the device operates;

predict a period during which autonomous driving control is applicable for the case where control of the vehicle is switched from manual driving control to autonomous driving control,
determine whether a situation where visibility of the driver of the vehicle is not ensured will occur at the end of the period,
switch, when the situation does not occur, control of the vehicle from manual driving control to autonomous driving control even if the operating mode of the device is set to the manual mode at the time when the vehicle is in a situation that allows for starting autonomous driving control of the vehicle; and
in the case where the situation where visibility of the driver of the vehicle is not ensured will occur at the end of the period during which autonomous driving control is applicable, even if visibility of the driver of the vehicle is ensured at the time when the vehicle is in a situation that allows for starting autonomous driving control of the vehicle, the processor continues control of the vehicle that remains manual driving control in the case where the operating mode of the device is set to the manual mode to manually control the device and where the driver's visibility will not be ensured unless the device operates.

2. The vehicle controller according to claim 1 , wherein the device is a windshield wiper, and the processor determines that the driver's visibility will not be ensured unless the device operates, when rainfall measured by a rainfall sensor provided on the vehicle is not less than a predetermined threshold or when the current position of the vehicle is within a rainy region indicated by weather information received from another device.

3. The vehicle controller according to claim 1 , wherein the device is a headlight, and the processor determines that the driver's visibility will not be ensured unless the device operates, when illuminance measured by an illuminance sensor provided on the vehicle is not greater than a predetermined threshold or when the current time is after sunset and before sunrise.

4. The vehicle controller according to claim 1 , wherein the device is an air conditioner, and the processor determines that the driver's visibility will not be ensured unless the device operates, when humidity in the interior of the vehicle measured by a humidity sensor provided on the vehicle is not less than a predetermined threshold.

5. A method for vehicle control, comprising:
determining whether a vehicle under manual driving control is in a situation that allows for starting autonomous driving control of the vehicle;
switching, when the vehicle is in a situation that allows for starting autonomous driving control, control of the vehicle from manual driving control to autonomous driving control in the case where operating mode of a device related to ensuring visibility of a driver of the vehicle is set to automatic mode to automatically control the device;
continuing control of the vehicle that remains manual driving control in the case where the operating mode of the device is set to manual mode to manually control the device and where the driver's visibility will not be ensured unless the device operates;
predicting a period during which autonomous driving control is applicable for the case where control of the vehicle is switched from manual driving control to autonomous driving control,
determining whether a situation where visibility of the driver of the vehicle is not ensured will occur at the end of the period,
switching, when the situation does not occur, control of the vehicle from manual driving control to autonomous driving control even if the operating mode of the device is set to the manual mode at the time when the vehicle is in a situation that allows for starting autonomous driving control of the vehicle; and
in the case where the situation where visibility of the driver of the vehicle is not ensured will occur at the end of the period during which autonomous driving control is applicable, even if visibility of the driver of the vehicle is ensured at the time when the vehicle is in a situation that allows for starting autonomous driving control of the vehicle, continuing control of the vehicle that remains manual driving control in the case where the operating mode of the device is set to the manual mode to manually control the device and where the driver's visibility will not be ensured unless the device operates.

6. A non-transitory recording medium that stores a computer program for vehicle control, the computer program causing a processor mounted on a vehicle to execute a process comprising:
determining whether the vehicle under manual driving control is in a situation that allows for starting autonomous driving control of the vehicle;
switching, when the vehicle is in a situation that allows for starting autonomous driving control, control of the vehicle from manual driving control to autonomous driving control in the case where operating mode of a device related to ensuring visibility of a driver of the vehicle is set to automatic mode to automatically control the device;
continuing control of the vehicle that remains manual driving control in the case where the operating mode of the device is set to manual mode to manually control the device and where the driver's visibility will not be ensured unless the device operates;
predicting a period during which autonomous driving control is applicable for the case where control of the vehicle is switched from manual driving control to autonomous driving control,
determining whether a situation where visibility of the driver of the vehicle is not ensured will occur at the end of the period,
switching, when the situation does not occur, control of the vehicle from manual driving control to autonomous driving control even if the operating mode of the device is set to the manual mode at the time when the vehicle is in a situation that allows for starting autonomous driving control of the vehicle; and
in the case where the situation where visibility of the driver of the vehicle is not ensured will occur at the end of the period during which autonomous driving control is applicable, even if visibility of the driver of the vehicle is ensured at the time when the vehicle is in a situation that allows for starting autonomous driving control of the vehicle, continuing control of the vehicle that remains manual driving control in the case where the operating mode of the device is set to the manual mode to manually control the device and where the driver's visibility will not be ensured unless the device operates.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kuroda Ryusuke
• Fujiki Takuya

Classifications

• B60W40/08

  related to drivers or passengers · CPC title

• B60W2420/403

  Image sensing, e.g. optical camera · CPC title

• B60W2554/406

  Traffic density · CPC title

• B60W2510/30

  Auxiliary equipments · CPC title

• B60W2556/50

  of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data · CPC title