Control system, mobile object, control method, and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12596369-B2
Application number	US-202217678057-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 23, 2022
Priority date	Mar 11, 2021
Publication date	Apr 7, 2026
Grant date	Apr 7, 2026

Abstract

A control system of a mobile object that can move in any one operation mode determined from a plurality of operation modes is provided. The control system includes: a storage device configured to store instructions; and one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors execute the instructions stored in the storage device to: determine whether a predetermined road is a first road in which passage of vehicles in a mode other than a first operation mode in which a maximum moving speed of the mobile object is less than a predetermined speed is restricted; and execute a first process of generating a route of the mobile object so as to include the road determined to be first road and a second process of generating a route of the mobile object so as not to include the road determined to be the first road.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A control system of a mobile object that can move in any one operation mode determined from a plurality of operation modes, wherein the operation modes include a first operation mode and a second operation mode, the first operation mode is a mode in which the mobile object moves at a speed less than a predetermined speed and does not move at a speed equal to or greater than the predetermined speed, the second operation mode is a mode in which the mobile object moves at a speed equal to or greater than the predetermined speed, the control system comprising:
a storage device configured to store instructions; and one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors execute the instructions stored in the storage device to: determine whether a predetermined road is a first road in which passage of vehicles in an operation mode other than a first operation mode, in which a maximum moving speed of the mobile object is less than a predetermined speed, is restricted, wherein the first road is a sidewalk on which movement of the mobile object in the first operation mode is permitted and on which movement of the mobile object in the second operation mode is restricted, the movement of a vehicle is restricted, and the movement of pedestrians is permitted; based on the determining of the predetermined road, provide information to a user, the information comprising characteristics and designations for a group of routes, wherein the characteristics define individual ones of the group of routes as time-emphasized, comfort-emphasized, or a balance therebetween, and wherein the designations differently define the individual ones of the group of routes as corresponding to operation in the first operation mode or in the second operation mode; perform acquisition of information on a user's determination to execute a first process based on the information provided, wherein the user's determination to execute the first process comprises a selection of a first route, from the group of routes, of a planned route for the mobile object to a single predetermined point, and wherein the selection of the first route corresponds to both a characteristic, of the characteristics, and a designation, of the designations, of the first route; based on the acquisition of the information on the user's determination to execute the first process, execute the first process of generating the first route of the mobile object so as to include the first road and the second road on which the movement of a vehicle is permitted; execute a second process of generating a second route of the mobile object so as to include the second road and so as not to include the first road; generate a planned route of the mobile object to a single predetermined point, the planned route including the first route generated by the first process and the second route generated by the second process; cause the mobile object to move in the first operation mode when the mobile object moves on the first road in the first route; cause the mobile object to move in the second operation mode when the mobile object moves on the second road in the first route; and cause the mobile object to move in the second operation mode when the mobile object moves in the second route.

2 . The control system according to claim 1 , wherein
the one or more processors execute the instructions to: determine that the predetermined road is the first road when the predetermined road is a sidewalk.

3 . The control system according to claim 1 , wherein
the one or more processors execute the instructions to: determine that the predetermined road is the first road when the predetermined road is a direction-regulated road in which a traffic regulation allows a predetermined type of vehicle to travel in a first direction and restricts the predetermined type of vehicle from traveling in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

4 . The control system according to claim 3 , wherein
the one or more processors execute the instructions to: generate a route in which vehicles travel on the direction-regulated road in the second direction by the first process.

5 . The control system according to claim 1 , wherein
the one or more processors execute the instructions to: execute the first process based on acquisition of the information on the user's determination, which information on the user's determination further corresponds to permitting operation in the first operation mode, based on the selection of the first route as corresponding to a designation of the designations.

6 . The control system according to claim 1 , wherein
the one or more processors execute the instructions to: execute the first process based on acquisition of the information on the user's determination, which information on the user's determination further corresponds to permitting moving using the first operation mode, based on the selection of the first route as corresponding to a designation of the designations.

7 . The control system according to claim 1 , wherein
the one or more processors execute the instructions to: cause an output device to output information of a portion determined to be the first road in a first route generated by the first process so as to be distinguished from information of other portions.

8 . The control system according to claim 1 , wherein
the one or more processors execute the instructions to: cause an output device to output information indicating that a moving speed decreases in a portion determined to be the first road in a first route generated by the first process.

9 . The control system according to claim 1 , wherein
the one or more processors execute the instructions to: prior to causing the mobile object to move in the first operation mode or in the second operation mode, cause an output device to output that the moving speed of the mobile object is going to change upon entering the first road.

10 . A mobile object equipped with the control system according to claim 1 .

11 . The control system according to claim 1 , wherein
the mobile object moving by the first mode is permitted passage at the sidewalk in which the passage of a vehicle is not permitted, the mobile object moving by the second mode is not permitted the passage at the sidewalk and is permitted passage at the second road.

12 . The control system according to claim 1 , wherein the group of routes are selected based on event information from the user corresponding to an event that limits the classifications or the designations of the routes that are provided in the group of routes to the user, and wherein an event comprises one or more of traveling on steps, traveling on a boundary between a sidewalk and a roadway, traveling on a hill road, traveling on a curved road, traveling in a congested area, traveling on a slope, or passing through an area where mobile objects follow signals.

13 . A control method for controlling a mobile object that can move in any one operation mode determined from a plurality of operation modes, wherein the operation modes include a first operation mode and a second operation mode, the first operation mode is a mode in which the mobile object moves at a speed less than a predetermined speed and does not move at a speed equal to or greater than the predetermined speed, the second operation mode is a mode in which the mobile object moves at a speed equal to or greater than the predetermined speed, the method causing a computer to execute:
determining whether a predetermined road is a first road in which passage of vehicles in a mode other than a first operation mode,

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yoshimura Misako
• Baba Ichiro
• Nakanishi Kosuke
• Koike Yosuke
• Aizawa Koki

Classifications

• G05D1/646

  Following a predefined trajectory, e.g. a line marked on the floor or a flight path · CPC title

• G05D2101/10

  using artificial intelligence [AI] techniques · CPC title

• G08G1/052

  with provision for determining speed or overspeed {(speed measuring in general G01P)} · CPC title

• G01C21/3461

  Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types or segments such as motorways, toll roads or ferries · CPC title

• G08G1/056

  with provision for distinguishing direction of travel · CPC title