Vehicle control device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016259334-A1
Application number	US-201615049896-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 22, 2016
Priority date	Mar 2, 2015
Publication date	Sep 8, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A vehicle control device is capable of switching a driving state of a host vehicle between manual driving and autonomous driving, and determines whether or not another vehicle exists in a driver's blind area set in advance diagonally behind the host vehicle in a case where the driving state of the host vehicle is autonomous driving and when the host vehicle reaches a check timing set in advance. In addition, the vehicle control device executes the control in a case where it is determined that the other vehicle exists in the driver's blind area and when the other vehicle exists, which can be removed from the driver's blind area by the control of at least one of a vehicle speed of the host vehicle and a lateral position of the host vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A vehicle control device configured to be capable of switching a driving state of a host vehicle between autonomous driving and manual driving, the device comprising:
an another vehicle recognition unit configured to recognize a position of another vehicle around the host vehicle; a travelling state recognition unit configured to recognize a travelling state of the host vehicle; a check timing determination unit configured to determine whether or not the host vehicle reaches a check timing set in advance, in a case where the driving state of the host vehicle is autonomous driving; an another vehicle existence determination unit configured to determine whether or not the other vehicle exists in a driver's blind area set in advance diagonally behind the host vehicle based on the result of the recognition by the another vehicle recognition unit, in a case where the check timing determination unit determines that the host vehicle reaches the check timing; a possibility determination unit configured to determine whether or not the other vehicle exists, which can be removed from the driver's blind area by control of at least one of a vehicle speed of the host vehicle and a lateral position of the host vehicle based on the result of recognition by the another vehicle recognition unit and the travelling state recognition unit, in a case where the another vehicle existence determination unit determines that the other vehicle exists in the driver's blind area; and a control unit configured to execute the control of the host vehicle based on the result of recognition by the another vehicle recognition unit and the travelling state recognition unit, in a case where the possibility determination unit determines that the other vehicle exists, which can be removed from the driver's blind area by the control.

2 . The vehicle control device according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in a case where the another vehicle existence determination unit determines that the other vehicle exists in the driver's blind area, the possibility determination unit is configured to determine whether or not the other vehicle exists, which cannot be removed from the driver's blind area by the control based on the result of recognition by the another vehicle recognition unit and the travelling state recognition unit, and wherein, in a case where the possibility determination unit determines that the other vehicle exists, which cannot be removed from the driver's blind area by the control, the control unit is configured to control the lateral position of the host vehicle so as to be separated from the other vehicle which cannot be removed from the driver's blind area based on the result of recognition by the another vehicle recognition unit and the travelling state recognition unit.

3 . The vehicle control device according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in a case where the another vehicle existence determination unit determines that the other vehicle exists in the driver's blind area, the possibility determination unit is configured to determine whether or not the other vehicle exists, which cannot be removed from the driver's blind area by the control based on the result of recognition by the another vehicle recognition unit and the travelling state recognition unit, and wherein, in a case where the possibility determination unit determines that the other vehicle exists, which cannot be removed from the driver's blind area by the control, the control unit is configured to output a warning regarding the other vehicle which cannot be removed from the driver's blind area to the driver of the host vehicle.

4 . The vehicle control device according to claim 2 ,
wherein, in a case where the another vehicle existence determination unit determines that the other vehicle exists in the driver's blind area, the possibility determination unit is configured to determine whether or not the other vehicle exists, which cannot be removed from the driver's blind area by the control based on the result of recognition by the another vehicle recognition unit and the travelling state recognition unit, and wherein, in a case where the possibility determination unit determines that the other vehicle exists, which cannot be removed from the driver's blind area by the control, the control unit is configured to output a warning regarding the other vehicle which cannot be removed from the driver's blind area to the driver of the host vehicle.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hashimoto Ryuta
• Torii Haruto
• Taira Tetsuya

Classifications

• B60W30/12

  Lane keeping · CPC title

• B60W40/04

  Traffic conditions · CPC title

• B60W50/14

  Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention · CPC title

• B60W50/082

  Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling · CPC title

• G05D1/0088

  characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours (using knowledge based models G06N5/00) · CPC title