Vehicle control device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017282933-A1
Application number	US-201715424143-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 3, 2017
Priority date	Mar 30, 2016
Publication date	Oct 5, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A vehicle control device that includes: an airbag device including an airbag, the airbag being configured as an integral bag body for surrounding a head of an occupant with a front deployment section including a front inflation section that is inflated and deployed in front of a seat corresponding to the head and at least one of shoulders or a chest of the occupant, and a left and right pair of lateral deployment sections including lateral inflation sections that are connected to the front deployment section and are inflated and deployed at sides of the head of the occupant; and a controller that, after the airbag device has been actuated, executes a drive-to-refuge mode in which driving of a power unit of a vehicle and steering of a steering system are controlled to drive the vehicle to take refuge at a road shoulder.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A vehicle control device comprising:
an airbag device including an airbag that is inflated and deployed from a state of being stowed in a headrest or a seatback of a vehicle seat on receiving gas supplied by an inflator, the airbag being configured as an integral bag body for surrounding a head of an occupant with a front deployment section including a front inflation section that is inflated and deployed in front of a seat corresponding to the head and at least one of shoulders or a chest of the occupant, and a left and right pair of lateral deployment sections including lateral inflation sections that are connected to the front deployment section and are inflated and deployed at sides of the head of the occupant; and a controller that, after the airbag device has been actuated, executes a drive-to-refuge mode in which driving of a power unit of a vehicle and steering of a steering system are controlled to drive the vehicle to take refuge at a road shoulder.

2 . The vehicle control device of claim 1 , further comprising:
an onboard camera that images surroundings of the vehicle; and a storage section that stores images captured by the onboard camera, wherein the controller executes the drive-to-refuge mode based on an image captured by the onboard camera in a case in which the onboard camera is capable of operating, and the controller executes the drive-to-refuge mode based on image data, from directly prior to a collision, that is stored in the storage section in a case in which the onboard camera has been damaged during the collision of the vehicle.

3 . The vehicle control device of claim 1 , further comprising
a notification device that notifies the occupant by audio that the drive-to-refuge mode has been executed in a case in which the drive-to-refuge mode has been executed by the controller.

4 . A vehicle control method comprising:
after actuating an airbag device including an airbag that is inflated and deployed from a state of being stowed in a headrest or a seatback of a vehicle seat on receiving gas supplied by an inflator, the airbag being configured as an integral bag body for surrounding a head of an occupant with a front deployment section including a front inflation section that is inflated and deployed in front of a seat corresponding to the head and at least one of shoulders or a chest of the occupant, and a left and right pair of lateral deployment sections including lateral inflation sections that are connected to the front deployment section and are inflated and deployed at sides of the head of the occupant, executing a drive-to-refuge mode in which driving of a power unit of a vehicle and steering of a steering system are controlled and the vehicle is driven to take refuge at a road shoulder.

5 . The vehicle control method of claim 4 , wherein executing the drive-to-refuge mode includes:
storing images captured by an onboard camera that images surroundings of the vehicle in a storage section; executing the drive-to-refuge mode based on an image captured by the onboard camera in a case in which the onboard camera is capable of operating; and executing the drive-to-refuge mode based on image data, from directly prior to a collision, that is stored in the storage section in a case in which the onboard camera has been damaged during the collision of the vehicle.

6 . The vehicle control method of claim 4 , wherein
in a case in which the drive-to-refuge mode has been executed, the occupant is notified by audio that the drive-to-refuge mode has been executed.

7 . A non-transitory recording medium storing a program that causes a computer to execute a vehicle control process, the process comprising:
after actuating an airbag device including an airbag that is inflated and deployed from a state of being stowed in a headrest or a seatback of a vehicle seat on receiving gas supplied by an inflator, the airbag being configured as an integral bag body for surrounding a head of an occupant with a front deployment section including a front inflation section that is inflated and deployed in front of a seat corresponding to the head and at least one of shoulders or a chest of the occupant, and a left and right pair of lateral deployment sections including lateral inflation sections that are connected to the front deployment section and are inflated and deployed at sides of the head of the occupant, executing a drive-to-refuge mode in which driving of a power unit of a vehicle and steering of a steering system are controlled and the vehicle is driven to take refuge at a road shoulder.

8 . The non-transitory recording medium of claim 7 , wherein execution of the drive-to-refuge mode includes:
storing images captured by an onboard camera that images surroundings of the vehicle in a storage section; executing the drive-to-refuge mode based on an image captured by the onboard camera in a case in which the onboard camera is capable of operating; and executing the drive-to-refuge mode based on image data, from directly prior to a collision, that is stored in the storage section in cases in which the onboard camera has been damaged during the collision of the vehicle.

9 . The non-transitory recording medium of claim 7 , wherein:
in a case in which the drive-to-refuge mode has been executed, the occupant is notified by audio that the drive-to-refuge mode has been executed.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ohmi Masanobu
• Yamamoto Seiji
• Sakakibara Kosuke
• Sugie Kazuki
• Kinoshita Misato
• Matsumura Yoshiaki

Classifications

• B60W2050/143

  Alarm means · CPC title

• B60R21/207

  in vehicle seats · CPC title

• B60W30/08

  Active safety systems} predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision {or attempting to minimise its consequences · CPC title

• B60W10/20

  including control of steering systems · CPC title

• B60W50/14

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