# US 10,501,078 B2 · Vehicle control apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,501,078 B2 - Document ID: US10501078B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/175,743 - Filed: 2018-10-30 - Published: 2019-05-09 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2017-11-06 - Assignees: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Takayuki Kishi; Yoshiaki Konishi; Toshiyuki Mizuno; Akira Kito - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10501078B2 ## CPC - B60W 30/1882: {characterised by the working point of the engine, e.g. by using engine output chart} - B60W 60/0023: {in response to energy consumption} - B60W 10/06: including control of combustion engines - B60W 10/10: including control of change-speed gearings - B60W 10/20: including control of steering systems - B60W 40/1005: {Driving resistance} - B60W 60/001: {Planning or execution of driving tasks} - B60W 2050/0005: {Processor details or data handling, e.g. memory registers or chip architecture} - B60W 2520/10: Longitudinal speed - B60W 2554/80: Spatial relation or speed relative to objects - B60W 2554/801: Lateral distance - B60W 2556/00: Input parameters relating to data - B60W 2710/0644: Engine speed - B60W 2710/0666: Engine torque - B60W 2710/1005: Transmission ratio engaged - B60W 2720/106: Longitudinal acceleration - B62D 1/28: non-mechanical {, e.g. following a line or other known markers} - G05D 1/00: Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots (drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00) - Y02T 10/40: Engine management systems - Y02T 10/84: Data processing systems or methods, management, administration - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT - B62D: MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS (steering, or guiding on a desired track, of agricultural machines or implements A01B69/00; wheels, castors, axles, increasing wheel adhesion B60B; vehicle tyres, tyre inflation or tyre changing B60C; connections between vehicles of a train or the like B60D; vehicles for use on rail and road, amphibious or convertible vehicles B60F; suspension arrangements B60G; heating, cooling, ventilating or other air treating devices B60H; windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors or similar devices, protective coverings for vehicles not in use B60J; propulsion plant arrangements, auxiliary drives, transmissions, controls, instrumentation or dashboards B60K; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L; power supply for electrically-propelled vehicles B60M; passenger accommodation not otherwise provided for B60N; adaptations for load transportation or to carry special loads or objects B60P; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; vehicles, vehicle fittings or vehicle parts not otherwise provided for B60R; servicing, cleaning, repairing, supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring, not otherwise provided for, B60S; brake arrangements, brake control systems or parts thereof B60T; air-cushion vehicles B60V; motor-cycles, accessories therefor B62J, B62K; testing of vehicles G01M) - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A vehicle control apparatus including a surrounding circumstances detector detecting surrounding circumstances of a self-driving vehicle and an electric control unit including a microprocessor configured to perform generating an action plan of the self-driving vehicle based on the surrounding circumstances and controlling the engine and the transmission so that the self-driving vehicle travels by self-driving in accordance with the action plan. The generating includes generating a first action plan and a second action plan, the first action plan including target position data of the self-driving vehicle, the second action plan including an acceleration instruction to a target vehicle speed not including the target position data, and the controlling includes controlling the engine and the transmission, so that the self-driving vehicle accelerates to the target vehicle speed at a target torque minimizing a fuel consumption quantity per unit travel distance when the second action plan is generated. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle control apparatus for controlling a self-driving vehicle with a self-driving capability including an engine, drive wheels, and a transmission installed in a power transmission path from the engine to the drive wheels, comprising: a surrounding circumstances detector configured to detect surrounding circumstances of the self-driving vehicle; and an electric control unit including a microprocessor and a memory, wherein the microprocessor is configured to perform: generating an action plan of the self-driving vehicle based on the surrounding circumstances detected by the surrounding circumstances detector; and controlling the engine and the transmission so that the self-driving vehicle travels by self-driving in accordance with the action plan generated, wherein the generating includes generating a first action plan and a second action plan, the first action plan including target position data of the self-driving vehicle set every a unit time within a predetermined time period of a present time, the second action plan including an acceleration instruction from a vehicle speed of the self-driving vehicle at a present time to a target vehicle speed not including the target position data set every the unit time, and the controlling includes controlling the engine and the transmission, so that the self-driving vehicle travels in accordance with the target position data set every the unit time when the first action plan is generated, while so that the self-driving vehicle accelerates to the target vehicle speed at a target torque when the second action plan is generated, the target torque being set between a first characteristic curve representing a maximum torque relative to an engine speed and a second characteristic curve representing a torque corresponding to a minimum brake-specific fuel consumption relative to the engine speed and being set so as to minimize a fuel consumption quantity per a unit travel distance. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein under an assumption that a travel distance when the self-driving vehicle travels to the target vehicle speed at a torque on the second characteristic curve is defined as a reference distance, the target torque is larger than the torque on the second characteristic curve and is set so as to minimize a fuel consumed while the self-driving vehicle accelerates to the target vehicle speed and thereafter cruises up to the reference distance. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the microprocessor is configured to perform the controlling including controlling the transmission, if the first action plan is generated, so as to downshift when a first operating point in accordance with the vehicle speed and a required driving force at the present time crosses a predetermined downshift curve, while so as to upshift when a second operating point obtained by adding a predetermined excess driving force to the first operating point crosses a predetermined upshift curve, and if the second action plan is generated, so as to upshift when the vehicle speed at the present time excess a vehicle speed predetermined within a range greater than or equal to a minimum vehicle speed of the downshift curve and less than or equal to a minimum vehicle speed of the upshift curve. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the microprocessor is configured to perform the controlling including calculating a running resistance of the self-driving vehicle, determining whether a travel acceleration estimated after upshifting is greater than or equal to a predetermined acceleration based on the running resistance calculated, and prohibiting upshifting when it is determined that the travel acceleration estimated after upshifting is less than the predetermined acceleration. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the microprocessor is configured to perform the generating including generating the second action plan when a forward vehicle targeted for following ahead of the self-driving vehicle is not detected by the surrounding circumstances detector. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the microprocessor is configured to perform the controlling including setting a target acceleration based on the first action plan and controlling the engine and the transmission in accordance with the target acceleration when the first action plan is generated, while not to setting the target acceleration and controlling the engine and the transmission when the second action plan is generated. ### Claim 7 A vehicle control apparatus for controlling a self-driving vehicle with a self-driving capability including an engine, drive wheels, and a transmission installed in a power transmission path from the engine to the drive wheels, comprising: a surrounding circumstances detector configured to detect surrounding circumstances of the self-driving vehicle; an action plan generation unit configured to generate an action plan of the self-driving vehicle based on the surrounding circumstances detected by the surrounding circumstances detector; and a driving control unit configured to control the engine and the transmission so that the self-driving vehicle travels by self-driving in accordance with the action plan generated by the action plan generation unit, wherein the action plan generation unit is configured to generate a first action plan and a second action plan, the first action plan including target position data of the self-driving vehicle set every a unit time within a predetermined time period of a present time, the second action plan including an acceleration instruction from a vehicle speed of the self-driving vehicle at a present time to a target vehicle speed not including the target position data set every the unit time, and the driving control unit is configured to control the engine and the transmission, so that the self-driving vehicle travels in accordance with the target position data set every the unit time when the first action plan is generated by the action plan generation unit, while so that the self-driving vehicle accelerates to the target vehicle speed at a target torque when the second action plan is generated by the action plan generation unit, the target torque being set between a first characteristic curve representing a maximum torque relative to an engine speed and a second characteristic curve representing a torque corresponding to a minimum brake-specific fuel consumption relative to the engine speed and being set so as to minimize a fuel consumption quantity per a unit travel distance. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein under an assumption that a travel distance when the self-driving vehicle travels to the target vehicle speed at a torque on the second characteristic curve is defined as a reference distance, the target torque is larger than the torque on the second characteristic curve and is set so as to minimize a fuel consumed while the self-driving vehicle accelerates to the target vehicle speed and thereafter cruises up to the reference distance. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the driving control unit is configured to control the transmission, if the first action plan is generated by the action plan generation unit, so as to downshift when a first operating point in accordance with the vehicle speed and a required driving force at the present time crosses a predetermined downshift curve, while so as to upshift when a second operating point obtained by adding a predetermined excess driving force to the first operating point crosses a predetermined upshift curve, and if the second action plan is generated by the action plan generation unit, so as to upshift when the vehicle speed at the present time excess a vehicle speed predetermined within a range greater than or equal to a minimum vehicle speed of the downshift curve and less than or equal to a minimum vehicle speed of the upshift curve. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the driving control unit is configured to calculate a running resistance of the self-driving vehicle, determine whether a travel acceleration estimated after upshifting is greater than or equal to a predetermined acceleration based on the running resistance calculated, and prohibit upshifting when it is determined that the travel acceleration estimated after upshifting is less than the predetermined acceleration. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the action plan generation unit is configured to generate the second action plan when a forward vehicle targeted for following ahead of the self-driving vehicle is not detected by the surrounding circumstances detector. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the driving control unit is configured to set a target acceleration based on the first action plan and control the engine and the transmission in accordance with the target acceleration when the first action plan is generated by the action plan generation unit, while not to set the target acceleration and control the engine and the transmission when the second action plan is generated by the action plan generation unit. ### Claim 13 A vehicle control method for controlling a self-driving vehicle with a self-driving capability including an engine, drive wheels, and a transmission installed in a power transmission path from the engine to the drive wheels, comprising: detecting surrounding circumstances of the self-driving vehicle; generating an action plan of the self-driving vehicle based on the surrounding circumstances detected; and controlling the engine and the transmission so that the self-driving vehicle travels by self-driving in accordance with the action plan generated, wherein the generating includes generating a first action plan and a second action plan, the first action plan including target position data of the self-driving vehicle set every a unit time within a predetermined time period of a present time, the second action plan including an acceleration instruction from a vehicle speed of the self-driving vehicle at a present time to a target vehicle speed not including the target position data set every the unit time, and the controlling includes controlling the engine and the transmission, so that the self-driving vehicle travels in accordance with the target position data set every the unit time when the first action plan is generated, while so that the self-driving vehicle accelerates to the target vehicle speed at a target torque when the second action plan is generated, the target torque being set between a first characteristic curve representing a maximum torque relative to an engine speed and a second characteristic curve representing a torque corresponding to a minimum brake-specific fuel consumption relative to the engine speed and being set so as to minimize a fuel consumption quantity per a unit travel distance. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, wherein under an assumption that a travel distance when the self-driving vehicle travels to the target vehicle speed at a torque on the second characteristic curve is defined as a reference distance, the target torque is larger than the torque on the second characteristic curve and is set so as to minimize a fuel consumed while the self-driving vehicle accelerates to the target vehicle speed and thereafter cruises up to the reference distance. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method according to claim 14, wherein the controlling includes controlling the transmission, if the first action plan is generated, so as to downshift when a first operating point in accordance with the vehicle speed and a required driving force at the present time crosses a predetermined downshift curve, while so as to upshift when a second operating point obtained by adding a predetermined excess driving force to the first operating point crosses a predetermined upshift curve, and if the second action plan is generated, so as to upshift when the vehicle speed at the present time excess a vehicle speed predetermined within a range greater than or equal to a minimum vehicle speed of the downshift curve and less than or equal to a minimum vehicle speed of the upshift curve. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method according to claim 15, wherein the controlling includes calculating a running resistance of the self-driving vehicle, determining whether a travel acceleration estimated after upshifting is greater than or equal to a predetermined acceleration based on the running resistance calculated, and prohibiting upshifting when it is determined that the travel acceleration estimated after upshifting is less than the predetermined acceleration. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, wherein the generating includes generating the second action plan when a forward vehicle targeted for following ahead of the self-driving vehicle is not detected. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, wherein the controlling includes setting a target acceleration based on the first action plan and controlling the engine and the transmission in accordance with the target acceleration when the first action plan is generated, while not to setting the target acceleration and controlling the engine and the transmission when the second action plan is generated.