# US 11,027,746 B2 · Drive mode switching control device, method and program > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,027,746 B2 - Document ID: US11027746B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/488,958 - Filed: 2017-12-12 - Published: 2019-12-12 - Granted: 2021-06-08 - Earliest claimed: 2017-03-09 - Assignees: OMRON Corporation - Applicants: OMRON Corporation - Inventors: Hatsumi Aoi; Tomoyoshi Aizawa; Kazuyoshi Okaji; Hiroshi Sugahara; Michie Uno; Koji Takizawa - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11027746B2 ## CPC - B60W 50/12: Limiting control by the driver depending on vehicle state, e.g. interlocking means for the control input for preventing unsafe operation - B60W 40/12: related to parameters of the vehicle itself {, e.g. tyre models} - B60W 50/082: {Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling} - B60W 50/14: Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention - B60W 60/0053: {from vehicle to occupant} - B60W 60/0059: {Estimation of the risk associated with autonomous or manual driving, e.g. situation too complex, sensor failure or driver incapacity} - B60W 60/007: {Emergency override (Handing over between remote control and on-board control or handing over between remote control arrangements G05D1/227)} - 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) - G06V 20/59: inside of a vehicle, e.g. relating to seat occupancy, driver state or inner lighting conditions - G08G 1/16: Anti-collision systems (road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08) - B60W 2050/0073: {Driver overrides controller} - B60W 2050/143: {Alarm means} - B60W 2050/146: {Display means} - B60W 2420/403: Image sensing, e.g. optical camera - B60W 2510/202: Steering torque - B60W 2520/105: Longitudinal acceleration - B60W 2540/10: Accelerator pedal position - B60W 2540/12: Brake pedal position - B60W 2540/221: Physiology, e.g. weight, heartbeat, health or special needs - B60W 2540/225: Direction of gaze - B60W 2540/229: Attention level, e.g. attentive to driving, reading or sleeping - B60W 2540/26: Incapacity - B60W 2556/00: Input parameters relating to data - 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 - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) ## Abstract A driver state determination unit of a drive mode switching control device regularly or irregularly determines whether a driver's state is a state of being able to perform a driving operation in a manual drive mode. The drive mode switching control device determines whether an operation performed by the driver is an emergency override operation or a non-emergency override operation. The drive mode switching control device outputs a switching signal for switching an automatic drive mode to the manual drive mode when a determination result by the driver state determination unit immediately before detection of the emergency override operation is that a driver's state is a state of being able to perform a driving operation in the manual drive mode. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A drive mode switching control device for switching a drive mode of a vehicle from an automatic drive mode to a manual drive mode, the drive mode switching control device comprising a processor configured with a program to perform operations comprising: operation as an acquisition unit configured to acquire sensing data representing a state of a driver from a monitoring sensor configured to monitor the state of the driver; operation as a driver state determination unit configured to regularly or irregularly determine, based on the acquired sensing data, whether the state of the driver is a state of being able to perform a driving operation in the manual drive mode and produce a determination result thereof, and hold the determination result; operation as an operation determination unit configured to determine whether an operation performed by the driver is an emergency override operation or a non-emergency override operation, based on a detection signal outputted from an in-vehicle sensor configured to detect a driving operation by the driver; operation as a first switching signal output unit configured to output a switching signal for switching the automatic drive mode to the manual drive mode in response to the determination result by operation as the driver state determination unit, before detection of the emergency override operation, being that the state of the driver is the state of being able to perform the driving operation in the manual drive mode, in a case where the determination result by operation as the operation determination unit is the emergency override operation; and operation as a second switching signal output unit configured to output the switching signal in response to the determination result by operation as the driver state determination unit, after detection of the non-emergency override operation, being that the state of the driver is the state of being able to perform the driving operation in the manual drive mode, in a case where the determination result by operation as the operation determination unit is the non-emergency override operation, wherein the processor is configured with the program to perform operations such that operation as the operation determination unit comprises: operation as a first detector configured to detect an override operation by the driver based on the detection signal; operation as a second detector configured to detect a value based on an operation amount of the driving operation based on the detection signal; and operation as a threshold determination unit configured to determine whether the override operation detected by operation as the first detector is an emergency operation, in accordance with whether the value based on the operation amount detected by operation as the second detector is equal to or more than a threshold value, and the value based on the operation amount comprises an operation acceleration value obtained by differentiating an operation amount of the driving operation twice. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The drive mode switching control device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured with the program to perform operations such that, in response to the value based on the operation amount being equal to or more than the threshold value, and a duration in which the value based on the operation amount is equal to or more than the threshold value being equal to or more than a reference time, operation as the threshold determination unit comprises determining that the override operation detected by operation as the first detector is an emergency operation. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The drive mode switching control device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured with the program to perform operations such that operation as the threshold determination unit comprises determining that the override operation detected by operation as the first detector is not an emergency operation, in response to the value based on the operation amount being equal to or more than the threshold value, and a duration in which the value based on the operation amount is equal to or more than the threshold value being less than a reference time. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The drive mode switching control device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured with the program to perform operations such that operation as the threshold determination comprises determining that the override operation detected by operation as the first detector is not an emergency operation in response to the value based on the operation amount being less than the threshold value. ### Claim 5 A drive mode switching control method executed by a device for switching of a drive mode of a vehicle from an automatic drive mode to a manual drive mode, the drive mode switching control method comprising: acquiring, by the device, sensing data representing a state of a driver from a monitoring sensor configured to monitor the state of the driver; determining, by the device, based on the acquired sensing data, regularly or irregularly whether the state of the driver is a state of being able to perform a driving operation in the manual drive mode, and produce a determination result thereof, and hold the determination result; determining, by the device, whether an operation performed by the driver is an emergency override operation or a non-emergency override operation, based on a detection signal outputted from an in-vehicle sensor configured to detect a driving operation by the driver; outputting, by the device, a switching signal for switching the automatic drive mode to the manual drive mode in response to the determination result, before detection of the emergency override operation, being that the state of the driver is the state of being able to perform the driving operation in the manual drive mode, in a case where the determination result is the emergency override operation; and outputting, by the device, the switching signal in response to the determination result after detection of the non-emergency override operation that the state of the driver is the state of being able to perform the driving operation in the manual drive mode, in a case where the determination result is the non-emergency override operation, wherein the determining whether the operation performed by the driver is the emergency override operation or the non-emergency override operation comprises: detecting an override operation by the driver based on the detection signal; detecting a value based on an operation amount of the driving operation based on the detection signal; and determining whether the detected override operation is an emergency operation, in accordance with whether the detected value based on the operation amount is equal to or more than a threshold value, and the value based on the operation amount comprises an operation acceleration value obtained by differentiating an operation amount of the driving operation twice. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program, which when read and executed, causes a computer to perform operations comprising operation as the acquisition unit, operation as the driver state determination unit, operation as the operation determination unit, operation as the first switching signal output unit, and operation as the second switching signal output unit in the drive mode switching control device according to claim 1. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The drive mode switching control device according to claim 2, wherein the processor is configured with the program to perform operations such that operation as the threshold determination unit comprises determining that the override operation detected by operation as the first detector is not an emergency operation, in response to the value based on the operation amount being equal to or more than the threshold value, and the duration in which the value based on the operation amount is equal to or more than the threshold value being less than a reference time. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The drive mode switching control device according to claim 2, wherein the processor is configured with the program to perform operations such that operation as the threshold determination unit comprises determining that the override operation detected by operation as the first detector is not an emergency operation in response to the value based on the operation amount being less than the threshold value. ### Claim 9 (depends on 3) The drive mode switching control device according to claim 3, wherein the processor is configured with the program to perform operations such that operation as the threshold determination unit comprises determining that the override operation detected by operation as the first detector is not an emergency operation in response to the value based on the operation amount being less than the threshold value. ### Claim 10 (depends on 2) A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program, which when read and executed, causes a computer to perform operations comprising operation as the acquisition unit, operation as the driver state determination unit, operation as the operation determination unit, operation as the first switching signal output unit, and operation as the second switching signal output unit in the drive mode switching control device according to claim 2. ### Claim 11 (depends on 3) A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program, which when read and executed, causes a computer to perform operations comprising operation as the acquisition unit, operation as the driver state determination unit, operation as the operation determination unit, operation as the first switching signal output unit, and operation as the second switching signal output unit in the drive mode switching control device according to claim 3. ### Claim 12 (depends on 4) A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program, which when read and executed, causes a computer to perform operations comprising operation as the acquisition unit, operation as the driver state determination unit, operation as the operation determination unit, operation as the first switching signal output unit, and operation as the second switching signal output unit in the drive mode switching control device according to claim 4. ### Claim 13 (depends on 7) A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program, which when read and executed, causes a computer to perform operations comprising operation as the acquisition unit, operation as the driver state determination unit, operation as the operation determination unit, operation as the first switching signal output unit, and operation as the second switching signal output unit in the drive mode switching control device according to claim 7. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program, which when read and executed, causes a computer to perform operations comprising operation as the acquisition unit, operation as the driver state determination unit, operation as the operation determination unit, operation as the first switching signal output unit, and operation as the second switching signal output unit in the drive mode switching control device according to claim 8. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program, which when read and executed, causes a computer to perform operations comprising operation as the acquisition unit, operation as the driver state determination unit, operation as the operation determination unit, operation as the first switching signal output unit, and operation as the second switching signal output unit in the drive mode switching control device according to claim 9.