# US 11,027,748 B2 · Automatic driving control device

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- Number: US 11,027,748 B2
- Document ID: US11027748B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/088,973
- Filed: 2016-03-29
- Published: 2019-03-28
- Granted: 2021-06-08
- Earliest claimed: 2016-03-29
- Assignees: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Shotaro Odate; Yoshinobu Mukai; Naotaka Kumakiri; Naohiro Sakamoto
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11027748B2

## CPC

- B60W 50/14: Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
- B60W 10/04: including control of propulsion units
- B60W 10/20: including control of steering systems
- B60W 30/00: Purposes of road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub-unit, e.g. of systems using conjoint control of vehicle sub-units
- B60W 40/08: related to drivers or passengers
- B60W 50/08: Interaction between the driver and the control system
- B60W 50/082: {Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling}
- B60W 60/0053: {from vehicle to occupant}
- B62D 1/286: {Systems for interrupting non-mechanical steering due to driver intervention}
- B62D 6/007: {adjustable by the driver, e.g. sport mode}
- B62D 15/025: {Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation (B62D1/28 takes precedence)}
- B60W 2040/0818: {Inactivity or incapacity of driver}
- B60W 2040/0872: {Driver physiology}
- B60W 2050/143: {Alarm means}
- B60W 2540/00: Input parameters relating to occupants
- B60W 2540/22: Psychological state; Stress level or workload
- B60W 2540/223: Posture, e.g. hand, foot, or seat position, turned or inclined
- B60W 2540/229: Attention level, e.g. attentive to driving, reading or sleeping
- B60W 2540/26: Incapacity
- B60W 2710/20: Steering systems
- B60W 2720/106: Longitudinal acceleration
- G08G 1/167: {Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection}
- 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)
- 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

An automatic driving control device changes the degree of automation during an automatic control or the degree of change to the vehicle behavior during the automatic control, on the basis of the peripheral monitoring state of a driver, and on the basis of how easy it is to perform a switching operation for prioritizing manual control over automatic control. Thus, the automatic driving control device makes it possible to ensure the convenience of automatic control, by dynamically changing the degree of automation or the degree of change to the vehicle behavior, without uniformly stopping automatic control of steering and acceleration.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An automated driving control device, comprising:
a non-transitory memory; and
a processor configured to operate as:
a recognition unit adapted to recognize a peripheral monitoring state of a driver;
an automated controller adapted to perform an automated control of at least one of steering, acceleration and deceleration of a vehicle, and terminate the automated control of the at least one of steering, acceleration and deceleration, in the case that a switching operation is carried out to prioritize manual control of the at least one of steering, acceleration and deceleration during the automated control; and
a determination unit adapted to determine a state of ease of the switching operation;
on the basis of the peripheral monitoring state recognized by the recognition unit and the state of ease of the switching operation determined by the determination unit, the automated controller:
alters a degree of all of automated controls which are permitted to be executed in relation to all of automated controls that are capable of being executed, or
alters a permitted amount of change of vehicle behavior over time when at least one of steering, acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle is performed in the automated control,
wherein the recognition unit recognizes, as the peripheral monitoring state, whether or not the driver is inattentive,
wherein the determination unit determines, as the state of ease of the switching operation, whether or not the driver is contacting the steering wheel of the vehicle, and
wherein the automated controller lowers an upper limit of a lateral acceleration generated while the vehicle is traveling on a ramp or the vehicle is making a lane change, in the case that the inattentive state of the driver is not recognized by the recognition unit and the determination unit determines that the driver is not contacting the steering wheel, compared to a case in which the inattentive state of the driver is not recognized by the recognition unit, and it is determined by the determination unit that the driver is contacting the steering wheel.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The automated driving control device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines, as the state of ease of the switching operation, whether or not the driver can immediately perform the manual control.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The automated driving control device according to claim 1, wherein the automated controller prohibits a lane change by the automated control in the case that the inattentive state of the driver is recognized by the recognition unit, and it is determined by the determination unit that the driver is contacting the steering wheel.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The automated driving control device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a warning device;
wherein the automated controller operates the warning device and carries out deceleration by the automated control, in the case that the inattentive state of the driver is recognized by the recognition unit, and it is determined by the determination unit that the driver is not contacting the steering wheel.