# US 11,440,561 B2 · Control system and control method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,440,561 B2 - Document ID: US11440561B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/608,646 - Filed: 2018-04-09 - Published: 2020-05-07 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2017-04-27 - Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd. - Applicants: Hitachi, Ltd. - Inventors: Nobuyasu Kanekawa; Shinji Nakagawa - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11440561B2 ## CPC - B60W 50/10: Interpretation of driver requests or demands - G05D 1/0061: {for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa} - B60W 50/0098: {Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for} - B62D 6/00: Arrangements for automatically controlling steering depending on driving conditions sensed and responded to, e.g. control circuits (means for initiating a change in direction B62D1/00; steering valves B62D5/06; combined with means for inclining the vehicle body or wheels on bends B62D9/00) - G05B 9/02: electric - B60W 2050/0091: {of control inputs} - B60W 2540/10: Accelerator pedal position - B60W 2540/18: Steering angle - G05D 1/0055: {with safety arrangements} - 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 - 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) - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) ## Abstract A control system includes a manipulation interface unit that generates manipulation quantity information and priority information, a plurality of automatic control units that generates automatic control outputs based on predetermined inputs, safety verification units that confirm safety of the automatic control outputs, and an output control unit that outputs a control output according to any one of a predetermined automatic control output and the manipulation quantity information. Based on the priority information, the output control unit selects an automatic control output having the highest selection priority from the automatic control outputs of which the safety is confirmed to generate the control output, generates the control output according to the manipulation quantity information when the safety verification units confirm the safety, or generates the control output according to the manipulation quantity information regardless of the safety confirmation results. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A control system that generates a control output, the system comprising: one or more processors and one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media, the non-transitory computer-readable storage media having stored thereon at least a plurality of automatic control units and safety verification units, and; a manipulation interface unit that generates manipulation quantity information and priority information based on a manipulation quantity which is a physical quantity; wherein the plurality of automatic control units generate automatic control outputs based on predetermined inputs; wherein the safety verification units confirm safety for the automatic control outputs, respectively; and an output control unit that outputs a control output according to any one of a predetermined automatic control output selected from the automatic control outputs and the manipulation quantity information based on the automatic control outputs, the manipulation quantity information and the priority information, and the safety confirmation results of the safety verification units, wherein, based on the priority information, the output control unit either: selects, as the predetermined automatic control output, an automatic control output having the highest selection priority from the automatic control outputs of which the safety is confirmed by the safety verification units among the automatic control outputs, and generates the control output according to the selected predetermined automatic control output, or generates the control output according to the manipulation quantity information wherein a predetermined safety verification unit among the safety verification units confirms the safety of the predetermined automatic control output. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The control system according to claim 1, wherein, when the safety is not confirmed for all the automatic control outputs by the safety verification units, the output control unit selects, as the predetermined automatic control output, an automatic control output having the highest selection priority from the automatic control outputs of which the safety is confirmed by the safety verification units in a predetermined range set in advance among the automatic control outputs, and generates the control output by using the selected predetermined automatic control output within the predetermined range. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The control system according to claim 1, wherein, when the safety is not confirmed for all the automatic control outputs by the safety verification units, the output control unit stops the control output. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The control system according to claim 1, wherein the safety verification units confirm the safety in multiple stages of safety, safety in a predetermined range, and unsafe. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The control system according to claim 1, wherein each of the safety verification units confirms the safety of each of the automatic control outputs based on the predetermined input, a past predetermined input, and a past automatic control output. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The control system according to claim 1, wherein, when each of the automatic control outputs includes an automatic control output for each of a plurality of variables, each of the safety verification units confirms safety of an automatic control output of a first variable included in the plurality of variables based on an automatic control output of a second variable which is included in the plurality of variables and is based on the first variable and the predetermined input. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The control system according to claim 1, wherein the automatic control units generate the automatic control outputs by processing the predetermined inputs under different types of predetermined control, machine learning control and feedback control are included in the predetermined control, and a selection priority of the machine learning control is set to be higher than a selection priority of the feedback control. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The control system according to claim 1, wherein the output control unit generates the control output according to the predetermined automatic control output in a first case classified based on the priority information, generates the control output according to the manipulation quantity information when the safety verification units confirm the safety in a second case classified based on the priority information, and generates the control output according to the manipulation quantity information regardless of the safety confirmation results of the safety verification units in a third case classified based on the priority information. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The control system according to claim 8, wherein the first case is a case where the priority information is less than a predetermined first value, the second case is a case where the priority information is equal to or greater than the predetermined first value and is less than a predetermined second value set to be greater than the predetermined first value, and the third case is a case where the priority information is equal to or greater than the predetermined second value. ### Claim 10 A control method of generating a control output, the method comprising: generating manipulation quantity information and priority information from a manipulation quantity which is a physical quantity; generating automatic control outputs; confirming; and outputting a control output according to any one of a predetermined automatic control output selected from the automatic control outputs and the manipulation quantity information based on the automatic control outputs, the manipulation quantity information and the priority information, and safety confirmation results, wherein, based on the priority information either: selecting, as the predetermined automatic control output, an automatic control output having a highest selection priority from the automatic control outputs of which the safety is confirmed among the automatic control outputs, and generating the control output according to the selected predetermined automatic control output and the manipulation quantity information, or generating the control output according to the manipulation quantity information wherein a predetermined safety verification unit among the safety verification units confirms the safety of the predetermined automatic control output.