US 11,643,057 B2Granted

Vehicle traveling control apparatus

AssigneeToyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorHirotada Otake

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Abstract

Driving support ECU transmits a communication connection request to a help net center HNC when a driver of a vehicle has been determined to be in an abnormal state where the driver loses an ability to drive the vehicle, and when the communication connection to the help net center HNC has been established, the driving support ECU transmits the help signal (the positional information of the vehicle) and decelerates the vehicle at a constant deceleration to make the vehicle stop. On the other hand, when the communication connection to the help net center HNC has not been established, the driving support ECU makes the vehicle travel at a constant speed. Accordingly, it is possible to make the vehicle stop under a situation where the help net center HNC recognizes the vehicle position inside which the driver who has been determined to be in the abnormal state is.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A vehicle traveling control apparatus applied to a vehicle, comprising:

an electronic control unit configured to:
continuously determine whether or not a driver of the vehicle is in an abnormal state where the driver loses an ability to drive the vehicle;
transmit a help signal to a help net center based on a determination result that the driver is in the abnormal state, the help signal representing that the driver is in the abnormal state;
stop the vehicle by decreasing a vehicle speed of the vehicle under a condition that, after transmitting the help signal, a stop permission signal has been received from the help net center
start decelerating the vehicle from a temporary abnormality determination point in time which is a timing at which the driver has been first determined to be in a temporary abnormal state;
determine that the driver is in the abnormal state when both a condition that the vehicle speed decreases to a predetermined vehicle speed and a condition that the temporary abnormal state has extended for a predetermined time are satisfied;
and
maintain a current vehicle speed until at least the predetermined time elapses after the temporary abnormality determination point in time when the predetermined time has not elapsed at a timing when the vehicle speed has decreased to the predetermined vehicle speed.

5 more elements

A vehicle traveling control method applied to a vehicle, comprising:

continuously determining whether or not a driver of the vehicle is in an abnormal state where the driver loses an ability to drive the vehicle;
transmitting a help signal to a help net center based on a determination result that the driver is in the abnormal state, the help signal representing that the driver is in the abnormal state;
stopping the vehicle by decreasing a vehicle speed of the vehicle under a condition that, after transmitting the help signal, a stop permission signal has been received from the help net center;
starting decelerating the vehicle from a temporary abnormality determination point in time which is a timing at which the driver has been first determined to be in a temporary abnormal state;
determining that the driver is in the abnormal state when both a condition that the vehicle speed decreases to a predetermined vehicle speed and a condition that the temporary abnormal state has extended for a predetermined time are satisfied;
and
maintaining a current vehicle speed until at least the predetermined time elapses after the temporary abnormality determination point in time when the predetermined time has not elapsed at a timing when the vehicle speed has decreased to the predetermined vehicle speed.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/068,437Filed 12 Oct 2020 · continuation
Priority: JP 2016-12518324 Jun 2016
Published: US 2021/0024045 A128 Jan 2021
Granted: 9 May 2023
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification17 codes

B60T 7/14
For automatic initiation; for initiation not subject to will of driver or passenger: operated upon collapse of driver
B60K 28/06
Responsive to conditions relating to the driver: responsive to incapacity of driver
B60T 17/22
Safety devices; Monitoring: devices for monitoring or checking brake systems; Signal devices
B60T 2201/08
Particular use of vehicle brake systems; Special systems using also the brakes; Special software modules within the brake system controller: lane…

Family

Application15/629,778Parent of this continuation · filed 22 Jun 2017
US 2021/0024045 A1Pre-grant publication · published 28 Jan 2021
US 10,836,365 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2017/0369044 A1Published application
US 11,643,057 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.