# US 11,900,812 B2 · Vehicle control device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,900,812 B2 - Document ID: US11900812B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/562,759 - Filed: 2021-12-27 - Published: 2022-04-21 - Granted: 2024-02-13 - Earliest claimed: 2017-11-09 - Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Junichi Morimura; Junya Watanabe; Seiji Arakawa - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11900812B2 ## CPC - G08G 1/005: including pedestrian guidance indicator - G08G 1/166: {for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes} - G08G 1/0125: {Traffic data processing} - G08G 1/0137: {for specific applications} - G08G 1/09623: {Systems involving the acquisition of information from passive traffic signs by means mounted on the vehicle (G08G1/0967 takes precedence)} - G08G 1/096716: {where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control} - G08G 1/096: provided with indicators in which a mark progresses showing the time elapsed, e.g. of green phase - G08G 1/096783: {where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element} - 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 vehicle control device includes an external situation recognition unit configured to recognize a crossing person who crosses over a path of a vehicle and acquire information on the crossing person and information on an environment where the crossing person crosses, a scheduled departure time deciding unit configured to decide a scheduled departure time of the vehicle based on the information on the crossing person and the environment where the crossing person crosses when the crossing person is recognized by the external situation recognition unit, and an informing controller configured to perform a control to inform an outside of the vehicle of the scheduled departure time. The scheduled departure time deciding unit predicts a crossing completion time at which the crossing person recognized by the external situation recognition unit completes the crossing and decides the scheduled departure time based on the crossing completion time. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle control device comprising: a processor configured to: generate a traveling plan of a vehicle; recognize a crossing person who crosses over a path of a vehicle that is obtained from the traveling plan; acquire, from an external sensor, information of the crossing person including a speed of the crossing person; predict a crossing completion time at which the crossing person completes the crossing based on the speed of the crossing person; decide a scheduled departure time of the vehicle based on the crossing completion time; and perform a control to inform an outside of the vehicle, in a manner recognized by the crossing person, of the scheduled departure time, wherein the scheduled departure time is a dynamically changing countdown showing a remaining time from a current time to a time the vehicle departs, wherein, when the crossing person is not recognized, not perform the control to inform the outside of the vehicle of the scheduled departure time. ### Claim 2 A non-transitory storage medium storing instructions that are executable by one or more processors of an electronic control unit (ECU) mounted in a vehicle and cause the one or more processors to perform functions, the functions comprising: generating a traveling plan of the vehicle; recognizing a crossing person who crosses over a path of a vehicle that is obtained from the traveling plan; acquiring, from an external sensor, information of the crossing person including a speed of the crossing person; predicting a crossing completion time at which the crossing person completes the crossing based on the speed of the crossing person; deciding a scheduled departure time of the vehicle based on the crossing completion time; and performing a control of informing an outside of the vehicle, in a manner recognized by the crossing person, of the scheduled departure time, wherein the scheduled departure time is a dynamically changing countdown showing a remaining time from a current time to a time the vehicle departs, wherein, when no crossing person is recognized, the informing to the outside of the vehicle of the scheduled departure time is not performed. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: recognize a traffic signal on a road around the path of the vehicle; and acquire a signal switching time until a signal of the traffic signal switches, wherein when a traffic signal is recognized, a signal switching time is acquired, and when the signal switching time is longer than the crossing completion time, decide the scheduled departure time based on the signal switching time. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to inform the crossing person of the scheduled departure time by displaying a visual display in a direction of the crossing person. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the processor causes a display of the informing of the scheduled departure time on a road surface between the vehicle and the crossing person. ### Claim 6 A control method of informing an outside of a vehicle, executed by one or more processors of an electronic control unit (ECU) mounted in the vehicle, comprising: generating, using the ECU, a traveling plan of the vehicle; recognizing, using the ECU, a crossing person who crosses over a path of a vehicle that is obtained from the traveling plan; acquiring, from an external sensor, information of the crossing person including a speed of the crossing person; predicting, using the ECU, a crossing completion time at which the crossing person completes the crossing based on the speed of the crossing person; deciding, using the ECU, a scheduled departure time of the vehicle based on the crossing completion time; and performing, using the ECU, a control of informing an outside of the vehicle, in a manner recognized by the crossing person, of the scheduled departure time, wherein the scheduled departure time is a dynamically changing countdown showing a remaining time from a current time to a time the vehicle departs, wherein, when no crossing person is recognized, the informing to the outside of the vehicle of the scheduled departure time is not performed. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 2, the functions further comprising: recognizing, using the ECU, a traffic signal on a road around the path of the vehicle; and acquiring, using the ECU, a signal switching time until a signal of the traffic signal switches, wherein when a traffic signal is recognized, acquiring a signal switching time, and when the signal switching time is longer than the crossing completion time, deciding the scheduled departure time based on the signal switching time. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The control method according to claim 6, further comprising: recognizing, using the ECU, a traffic signal on a road around the path of the vehicle; and acquiring, using the ECU, a signal switching time until a signal of the traffic signal switches, wherein when a traffic signal is recognized, acquiring a signal switching time, and when the signal switching time is longer than the crossing completion time, deciding the scheduled departure time based on the signal switching time. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The control method according to claim 6, wherein the performing the control of informing the crossing person of the scheduled departure time includes displaying a visual display in a direction of the crossing person. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The control method according to claim 6, wherein the performing the control of informing the crossing person includes displaying the scheduled departure time on a road surface between the vehicle and the crossing person. ### Claim 11 (depends on 2) The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 2, wherein the performing the control of informing the crossing person of the scheduled departure time includes displaying a visual display in a direction of the crossing person. ### Claim 12 (depends on 2) The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 2, wherein the performing the control of informing the crossing person includes displaying the scheduled departure time on a road surface between the vehicle and the crossing person.