# US 12,214,832 B2 · Vehicle, method of controlling vehicle, and vehicle control interface box

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- Number: US 12,214,832 B2
- Document ID: US12214832B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/947,691
- Filed: 2022-09-19
- Published: 2023-04-13
- Granted: 2025-02-04
- Earliest claimed: 2021-09-28
- Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Ikuma Suzuki; Yuji Watari; Eisuke Ando
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12214832B2

## CPC

- B62D 6/002: {computing target steering angles for front or rear wheels (B62D7/159 takes precedence)}
- B60W 60/001: {Planning or execution of driving tasks}
- B62D 6/001: {the torque NOT being among the input parameters}
- 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 2510/20: Steering systems
- B60W 2520/00: Input parameters relating to overall vehicle dynamics
- 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)
- 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

## Abstract

An ADS performs processing including setting an initial value of a wheel steer angle command when an autonomous state has been set to an autonomous mode, obtaining a limitation of a rate, setting a wheel steer angle limitation as the wheel steer angle command when magnitude of the initial value is larger than the wheel steer angle limitation, and transmitting the wheel steer angle command.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A vehicle on which an autonomous driving system is mountable, the vehicle comprising:
a vehicle platform that carries out vehicle control in accordance with a command from the autonomous driving system, wherein
the vehicle platform includes a base vehicle and a vehicle control interface box that interfaces between the autonomous driving system and the base vehicle,
from the autonomous driving system to the base vehicle, a wheel steer angle command that requests a steer angle of a steering wheel is transmitted through the vehicle control interface box,
from the base vehicle to the autonomous driving system, a signal indicating the steer angle is transmitted, and
the autonomous driving system
sets a value expressing the steer angle while the vehicle is traveling straight as a reference value,
calculates a relative value between (i) a current value of the steer angle and (ii) a value calculated by adding a value corresponding to a predetermined steering angle predetermined by a driving plan to the reference value or by subtracting the value corresponding to the predetermined steering angle from the reference value, and
sets, by using the relative value, the steer angle requested in the wheel steer angle command so as not to exceed a restriction range of a rate of the steer angle that is set based on a velocity of the vehicle.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein
the restriction range is set such that magnitude of an upper limit value of the rate when the velocity of the vehicle is set to a first velocity is smaller than magnitude of an upper limit value of the rate when the velocity of the vehicle is set to a second velocity lower than the first velocity.

### Claim 3

A method of controlling a vehicle on which an autonomous driving system is mountable, the vehicle including a vehicle platform that carries out vehicle control in accordance with a command from the autonomous driving system, the vehicle platform including a base vehicle and a vehicle control interface box that interfaces between the autonomous driving system and the base vehicle, the method comprising:
transmitting a wheel steer angle command that requests a steer angle of a steering wheel from the autonomous driving system to the base vehicle through the vehicle control interface box;
transmitting a signal indicating the steer angle from the base vehicle to the autonomous driving system;
setting a value expressing the steer angle while the vehicle is traveling straight as a reference value;
calculating a relative value between (i) a current value of the steer angle and (ii) a value calculated by adding a value corresponding to a predetermined steering angle predetermined by a driving plan to the reference value or by subtracting the value corresponding to the predetermined steering angle from the reference value; and
setting, by using the relative value, the steer angle requested in the wheel steer angle command so as not to exceed a restriction range of a rate of the steer angle that is set based on a velocity of the vehicle.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of controlling a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein
the restriction range is set such that magnitude of an upper limit value of the rate when the velocity of the vehicle is set to a first velocity is smaller than magnitude of an upper limit value of the rate when the velocity of the vehicle is set to a second velocity lower than the first velocity.

### Claim 5

A vehicle control interface box that interfaces between an autonomous driving system and a vehicle on which the autonomous driving system is mountable, the vehicle including a vehicle platform that carries out vehicle control in accordance with a command from the autonomous driving system, the vehicle platform including a base vehicle, wherein
the vehicle control interface box
transmits a wheel steer angle command that requests a steer angle of a steering wheel from the autonomous driving system to the base vehicle, and
transmits a signal indicating the steer angle from the base vehicle to the autonomous driving system,
a value expressing the steer angle while the vehicle is traveling straight is set as a reference value,
a relative value between (i) a current value of the steering angle and (ii) a value calculated by adding a value corresponding to a predetermined steering angle predetermined by a driving plan to the reference value or by subtracting the value corresponding to the predetermined steering angle from the reference value is calculated, and
the steer angle requested in the wheel steer angle command is set, by using the relative value, so as not to exceed a restriction range of a rate of the steer angle that is set based on a velocity of the vehicle.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The vehicle control interface box according to claim 5, wherein
the restriction range is set such that magnitude of an upper limit value of the rate when the velocity of the vehicle is set to a first velocity is smaller than magnitude of an upper limit value of the rate when the velocity of the vehicle is set to a second velocity lower than the first velocity.