# US 12,594,936 B2 · Vehicle control apparatus

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- Number: US 12,594,936 B2
- Document ID: US12594936B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/734,519
- Filed: 2024-06-05
- Published: 2025-01-09
- Granted: 2026-04-07
- Earliest claimed: 2023-07-03
- Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Yusuke Fukui
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12594936B2

## CPC

- B60W 30/12: Lane keeping
- B60W 40/08: related to drivers or passengers
- G06V 20/597: {Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness}
- B60W 2420/403: Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
- B60W 2540/225: Direction of gaze
- B60W 2720/24: Direction of travel
- 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
- G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING

## Abstract

A vehicle control apparatus comprises: a surrounding condition displaying device capable of displaying an image of vehicle surrounding conditions on a monitor inside a vehicle; a driver monitoring device that obtains driver's information including a direction of a line of sight of a driver and a face direction of the driver; and a controller configured to be able to perform a start moving suppression control to suppress a start moving of the vehicle when a mismatch condition is occurring where a start moving direction inferred based on a shift range of the vehicle disagrees with the face direction of the driver. Furthermore, even when the mismatch condition is occurring, the controller does not perform the start moving suppression control, if the direction of the line of sight of the driver is toward the monitor and the monitor is displaying the image of vehicle surrounding conditions.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A vehicle control apparatus comprising:
a camera device configured to produce image data by capturing a vicinity area of a vehicle;
a surrounding condition displaying device configured to be able to display an image of vehicle surrounding conditions based on said image data on a monitor inside said vehicle;
a driver monitoring device configured to obtain driver's information including a direction of a line of sight of a driver of said vehicle and a face direction of said driver; and
a controller configured to be able to perform a start moving suppression control to suppress a start moving of said vehicle when a mismatch condition is occurring where a start moving direction inferred based on a shift range of said vehicle disagrees with said face direction of said driver when a vehicle speed is equal to or lower than a first vehicle speed threshold, and to perform, when said mismatch condition is determined to be occurring, a start moving suppression control to suppress a start moving of said vehicle by maintaining a driving force of said vehicle at a driving force for creeping irrespective of an acceleration pedal operation amount,
wherein,
said controller is configured to permit said start moving suppression control to be unexecuted when an inexecution condition is satisfied if said direction of said line of sight of said driver is toward said monitor even when said mismatch condition is determined to be occurring, wherein said inexecution condition is satisfied when said direction of said line of sight of said driver is toward said monitor while said monitor is displaying said image of vehicle surrounding conditions.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein,
when said mismatch condition is occurring and said direction of said line of sight of said driver is toward said monitor,
said controller is configured not to perform said start moving suppression control, if said monitor is displaying said image of vehicle surrounding conditions, and
said controller is configured to perform said start moving suppression control, if said monitor is not displaying said image of vehicle surrounding conditions when said mismatch condition is determined to be occurring, regardless of whether or not a collision condition is satisfied, wherein said collision condition is satisfied when it is likely that said vehicle will collide with an obstacle, provided that said inexecution condition is not satisfied.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein,
said monitor is disposed in front of said driver who is seated in a driver's seat of said vehicle; and
when a condition, as said mismatch condition, where a start moving direction of said vehicle is backward and said face direction of said driver is frontward is determined to be occurring,
said controller is configured not to perform said start moving suppression control, if said direction of said line of sight of said driver is toward said monitor and said monitor is displaying said image of vehicle surrounding conditions, and
said controller is configured to perform said start moving suppression control, if said direction of said line of sight of said driver is not toward said monitor or if said monitor is not displaying said image of vehicle surrounding conditions.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein,
said monitor is disposed in front of said driver who is seated in a driver's seat of said vehicle;
when a condition, as said mismatch condition, where a start moving direction of said vehicle is frontward and said face direction of said driver is not frontward is determined to be occurring, said controller is configured to perform said start moving suppression control; and
when said start moving direction of said vehicle is frontward and said face direction of said driver is frontward,
said controller is configured not to perform said start moving suppression control, if said direction of said line of sight of said driver is not toward said monitor or if said direction of said line of sight of said driver is toward said monitor and said monitor is displaying said image of vehicle surrounding conditions, and
said controller is configured to perform said start moving suppression control, if said direction of said line of sight of said driver is toward said monitor and said monitor is not displaying said image of vehicle surrounding conditions.