# US 2016/0259334 A1 · Vehicle control device

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- Number: US 2016/0259334 A1
- Document ID: US20160259334A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/049,896
- Filed: 2016-02-22
- Published: 2016-09-08
- Earliest claimed: 2015-03-02
- Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Ryuta HASHIMOTO; Haruto TORII; Tetsuya TAIRA
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20160259334A1

## CPC

- B60W 60/0053: {from vehicle to occupant}
- B60W 40/04: Traffic conditions
- B60W 50/14: Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
- B60W 60/0059: {Estimation of the risk associated with autonomous or manual driving, e.g. situation too complex, sensor failure or driver incapacity}
- G05D 1/00: Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots (drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00)
- 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

## Abstract

A vehicle control device is capable of switching a driving state of a host vehicle between manual driving and autonomous driving, and determines whether or not another vehicle exists in a driver's blind area set in advance diagonally behind the host vehicle in a case where the driving state of the host vehicle is autonomous driving and when the host vehicle reaches a check timing set in advance. In addition, the vehicle control device executes the control in a case where it is determined that the other vehicle exists in the driver's blind area and when the other vehicle exists, which can be removed from the driver's blind area by the control of at least one of a vehicle speed of the host vehicle and a lateral position of the host vehicle.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A vehicle control device configured to be capable of switching a driving state of a host vehicle between autonomous driving and manual driving, the device comprising:
an another vehicle recognition unit configured to recognize a position of another vehicle around the host vehicle;
a travelling state recognition unit configured to recognize a travelling state of the host vehicle;
a check timing determination unit configured to determine whether or not the host vehicle reaches a check timing set in advance, in a case where the driving state of the host vehicle is autonomous driving;
an another vehicle existence determination unit configured to determine whether or not the other vehicle exists in a driver's blind area set in advance diagonally behind the host vehicle based on the result of the recognition by the another vehicle recognition unit, in a case where the check timing determination unit determines that the host vehicle reaches the check timing;
a possibility determination unit configured to determine whether or not the other vehicle exists, which can be removed from the driver's blind area by control of at least one of a vehicle speed of the host vehicle and a lateral position of the host vehicle based on the result of recognition by the another vehicle recognition unit and the travelling state recognition unit, in a case where the another vehicle existence determination unit determines that the other vehicle exists in the driver's blind area; and
a control unit configured to execute the control of the host vehicle based on the result of recognition by the another vehicle recognition unit and the travelling state recognition unit, in a case where the possibility determination unit determines that the other vehicle exists, which can be removed from the driver's blind area by the control.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The vehicle control device according to claim 1,
wherein, in a case where the another vehicle existence determination unit determines that the other vehicle exists in the driver's blind area, the possibility determination unit is configured to determine whether or not the other vehicle exists, which cannot be removed from the driver's blind area by the control based on the result of recognition by the another vehicle recognition unit and the travelling state recognition unit, and
wherein, in a case where the possibility determination unit determines that the other vehicle exists, which cannot be removed from the driver's blind area by the control, the control unit is configured to control the lateral position of the host vehicle so as to be separated from the other vehicle which cannot be removed from the driver's blind area based on the result of recognition by the another vehicle recognition unit and the travelling state recognition unit.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The vehicle control device according to claim 1,
wherein, in a case where the another vehicle existence determination unit determines that the other vehicle exists in the driver's blind area, the possibility determination unit is configured to determine whether or not the other vehicle exists, which cannot be removed from the driver's blind area by the control based on the result of recognition by the another vehicle recognition unit and the travelling state recognition unit, and
wherein, in a case where the possibility determination unit determines that the other vehicle exists, which cannot be removed from the driver's blind area by the control, the control unit is configured to output a warning regarding the other vehicle which cannot be removed from the driver's blind area to the driver of the host vehicle.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The vehicle control device according to claim 2,
wherein, in a case where the another vehicle existence determination unit determines that the other vehicle exists in the driver's blind area, the possibility determination unit is configured to determine whether or not the other vehicle exists, which cannot be removed from the driver's blind area by the control based on the result of recognition by the another vehicle recognition unit and the travelling state recognition unit, and
wherein, in a case where the possibility determination unit determines that the other vehicle exists, which cannot be removed from the driver's blind area by the control, the control unit is configured to output a warning regarding the other vehicle which cannot be removed from the driver's blind area to the driver of the host vehicle.