# US 2017/0282933 A1 · Vehicle control device

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- Number: US 2017/0282933 A1
- Document ID: US20170282933A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/424,143
- Filed: 2017-02-03
- Published: 2017-10-05
- Earliest claimed: 2016-03-30
- Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Masanobu Ohmi; Seiji Yamamoto; Kosuke Sakakibara; Kazuki Sugie; Misato Kinoshita; Yoshiaki Matsumura
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20170282933A1

## CPC

- B60R 21/23138: {specially adapted for side protection (B60R21/23184, B60R21/232 take precedence)}
- B60R 21/207: in vehicle seats
- B60W 60/0053: {from vehicle to occupant}
- B60W 60/007: {Emergency override (Handing over between remote control and on-board control or handing over between remote control arrangements G05D1/227)}
- G05D 1/0055: {with safety arrangements}
- G05D 1/0246: {using a video camera in combination with image processing means}
- B60R 2021/0048: {Head}
- B60R 2021/2074: {in head rests}
- B60R 2021/23146: {seat mounted}
- B60R 2021/23161: {specially adapted for protecting at least two passengers, e.g. preventing them from hitting each other}
- B60W 2030/082: {Vehicle operation after collision}
- B60W 2420/403: Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
- B60Y 2302/05: Leading to automatic stopping of the vehicle
- B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- 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
- B60Y: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO ASPECTS CROSS-CUTTING VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY

## Abstract

A vehicle control device that includes: an airbag device including an airbag, the airbag being configured as an integral bag body for surrounding a head of an occupant with a front deployment section including a front inflation section that is inflated and deployed in front of a seat corresponding to the head and at least one of shoulders or a chest of the occupant, and a left and right pair of lateral deployment sections including lateral inflation sections that are connected to the front deployment section and are inflated and deployed at sides of the head of the occupant; and a controller that, after the airbag device has been actuated, executes a drive-to-refuge mode in which driving of a power unit of a vehicle and steering of a steering system are controlled to drive the vehicle to take refuge at a road shoulder.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A vehicle control device comprising:
an airbag device including an airbag that is inflated and deployed from a state of being stowed in a headrest or a seatback of a vehicle seat on receiving gas supplied by an inflator, the airbag being configured as an integral bag body for surrounding a head of an occupant with a front deployment section including a front inflation section that is inflated and deployed in front of a seat corresponding to the head and at least one of shoulders or a chest of the occupant, and a left and right pair of lateral deployment sections including lateral inflation sections that are connected to the front deployment section and are inflated and deployed at sides of the head of the occupant; and
a controller that, after the airbag device has been actuated, executes a drive-to-refuge mode in which driving of a power unit of a vehicle and steering of a steering system are controlled to drive the vehicle to take refuge at a road shoulder.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The vehicle control device of claim 1, further comprising:
an onboard camera that images surroundings of the vehicle; and
a storage section that stores images captured by the onboard camera,
wherein the controller executes the drive-to-refuge mode based on an image captured by the onboard camera in a case in which the onboard camera is capable of operating, and
the controller executes the drive-to-refuge mode based on image data, from directly prior to a collision, that is stored in the storage section in a case in which the onboard camera has been damaged during the collision of the vehicle.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The vehicle control device of claim 1, further comprising
a notification device that notifies the occupant by audio that the drive-to-refuge mode has been executed in a case in which the drive-to-refuge mode has been executed by the controller.

### Claim 4

A vehicle control method comprising:
after actuating an airbag device including an airbag that is inflated and deployed from a state of being stowed in a headrest or a seatback of a vehicle seat on receiving gas supplied by an inflator, the airbag being configured as an integral bag body for surrounding a head of an occupant with a front deployment section including a front inflation section that is inflated and deployed in front of a seat corresponding to the head and at least one of shoulders or a chest of the occupant, and a left and right pair of lateral deployment sections including lateral inflation sections that are connected to the front deployment section and are inflated and deployed at sides of the head of the occupant, executing a drive-to-refuge mode in which driving of a power unit of a vehicle and steering of a steering system are controlled and the vehicle is driven to take refuge at a road shoulder.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The vehicle control method of claim 4, wherein executing the drive-to-refuge mode includes:
storing images captured by an onboard camera that images surroundings of the vehicle in a storage section;
executing the drive-to-refuge mode based on an image captured by the onboard camera in a case in which the onboard camera is capable of operating; and
executing the drive-to-refuge mode based on image data, from directly prior to a collision, that is stored in the storage section in a case in which the onboard camera has been damaged during the collision of the vehicle.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The vehicle control method of claim 4, wherein
in a case in which the drive-to-refuge mode has been executed, the occupant is notified by audio that the drive-to-refuge mode has been executed.

### Claim 7

A non-transitory recording medium storing a program that causes a computer to execute a vehicle control process, the process comprising:
after actuating an airbag device including an airbag that is inflated and deployed from a state of being stowed in a headrest or a seatback of a vehicle seat on receiving gas supplied by an inflator, the airbag being configured as an integral bag body for surrounding a head of an occupant with a front deployment section including a front inflation section that is inflated and deployed in front of a seat corresponding to the head and at least one of shoulders or a chest of the occupant, and a left and right pair of lateral deployment sections including lateral inflation sections that are connected to the front deployment section and are inflated and deployed at sides of the head of the occupant, executing a drive-to-refuge mode in which driving of a power unit of a vehicle and steering of a steering system are controlled and the vehicle is driven to take refuge at a road shoulder.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The non-transitory recording medium of claim 7, wherein execution of the drive-to-refuge mode includes:
storing images captured by an onboard camera that images surroundings of the vehicle in a storage section;
executing the drive-to-refuge mode based on an image captured by the onboard camera in a case in which the onboard camera is capable of operating; and
executing the drive-to-refuge mode based on image data, from directly prior to a collision, that is stored in the storage section in cases in which the onboard camera has been damaged during the collision of the vehicle.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The non-transitory recording medium of claim 7, wherein:
in a case in which the drive-to-refuge mode has been executed, the occupant is notified by audio that the drive-to-refuge mode has been executed.