US 12,280,804 B2
Driving takeover control apparatus implemented based on measured driver alertness level
Takuya Homma, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to SUBARU CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by SUBARU CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Jul. 26, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/385,675.
Claims priority of application No. 2020-129719 (JP), filed on Jul. 30, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0032959 A1, Feb. 3, 2022
Int. Cl. B60W 40/08 (2012.01); B60W 10/20 (2006.01); B60W 50/08 (2020.01); B60W 50/12 (2012.01); B60W 60/00 (2020.01)
CPC B60W 60/0018 (2020.02) [B60W 10/20 (2013.01); B60W 40/08 (2013.01); B60W 50/082 (2013.01); B60W 50/12 (2013.01); B60W 60/0053 (2020.02); B60W 60/0059 (2020.02); B60W 2540/229 (2020.02); B60W 2710/20 (2013.01); B60W 2720/106 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A driving takeover control apparatus to be equipped in a vehicle configured to travel by automated driving having levels, the driving takeover control apparatus being configured to control a driving takeover operation during a transition from high automated driving that is high in the levels to low automated driving that is low in the levels, the driving takeover control apparatus comprising:
a driver operation device configured to be operated by a driver who drives the vehicle to steer the vehicle and adjust a vehicle speed of the vehicle;
a vehicle driving device configured to steer the vehicle and adjust the vehicle speed in accordance with an amount of operation given to the driver operation device by the driver;
an alertness detecting device configured to detect an alertness level of the driver during the transition from the automated driving to manual driving;
a computation control device configured to:
determine the amount of operation given to the driver operation device by the driver per unit time is greater than a reference value during the transition from the automated driving to manual driving; and
in response to determining that the amount of operation given to the driver operation device is greater than the reference value, generate an instruction to perform an output limitation operation to limit an output of the vehicle driving device with respect to the amount of operation given to the driver operation device, wherein an extent to which the output of the vehicle driving device is limited is adjusted in accordance with the detected alertness level of the driver; and
an output limiting device configured to, in response to the instruction from the computation control device, perform the output limitation operation to limit the output of the vehicle driving device,
wherein the vehicle driving device comprises a steering device, an acceleration device, and a deceleration device,
wherein the computation control device is further configured to, in response to recognizing that the vehicle is traveling in a predetermined area at predetermined time of day, generate the instruction to perform the output limitation operation to limit an output of the steering device more than outputs of the acceleration device and the deceleration device, and
wherein the output limiting device is configured to, in response to the instruction from the computation control device, perform the output limitation operation to limit the output of the vehicle driving device.