US 12,065,175 B2
Automatic driving control apparatus for vehicle
Ryosuke Namba, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to SUBARU CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by SUBARU CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Jun. 2, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/890,766.
Claims priority of application No. 2019-150531 (JP), filed on Aug. 20, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0053590 A1, Feb. 25, 2021
Int. Cl. B60W 60/00 (2020.01); B60W 30/06 (2006.01); B60W 40/08 (2012.01)
CPC B60W 60/0051 (2020.02) [B60W 30/06 (2013.01); B60W 40/08 (2013.01); B60W 2040/0881 (2013.01); B60W 2510/202 (2013.01); B60W 2540/10 (2013.01); B60W 2540/12 (2013.01)] 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An automatic driving control apparatus for a vehicle, the automatic driving control apparatus switching a driving mode of the vehicle between a manual driving mode in which a driver manually performs a driving operation of the vehicle and an automatic driving mode in which the driving operation is automatically performed along a set target traveling route, the automatic driving control apparatus comprising:
a driving mode switching unit configured to monitor a seat position of a seat of the driver while the vehicle travels in the manual driving mode,
wherein the driving mode switching unit stores, before the driving mode switching unit is switched, the seat position of the driver into a memory in response to one of following conditions is met: i) the vehicle has traveled in the manual driving mode for a predetermined distance, ii) a steering wheel of the vehicle has been operated a first predetermined number of times, iii) a brake of the vehicle has been operated a second predetermined number of times, or iv) an accelerator of the vehicle has been operated a third predetermined number of times,
wherein after one of the conditions is met, the driving mode switching unit becomes switchable state to the automatic driving mode, and
wherein, when the seat position is stored in the memory, in response to a driver's operation to switch the driving mode of the vehicle from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode, the driving mode switching unit switches the driving mode of the vehicle from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode after the seat position is stored in the memory.