US 12,420,847 B2
Controller, method, and recording medium for reducing frequency of autonomous control level application
Wataru Kawashima, Nisshin (JP); Ryusuke Kuroda, Tokyo-to (JP); Kenichiro Aoki, Machida (JP); Takehiko Hanada, Hiratsuka (JP); and Takuya Fujiki, Tokyo-to (JP)
Assigned to TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Toyota (JP); and DENSO CORPORATION, Kariya (JP)
Filed by TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Toyota (JP); and DENSO CORPORATION, Kariya (JP)
Filed on Aug. 14, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/449,146.
Claims priority of application No. 2022-134365 (JP), filed on Aug. 25, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0067233 A1, Feb. 29, 2024
Int. Cl. B60W 60/00 (2020.01)
CPC B60W 60/0059 (2020.02) [B60W 2540/10 (2013.01); B60W 2540/18 (2013.01)] 5 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vehicle controller capable of autonomous driving control of a vehicle at a first level that does not require a driver of the vehicle to operate an accelerator and steering and does not require the driver to look around the vehicle, a second level that requires the driver to look around the vehicle but does not require the driver to operate an accelerator and steering, or a third level that requires the driver to operate at least an accelerator or steering, the vehicle controller comprising:
a processor configured to:
detect, for each of a plurality of sensors mounted on the vehicle, an object in an area around the vehicle, based on a sensor signal from any one of the plurality of sensors, the sensors being capable of detecting objects around the vehicle,
determine whether the vehicle may possibly collide with the detected object,
change the level of autonomous driving control applied to the vehicle from the first level to the second level when an object determined as possibly colliding with the vehicle is detected on the basis of the sensor signal of one of the sensors in the case where autonomous driving control at the first level is applied to the vehicle, and
change the level of autonomous driving control applied to the vehicle from the first level to the third level when an object determined as possibly colliding with the vehicle is detected on the basis of the sensor signals of two or more of the sensors.