US 12,454,306 B2
Vehicle control unit and vehicle control method
Takashi Koudai, Okazaki (JP); Yuji Fujita, Okazaki (JP); Kenichi Abe, Okazaki (JP); Yugo Nagashima, Anjo (JP); Kazuma Hasegawa, Anjo (JP); Yuuta Kajisawa, Okazaki (JP); Masaharu Yamashita, Toyota (JP); Shintaro Takayama, Toyota (JP); Takeshi Iwana, Kariya (JP); Hiroki Tomizawa, Kariya (JP); Toyohiro Hayashi, Kariya (JP); Hayaki Tanabe, Kariya (JP); and Nobuyori Nakajima, Kariya (JP)
Assigned to JTEKT CORPORATION, Kariya (JP); TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Toyota (JP); and DENSO CORPORATION, Kariya (JP)
Filed by JTEKT CORPORATION, Kariya (JP); TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Toyota (JP); and DENSO CORPORATION, Kariya (JP)
Filed on Jul. 19, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/354,743.
Claims priority of application No. 2022-116642 (JP), filed on Jul. 21, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0025471 A1, Jan. 25, 2024
Int. Cl. B62D 5/04 (2006.01); B62D 6/00 (2006.01); B62D 15/02 (2006.01)
CPC B62D 5/046 (2013.01) [B62D 5/043 (2013.01); B62D 5/0463 (2013.01); B62D 5/0481 (2013.01); B62D 6/00 (2013.01); B62D 15/02 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vehicle control unit that controls a steering device of a vehicle, the steering device having a structure in which a power transmission path between a steering unit having an operation member and a turning unit configured to turn turning wheels is cut off,
the vehicle control unit comprising a controller configured to make a state transition to a normal control state via a start-up state after a power source system of the vehicle is started, the start-up state being a state where it is possible to execute a preparation process, required for making a state transition to the normal control state, by controlling the operation member so as to move automatically, the normal control state being a state where it is possible to execute a normal process for turning the turning wheels according to operation of the operation member by a driver,
wherein the controller is configured to execute, in the start-up state:
a forced-ending condition determination process of determining whether a forced-ending condition showing that the preparation process being executed is to be forcedly ended from start of execution of the preparation process is met;
a forced-ending process of forcedly ending the preparation process being executed when the forced-ending condition is met; and
a notification process of notifying the driver of forced ending of the preparation process,
wherein the preparation process includes a correction process including a process of calculating a reference position for defining a position of the operation member, and
wherein the controller is configured to execute the forced-ending process before the reference position is calculated by the correction process when the forced-ending condition is met.