Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Denso Corporation

Ryusuke Kuroda

Masanao Idogawa

Takuya Fujiki

Kenichiro Aoki

Daiki Kato

Tetsuro Sugiura

Daisuke Hashimoto

Hitoshi Kamada

Wataru Kawashima

Tadashi Okubo

Kunio Goto

Osamu Ozaki

Ryota Iwasaki

Masahiro Ozeki

Takehiko Hanada

A brake light activation determining device has a processor configured to detect decrease in the speed of a vehicle ahead, which is located ahead of one's own vehicle, based on output information from a sensor that acquires information relating to the vehicle ahead, to discriminate whether the brake light of the vehicle ahead is activated based on an image representing the vehicle ahead, and to determine that the vehicle ahead is braking, when it has been discriminated that the brake light of the vehicle ahead has been activated, when the speed decrease timing at which reduction in the speed of the vehicle ahead has been detected and the activation timing at which brake light activation by the vehicle ahead was discriminated are synchronized for the vehicle ahead.

Brake light activation determining device, storage medium storing computer program for determining brake light activation, and method for determining brake light activation

A travel controller of a vehicle that can travel on a road under autonomous driving control detecting two-wheelers, including bicycles, located in surroundings of the vehicle from surrounding data representing the surroundings of the vehicle generated by a surrounding sensor mounted on the vehicle, determining whether a target road on which the vehicle was traveling when the surrounding data in which a two-wheeler was detected was generated is a shared road on which travel by bicycles is permitted, when it is determined that the target road is a shared road, notifying a driver of the vehicle of a transition demand demanding transition in control of the vehicle from autonomous driving control to manual driving control requiring driving operations by the driver of the vehicle, and when it is determined that the target road is not a shared road, not notifying the driver of the transition demand.

Travel controller and travel control method

When an object that may possibly collide with a vehicle is detected from a sensor signal of one of sensors mounted on the vehicle, a vehicle controller changes the level of autonomous driving control applied to the vehicle from a first level that does not require a driver to operate an accelerator and steering and does not require the driver to look around the vehicle to a second level that requires the driver to look around the vehicle but does not require the driver to operate an accelerator and steering. When an object that may possibly collide with the vehicle is detected from sensor signals of two or more of the sensors, the vehicle controller changes the level of autonomous driving control from the first level to a third level that requires the driver to operate at least an accelerator or steering.

Controller, method, and recording medium for reducing frequency of autonomous control level application

A vehicle controller includes a processor configured to detect another vehicle traveling behind a host vehicle, based on a sensor signal obtained by a sensor for sensing surroundings of the host vehicle, determine whether the detected other vehicle satisfies an obstructing condition for obstructing view behind the host vehicle, and control the host vehicle to secure the view behind the host vehicle when the obstructing condition is satisfied.

Vehicle controller, vehicle control method, and vehicle control computer program for vehicle control

A vehicle controller includes a processor configured to detect a vehicle ahead of a host vehicle from time-series sensor signals obtained by a sensor provided on the host vehicle for sensing objects around the host vehicle, track the vehicle ahead detected from the time-series sensor signals, determine whether the vehicle ahead has performed an avoidance action, based on the result of tracking, detect, when the vehicle ahead has performed an avoidance action, a trajectory of an edge of the vehicle ahead opposite a direction of avoidance in the avoidance action, and control travel of the host vehicle so that an edge of the host vehicle opposite the direction of avoidance moves along the detected trajectory.

Vehicle controller, method, and computer program for vehicle control

A vehicle controller includes a processor configured to determine whether a vehicle under manual driving control is in a situation that allows for starting autonomous driving control of the vehicle, switch, when the vehicle is in a situation that allows for starting autonomous driving control, control of the vehicle from manual driving control to autonomous driving control in the case where operating mode of a device related to ensuring visibility of a driver of the vehicle is set to automatic mode to automatically control the device, and continue manual driving control in the case where the operating mode of the device related to ensuring the driver's visibility is set to manual mode to manually control the device and where the driver's visibility will not be ensured unless the device operates.

An apparatus for message notification displays a message to be known to a driver of a vehicle on a display disposed in front of a driver's seat on which the driver is sitting, when a change in environment around the vehicle causing the driver to turn his/her attention forward, an action of the vehicle that the driver can sense, or operation by the driver of a vehicle-mounted device in a front area of the vehicle is detected, in the case where travel of the vehicle is controlled in autonomous driving mode in which driving operation by the driver is unnecessary, and where a looking direction of the driver is not a direction related to the driving operation.

Apparatus and method for message notification

A vehicle control device has a processor configured to calculate an average speed of a vehicle traveling in a traffic lane and another vehicle in a predetermined range from the vehicle, for each of multiple traffic lanes of a traveling road on which the vehicle is traveling, as a traffic lane average speed, to determine whether the traffic lanes are congested based on the traffic lane average speed for each of the multiple traffic lanes of the traveling road and to estimate whether the traveling road as a whole is congested based on a proportion of traffic lanes of the traveling road that are congested, and to decide to drive the vehicle by automatic control when the traveling road as a whole is congested.

Vehicle control device, storage medium storing computer program for vehicle control, and method for controlling vehicle

An apparatus for steering adjustment detects a gaze direction of a driver of a vehicle from a facial image in which a face of the driver is represented. During autonomous driving in which steering of the vehicle is autonomously controlled, when an operation by the driver on a steering wheel is detected, determines whether the gaze direction of the driver corresponds to the steering direction in the operation of the driver. The apparatus adjusts a reaction force with respect to the operation of the steering wheel smaller when the gaze direction corresponds to the steering direction than when the gaze direction does not correspond to the steering direction.

Apparatus and method for steering adjustment

A vehicle controller includes a processor configured to determine whether there is fogging on a window of a vehicle or a sign of fogging thereof, based on a fogginess sensor signal indicating a physical index related to the degree of fogging of the window of the vehicle or operation of a vehicle-mounted device of the vehicle capable of defogging operation. The fogginess sensor signal is obtained by a fogginess sensor provided on the vehicle. The processor is further configured to change a driving control level applicable to the vehicle so as to increase or prevent decreasing the degree of a driver's involvement in driving the vehicle, depending on the driving control level currently applied to the vehicle, upon determination that there is fogging on the window of the vehicle or a sign of fogging thereof.

A vehicle controller for automated driving control of a vehicle in traffic congestion includes a processor configured to sense at least one another vehicle around the vehicle, based on a sensor signal obtained by a sensor for sensing a situation around the vehicle, the sensor being mounted on the vehicle; calculate a motion value indicating motion of the sensed at least one other vehicle; determine, when the motion value satisfies a congestion relief condition, that congestion is relieved around the vehicle; and set the congestion relief condition, based on road environment information indicating environment of a road around the vehicle.

Vehicle controller and method for controlling vehicle

An apparatus for identifying the state of an object includes a processor configured to input, every time obtaining an image from a camera, the image into a first classifier to detect, for each of one or more predetermined objects represented in the image, an object region including the object; determine a predicted object region in a subsequent image to be obtained from the camera for an object whose position in the subsequent image is predictable; and input characteristics into a second classifier to identify the state of an object involving time-varying changes in outward appearance. When the object has a predicted object region, the characteristics are obtained from pixel values of the predicted object region in the subsequent image. On the other hand, when the object does not have a predicted object region, the characteristics are obtained from pixel values of the object region detected from the subsequent image.

Apparatus, method, and computer program for identifying state of object, and controller

A vehicle controller includes a processor configured to detect an object region including another vehicle near a vehicle from each of time series images obtained by a camera mounted on the vehicle; detect a predetermined action taken by the other vehicle, based on a trajectory of the other vehicle estimated from the object region of each image; identify the state of a signal light of the other vehicle, based on characteristics obtained from pixel values of the object region of each image; extract information indicating characteristics of an action of the other vehicle or the state of a signal light at the predetermined action taken by the other vehicle, based on the predetermined action detected in a tracking period and the state of the signal light related to the predetermined action; and predict behavior of the other vehicle, using the extracted information.

Vehicle controller, method, and computer program for vehicle trajectory planning and control based on other vehicle behavior

A control system includes a controller. The controller acquires a crank counter value each time a fixed time elapses. The controller calculates the number of the crank counter values corresponding to the top dead center of the plunger between a previously acquired crank counter value and a currently acquired crank counter value with reference to the map each time the crank counter value is acquired and calculate the number of driving times of the high pressure fuel pump by integrating the calculated number.

Control system for internal combustion engine, and internal combustion engine

A control system includes a controller. The controller counts the number of driving times of the high pressure fuel pump, which is the number of the reciprocating motions of the plunger based on a crank counter that is counted up at every predetermined crank angle. The controller stores a map in which a top dead center of the plunger is associated with a crank counter value, and store a crank counter value while an engine is stopped as a stop-time counter value. The controller calculates, referring to the map, the number of the crank counter values corresponding to the top dead center of the plunger between a crank counter value and the stop-time counter value, and set a calculated number as the number of driving times.

Growing community of inventors

Nagoya, Japan

Ryusuke Kuroda