IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,145,500
Granted Patent B2
US 12,145,500 · App. 16/985,909 · Granted Nov 19, 2024

Automated driving enabled vehicle

Inventors: Kentarou Yamasaki (Tokyo, JP); Makoto Kinoshita (Tokyo, JP); Keisuke Takayama (Tokyo, JP); Yuta Muramatsu (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
B60Q1/507B60Q1/04B60Q1/34B60Q1/543B60Q5/005B60W30/0956B60W60/0053B60W2554/4029
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,145,500
App. No.
16/985,909
Granted
Nov 19, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

An automated driving enabled vehicle includes a travel controller, an automated driving indicator lamp, and a lamp controller. The automated driving indicator lamp is switched on perceptibly from outside the vehicle on the occasion of automated driving. The lamp controller acquires, during the execution of the automated driving, information regarding a surrounding moving body present around the vehicle. The lamp controller makes a lighting control of the automated driving indicator lamp during the execution of the automated driving, in response to presence of any surrounding moving body around the vehicle executing the automated driving.

Claims (25)

1. An automated driving enabled vehicle, comprising:

a travel controller configured to control travel of the vehicle while switching a travel control state between automated driving and manual driving;

an automated driving indicator lamp configured to be switched on perceptibly from outside the vehicle on an occasion of the automated driving; and

a lamp controller configured to switch on the automated driving indicator lamp to indicate that the travel control state is the automated driving, during execution of the automated driving in which the travel controller controls the travel of the vehicle by the automated driving,

wherein the lamp controller is configured to:

acquire, during the execution of the automated driving, information regarding a surrounding moving body present around the vehicle, and information regarding a lighting state of a headlight or a signaling light other than a brake light, a direction indicator, and a reverse light of the vehicle,

make a lighting control of the automated driving indicator lamp during the execution of the automated driving, in response to presence of any surrounding moving body around the vehicle executing the automated driving, and

in response to absence of any surrounding moving body around the vehicle executing the automated driving,

switch off the automated driving indicator lamp during the execution of the automated driving, on a condition that the vehicle is traveling by the automated driving, with the headlight and the signaling light off, and

keep the automated driving indicator lamp on, on a condition that the vehicle is traveling by the automated driving, with the headlight or the signaling light, or both, on, and

wherein in response to detection of the surrounding moving body around the vehicle executing the automated driving, the lamp controller is configured to switch on the automated driving indicator lamp, with intensity according to i) a distance from the vehicle executing the automated driving to the surrounding moving body present around the vehicle, and ii) ambient illuminance around the vehicle executing the automated driving.

2. The automated driving enabled vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the lamp controller is configured to

acquire the information regarding the surrounding moving body present around the vehicle executing the automated driving, after switching off the automated driving indicator lamp during the execution of the automated driving, and

switch the automated driving indicator lamp back on that has been off during the execution of the automated driving, in response to emergent presence of any surrounding moving body around the vehicle executing the automated driving.

3. The automated driving enabled vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the lamp controller is configured to

acquire the information regarding the surrounding moving body present around the vehicle executing the automated driving, after switching off the automated driving indicator lamp during the execution of the automated driving,

determine whether or not the surrounding moving body present around the vehicle executing the automated driving is an autonomous vehicle, and

switch the automated driving indicator lamp back on that has been off during the execution of the automated driving, in response to emergent presence of any surrounding moving body other than an autonomous vehicle, around the vehicle executing the automated driving.

4. The automated driving enabled vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein

the lamp controller is configured to switch the automated driving indicator lamp back on, and afterwards, switch off the automated driving indicator lamp, on a condition that the travel controller switches the travel control state of the vehicle from the automated driving after the lamp controller switches off the automated driving indicator lamp during the execution of the automated driving.

5. The automated driving enabled vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein

the lamp controller is configured to switch the automated driving indicator lamp back on that has been off during the execution of the automated driving, on a condition that a failure state of equipment of the vehicle is detected or predicted, with the automated driving indicator lamp off during the execution of the automated driving.

6. The automated driving enabled vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein

the lamp controller is configured to change, during the execution of the automated driving, a lighting state of the automated driving indicator lamp on a basis of user setting regarding the lighting control of the automated driving indicator lamp during the execution of the automated driving.

7. The automated driving enabled vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising an alarm device configured to output an alarm, on a condition that the lamp controller changes a lighting state of the automated driving indicator lamp during the execution of the automated driving in which the travel controller controls the travel of the vehicle by the automated driving.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 7, 2020
From: YAMASAKI, KENTAROU; KINOSHITA, MAKOTO; TAKAYAMA, KEISUKE; MURAMATSU, YUTA
To: SUBARU CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 053430/0052 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2019-175677 · Sep 26, 2019 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20210094585A1 · Apr 1, 2021