IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,280,788
Granted Patent B2
US 12,280,788 · App. 17/712,463 · Granted Apr 22, 2025

Control apparatus, manager, electronic control unit, system, control method, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program, and vehicle

Inventors: Kazuki Miyake (Okazaki, JP); Akitsugu Sakai (Toyota, JP); Shunsuke Arakawa (Miyoshi, JP); Yuma Mori (Tokyo, JP); Jun Aoki (Tokyo, JP)
Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA; ADVICS CO., LTD.
B60W50/0098B60W60/001B60W2510/1005B60W2710/18
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,280,788
App. No.
17/712,463
Granted
Apr 22, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A manager to be mounted on a vehicle includes a reception unit that receives a plurality of kinematic plans from a plurality of ADAS applications, an arbitration unit that performs arbitration of the kinematic plans, a calculation unit that calculates a motion request based on a result of the arbitration at the arbitration unit, and a distribution unit that distributes the motion request to at least one actuator system. The reception unit receives information related to arbitration targets of the arbitration unit from the ADAS applications.

Claims (36)

1. A vehicle comprising:

one or more electronic control units that implement a plurality of different advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) applications;

a plurality of actuator systems configured to cause motion of the vehicle in at least one of a front-rear direction of the vehicle and a lateral direction of the vehicle; and

a control apparatus mounted on the vehicle and coupled to the one or more electronic control units and to the plurality of actuator systems, the control apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to:

receive a kinematic plan from each of the plurality of ADAS applications, each of the kinematic plans having a priority level;

perform arbitration of the kinematic plans when a plurality of the kinematic plans are received simultaneously from the ADAS applications, the arbitration using the priority levels of the kinematic plans that are being arbitrated;

calculate a motion request based on an arbitration result of the arbitration that is performed; and

output the motion request to at least one of the plurality of actuator systems; wherein

when at least one kinematic plan of the plurality of kinematic plans that have been received simultaneously from the ADAS applications also includes, in addition to the priority level, termination information indicating that the at least one kinematic plan is being subjected to a degeneration process prior to termination of the at least one kinematic plan, the control apparatus excludes the at least one kinematic plan from the arbitration while the at least one kinematic plan is being subjected to the degeneration process, and

the one or more actuator systems control the vehicle according to the motion request that has been output.

2. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the degeneration process is a restriction process in which the at least one kinematic plan is reduced toward a driving force lower limit that is generable by the at least one actuator system.

3. The control apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein:

the driving force lower limit is a lower limit of a driving force realizable by a powertrain actuator at a current gear ratio; and

the at least one actuator system includes a powertrain system including the powertrain actuator.

4. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to:

when only a single kinematic plan has been received from amongst the plurality of ADAS applications, and the single kinematic plan includes, in addition to the priority level, the termination information indicating that the single kinematic plan is being subjected to the degeneration process prior to termination of the single kinematic plan, restrict, based on a driving force lower limit generable by the at least one actuator system that is controlled based on a motion request calculated from the single kinematic plan depending on an execution status of brake control.

5. The control apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to restrict the motion request calculated from the single kinematic plan based on the driving force lower limit generable by the at least one actuator system when the brake control is being executed.

6. A vehicle comprising:

a plurality of different advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) applications installed in one or more electronic control units mounted on the vehicle;

a plurality of actuator systems configured to cause motion of the vehicle in at least one of a front-rear direction of the vehicle and a lateral direction of the vehicle; and

a manager, wherein:

the one or more electronic control units are configured to output, to the manager, a plurality of kinematic plans requested by the ADAS applications; and

the manager includes one or more processors and is configured to:

receive a kinematic plan from each of the ADAS applications, each of the kinematic plans having a priority level;

perform arbitration of the kinematic plans when a plurality of the kinematic plans are received simultaneously from the ADAS applications, the arbitration using the priority levels of the kinematic plans that are being arbitrated;

calculate a motion request based on an arbitration result of the arbitration that is performed; and

output the motion request to at least one of the plurality of actuator systems; wherein

when at least one kinematic plan of the plurality of kinematic plans that have been received simultaneously from the ADAS applications also includes, in addition to the priority level, termination information indicating that the at least one kinematic plan is being subjected to a degeneration process prior to termination of the at least one kinematic plan, the control apparatus excludes the at least one kinematic plan from the arbitration while the at least one kinematic plan is being subjected to the degeneration process, and

the one or more actuator systems control the vehicle according to the motion request that has been output.

7. A vehicle control method of a vehicle that includes (a) one or more electronic control units that implement a plurality of different advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) applications, (b) a plurality of actuator systems configured to cause motion of the vehicle in at least one of a front-rear direction of the vehicle and a lateral direction of the vehicle, and (c) one or more processors mounted on the vehicle and coupled to the one or more electronic control units and to the plurality of actuator systems, the control method executed by the one or more processors and comprising:

receiving, from each of the plurality of ADAS applications, a kinematic plan, each of the kinematic plans having a priority level;

performing arbitration of the received kinematic plans when a plurality of the kinematic plans are received simultaneously from the ADAS applications, the arbitration using the priority levels of the kinematic plans that are being arbitrated;

calculating a motion request based on a result of the arbitration that is performed; and

outputting the motion request to at least one of the plurality of actuator systems, wherein

when at least one kinematic plan of the plurality of kinematic plans that have been received simultaneously from the ADAS applications also includes, in addition to the priority level, termination information indicating that the at least one kinematic plan is being subjected to a degeneration process prior to termination of the at least one kinematic plan, excluding the at least one kinematic plan from the arbitration while the at least one kinematic plan is being subjected to the degeneration process, and

the one or more actuator systems controlling the vehicle according to the motion request that has been output.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 21, 2022
From: MIYAKE, KAZUKI; SAKAI, AKITSUGU; ARAKAWA, SHUNSUKE; MORI, YUMA; AOKI, JUN
To: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA; ADVICS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 061168/0763 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2021-064757 · Apr 6, 2021 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220315018A1 · Oct 6, 2022
References Cited (9)
US 9415775B2 · Sato · 2016 [cited by examiner]
US 11608075B2 · Suzuki · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20170248959A1 · Matsubara et al. · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20200070849A1 · Suzuki · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20210269000A1 · Broyles · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 20220219711A1 · Ohashi · 2022 [cited by examiner]
CN 110871788A · 2020 [cited by applicant]
JP 2017154554A · 2017 [cited by applicant]
JP 2020032894A · 2020 [cited by applicant]