IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,503,139
Granted Patent B2
US 12,503,139 · App. 18/436,338 · Granted Dec 23, 2025

Vehicle

Inventors: Sho Hashimoto (Susono, JP); Satoshi Nakamura (Shizuoka-ken, JP); Tomoki Somiya (Okazaki, JP); Kazumasa Harada (Nagakute, JP); Hiroki Yabushita (Toyota, JP); Sei Miyazaki (Susono, JP); Yuki Nishikawa (Numazu, JP); Noriaki Hasegawa (Izunokuni, JP)
Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
B60W60/0016B60W50/0205B60W50/04B60W2554/804B60W2556/45
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,503,139
App. No.
18/436,338
Granted
Dec 23, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

The vehicle is configured to be able to communicate with an Autonomous Driving Kit configured to be detachable from the vehicle, and includes an interface unit that gives a control instruction related to autonomous driving control to each unit of the vehicle based on an instruction from Autonomous Driving Kit, and an active safety device that realizes a preventive safety function of the vehicle. The active safety device includes a performance evaluation unit that evaluates the driving performance of Autonomous Driving Kit on the basis of the property of the area in which the vehicle is traveling.

Claims (42)

1 . A vehicle comprising a processor configured to:

communicate with an autonomous driving kit configured to be attachable to and detachable from the vehicle;

perform autonomous driving for the vehicle based on an instruction from the autonomous driving kit;

implement an active safety function of the vehicle;

evaluate driving performance of the autonomous driving kit based on an attribute of a region in which the vehicle travels;

determine whether a parameter related to traveling of the vehicle exceeds a first threshold value set in accordance with the attribute, wherein the parameter is at least one of a speed of the vehicle, an acceleration of the vehicle, an execution frequency of lane deviation prevention control, and an execution frequency of collision damage reduction brake;

evaluate the driving performance of the autonomous driving kit based on a result of the determination of whether the parameter related to the traveling of the vehicle exceeds the first threshold value; and

acquire travel data of each of a plurality of vehicles traveling in the region from the vehicles, the travel data including speed of each of the vehicles, wherein

the attribute is represented by an index indicating roughness of traveling of the vehicles in the region and is set based on the travel data, the index including a first index and a second index,

the first index indicates that a percentage of the vehicles traveling at a speed 10 km/h lower than a legal speed or lower is 80% or more, and

the second index indicates that the percentage is less than 80%.

2 . The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein:

the parameter is the speed of the vehicle;

the first threshold value is a first predetermined speed; and

the processor is further configured to

calculate an evaluation value based on the result of the determination of whether the parameter related to the traveling of the vehicle exceeds the first threshold value,

evaluate the driving performance based on the evaluation value, and

reduce the evaluation value in a case where speed of the vehicle exceeds the first threshold value.

3 . The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether the speed of the vehicle exceeds the first threshold value again after a predetermined period of time in a case where the processor determines that the speed of the vehicle exceeds the first threshold value.

4 . The vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein:

the processor is further configured to

determine whether the evaluation value is smaller than a second threshold value,

direct the vehicle to move to a road shoulder in a case where the processor determines that the evaluation value is smaller than the second threshold value,

determine whether the evaluation value is smaller than a third threshold value in a case where the processor determines that the evaluation value is equal to or greater than the second threshold value,

limit the speed of the vehicle to be equal to or less than a second predetermined speed in a case where the processor determines that the evaluation value is smaller than the third threshold value,

determine whether the evaluation value is smaller than a fourth threshold value in a case where the processor determines that the evaluation value is equal to or greater than the third threshold value,

change an operation condition of the active safety function in a case where the processor determines that the evaluation value is smaller than the fourth threshold value,

determine whether the evaluation value is smaller than a fifth threshold value in a case where the processor determines that the evaluation value is equal to or greater than the fourth threshold value, and

notify a management center in a case where the processor determines that the evaluation value is smaller than the fifth threshold value; and

the second threshold value is smaller than the third threshold value, the third threshold value is smaller than the fourth threshold value, and the fourth threshold value is smaller than the fifth threshold value.

5 . The vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein the management center:

responds to a notification from the processor, the management center being operated by at least one of a business operator that provides the vehicle and a business operator that performs maintenance of the vehicle; and

includes a system configured to respond automatically to the vehicle.

6 . The vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein the system is further configured to:

receive information that the processor notifies to the management center; and

transmit an instruction to stop the vehicle in a case where the system receives the information.

7 . The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein:

the processor is further configured to determine whether a possibility of a collision between the vehicle and an object is higher than a sixth threshold value; and

the active safety function is at least one of functions that the processor

controls the vehicle to prevent the vehicle from deviating from a lane,

controls the vehicle to keep a constant distance between the vehicle and a preceding vehicle, and

applies a braking force to the vehicle in a case where the processor determines that the possibility of the collision between the vehicle and the object is higher than the sixth threshold value.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 8, 2024
From: HASHIMOTO, SHO; NAKAMURA, SATOSHI; SOMIYA, TOMOKI; HARADA, KAZUMASA; YABUSHITA, HIROKI; MIYAZAKI, SEI; NISHIKAWA, YUKI; HASEGAWA, NORIAKI
To: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 066416/0601 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2023-029975 · Feb 28, 2023 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240286646A1 · Aug 29, 2024
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