In-Vehicle Control Apparatus

Abstract

An in-vehicle control apparatus performs a hazard avoidance process. The in-vehicle control apparatus includes an anomaly determination section, an alarm control section, and a hazard avoidance control section. The anomaly determination section determines whether a driver is under driving inability state during travel of the vehicle, based on information on monitoring of state of the driver. The alarm control section activates an alarm annunciator to issue an alarm outwardly from the vehicle when the driver is determined to be under driving inability state. After the alarm annunciator starts the alarm, the hazard avoidance control section fails to perform the hazard avoidance process when the alarm is stopped by a manipulation of the driver and performs the hazard avoidance process when a specified time elapses under state where the alarm is not stopped since the starting of the alarm.

1 . An in-vehicle control apparatus that performs monitoring of a state of a driver in a vehicle and controls behavior of the vehicle based on the monitoring to perform a hazard avoidance process,
 the in-vehicle control apparatus comprising:   an anomaly determination section that determines whether the driver is under a driving inability state where the driver is unable to drive during travel of the vehicle, based on information on the monitoring of the state of the driver;   an alarm control section that activates an alarm annunciator to issue an alarm outwardly from the vehicle when the anomaly determination section determines that the driver is under the driving inability state; and   a hazard avoidance control section that, after the alarm annunciator starts the alarm outwardly from the vehicle,
 fails to perform the hazard avoidance process when the alarm is stopped by a manipulation of the driver and 
 performs the hazard avoidance process when the alarm is not stopped, 
   wherein:   the alarm control section allows the alarm annunciator to issue a first alarm outwardly from the vehicle when the anomaly determination section determines that the driver is under the driving inability state; and   the alarm control section allows the alarm annunciator to issue a second alarm outwardly from the vehicle after confirming no response from the driver since starting of the first alarm, wherein the second alarm is issued in a mode more easily recognized around the vehicle than the first alarm, and issuing the second alarm outwardly from the vehicle includes activating a horn while flashing a hazard lamp.   
     
     
         2 . The in-vehicle control apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 issuing the first alarm includes flashing the hazard lamp and keeping the horn inactive.   
     
     
         3 . A method performed by an in-vehicle control apparatus that includes a microcomputer and that performs monitoring of a state of a driver in a vehicle and controls behavior of the vehicle based on the monitoring to perform a hazard avoidance process,
 the method comprising:   determining whether the driver is under a driving inability state where the driver is unable to drive during travel of the vehicle, based on information on the monitoring of the state of the driver;   activating an alarm annunciator to issue a first alarm outwardly from the vehicle when it is determined that the driver is under the driving inability state;   issuing a second alarm outwardly from the vehicle after confirming no response from the driver since starting of the first alarm, wherein the second alarm is issued in a mode more easily recognized around the vehicle than the first alarm and issuing the second alarm outwardly from the vehicle includes activating a horn while flashing a hazard lamp; and   after the alarm annunciator starts the first alarm outwardly from the vehicle,
 failing to perform the hazard avoidance process when the first alarm is stopped by a manipulation of the driver and 
 performing the hazard avoidance process when the first alarm is not stopped. 
   
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein:
 issuing the first alarm includes flashing the hazard lamp and keeping the horn inactive.