Information presenting apparatus and information presenting method

• US 10,001,777 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2014
• Issued: 06/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Ebina, Akihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): INGRAM, THOMAS P
• Application Number:
  US15/305,592
• Publication Number:
  US 20170038774A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,516 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/02 electric constitutive elements
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0818 Inactivity or incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/20 Data confidence level
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 related to drivers or passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/082 Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0053 from vehicle to occupant
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0057 Estimation of the time available or required for the handover
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0059 Estimation of the risk associated with autonomous or manual driving, e.g. situation too complex, sensor failure or driver incapacity
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08

Abstract

An information presenting apparatus includes a system confidence level calculator configured to calculate a system confidence level of autonomous driving control, an information presenter configured to present, to a driver, information on allowableness of an action other than driving, and an information presentation controller configured to control switching of a content of the information presented on the information presenter according to the system confidence level calculated by the system confidence level calculator.

Claims

1. An information presenting apparatus for use in an autonomous vehicle capable of switching, based on a travelling condition of the vehicle and an outside circumstance of the vehicle, between autonomous driving control, in which the vehicle is driven autonomously, and manual driving control, in which the vehicle is driven by a driver, the information presenting apparatus comprising:

an arrival estimating circuit configured to;

detect a surrounding risk; and

estimate an arrival time which is time required for the vehicle to arrive at the surrounding risk detected;

a system confidence level calculator configured to calculate a system confidence level which indicates a status of a control system when executing the autonomous driving control;

an information display configured to present, to the driver, information on allowableness of an action other than driving, wherein the information on allowableness of the action other than driving includes information indicating whether the driver is allowed to perform the action other than driving; and

an information presentation controller configured to;

on condition that the system confidence level exceeding a predetermined threshold, determine the information on allowableness of the action to present to the driver by comparing the arrival time and a takeover time, the takeover time being a time required for the driver performing the action other than driving to take over and drive the vehicle.

2. The information presenting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

as the information on allowableness of an action other than driving, the information presentation controller presents, on the information display, information indicating an action that the driver is allowed to perform other than driving.

3. The information presenting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

as the information on allowableness of an action other than driving, the information presentation controller presents, on the information display, information indicating an action that the driver is not allowed to perform other than driving.

4. The information presenting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the system confidence level calculator calculates the system confidence level based on at least two of a detection rate of a sensor used for the autonomous driving control, a load rate of a central processing unit used for the autonomous driving control, and fidelity of a path to a computed result of a target value.

5. The information presenting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a data storage configured to store the takeover time, the takeover time being stored for each action other than driving.

6. The information presenting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the information on allowableness of an action other than driving includes information indicating an action that the driver is allowed to perform other than driving,

as the information indicating an action that the driver is allowed to perform other than driving, the information presentation controller presents, on the information display, information indicating an action other than driving the takeover time for which is equal to or shorter than the arrival time.

7. The information presenting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the information on allowableness of an action other than driving includes information indicating an action that the driver is not allowed to perform other than driving,

as the information indicating an action that the driver is not allowed to perform other than driving, the information presentation controller presents, on the information display, information indicating an action other than driving the takeover time for which is longer than the arrival time.

8. The information presenting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the system confidence level calculator calculates the system confidence level based on a detection rate of a sensor used for the autonomous driving control, a load rate of a central processing unit used for the autonomous driving control, and fidelity of a path to a computed result of a target value.

9. The information presenting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the arrival estimating circuit comprises:

a surrounding risk detector configured to detect the surrounding risk of a factor existing in surroundings of the vehicle and hindering the autonomous driving control.

10. The information presenting apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the surrounding risk detector comprises at least one of a camera, a laser radar, an infrared sensor, or GPS information.

11. An information presenting method applied to an autonomous vehicle capable of switching, based on a travelling condition of the vehicle and an outside circumstance of the vehicle, between autonomous driving control, in which the vehicle is driven autonomously, and manual driving control, in which the vehicle is driven by a driver, the information presenting method comprising:

detecting, using a surrounding risk detector, a surrounding risk of a factor existing in surroundings of the vehicle and hindering the autonomous driving control;

determining, using an arrival time calculator, an arrival time of a time required for the vehicle to arrive at the surrounding risk;

calculating a system confidence level which indicates a status of a control system when executing the autonomous driving control;

on condition that the system confidence level exceeding a predetermined threshold,

presenting, to the driver, information on allowableness of an action other than driving; and

switching the information on allowableness of the action to present to the driver by comparing the arrival time and a takeover time, the takeover time being a time required for the driver performing the action other than driving to take over and drive the vehicle.

12. An information presenting apparatus for use in an autonomous vehicle capable of switching, based on a travelling condition of the vehicle and an outside circumstance of the vehicle, between autonomous driving control, in which the vehicle is driven autonomously, and manual driving control, in which the vehicle is driven by a driver, the information presenting apparatus comprising:

a surrounding risk detector configured to detect a surrounding risk of a factor existing in surroundings of the vehicle and hindering the autonomous driving control;

an arrival time calculator configured to estimate an arrival time which is time required for the vehicle to arrive at the surrounding risk;

a system confidence level calculator configured to calculate a system confidence level which indicates a status of a control system when executing the autonomous driving control;

an information display configured to present, to the driver, information on allowableness of an action other than driving; and

an information presentation controller configured to;

on condition that the system confidence level exceeding a predetermined threshold, determine the information to present to the driver by comparing the arrival time and a takeover time, the takeover time being a time required for the driver performing the action other than driving to take over and drive the vehicle.