Mixed autonomous and manual control of autonomous vehicles

• US 10,101,742 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2014
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Prokhorov, Danil V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaawat, Mussa A
• Application Number:
  US14/562,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20160252903A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,409 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0025 Transfer function weighting factor
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0073 Driver overrides controller
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/408 Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/54 Audio sensitive means, e.g. ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4041 Position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/80 Spatial relation or speed relative to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 Lane keeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/02 related to ambient conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/00 Details of control systems for road vehicle drive control not related to the control of a particular sub-unit , e.g. process diagnostic or vehicle driver interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/087 where the control system corrects or modifies a request from the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0055 only part of driving tasks shifted to occupants
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/025 Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation B62D1/28 takes precedence

Abstract

Mixed autonomous and manual control of a vehicle is provided. The vehicle can include an operational mode in which the vehicle operates autonomously but is influenced by a mix of autonomous control inputs and manual control inputs. A first weight can be assigned to manual control inputs, and a second weight can be assigned to autonomous control inputs. The assigned first and second weights can be applied to a vehicle system. Responsive to receiving a manual control input, the autonomous operation of the vehicle can be caused to be influenced by the received manual control input in an amount corresponding to the first weight without deactivating the autonomous operation of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method of mixed autonomous and manual control of a vehicle, the vehicle including an operational mode in which autonomous operation of a vehicle system is influenced by a mix of autonomous control inputs and manual control inputs, the method comprising:

assigning a first weight to manual control inputs and a second weight to autonomous control inputs;

applying the assigned first and second weights to the vehicle system; and

responsive to receiving a manual control input, causing the autonomous operation of the vehicle system to be influenced by the received manual control input in an amount corresponding to the first weight without deactivating the autonomous operation of the vehicle system.

2. The method of claim 1, further including:

detecting a driving environment the vehicle; and

classifying the driving environment, wherein assigning a first weight to manual control inputs and a second weight to autonomous control inputs is based on the classification of the driving environment.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, when the driving environment is classified as being a simple driving environment, automatically increasing the second weight assigned to autonomous control inputs while decreasing the first weight assigned to manual control inputs.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein, when the driving environment is classified as being a complex driving environment, automatically increasing the first weight assigned to manual control inputs while decreasing the second weight assigned to autonomous control inputs.

5. The method of claim 2, further including:

responsive to a change in the classification of the driving environment, adjusting the first weight assigned to manual control inputs and the second weight assigned to autonomous control inputs; and

applying the adjusted first and second weights to the vehicle system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second weights are applied to the vehicle system in a control direction, wherein the control direction is a longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the vehicle system is at least one of a braking system and a throttle system of the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second weights are applied to the vehicle system in a control direction, wherein the control direction is a lateral direction.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the vehicle system is a steering system of the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1, further including:

determining a preference of a driver of the vehicle, wherein assigning the first weight to manual control inputs and the second weight to autonomous control inputs is based on the determined preference of the driver of the vehicle.

11. A system for mixed autonomous and manual control of a vehicle, the vehicle including an operational mode in which an autonomous operation of a vehicle system is influenced by a mix of autonomous control inputs and manual control inputs, the system comprising:

a processor, the processor being programmed to initiate executable operations comprising;

assigning a first weight to manual control inputs and a second weight to autonomous control inputs;

applying the assigned first and second weights to the vehicle system; and

responsive to receiving a manual control input, causing the autonomous operation of the vehicle system to be influenced by the received manual control input in an amount corresponding to the first weight without deactivating the autonomous operation of the vehicle system.

12. The system of claim 11, further including:

a sensor system operable to detect a driving environment the vehicle, and

wherein the executable operations further include;

classifying the detected driving environment, wherein assigning a first weight to manual control inputs and a second weight to autonomous control inputs is based on the classification of the detected driving environment.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein, when the driving environment is classified as being a low complexity environment, the executable operations further including automatically increasing the second weight assigned to autonomous control inputs while decreasing the first weight assigned to manual control inputs.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein, when the driving environment is classified as being a high complexity environment, the executable operations further including automatically increasing the first weight assigned to manual control inputs while decreasing the second weight assigned to autonomous control inputs.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the first and second weights are applied to the vehicle system in a control direction, wherein the control direction is a longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the vehicle system is at least one of a braking system and a throttle system.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the first and second weights are applied to the vehicle system in a control direction, wherein the control direction is a lateral direction of the vehicle.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the vehicle system is a steering system.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the executable operations further include determining a preference of a current driver of the vehicle, and wherein assigning a first weight to manual control inputs and a second weight to autonomous control inputs is based on the determined preference of the current driver of the vehicle.

20. A computer program product for mixed autonomous and manual control of a vehicle, the vehicle including an operational mode in which an autonomous operation of the vehicle is influenced by a mix of autonomous control inputs and manual control inputs, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:

assigning a first weight to manual control inputs and a second weight to autonomous control inputs;

applying the assigned first and second weights to a vehicle system; and

responsive to receiving a manual control input, causing the autonomous operation of the vehicle system to be influenced by the received manual control input in an amount corresponding to the first weight without deactivating the autonomous operation of the vehicle.