Autonomous feature optimization for a connected vehicle based on a navigation route

• US 10,222,229 B1
• Filed: 11/30/2017
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Shum, Jonathan, Kim, BaekGyu, Shiraishi, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Paige, Tyler D
• Application Number:
  US15/828,183
• Time in Patent Office: 460 Days
• Field of Search: 701 25
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3676 Overview of the route on the road map
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3694 Output thereof on a road map
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3692 for test results analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0841 Registering performance data recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B

Abstract

The disclosure includes embodiments for autonomous feature optimization. In some embodiments, a method includes generating one or more candidate navigation routes for a driver of a vehicle. In some embodiments, the method includes determining a set of autonomous features to be provided by the vehicle for each of the one or more candidate navigation routes. In some embodiments, the method includes determining that the set of autonomous features includes an unsafe autonomous feature that is not safe to use during any part between the start point and the end point of the one or more candidate navigation routes. In some embodiments, the method includes displaying a user interface that includes the one or more candidate navigation routes and corresponding autonomous features that are available for each of the one or more candidate navigation routes, wherein the user interface excludes the unsafe autonomous feature.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating one or more candidate navigation routes for a driver of a vehicle, wherein the one or more candidate navigation routes each include a start point and an end point;

determining a set of autonomous features to be provided by the vehicle for each of the one or more candidate navigation routes;

determining that the set of autonomous features includes an unsafe autonomous feature that is not safe to use during any part between the start point and the end point of the one or more candidate navigation routes; and

displaying, on an electronic display, a user interface that includes the one or more candidate navigation routes and corresponding autonomous features that are available for each of the one or more candidate navigation routes, wherein the user interface excludes the unsafe autonomous feature.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the set of autonomous features includes the unsafe autonomous feature further comprises:

identifying real-time data for conditions that occur along each of the one or more candidate navigation routes; and

determining that the unsafe autonomous feature is unsafe for the one or more candidate navigation routes based on the real-time data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the one or more candidate navigation routes include a first candidate navigation route and a second candidate navigation route;

determining that the unsafe autonomous feature is unsafe for the second candidate navigation route based on the real-time data for the second candidate navigation route; and

the user interface includes (1) the first candidate navigation route associated with the set of autonomous features and (2) the second candidate navigation route associated with a subset of the set of autonomous features that excludes the unsafe autonomous feature.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a selected route that is selected from one or more candidate navigation routes; and

during a journey that corresponds to the selected route;

engaging the corresponding autonomous features that are safe to use during the journey; and

generating an observational log that includes information about one or more of the selected route, a make and model of the vehicle, an enabled autonomous feature, an irregularity of the selected route, and sensor data captured during the journey.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the user interface includes an option for disengaging each autonomous feature in the set of autonomous features that are associated with the selected route.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

generating an improvement for an autonomous feature in the set of autonomous features based on the observational log.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

identifying a need for a software patch for an autonomous feature in the set of autonomous features based on the observational log.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining that the driver consistently disengages an autonomous feature in the set of autonomous features based on the observational log; and

determining that the autonomous feature should be discontinued based on lack of driver interest.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the set of autonomous features includes a new autonomous feature, the new autonomous feature is determined to be safe based on real-world data indicating optimal travel conditions, and the observational log includes details about real-world testing of the new autonomous feature.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes (1) a map and an estimated travel time for each of the one or more candidate navigation routes and (2) a reason why the unsafe autonomous feature was excluded.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a highly autonomous vehicle.

12. A system comprising:

an onboard vehicle computer system of a vehicle that includes a non-transitory memory storing computer code which, when executed by the onboard vehicle computer system causes the onboard vehicle computer system to;

generate one or more candidate navigation routes for a driver of the vehicle, wherein the one or more candidate navigation routes each include a start point and an end point;

determine a set of autonomous features to be provided by the vehicle for each of the one or more candidate navigation routes;

determine that the set of autonomous features includes an unsafe autonomous feature that is not safe to use during any part between the start point and the end point of the one or more candidate navigation routes; and

display, on an electronic display, a user interface that includes the one or more candidate navigation routes and corresponding autonomous features that are available for each of the one or more candidate navigation routes, wherein the user interface excludes the unsafe autonomous feature.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising an autonomous features server that generates autonomous features data describing the set of autonomous features, wherein the onboard vehicle computer system determines that the set of autonomous features includes the unsafe autonomous feature based on the autonomous features data.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein:

generating the autonomous features data comprises identifying real-time data for conditions that occur along each of the one or more candidate navigation routes and generating the autonomous features data based on the real-time data.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the one or more candidate navigation routes include a first candidate navigation route and a second candidate navigation route;

determining that the unsafe autonomous feature is unsafe for the second candidate navigation route is based on the real-time data for the second candidate navigation route; and

the user interface includes (1) the first candidate navigation route associated with the set of autonomous features and (2) the second candidate navigation route associated with a subset of the set of autonomous features that excludes the unsafe autonomous feature.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the computer code further causes the onboard vehicle computer system to:

receive a selected route that is selected from one or more candidate navigation routes; and

during a journey that corresponds to the selected route;

engage the corresponding autonomous features that are safe to use during the journey; and

generate an observational log that includes information about one or more of the selected route, a make and model of the vehicle, an enabled autonomous feature, an irregularity of the selected route, and sensor data captured during the journey.

17. A non-transitory memory encoded with a computer program, the computer program comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

generating one or more candidate navigation routes for a driver of a vehicle, wherein the one or more candidate navigation routes each include a start point and an end point;

determining a set of autonomous features to be provided by the vehicle for each of the one or more candidate navigation routes;

determining that the set of autonomous features includes an unsafe autonomous feature that is not safe to use during any part between the start point and the end point of the one or more candidate navigation routes; and

displaying, on an electronic display, a user interface that includes the one or more candidate navigation routes and corresponding autonomous features that are available for each of the one or more candidate navigation routes, wherein the user interface excludes the unsafe autonomous feature.

18. The non-transitory memory of claim 17, wherein determining that the set of autonomous features includes the unsafe autonomous feature further comprises:

identifying real-time data for conditions that occur along each of the one or more candidate navigation routes; and

determining that the unsafe autonomous feature is unsafe for the one or more candidate navigation routes based on the real-time data.

19. The non-transitory memory of claim 18, wherein:

the one or more candidate navigation routes include a first candidate navigation route and a second candidate navigation route;

determining that the unsafe autonomous feature is unsafe for the second candidate navigation route is based on the real-time data for the second candidate navigation route; and

the user interface includes (1) the first candidate navigation route associated with the set of autonomous features and (2) the second candidate navigation route associated with a subset of the set of autonomous features that excludes the unsafe autonomous feature.

20. The non-transitory memory of claim 17, further comprising additional instructions stored on the non-transitory memory which, when executed by the one or more processors causes the one or more processors to execute additional operations comprising:

receiving a selected route that is selected from one or more candidate navigation routes; and

during a journey that corresponds to the selected route;

engaging the corresponding autonomous features that are safe to use during the journey; and

generating an observational log that includes information about one or more of the selected route, a make and model of the vehicle, an enabled autonomous feature, an irregularity of the selected route, and sensor data captured during the journey.

21. A method comprising:

receiving navigation route data from a vehicle that describes candidate navigation routes that each include a start point and an end point;

determining autonomous features data that describe a set of autonomous features to be provided by the vehicle for the candidate navigation routes, wherein the set of autonomous features includes an unsafe autonomous feature that is not safe to use during any part between the start point and the end point of one or more of the candidate navigation routes;

providing the autonomous features data to the vehicle; and

receiving observational log data from the vehicle that includes information about one or more of a make and model of the vehicle, a selected route, a success or failure of each enabled autonomous feature, an irregularity of the selected route, and sensor data captured during a journey associated with the selected route.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein a classifier is used to determine the autonomous features data and further comprising:

updating the classifier based on the observational log data.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving real-time data for conditions that occur along each of the candidate navigation routes; and

wherein determining the autonomous features data is further based on the real-time data and the real-time data includes one or more of weather data, traffic accident data, navigation route data, and construction data.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein:

the candidate navigation routes include a first candidate navigation route and a second candidate navigation route;

determining that the unsafe autonomous feature is unsafe for the second candidate navigation route is based on the real-time data for the second candidate navigation route; and

the vehicle provides a driver of the vehicle with a user interface that includes (1) the first candidate navigation route associated with the set of autonomous features and (2) the second candidate navigation route associated with a subset of the set of autonomous features that excludes the unsafe autonomous feature.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein determining the autonomous features data is based on an autonomous features data structure that includes features data that describe, for each autonomous feature included in the vehicle:

(1) each driving scenario that have been certified for using accurate real-world testing; and

(2) any driving scenarios that are known to be unsafe or likely to be unsafe.