Driver training system

• US 10,246,101 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2017
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: She, Eric, Lauffer, Scott J., Abdallah, Ali
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Application Number:
  US15/404,605
• Publication Number:
  US 20180194362A1
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0809 Driver authorisation; Driver identity check
• 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 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 related to drivers or passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/12 Limiting control by the driver depending on vehicle state, e.g. interlocking means for the control input for preventing unsafe operation
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0217 in accordance with energy consumption, time reduction or distance reduction criteria
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles

Abstract

A computer in a vehicle is programmed to operate a vehicle along a predefined course according to predetermined criteria, record an optimal path through the predefined course based on operation of the vehicle according to the predetermined criteria, monitor operation of at least one vehicle control while the vehicle is operated by a human driver along the predefined course, and actuate the at least one vehicle control based on a predetermined deviance from the optimal path.

Claims

1. A computer programmed to:

autonomously operate a vehicle along a predefined course according to predetermined criteria;

simultaneously record an optimal path through the predefined course based on operation of the vehicle according to the predetermined criteria;

then monitor operation of at least one vehicle control while the vehicle is operated by a human driver along the predefined course; and

while monitoring, actuate the at least one vehicle control based on a predetermined deviance from the recorded optimal path.

2. The computer of claim 1, wherein the optimal path includes a sequence of positions relative to the predefined course.

3. The computer of claim 2, wherein the optimal path includes a sequence of speeds and accelerations respectively corresponding to the positions.

4. The computer of claim 3, wherein the optimal path includes a sequence of steering-wheel angles respectively corresponding to the positions.

5. The computer of claim 1, wherein the at least one vehicle control is at least one of a brake pedal, an accelerator pedal, and a steering wheel.

6. The computer of claim 1, further programmed to receive a selection of the predetermined criteria, and select the optimal path based on the selection of the predetermined criteria.

7. The computer of claim 6, wherein the predetermined criteria include one of speed, comfort, and safety.

8. The computer of claim 1, wherein a level of actuation of the actuator is based on a magnitude of an actual deviance from the optimal path.

9. The computer of claim 1, wherein a level of actuation of the actuator is based on a profile of the human driver.

10. The computer of claim 9, wherein the profile includes monitored paths through the predefined course with the vehicle operated by the human driver.

11. The computer of claim 1, further programmed to receive a selection of an operation mode from a fully autonomous mode in which the human driver is prohibited from operating any vehicle controls, a nonautonomous mode in which the at least one actuator is prevented from actuating, and a shared mode in which the human driver is permitted to operate at least one vehicle control and in which the at least one actuator is permitted to actuate.

12. A method comprising:

autonomously operating a vehicle along a predefined course according to predetermined criteria;

simultaneously recording an optimal path through the predefined course based on operation of the vehicle according to the predetermined criteria;

then monitoring operation of a vehicle control while the vehicle is operated by a human driver along the predefined course; and

while monitoring, actuating the vehicle control based on a predetermined deviance from the optimal path.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the optimal path includes a sequence of respective positions relative to the predefined course, speeds, accelerations, and steering-wheel angles.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one vehicle control is at least one of a brake pedal, an accelerator pedal, and a steering wheel.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving a selection of the predetermined criteria, and selecting the optimal path based on the selection of the predetermined criteria.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the predetermined criteria includes one of speed, comfort, and safety.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein a level of actuation of the actuator is based on a magnitude of an actual deviance from the recorded path.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein a level of actuation of the actuator is based on a profile of the human driver.

19. A vehicle comprising:

a vehicle control;

an actuator coupled to the vehicle control; and

a computer in communication with the actuator and programmed to autonomously operate a vehicle along a predefined course according to predetermined criteria, simultaneously record an optimal path through the predefined course based on operation of the vehicle according to the predetermined criteria, then monitor operation of the vehicle control while the vehicle is operated by a human driver along the predefined course, and while monitoring, instruct the actuator to actuate based on a predetermined deviance from the optimal path.

20. The vehicle of claim 19, wherein the vehicle control is a brake pedal;

further comprising an accelerator pedal, a steering wheel, a second actuator coupled to the accelerator pedal, and a third actuator coupled to the steering wheel;

wherein the computer is in communication with the second and third actuators and is programmed to monitor operation of the accelerator pedal and the steering wheel while the vehicle is operated by a human driver along the predefined course, and instruct the second and third actuators to actuate based on the predetermined deviance from the optimal path.