Method for controlling manual driving mode of autonomous vehicle

• US 10,252,722 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2017
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Inventors: Hwang, Sang Woo, Cho, Hyeon Seok, Lee, Byung Rim, Park, Young Dae, Kim, Min Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby, Richard M
• Application Number:
  US15/804,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20180362043A1
• Time in Patent Office: 519 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/20 Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/207 Steering angle of wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/30 Auxiliary equipments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/182 Selecting between different operative modes, e.g. comfort and performance modes
• 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: 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: B62D 15/025 Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation B62D1/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/007 adjustable by the driver, e.g. sport mode
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00

Abstract

A method for controlling a manual driving mode includes manual mode detecting step detecting whether a vehicle switched from autonomous to manual mode; first step controlling angle of tire and steering angle of a steering wheel using travel route information when switching to manual mode is detected; delay time determination step determining a delay time of change of the angle of the tire with change of the steering angle of the steering wheel by the change in the angle of the tire with the change in the steering angle of the steering wheel for predetermined time; delay time comparison step comparing the determined delay time with predetermined time period; second step controlling only the steering angle of the steering wheel using travel route information when delay time is within the predetermined time period; and third step controlling angle of the tire by steering angle of the steering wheel.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a manual driving mode of an autonomous vehicle, the method comprising:

a manual mode detecting step wherein a controller is configured to detect whether the vehicle is switched from an autonomous driving mode to the manual driving mode;

a first control step wherein the controller is configured to control an angle of a tire and a steering angle of a steering wheel based on travel route information when switching to the manual driving mode is detected as a result of the manual mode detecting step;

a delay time determination step wherein the controller is configured to determine a delay time of a change of the angle of the tire with respect to a change of the steering angle of the steering wheel by comparing the change in the angle of the tire with the change in the steering angle of the steering wheel for a predetermined time period after the first control step;

a delay time comparison step wherein the controller is configured to compare the determined delay time with a predetermined time period after the delay time determination step;

a second control step wherein the controller is configured to control only the steering angle of the steering wheel based on the travel route information when the delay time is within the predetermined time period as a result of the delay time comparison step; and

a third control step wherein the controller is configured to control the angle of the tire based on the steering angle of the steering wheel controlled through the second control step.

2. The method according to claim 1, further including:

a driver operation detecting step wherein the controller is configured to detect whether the steering wheel is operated by a driver after the third control step; and

a manual driving mode execution step wherein the controller is configured to terminate, when operation of the steering wheel by the driver is detected as a result of the driver operation detecting step, control of the steering angle of the steering wheel using the travel route information and controlling the angle of the tire according to the steering angle of the steering wheel.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, in performing the driver operation detecting step, the controller is configured to detect a torque value of the steering wheel and detects, when the detected torque value deviates from a predetermined torque map, that the steering wheel is operated by the driver.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein, when operation of the steering wheel by the driver is detected as a result of the driver operation detecting step, the controller is configured to perform the second control step again.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to operate a notification device from an initial time of execution of the first control step to a time before execution of the second control step to let a driver recognize that the vehicle is being switched to the manual driving mode.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein, when the delay time is not within the predetermined time period as the result of the delay time comparison step, the controller is configured to perform the first control step again.