Method for conveying information during an autonomous drive and vehicular information presenting device

• US 10,399,576 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2018
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Suzuki, Yukio, Nagahashi, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Blount, Eric
• Application Number:
  US16/157,352
• Publication Number:
  US 20190111943A1
• Time in Patent Office: 327 Days
• Field of Search: 340438, 340575, 340576
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/04 including control of propulsion units
• 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 2050/0071 Controller overrides driver automatically
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4041 Position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/80 Spatial relation or speed relative to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/801 Lateral distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/60 Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/18 Braking system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/20 Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/30 Auxiliary equipments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0055 only part of driving tasks shifted to occupants
• 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

Until a lapse of a prescribed time from switching to a manual drive mode, a special judgment criterion for judging whether to generate an attention-arousing event is employed so that an attention-arousing event is generated more frequently than in an ordinary state and information is presented to a driver in a different expression form than in the ordinary situation. Since after occurrence of a handover the frequency of arousing attention of the driver is increased and attention of the driver is aroused in a different form, the driver realizes the switching to the manual drive mode soon and hence mode confusion can be avoided. Arousing attention of the driver is started earlier than in the ordinary situation by changing the judgment criterion for judging whether to generate an attention-arousing event.

Claims

1. A method for conveying information during an autonomous drive which presents information to a driver in a vehicle having, as running states, two or more states that are different from each other in the degree of involvement of the driver in drive control, wherein:

the running states include a first state in which the drive control is performed automatically and a second state that is higher in the degree of involvement of the driver in drive control than the first state;

when switching is made from the first state to the second state, the frequency of arousing attention of the driver is increased by changing a judgment criterion for detecting an event that necessitates arousing attention of the driver until a prescribed condition is satisfied; and

when the event is detected, attention-arousing information is conveyed to the driver using an output device that stimulates at least one of the five senses of the driver.

2. The method for conveying information during an autonomous drive according to claim 1, wherein the output form of the attention-arousing information that is conveyed to the driver upon detection of the event is switched between a first output form to be employed before the frequency of arousing attention of the driver is increased and a second output form to be employed after the frequency of arousing attention of the driver is increased.

3. The method for conveying information during an autonomous drive according to claim 2, wherein the attention-arousing information is conveyed to the driver with earlier timing in the second output form than in the first output form.

4. The method for conveying information during an autonomous drive according to claim 2, wherein the second output form is such that an explicit message is output in addition to attention-arousing information that is output in the first output form.

5. The method for conveying information during an autonomous drive according to claim 2, wherein attention-arousing information that is output in the second output form is an emphasized version of attention-arousing information that is output in the first output form.

6. A vehicular information presenting device for presenting information to a driver in a vehicle having, as running states, two or more states that are different from each other in the degree of involvement of the driver in drive control, wherein:

the running states include a first state in which the drive control is performed automatically and a second state that is higher in the degree of involvement of the driver in drive control than the first state; and

the vehicular information presenting device comprises an information output control unit which outputs information relating to an event that necessitates arousing of attention of the driver, the vehicular information presenting device

increasing the frequency of arousing attention of the driver by changing a judgment criterion for detecting an event that necessitates arousing attention of the driver until a prescribed condition is satisfied, when switching is made from the first state to the second state; and

conveying attention-arousing information to the driver using an output device that stimulates at least one of the five senses of the driver, when the event is detected.