Driving assistance apparatus and driving assistance method

• US 10,449,856 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2017
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kojima, Yoshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Amin, Bhavesh V
• Application Number:
  US15/607,992
• Publication Number:
  US 20170368936A1
• Time in Patent Office: 875 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/175 Autonomous driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1868 according to driving situations
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/566 Mobile devices displaying vehicle information
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/06 responsive to incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/29 Instruments characterised by the way in which information is handled, e.g. showing information on plural displays or prioritising information according to driving conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/80 Arrangements for controlling instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0827 due to sleepiness
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0872 Driver physiology
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0072 Controller asks driver to take over
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/54 Audio sensitive means, e.g. ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/21 Voice
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/22 Psychological state; Stress level or workload
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/221 Physiology, e.g. weight, heartbeat, health or special needs
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/223 Posture, e.g. hand, foot, or seat position, turned or inclined
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/225 Direction of gaze
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/229 Attention level, e.g. attentive to driving, reading or sleeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/26 : Incapacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 : Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/406 : Traffic density
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/80 : Spatial relation or speed relative to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/00 : Input parameters relating to exterior conditions, not covered by groups B60W2552/00, B60W2554/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 : of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/182 : Selecting between different operative modes, e.g. comfort and performance modes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/06 : Road conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 : related to drivers or passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 : Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/082 : Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling
• 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: B60W 60/0057 : Estimation of the time available or required for the handover
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0059 : Estimation of the risk associated with autonomous or manual driving, e.g. situation too complex, sensor failure or driver incapacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0061 : Aborting handover process
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 : for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa

Abstract

Provided is a method for use by a driving assistance apparatus that assists a transition from an autonomous driving mode in which a vehicle is driven under autonomous control to a manual driving mode in which the vehicle is driven by a driver. The method includes: detecting an activity by the driver; detecting conditions of the driver; and determining a take-over request method which is a method of presenting, in the vehicle, a take-over request that informs the driver that the autonomous driving mode is going to be cancelled, the determining being based on at least the detected activity by the driver and the detected conditions.

Claims

1. A driving assistance apparatus that assists a transition from an autonomous driving mode in which a vehicle is driven under autonomous control to a manual driving mode in which the vehicle is driven by a driver, comprising:

one or more memories; and

circuitry that, in operation, performs operations including

detecting an activity by the driver,

detecting a plurality of conditions of the driver, that include a level of concentration of the driver, and

determining a take-over request method which is a method of presenting, in the vehicle, a take-over request that informs the driver that the autonomous driving mode is going to be cancelled, the determining being based on at least the detected activity by the driver and the plurality of detected conditions, wherein

the determining includes, if the detected activity by the driver is a specific activity, determining the take-over request method so that the take-over request is highlighted depending on the detected level of concentration.

2. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the determining includes determining the take-over request method so that timing to start presenting the take-over request is advanced depending on the detected level of concentration.

3. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of conditions include a physiological condition of the driver.

4. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the determining includes determining at least one of timing to start presenting the take-over request, content to present in the take-over request, and a device to use to present the take-over request.

5. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor that senses information on the driver in the moving vehicle, wherein

the detecting an activity by the driver includes detecting the activity by the driver based on the sensed information, and

the detecting a plurality of the conditions includes detecting the plurality of conditions based on the sensed information.

6. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the sensor includes at least one of a first camera that captures an image of an inside of the vehicle, a microphone that picks up sound in the vehicle, a vehicle-mounted device interface that receives information from a device mounted in the vehicle, a heartbeat sensor, a blood pressure sensor, and a body movement sensor.

7. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the operations further include

acquiring driving information indicating driving conditions of the vehicle, and

during the autonomous driving mode, determining based on the driving information whether the autonomous driving mode is continuable for a predetermined period of time or longer, and

the determining includes determining the take-over request method when it is determined that the autonomous driving mode is not continuable for the predetermined period of time or longer.

8. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the driving information includes information on the vehicle speed, information on the vehicle position, and surrounding environment information indicating an environment around the vehicle.

9. A driving assistance apparatus that assists a transition from an autonomous driving mode in which a vehicle is driven under autonomous control to a manual driving mode in which the vehicle is driven by a driver, comprising:

one or more memories; and

circuitry that, in operation, performs operations including

acquiring driving information indicating driving conditions of the vehicle,

detecting an activity by the driver,

detecting a plurality of conditions of the driver,

during the autonomous driving mode, determining, based on the driving information, whether the autonomous driving mode is continuable for a predetermined period of time or longer, and

when it is determined that the autonomous driving mode is not continuable for the predetermined period of time or longer, determining, based on at least the detected activity and the detected conditions, a method of presenting a take-over request that informs the driver that the autonomous driving mode is going to be cancelled, wherein

the driving information includes information on the vehicle speed, information on the vehicle position, and surrounding environment information indicating an environment around the vehicle, and

the surrounding environment information includes information indicating a situation of any other vehicle existing around the vehicle.

11. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of conditions include a physiological condition of the driver.

12. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of conditions include a psychological condition of the driver.

10. A driving assistance apparatus that assists a transition from an autonomous driving mode in which a vehicle is driven under autonomous control to a manual driving mode in which the vehicle is driven by a driver, comprising:

one or more memories; and

circuitry that, in operation, performs operations including

acquiring driving information indicating driving conditions of the vehicle,

detecting an activity by the driver,

detecting a plurality of conditions of the driver,

during the autonomous driving mode, determining, based on the driving information, whether the autonomous driving mode is continuable for a predetermined period of time or longer, and

when it is determined that the autonomous driving mode is not continuable for the predetermined period of time or longer, determining, based on at least the detected activity and the detected conditions, a method of presenting a take-over request that informs the driver that the autonomous driving mode is going to be cancelled,

wherein

the driving information includes information on the vehicle speed, information on the vehicle position, and surrounding environment information indicating an environment around the vehicle, and

the surrounding environment information is acquired from an image of an outside of the vehicle, the image having been captured by a camera mounted on the vehicle.

13. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of conditions include a physiological condition of the driver.

14. The driving assistance apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of conditions include a psychological condition of the driver.