Safe warning system for automatic driving takeover and safe warning method thereof

• US 10,642,266 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2017
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Automotive Research & Testing Center
• Original Assignee: Automotive Research & Testing Center
• Inventors: Tsai, Hung-Yih, Liang, Chih-Neng
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US15/857,581
• Publication Number:
  US 20190204826A1
• Time in Patent Office: 859 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/175 Autonomous driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/178 Warnings
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/592 Data transfer involving external databases
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/00 Vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator fittings acting on two or more sub-units B60W30/14; speedometers G01P; systems or devices for controlling speed in general G05D13/00 ; in traffic anti-collision system for road vehicles G08G1/16
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• 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 35/85 Arrangements for transferring vehicle- or driver-related data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• 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: G05D 1/0061 for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa

Abstract

A safe warning system for automatic driving takeover includes a sensing unit, a wireless communicating unit, a driver detecting unit, a system self-testing unit, a human-machine interaction computing unit and an interface warning unit. The sensing unit senses an environmental condition to generate an environmental condition datum. The wireless communicating unit receives a cloud datum to generate a field status datum. The driver detecting unit detects the driver to generate a driver controlling datum. The system self-testing unit detects the sensing unit, the wireless communicating unit and the driver detecting unit to generate a system testing datum. The human-machine interaction computing unit receives and computes the environmental condition datum, the field status datum, the driver controlling datum and the system testing datum to generate an interface warning datum. The interface warning unit receives the interface warning datum and shows a warning signal to the driver.

Claims

1. A safe warning system for automatic driving takeover, which is disposed on a vehicle to warn a driver, the safe warning system for automatic driving takeover comprising:

a sensing unit disposed on the vehicle, wherein the sensing unit is configured for sensing an environmental condition of the vehicle to generate an environmental condition datum;

a wireless communicating unit disposed on the vehicle, wherein the wireless communicating unit is configured for receiving a cloud datum to generate a field status datum according to the cloud datum;

a driver detecting unit disposed on the vehicle and corresponding to the driver, wherein the driver detecting unit is configured for detecting the driver to generate a driver controlling datum;

a system self-testing unit disposed on the vehicle and signally connected to the sensing unit, the wireless communicating unit and the driver detecting unit, wherein the system self-testing unit is configured for detecting the sensing unit, the wireless communicating unit and the driver detecting unit to generate a system testing datum;

a human-machine interaction computing unit signally connected to the sensing unit, the wireless communicating unit, the driver detecting unit and the system self-testing unit, wherein the human-machine interaction computing unit receives and computes the environmental condition datum, the field status datum, the driver controlling datum and the system testing datum to generate a driving takeover time margin and a driving takeover time, and the human-machine interaction computing unit compares the driving takeover time margin and the driving takeover time to generate an interface warning datum; and

an interface warning unit signally connected to the human-machine interaction computing unit, wherein the interface warning unit receives the interface warning datum and shows a warning signal to the driver according to the interface warning datum.

2. The safe warning system for automatic driving takeover of claim 1, wherein the human-machine interaction computing unit analyzes the environmental condition datum, the field status datum, the driver controlling datum and the system testing datum to generate an emergency level, and the emergency level comprises a non-emergency level, a low emergency level, a medium emergency level and a high emergency level.

3. The safe warning system for automatic driving takeover of claim 2, further comprising:

a controlling unit signally connected to the human-machine interaction computing unit, wherein the controlling unit regulates the vehicle according to a comparing result of the driving takeover time margin and the driving takeover time;

wherein when the emergency level is the low emergency level, the medium emergency level or the high emergency level and the driving takeover time margin is less than or equal to the driving takeover time, the human-machine interaction computing unit transmits a speed adjusting signal to the controlling unit, and the controlling unit regulates a braking of the vehicle according to the speed adjusting signal so as to reduce a speed of the vehicle.

4. The safe warning system for automatic driving takeover of claim 1, wherein the driving takeover time margin comprises a driving takeover distance and a speed, the driving takeover distance is D, the speed is V, the driving takeover time margin is T_T.B1, and the following equation is satisfied:

T_T.B1=D/V.

5. The safe warning system for automatic driving takeover of claim 2, wherein,

the interface warning unit stores a first predetermined image frequency, a second predetermined image frequency, a first predetermined sound frequency, a second predetermined sound frequency, a first predetermined volume and a second predetermined volume, the warning signal of the interface warning unit comprises an image warning signal and a sound warning signal, the image warning signal has an image warning frequency, and the sound warning signal has a sound warning frequency and a warning volume;

when the emergency level is the low emergency level, the image warning frequency is less than or equal to the first predetermined image frequency, the sound warning frequency is less than or equal to the first predetermined sound frequency, and the warning volume is less than or equal to the first predetermined volume;

when the emergency level is the medium emergency level, the image warning frequency is greater than the first predetermined image frequency and less than or equal to the second predetermined image frequency, the sound warning frequency is greater than the first predetermined sound frequency and less than or equal to the second predetermined sound frequency, and the warning volume is greater than the first predetermined volume and less than or equal to the second predetermined volume; and

when the emergency level is the high emergency level, the image warning frequency is greater than the second predetermined image frequency, the sound warning frequency is greater than the second predetermined sound frequency, and the warning volume is greater than the second predetermined volume;

wherein the first predetermined image frequency is less than the second predetermined image frequency, the first predetermined sound frequency is less than the second predetermined sound frequency, and the first predetermined volume is less than the second predetermined volume.

6. The safe warning system for automatic driving takeover of claim 1, wherein the interface warning unit receives and displays the driving takeover time margin and the driving takeover time from the human-machine interaction computing unit.

7. The safe warning system for automatic driving takeover of claim 1, wherein the driving takeover time comprises a surrounding traffic condition time, a surrounding traffic condition weight, a learning effect time, a learning effect weight, a driving status time, a driving status weight, a drive controlling transfer time and a drive controlling transfer weight, the surrounding traffic condition time is T_T.D, the surrounding traffic condition weight is W_T.D, the learning effect time is T_L.E, the learning effect weight is W_L.E, the driving status time is T_EOR, the driving status weight is W_EOR, the drive controlling transfer time is T_C.T, the drive controlling transfer weight is W_C.T, the driving takeover time is T_T.B2, and the following equation is satisfied:

T_T.B2=W_T.D×

T_T.D+W_L.E×

T_L.E+W_EOR×

T_EOR+W_C.T×

T_C.T

8. A safe warning method for automatic driving takeover, which is for warning a driver in a vehicle, the safe warning method for automatic driving takeover comprising:

providing an environmental sensing step, wherein the environmental sensing step is for driving a sensing unit to sense an environmental condition of the vehicle so as to generate an environmental condition datum;

providing a wireless communicating step, wherein the wireless communicating step is for driving a wireless communicating unit to receive a cloud datum so as to generate a field status datum according to the cloud datum;

providing a driver detecting step, wherein the driver detecting step is for driving a driver detecting unit to detect the driver so as to generate a driver controlling datum;

providing a system self-testing step, wherein the system self-testing step is for driving a system self-testing unit to detect the sensing unit, the wireless communicating unit and the driver detecting unit so as to generate a system testing datum;

providing a human-machine interaction computing step, wherein the human-machine interaction computing step is for driving a human-machine interaction computing unit to receive and compute the environmental condition datum, the field status datum, the driver controlling datum and the system testing datum so as to generate a driving takeover time margin and a driving takeover time, and driving the human-machine interaction computing unit to compare the driving takeover time margin and the driving takeover time so as to generate an interface warning datum; and

providing a warning step, wherein the warning step is for driving an interface warning unit to receive the interface warning datum so as to show a warning signal to the driver according to the interface warning datum.

9. The safe warning method for automatic driving takeover of claim 8, wherein,

in the human-machine interaction computing step, the human-machine interaction computing unit analyzes the environmental condition datum, the field status datum, the driver controlling datum and the system testing datum to generate an emergency level, and the emergency level comprises a non-emergency level, a low emergency level, a medium emergency level and a high emergency level.

10. The safe warning method for automatic driving takeover of claim 9, further comprising:

providing a vehicle controlling step, wherein the vehicle controlling step is for driving a controlling unit to regulate the vehicle according to a comparing result of the driving takeover time margin and the driving takeover time;

wherein when the emergency level is the low emergency level, the medium emergency level or the high emergency level and the driving takeover time margin is less than or equal to the driving takeover time, the human-machine interaction computing unit transmits a speed adjusting signal to the controlling unit, and the controlling unit regulates a braking of the vehicle according to the speed adjusting signal so as to reduce a speed of the vehicle.

11. The safe warning method for automatic driving takeover of claim 8, wherein,

in the human-machine interaction computing step, the driving takeover time margin comprises a driving takeover distance and a speed, the driving takeover distance is D, the speed is V, the driving takeover time margin is T_T.B1, and the following equation is satisfied:

T_T.B1=D/V.

12. The safe warning method for automatic driving takeover of claim 9, wherein,

in warning step, the interface warning unit stores a first predetermined image frequency, a second predetermined image frequency, a first predetermined sound frequency, a second predetermined sound frequency, a first predetermined volume and a second predetermined volume, the warning signal of the interface warning unit comprises an image warning signal and a sound warning signal, the image warning signal has an image warning frequency, and the sound warning signal has a sound warning frequency and a warning volume;

when the emergency level is the low emergency level, the image warning frequency is less than or equal to the first predetermined image frequency, the sound warning frequency is less than or equal to the first predetermined sound frequency, and the warning volume is less than or equal to the first predetermined volume;

when the emergency level is the medium emergency level, the image warning frequency is greater than the first predetermined image frequency and less than or equal to the second predetermined image frequency, the sound warning frequency is greater than the first predetermined sound frequency and less than or equal to the second predetermined sound frequency, and the warning volume is greater than the first predetermined volume and less than or equal to the second predetermined volume; and

when the emergency level is the high emergency level, the image warning frequency is greater than the second predetermined image frequency, the sound warning frequency is greater than the second predetermined sound frequency, and the warning volume is greater than the second predetermined volume;

wherein the first predetermined image frequency is less than the second predetermined image frequency, the first predetermined sound frequency is less than the second predetermined sound frequency, and the first predetermined volume is less than the second predetermined volume.

13. The safe warning method for automatic driving takeover of claim 8, wherein,

in the warning step, the interface warning unit receives and displays the driving takeover time margin and the driving takeover time from the human-machine interaction computing unit.

14. The safe warning method for automatic driving takeover of claim 8, wherein the driving takeover time comprises a surrounding traffic condition time, a surrounding traffic condition weight, a learning effect time, a learning effect weight, a driving status time, a driving status weight, a drive controlling transfer time and a drive controlling transfer weight, the surrounding traffic condition time is T_T.D, the surrounding traffic condition weight is W_T.D, the learning effect time is T_L.E, the learning effect weight is W_L.E, the driving status time is T_EOR, the driving status weight is W_EOR, the drive controlling transfer time is T_C.T, the drive controlling transfer weight is W_C.T, the driving takeover time is T_T.B2, and the following equation is satisfied:

T_T.B2=W_T.D×

T_T.D+W_L.E×

T_L.E+W_EOR×

T_EOR+W_C.T×

T_C.T.