SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING MISUSE OF AUTONOMOUS DRIVING

• US 20130131907A1
• Filed: 11/16/2012
• Published: 05/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: GREEN, CHARLES A., SALINGER, JEREMY A., RAPHAEL, ERIC L., TSIMHONI, OMER
• Application Number:
  US13/678,652
• Publication Number:
  US 20130131907A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/23
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/066 actuating a signalling device B60K28/063 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/22 Psychological state; Stress level or workload
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0055 with safety arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/00 Traffic control systems for road vehicles arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 ; automatic vehicle control B62D

Abstract

A method and system may prevent misuse of an autonomous driving system by providing at least one prompt at least one prompt for a driver of a vehicle. A sensor may whether the driver responds to the prompt. A processor may determine whether the driver exercises sufficient supervisory control of the vehicle, based on whether the driver responds to the prompt. The processor may disengage the autonomous driving system if the driver fails to exercise sufficient supervisory control of the vehicle. The processor may further reduce the vehicle'"'"'s speed if the driver continues to misuse the autonomous driving system.

Claims

1. A method for driver attention management, comprising:

for an autonomous driving system, providing at least one prompt for a driver of a vehicle;

detecting, by a sensor, how the driver responds to the prompt;

determining, by a processor, whether the driver exercises sufficient supervisory control of the vehicle, based on how the driver responds to the prompt; and

reducing a speed of the vehicle and temporarily preventing driver acceleration if the driver fails to exercise sufficient supervisory control of the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

providing a first prompt for the driver;

determining whether the driver exercises sufficient supervisory control of the vehicle according to the driver'"'"'s response to the first prompt;

providing a second prompt for the driver, if the driver fails to exercise sufficient supervisory control of the vehicle according to the driver'"'"'s response to the first prompt; and

reducing a speed of the vehicle and preventing driver acceleration if the driver fails to exercise sufficient supervisory control of the vehicle according to the driver'"'"'s response to the second prompt;

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second prompt is more intrusive to the driver than the first prompt.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising after the driver has regained control of the vehicle, preventing the autonomous driving system from engaging for a predetermined period of time.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising after the driver has regained control of the vehicle, preventing the autonomous driving system from engaging until a next ignition cycle.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising reducing a speed of the vehicle if it is determined that the driver fails to exercise sufficient supervisory control of the vehicle after disengagement of the autonomous driving system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the driver exercises sufficient supervisory control of the vehicle is based on a level of autonomy employed by the autonomous driving system.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the level of autonomy employed by the autonomous driving system is based on external driving conditions, including lane conditions, nearby drivers, or weather conditions.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting how the driver responds to the prompt comprises detecting behavioral characteristics of the driver, including head movement, eye movement, body movement, or interactions with the vehicle.

10. An autonomous driving system, comprising:

a prompter to provide at least one prompt for a driver of a vehicle;

a sensor to detect whether the driver responds to the prompt;

a processor;

to determine whether the driver exercises sufficient supervisory control of the vehicle, based on whether the driver responds to the prompt; and

to reduce a speed of the vehicle and temporarily prevent driver acceleration if the driver fails to exercise sufficient supervisory control of the vehicle.

11. The autonomous driving system of claim 10, wherein:

the prompter is to provide a first prompt for the driver;

the process is to determine whether the driver exercises sufficient supervisory control of the vehicle according to the driver'"'"'s response to the first prompt;

the prompter is to further provide a second prompt for the driver, if processor determines that the driver fails to exercise sufficient supervisory control of the vehicle according to the driver'"'"'s response to the first prompt; and

the processor is further to reduce a speed of the vehicle and temporarily prevent driver acceleration if the driver fails to exercise sufficient supervisory control of the vehicle according to the driver'"'"'s response to the second prompt.

13. The autonomous driving system of claim 12, wherein the second prompt is more intrusive to the driver than the first prompt.

14. The autonomous driving system of claim 12, wherein the processor is to reduce a speed of the vehicle if the processor determines that the driver fails to exercise sufficient supervisory control of the vehicle after disengagement of the autonomous driving system.

15. The autonomous driving system of claim 12, wherein after the driver has regained control of the vehicle, the processor is to preventing the autonomous driving system from engaging until a next ignition cycle.

16. A driving apparatus, comprising:

a prompting system to prompt a driver at varying levels of intrusiveness;

a sensing system to detect the driver'"'"'s characteristics in response to prompts from the prompting system and to determine whether the driver exercises sufficient supervisory control of a vehicle;

a limited-ability autonomous driving system;

a processor to reduce the speed of the vehicle and temporarily prevent driver acceleration if the sensing system determines, based on the driver'"'"'s characteristics in response to the prompts, that the driver fails to exercise sufficient supervisory control of the vehicle.

17. The driving apparatus of claim 16, wherein the prompting system includes visual, audio, and haptic cues.

18. The driving apparatus of claim 16, wherein the sensing system is to detect behavioral characteristics of the driver, including head movement, eye movement, body movement, or interactions with the vehicle.

19. The driving apparatus of claim 16, wherein after the driver has regained control of the vehicle, the processor is to prevent the limited-ability autonomous driving system from engaging until a next ignition cycle of the vehicle.