AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE INTERACTION WITH EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT

• US 20160167648A1
• Filed: 12/11/2014
• Published: 06/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: James, Michael R., Prokhorov, Danil V.
• Granted Patent: US 9,855,890 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/146 Instrument input by gesture
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/175 Autonomous driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/334 Projection means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/797 at the vehicle exterior
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• 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 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/50 for indicating other intentions or conditions, e.g. request for waiting or overtaking
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/5035 electronic displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/507 specific to autonomous vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/525 automatically indicating risk of collision between vehicles in traffic or with pedestrians, e.g. after risk assessment using the vehicle sensor data
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/547 for issuing requests to other traffic participants; for confirming to other traffic participants they can proceed, e.g. they can overtake
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2400/50 Projected symbol or information, e.g. onto the road or car body
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 5/006 indicating risk of collision between vehicles or with pedestrians
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883

Abstract

Arrangements relate to the interaction between an autonomous vehicle and an external environment of the autonomous vehicle. Such interaction can occur in various ways. For example, a non-verbal human gesture in the external environment can be detected. The non-verbal human gesture can be identified. A future driving maneuver can be determined based on the identified non-verbal human gesture. The autonomous vehicle can be caused to implement the determined future driving maneuver. As another example, the external environment of the autonomous vehicle can be detected to identify a person (e.g. a human pedestrian, a human bicyclist, a human driver or occupant of another vehicle, etc.) therein. The identified person can be located. It can be determined whether the person is potentially related to a future driving maneuver of the autonomous vehicle. The autonomous vehicle can be caused to send a directional message to the person.

Claims

1. A method of interaction between an autonomous vehicle and an external environment of the autonomous vehicle, the method comprising:

detecting the external environment of the autonomous vehicle to identify a person therein;

locating the identified person;

determining whether the identified person is potentially related to a future driving maneuver of the autonomous vehicle; and

responsive to determining that the identified person is potentially related to a future driving maneuver of the autonomous vehicle, causing the autonomous vehicle to send a directional message to the person.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the directional message is a directional audial message, and wherein sending the directional message includes emitting the audial message from an external speaker of the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2, further including adjusting the position of the external speaker to be substantially aligned with the location of the identified person.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the directional message is a directional audial message, wherein the autonomous vehicle includes a plurality of external speakers, and wherein sending the audial message includes:

selecting at least one of the plurality of external speakers that is substantially aligned with the location of the identified person;

emitting the audial message on the selected at least one of the externally facing speakers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the directional message is a visual message, and wherein sending the directional message includes presenting the visual message on an externally facing display of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 5, further including adjusting the position of the externally facing display to be substantially aligned with the location of the identified person.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the directional message is a visual message, wherein the autonomous vehicle includes a plurality of displays, and wherein sending the visual message includes:

selecting at least one of the plurality of external displays that is substantially aligned with the location of the identified person;

presenting the visual message on the selected at least one of the externally facing displays.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the directional message is a visual message, and wherein sending the directional message includes projecting the visual message onto a surface of the external environment.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the directional message includes activating a humanoid figure associated with the autonomous vehicle to present a non-verbal gesture.

17. The system of claim 9, further including a projector, wherein the directional message is a visual message, and wherein sending the directional message includes:

activating the projector to project the visual message onto a surface of the external environment.

18. The system of claim 9, further including a humanoid figure associated with the autonomous vehicle, wherein sending the directional message includes activating the humanoid figure to present a non-verbal gesture.

10. A system for interaction between an autonomous vehicle and an external environment of the autonomous vehicle, the system comprising:

an autonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehicle including;

a sensor system operable to detect the external environment of the autonomous vehicle to identify a person therein and operable to locate the identified person;

a processor located onboard the vehicle, the processor being programmed to initiate executable operations comprising;

determining whether the identified person is potentially related to a future driving maneuver of the autonomous vehicle; and

responsive to determining that the person is potentially related to a future driving maneuver of the autonomous vehicle, causing the autonomous vehicle to send a directional message to the person.

11. The system of claim 10, further including an external speaker, wherein the directional message is a directional audial message, and wherein sending the directional message includes emitting the audial message from the speaker.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the speaker has an associated position, wherein the position of the speaker is adjustable, and wherein the executable operations further include:

adjusting the position of the speaker to be substantially aligned with the location of the identified person.

13. The system of claim 10, further including a plurality of external speakers, wherein the directional message is an audial message, and wherein sending the audial message includes:

selecting at least one of the plurality of external speakers that is substantially aligned with the location of the identified person;

emitting the audial message on the selected at least one of the externally facing speakers.

14. The system of claim 10, further including an external facing display, wherein the directional message is a visual message, and wherein sending the directional message includes presenting the visual message on the externally facing display.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the external facing display has an associated position, wherein the position of the external facing display is adjustable, and wherein the executable operations further include:

adjusting the position of the externally facing display to be substantially aligned with the location of the identified person.

16. The system of claim 10, further including a plurality of displays, wherein the directional message is a visual message, and wherein sending the visual message includes:

selecting at least one of the plurality of displays that is substantially aligned with the location of the identified person;

presenting the visual message on the selected at least one of the displays.

19. A computer program product for facilitating the interaction between an autonomous vehicle and an external environment of the autonomous vehicle, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:

detecting the external environment of the autonomous vehicle to identify a person therein;

locating the identified person;

determining whether the identified person is potentially related to a future driving maneuver of the autonomous vehicle; and

responsive to determining that the person is potentially related to a future driving maneuver of the autonomous vehicle, causing the autonomous vehicle to send a directional message to the person.

20. A method of interaction between an autonomous vehicle and an external environment of the autonomous vehicle, the method comprising:

detecting a non-verbal human gesture in the external environment;

identifying the detected non-verbal human gesture;

determining, using a processor, a future driving maneuver based at least in part on the identified non-verbal human gesture; and

causing the autonomous vehicle to implement the determined future driving maneuver.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein identifying the detected non-verbal human gesture includes comparing the detected non-verbal human gesture to a set of predetermined non-verbal human gestures.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the non-verbal gesture is made by a person in the external environment, and further including:

locating the person; and

causing the autonomous vehicle to send a directional message to the person.

23. A system for interaction between an autonomous vehicle and an external environment of the autonomous vehicle, the system comprising:

an autonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehicle including;

a sensor system operable to detect a non-verbal gesture made by a person in the external environment;

a processor being programmed to initiate executable operations comprising;

identifying the detected non-verbal human gesture;

determining a future driving maneuver based at least in part on the identified non-verbal human gesture; and

causing the autonomous vehicle to implement the determined future driving maneuver.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein identifying the detected non-verbal human gesture includes comparing the detected non-verbal human gesture to a set of predetermined non-verbal human gestures.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the non-verbal gesture is made by a person in the external environment, and wherein the initiate executable operations further include:

locating the person; and

causing the autonomous vehicle to send a directional message to the person.

26. A computer program product for interaction between an autonomous vehicle and an external environment of the autonomous vehicle, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:

detecting a non-verbal human gesture in the external environment;

identifying the detected non-verbal human gesture;

determining a future driving maneuver based at least in part on the identified non-verbal human gesture; and

causing the autonomous vehicle to implement the determined future driving maneuver.