SYSTEM FOR AUTONOMOUSLY OR PARTIALLY AUTONOMOUSLY DRIVING A VEHICLE WITH COMMUNICATION MODULE FOR OBTAINING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM A VEHICLE DRIVER AND CORRESPONDING METHOD

• US 20170050642A1
• Filed: 08/10/2016
• Published: 02/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Research Institute Europe GmbH (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Research Institute Europe GmbH (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: HECKMANN, Martin, WERSING, Heiko
• Granted Patent: US 10,940,864 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/00 Indexing codes relating to the type of sensors based on the principle of their operation
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/215 Selection or confirmation of options
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/22 Psychological state; Stress level or workload
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4029 Pedestrians
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/408 Traffic behavior, e.g. swarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/00 Input parameters relating to data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/20 Data confidence level
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/04 Traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/08 Interaction between the driver and the control system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/10 Interpretation of driver requests or demands
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

Control commands in a system and method for autonomously driving a vehicle or partially autonomously driving a vehicle are generated on the basis of an environment representation, which is generated from sensor signal of a sensing means. The environment representation where ambiguous objects are identified is such that information obtained from the driver of the vehicle are added. The system generates an information request. Additional information is extracted and accumulated in the environment representation map. Traffic is then determined and suitable control signals for the vehicles are generated. In case no ambiguous objects are included in the environment representation but the system is not capable of deciding on traffic, the driver is asked to disambiguate the situation or to instruct on dealing with the traffic.

Claims

1. System for autonomously or partially autonomously driving a vehicle, the system comprising:

at least one sensing means for physically sensing an environment of the vehicle,

representation generation means for generating a representation of the environment by accumulating information on objects in the environment, derived from the sensing means output,

a communication module for obtaining additional information on at least one object in the representation in case no information or information with a confidence below a predetermined threshold is derivable from the sensing means output for that object,

and adding this information on the object to the environment representation,

evaluation means for determining from the representation a current traffic situation the vehicle encounters and generating control signals to achieve a control task.

3. System according to claim 1, wherein

the system comprises a driver'"'"'s state estimation means.

4. System according to claim 3, wherein

the communication means is adapted to adapt a communication with the driver on the basis of the driver'"'"'s state.

5. System according to claim 1, wherein

the communication means comprises a driver information request generator for generation of an information request, wherein the information request generator comprises at least one of the following:

driver intention estimation means, driver situation awareness estimation means and driver system control model estimation means.

6. System according to claim 5, wherein

the amount of information given in a request to the driver or a manner of presentation of such information is adapted based on estimation result of at least one of the driver intention estimation means, the driver situation awareness estimation means and the driver system control model estimation means.

7. System according to claim 1, wherein

the communication module is configured to request the driver to communicate with another traffic participant.

8. System according to claim 1, wherein

the communication module comprises means for speech output or speech input for communication with the driver.

9. System according to claim 1, wherein

the communication module comprises a head up display used for communication with the driver.

2. System for autonomously or partially autonomously driving a vehicle, the system comprising:

at least one sensing means for physically sensing an environment of the vehicle,

representation generation means for generating a representation of the environment by accumulating information on objects in the environment,

evaluation means for determining from the representation a current traffic situation the vehicle encounters,

a communication module for obtaining additional information or instructions from a vehicle'"'"'s driver, if for the determined traffic situation no control signals for controlling the vehicle that are suitable to achieve a control task can be generated.

10. Method for autonomously or partially autonomously driving a vehicle comprising the steps of:

sensing an environment of the vehicle,

generating a representation of the environment by accumulation information on objects in the environment,

obtaining additional information on at least one objet in the representation in case no information or information with a confidence below a predetermined threshold is derivable from the sensing means output for that object and adding this information on the object to the environment representation,

determining from the representation a current traffic situation the vehicle encounters and generation control signals to achieve a control task.

11. Method for autonomously or partially autonomously driving a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

sensing an environment of the vehicle,

generating a representation of the environment by accumulating information on objects in the environment,

determining from the representation a current traffic situation the vehicle encounters,

obtaining additional information or instructions from a vehicle'"'"'s driver, if for the determined traffic situation no control signals for controlling the vehicle that are suitable to achieve a control task can be generated.