ASSESSMENT OF HUMAN DRIVING PERFORMANCE USING AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES

• US 20170166222A1
• Filed: 12/09/2015
• Published: 06/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2015
• 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.
• Granted Patent: US 10,556,600 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/007 Switching between manual and automatic parameter input, and vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/408 Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4026 Cycles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4029 Pedestrians
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/00 Input parameters relating to data
• 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 60/0059 Estimation of the risk associated with autonomous or manual driving, e.g. situation too complex, sensor failure or driver incapacity
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa

Abstract

Human driving performance can be assessed using an autonomous vehicle. An autonomous vehicle can have a manual operational mode and one or more autonomous operational modes. While the vehicle is operating in the manual operational mode, driving data relating to a manual driving maneuver can be acquired. The acquired driving data can be evaluated relative to a driving scene model to determine whether the manual driving maneuver is acceptable or unacceptable based on the acquired driving data. Responsive to determining that the manual driving maneuver is unacceptable, feedback can be provided to a user. In some instances, the feedback can be active feedback or passive feedback. In some instance, the user can be the human driver of the vehicle, or some other person related to the driver in some manner.

Claims

1. A method of assessing human driving performance using an autonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehicle having a manual operational mode and one or more autonomous operational modes, the method comprising:

while the autonomous vehicle is operating in the manual operational mode, acquiring driving data relating to a manual driving maneuver;

evaluating the acquired driving data relative to a driving scene model to determine whether the manual driving maneuver is acceptable or unacceptable; and

responsive to determining that the manual driving maneuver is unacceptable, providing feedback to a user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the manual driving maneuver is acceptable or unacceptable is made relative to a predetermined standard, wherein the predetermined standard is the same standard used to determine whether one or more potential autonomous driving maneuvers is acceptable or unacceptable when the autonomous vehicle is operating in an autonomous operational mode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein evaluating the acquired driving data relative to a driving scene model to determine whether the manual driving maneuver is acceptable or unacceptable includes:

assigning a score to the manual driving maneuver; and

comparing the assigned score to a predetermined threshold,

wherein if the assigned score is above the predetermined threshold, the manual driving maneuver is determined to be acceptable,

wherein if the assigned score is below the predetermined threshold, the manual driving maneuver is determined to be unacceptable.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the feedback is active feedback.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the active feedback includes causing, using a processor, the autonomous vehicle to automatically implement one or more corrective driving actions.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the active feedback includes causing, using a processor, the autonomous vehicle to automatically provide haptic feedback to a driver of the autonomous vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the feedback is passive feedback.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein providing feedback to a user includes providing feedback to a person who is not a driver of the autonomous vehicle while operating in the manual operational mode.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring driving data relating to the manual driving maneuver includes predicting the manual driving maneuver for a predetermined amount of time in the future.

10. The method of claim 1, further including:

while the autonomous vehicle is operating in the manual operational mode, identifying a wrong perception by a human driver of the autonomous vehicle; and

providing feedback to the human driver about the wrong perception.

11. The method of claim 1, further including:

responsive to determining that the manual driving maneuver is unacceptable, recording the acquired driving data for playback to a user.

12. A system for assessing human driving performance using an autonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehicle having a manual operational mode and one or more autonomous operational modes, the system comprising:

one or more sensors configured to acquire driving data relating to a manual driving maneuver while the autonomous vehicle is operating in the manual operational mode; and

a processor, the processor being operatively connected to receive acquired driving data from the one or more sensors, the processor being programmed to initiate executable operations comprising;

evaluating the acquired driving data relative to a driving scene model to determine whether the manual driving maneuver is acceptable or unacceptable; and

responsive to determining that the manual driving maneuver is unacceptable, providing feedback to a user.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein determining whether the manual driving maneuver is acceptable or unacceptable is made relative to a predetermined standard, wherein the predetermined standard is the same standard used to determine whether one or more potential autonomous driving maneuvers is acceptable or unacceptable when the autonomous vehicle is operating in an autonomous operational mode.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein evaluating the acquired driving data relative to the generated driving scene model to determine whether the manual driving maneuver is acceptable or unacceptable includes:

assigning a score to the manual driving maneuver; and

comparing the assigned score to a predetermined threshold,

wherein if the assigned score is above the predetermined threshold, the manual driving maneuver is determined to be acceptable,

wherein if the assigned score is below the predetermined threshold, the manual driving maneuver is determined to be unacceptable.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the feedback is active feedback, wherein the active feedback includes causing the autonomous vehicle to automatically implement one or more corrective driving actions.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the feedback is active feedback, wherein the active feedback includes causing the autonomous vehicle to automatically provide haptic feedback to a driver of the autonomous vehicle.

17. The system of claim 16, further including:

a driver seat; and

one or more haptic actuators operatively connected to the driver seat, wherein the processor is operatively connected to cause the one or more haptic actuators to provide haptic feedback by the driver seat.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the feedback is passive feedback.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein providing feedback to a user includes providing feedback to a person who is not a driver of the autonomous vehicle while operating in the manual operational mode.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the executable operations further include:

while the autonomous vehicle is operating in the manual operational mode, identifying a wrong perception by a human driver of the autonomous vehicle; and

providing feedback to the human driver about the wrong perception.