Method and apparatus for changing an autonomously travelling motor vehicle to a safe state

• US 9,150,200 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2013
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Urhahne, Joseph Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): FREJD, RUSSELL WARREN
• Application Number:
  US14/369,671
• Publication Number:
  US 20140365062A1
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/23, 701/36, 701/70, 340/438, 340/439, 340/463, 340/468, 340/471
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/063 preventing starting of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/066 actuating a signalling device B60K28/063 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/52 for indicating emergencies
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/12 for automatic initiation; for initiation not subject to will of driver or passenger limiting speed of vehicles other than rail vehicles B60K31/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/14 operated upon collapse of driver deadman's devices for electrically propelled vehicles B60L3/02
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/229 Attention level, e.g. attentive to driving, reading or sleeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/802 Longitudinal distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/16 Tactile feedback to the driver, e.g. vibration or force feedback to the driver on the steering wheel or the accelerator pedal
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0016 of the vehicle or its occupants
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0017 of other traffic participants
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0053 from vehicle to occupant
• 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: G08B 21/0407 based on behaviour analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0415 detecting absence of activity per se
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for changing a motor vehicle in an autonomous travel mode to a safe state when the driver of the motor vehicle is not able to monitor the autonomous travel mode and to assume control of the motor vehicle. The vehicle driver is warned using warning signals of increasing intensity; other road users in the area surrounding the motor vehicle are warned using optical and/or acoustic signals; the motor vehicle is braked and/or accelerated repeatedly such that parts of the body of the vehicle driver noticeably move in the direction of travel owing to inertia (the braking and/or acceleration being so brief that the travel speed of the motor vehicle changes relatively little); and the motor vehicle is brought to a standstill or is kept at a standstill by automatic braking in order to change the vehicle to a safe state.

Claims

1. A method for placing a motor vehicle operating in an autonomous driving mode in a safe state if a driver of the motor vehicle is not capable of monitoring the autonomous driving mode,

wherein if it is detected that the driver is not capable of monitoring the autonomous driving mode, the following steps are carried out automatically in sequence:

a) warning the vehicle driver using warning signals that increase in intensity with time;

b) warning other road users in a vicinity of the motor vehicle using visual and/or acoustic signals;

c) braking and/or accelerating the motor vehicle repeatedly with an intensity such that parts of a body of the vehicle driver move perceptively due to inertia, and furthermore so briefly that a current velocity of the motor vehicle changes relatively little; and

d) bringing the motor vehicle to a stationary state by automatic braking and/or keeping the vehicle in the stationary state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of warning other road users comprises activating a warning light whose appearance differs from that of a customary breakdown warning light.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of steps c) and d) is carried out as a function of whether the motor vehicle is currently traveling or is stationary.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein if the motor vehicle is traveling, the motor vehicle is repeatedly briefly and abruptly braked in step c), specifically in each case with an intensity such that an upper body of the driver moves a short distance away from a backrest toward a steering wheel.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein if the motor vehicle is stationary and it is detected by means of a sensor system that a predetermined minimum distance in front of the motor vehicle is free of obstacles, the motor vehicle is repeatedly briefly made to move forward and then abruptly braked again in step c).

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the repeated abrupt braking and forward movement are ended when a predefined maximum number of repetitions is reached or when a predetermined forward distance is traveled or if an obstacle is detected in front of the motor vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein in step d) the motor vehicle is braked with a deceleration of approximately 0.5 m/s².

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is ended if it is detected that the driver has taken an action indicating that the driver is capable again of monitoring the autonomous driving mode and of assuming control of the motor vehicle.

9. A method for a vehicle operating in an autonomous driving mode comprising:

detecting that a vehicle driver has failed to activate a device acting as a dead man'"'"'s switch;

generating warning signals increasing in intensity over time to alert the driver;

activating a visual signal to warn other road users in a vicinity of the vehicle; and

braking and/or accelerating the vehicle repeatedly with an intensity selected to cause the driver to perceive inertial movement.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising, after the braking and/or accelerating step:

applying automatic braking to bring the motor vehicle to a stationary state and/or to keep the motor vehicle in a stationary state.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the intensity and a duration of the braking and/or accelerating are selected to produce a negligible change in a current velocity of the motor vehicle.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the device acting as a dead man'"'"'s switch comprises at least one of a vehicle steering wheel and a vehicle control pedal.