Transitioning from autonomous vehicle control to to driver control to responding to driver control

• US 9,150,224 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2013
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Yopp, Wilford Trent
• Primary Examiner(s): Shafi, Muhammad
• Application Number:
  US14/035,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20150088358A1
• Time in Patent Office: 742 Days
• Field of Search: 701/23, 701 45- 47, 701/70, 701/79, 701/110, 701/41, 340/467, 340/669, 340/426.31, 340/426.32, 340/465
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/04 including control of propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/215 Selection or confirmation of options
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/082 Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/085 Changing the parameters of the control units, e.g. changing limit values, working points by control input
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/087 where the control system corrects or modifies a request from the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/10 Interpretation of driver requests or demands
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/12 Limiting control by the driver depending on vehicle state, e.g. interlocking means for the control input for preventing unsafe operation

Abstract

Instructions are provided to at least one vehicle control for autonomous operation of a vehicle. A change in position is detected of at the least one vehicle control. A determination is made whether to modify operation of the vehicle at least in part according to the change in position of the at least one vehicle control. The autonomous operation of the vehicle is modified according to the change in position.

Claims

1. A system, comprising a computer in a vehicle, the computer comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the computer is configured to:

provide instructions to two vehicle controls for autonomous operation of the vehicle;

detect simultaneous respective changes in position of each of the vehicle controls;

determine that the respective changes in position represent inconsistent driver control inputs for operation of the vehicle;

select one of the vehicle controls, and determine to ignore the other of the vehicle controls, to provide input for vehicle control;

determine to modify operation of the vehicle at least in part according to the change in position of the selected vehicle control; and

modify the autonomous operation of the vehicle according to the change in position of the selected control, wherein the modifying includes providing at least one instruction to modify at least one of vehicle braking, steering, or acceleration;

the method further comprising implementing the instruction to control the vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the selected vehicle control is at least one of a steering control, an accelerator, and a brake.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein modifying the operation of the vehicle includes ceasing autonomous operation of the vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer is further configured to display a message to a user requesting input concerning whether an operation of the vehicle should be carried out according to the change in position of the selected control.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the computer is further configured to determine a rate of the change of position of the selected vehicle control, and

determining to modify operation of the vehicle according to the change in position of the selected vehicle control includes determining whether to modify operation of the vehicle at least in part according to the rate of change in position of the selected vehicle control.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the computer is further configured to determine whether to modify operation of the vehicle according to at least one of whether the change of position exceeds a first predetermined threshold and the rate of change of the position exceeds a second predetermined threshold.

7. A method, comprising:

performing, by a computer processor;

providing instructions to two vehicle controls for autonomous operation of the vehicle;

detecting simultaneous respective changes in position of each of the vehicle controls;

determining that the respective changes in position represent inconsistent driver control inputs for operation of the vehicle;

selecting one of the vehicle controls, and determining to ignore the other of the vehicle controls, to provide input for vehicle control;

determining to modify operation of the vehicle at least in part according to the change in position of the selected vehicle control; and

modifying the autonomous operation of the vehicle according to the change in position of the selected control.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the selected vehicle control is at least one of a steering control, an accelerator, and a brake.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein modifying the operation of the vehicle includes ceasing autonomous operation of the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising displaying a message to a user requesting input concerning whether an operation of the vehicle should be carried out according to the change in position of the selected control.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining a rate of the change of position of the selected vehicle control, and

determining to modify operation of the vehicle according to the change in position of the selected vehicle control includes determining whether to modify operation of the vehicle at least in part according to the rate of change in position of the selected vehicle control.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining whether to modify operation of the vehicle according to at least one of whether the change of position exceeds a first predetermined threshold and the rate of change of the position exceeds a second predetermined threshold.