Affective user interface in an autonomous vehicle

• US 9,346,400 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2013
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Attard, Christopher, Elwart, Shane, Greenberg, Jeff Allen, Johri, Rajit, Kochhar, Devinder Singh, Rhode, Doug Scott, Shutko, John, Tseng, Hongtei Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): La, Anh V
• Application Number:
  US14/136,495
• Publication Number:
  US 20150175070A1
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• Field of Search: 340/439, 340/425.5, 340/426.11, 340/438, 180/167, 180/168, 180/271, 701/1, 701/2, 701/23, 701/26, 701/411, 701/533
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/043 Identity of occupants
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/15 Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/30 Road curve radius
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/35 Road bumpiness, e.g. potholes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/53 Road markings, e.g. lane marker or crosswalk
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/406 Traffic density
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/00 Purposes of road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub-unit, e.g. of systems using conjoint control of vehicle sub-units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/04 Monitoring the functioning of the control system
• 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 60/0053 from vehicle to occupant
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0055 only part of driving tasks shifted to occupants
• 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

Data may be collected relating to autonomous operation of a vehicle. A first confidence assessment concerning whether the vehicle should operate autonomously may then be generated, and it may be determined whether the first confidence assessment meets or exceeds a predetermined threshold. An alert may be provided via a user interface in the vehicle relating to ending autonomous operation of the vehicle if the first confidence assessment meets or exceeds the predetermined threshold.

Claims

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

collect data relating to autonomous operation of the vehicle;

generate a scalar value confidence assessment concerning whether the vehicle should operate autonomously;

generate a vector of subsystem confidence assessment values, each of the subsystem confidence assessment values relating to one of a plurality of specific vehicle operations that include one or more of vehicle speed, braking, acceleration, steering, lane detection, collision detection, and navigation;

determine that the scalar value confidence assessment falls below a predetermined threshold; and

provide a message to a vehicle operator based on at least one of the subsystem confidence assessment values.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the message is an audio message, the computer being further configured to modify at least one word in the audio message according to one of the subsystem confidence assessment values.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein modifying the at least one word includes at least one of determining a number of times to repeat the word, determining a pitch for the word, determining a volume for the word, and determining a gender associated with a voice speaking the word.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer is configured to determine that the scalar confidence assessment meets or exceeds a predetermined threshold by determining a confidence interval into which the confidence assessment falls.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the confidence assessment values further include at least one value relating to one or more of a road condition, a weather condition, and a traffic condition.

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

collect data relating to autonomous operation of the vehicle;

generate a first confidence assessment concerning whether the vehicle should operate autonomously;

determine whether the first confidence assessment meets or exceeds a predetermined threshold;

provide an alert via a user interface in the vehicle relating to ending autonomous operation of the vehicle if the first confidence assessment meets or exceeds the predetermined threshold; and

generate at least one vector of second confidence assessments, each of the second confidence assessments relating to one of a plurality of vehicle operations that include one or more of vehicle speed, braking, acceleration, steering, lane detection, collision detection, and navigation.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the computer is configured to determine that the first confidence assessment meets or exceeds a predetermined threshold by determining a confidence interval into which the confidence assessment falls.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the predetermined threshold is selected at least in part according to a determination of an identity of a vehicle operator.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the first confidence assessment relates to a present time, the computer further configured to:

generate a third confidence assessment concerning whether the vehicle should operate autonomously, the third confidence assessment relating to a time subsequent to the present time;

determine whether the third confidence assessment meets or exceeds the predetermined threshold; and

provide an alert via a user interface in the vehicle relating to ending autonomous operation of the vehicle if the third confidence assessment meets or exceeds the predetermined threshold.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the computer is further configured to:

for each of the second confidence assessments that exceeds a second predetermined threshold, including an item in the alert.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein the second confidence assessments further include at least one value relating to one or more a road condition, a weather condition, and a traffic condition.

12. A method, comprising:

collecting data relating to autonomous operation of the vehicle;

generating a scalar value confidence assessment concerning whether the vehicle should operate autonomously;

generating a vector of subsystem confidence assessment values, each of the subsystem confidence assessment values relating to one of a plurality of specific vehicle operations that include one or more of vehicle speed, braking, acceleration, steering, lane detection, collision detection, and navigation;

determining that the scalar value confidence assessment falls below a predetermined threshold; and

providing a message to a vehicle operator based on at least one of the subsystem confidence assessment values.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the message is an audio message, the method further comprising modifying at least one word in the audio message according to one of the subsystem confidence assessment values.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein modifying the at least one word includes at least one of determining a number of times to repeat the word, determining a pitch for the word, determining a volume for the word, and determining a gender associated with a voice speaking the word.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining that the scalar confidence assessment meets or exceeds a predetermined threshold by determining a confidence interval into which the confidence assessment falls.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the confidence assessment values further include at least one value relating to one or more of a road condition, a weather condition, and a traffic condition.

17. A method, comprising:

collecting data relating to autonomous operation of a vehicle;

generating a first confidence assessment concerning whether the vehicle should operate autonomously;

determining whether the first confidence assessment meets or exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

providing an alert via a user interface in the vehicle relating to ending autonomous operation of the vehicle if the first confidence assessment meets or exceeds the predetermined threshold; and

generating at least one vector of second confidence assessments, each of the second confidence assessments relating to one of a plurality of vehicle operations that include one or more of vehicle speed, braking, acceleration, steering, lane detection, collision detection, and navigation.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising determining that the first confidence assessment meets or exceeds a predetermined threshold by determining a confidence interval into which the confidence assessment falls.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the first confidence assessment relates to a present time, the method further comprising:

generating a third-confidence assessment concerning whether the vehicle should operate autonomously, the third-confidence assessment relating to a time subsequent to the present time;

determining whether the third-confidence assessment meets or exceeds the predetermined threshold; and

providing an alert via a user interface in the vehicle relating to ending autonomous operation of the vehicle if the third-confidence assessment meets or exceeds the predetermined threshold.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising, for each of the second confidence assessments that exceeds a second predetermined threshold, including an item in the alert.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the second confidence assessments further include at least one value relating to one or more of a road condition, a weather condition, and a traffic condition.