Method to gain driver's attention for autonomous vehicle

• US 9,483,059 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2014
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2014
• 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: Caveney, Derek S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Do, Truc M
• Application Number:
  US14/554,291
• Publication Number:
  US 20160146618A1
• Time in Patent Office: 706 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0215 Sensor drifts or sensor failures
• 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 2420/42 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/52 Radar, Lidar
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• 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 50/14 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 60/0053 from vehicle to occupant
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for the automated driving of a vehicle. The method may include coordinating a planned vehicle path using a path planner application. The path planner application may receive information based on inputs to sensors disposed on the vehicle. The method may include sending a command to one or more vehicle systems to control the vehicle to follow the planned vehicle path. While the vehicle follows the planned vehicle path, the method may include receiving an indication that the path planner application is not meeting a threshold performance level. After receiving the indication that the path planner application is not meeting the threshold performance level, a command is sent to one or more vehicle systems to control the vehicle to follow a temporary and irregular full vehicle movement to alert a vehicle driver. The temporary and irregular full vehicle movement may be a full vehicle side-to-side wobbling movement.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for automated driving of a vehicle, the method comprising:

coordinating a planned vehicle path using a path planner application;

controlling the automated driving of the vehicle by directing the vehicle to follow the planned vehicle path;

receiving information from one or more sensors of the vehicle;

determining that the information from the one or more sensors is not sufficient to meet a threshold performance level by determining a probability whether a future threshold performance level can be met based on a current ability to analyze data from the one or more sensors; and

controlling the automated driving of the vehicle by initiating a full vehicle side-to-side wobbling movement to alert a driver of the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more sensors comprises a camera, and the step of receiving information from the one or more sensors of the vehicle comprises obtaining images of lane markers.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the vehicle comprises one or more processors configured to:

analyze at least one of a sharpness quality and a clarity quality of the lane markers; and

determine that the path planner application is not capable of meeting a threshold performance level when at the least one of the sharpness quality and the clarity quality of the lane markers fails to meet predetermined minimum standards.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more sensors captures signals for use with a global navigation satellite system or a global positioning system, and the vehicle comprises one or more processors configured to:

determine that the path planner application is not capable of meeting a threshold performance level when the global navigation satellite system or the global positioning system fails to meet predetermined minimum standards.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more sensors captures signals for use with a light detection and ranging system, and the vehicle comprises one or more processors configured to:

determine that the path planner application is not capable of meeting a threshold performance level when the light detection and ranging system fails to map-match the vehicle with landmarks according to predetermined minimum standards.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more sensors comprises a camera, and the step of receiving information from the one or more sensors of the vehicle comprises obtaining images of landmarks for use with a simultaneous localization and mapping system, and the vehicle comprises one or more processors configured to:

determine that the path planner application is not capable of meeting a threshold performance level when the simultaneous localization and mapping system fails to map-match the vehicle with landmarks according to predetermined minimum standards.

7. An automated driving system for a vehicle, the system comprising:

one or more sensors disposed on a vehicle; and

a computing device in communication with the one or more sensors, the computing device comprising;

one or more processors for controlling operations of the computing device; and

memory for storing data and program instructions used by the one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to;

receive inputs from the one or more sensors to determine, using a path planner application, a planned vehicle path based on the inputs;

control the vehicle by sending a command to one or more vehicle systems to follow the planned vehicle path;

periodically determine whether the path planner application is meeting a threshold performance level by determining a probability that a future threshold performance level can be met based on a current ability to analyze data from the one or more sensors; and

when the path planner application is not meeting the threshold performance level, control the vehicle by sending a command to the one or more vehicle systems to initiate a temporary and irregular full vehicle movement to alert a driver of the vehicle.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

after sending the command to the one or more vehicle systems to control the vehicle to initiate the temporary and irregular full vehicle movement, send a secondary notification to the driver of the vehicle to take control of the one of more vehicle systems.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

after sending the secondary notification to the driver of the vehicle to take control of the one or more vehicle systems, receive an indication that the driver of the vehicle has taken control of the one or more vehicle systems; and

in response to the indication that the driver of the vehicle has taken control of the one or more vehicle systems, disable the automated driving system.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the command to the one or more vehicle systems to control the vehicle to initiate a temporary and irregular full vehicle movement comprises:

directing a full vehicle side-to-side wobbling movement.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

sending a command for the vehicle to continue following the planned vehicle path after the temporary and irregular full vehicle movement.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to perform at least one of:

analyzing a navigation route of the vehicle; and

analyzing information specific to an environment surrounding the vehicle including at least one of proximate object information, landmarks, and lane marking information.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more sensors disposed on the vehicle comprises a camera configured to obtain images of lane markers, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

analyze at least one of a sharpness quality and a clarity quality of the lane markers; and

determine that the path planner application is not capable of meeting a threshold performance level when at the least one of the sharpness quality and the clarity quality of the lane markers fails to meet predetermined minimum standards.

14. A computer-implemented method for automated driving of a vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving information based on inputs from one or more sensors disposed on a vehicle;

using the information received from the inputs and coordinating, using a path planner application, a planned vehicle path;

controlling the vehicle by sending a command to one or more vehicle systems for the vehicle to follow the planned vehicle path;

monitoring the planned vehicle path, and periodically determining whether the path planner application is meeting a threshold performance level by determining a probability that a future threshold performance level can be met based on a current ability to analyze data from the one or more sensors; and

when the path planner application is not meeting the threshold performance level, controlling the vehicle by sending a command to one or more vehicle systems to initiate a temporary and irregular full vehicle movement to alert a driver of the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the temporary and irregular full vehicle movement comprises a full vehicle side-to-side wobbling movement.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the full vehicle side-to-side wobbling movement is an intermittent variation that automatically returns the vehicle to follow the planned vehicle path after the movement.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the vehicle comprises one or more camera sensors configured to obtain images of lane markers, and monitoring the planned vehicle path comprises:

analyzing at least one of a sharpness quality and a clarity quality of the lane markers; and

determining whether the path planner application is capable of meeting a threshold performance level when at the least one of the sharpness quality and the clarity quality of the lane markers fails to meet predetermined minimum standards.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the threshold performance level is based on meeting at least a predetermined accuracy score for calculations performed by the path planner application.