Assessing driver readiness for transition between operational modes of an autonomous vehicle

• US 9,786,192 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2015
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2015
• 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: Gulash, Emery Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOUIE, WAE LENNY
• Application Number:
  US14/883,558
• Publication Number:
  US 20170110022A1
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• Field of Search: 701 25, 704275
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/00 Measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, persons, animals or other moving solid bodies, e.g. using odometers, using pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 23/00 Alarms responsive to unspecified undesired or abnormal conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/06 with both visual and audible presentation of the material to be studied
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/052 characterised by provision for recording or measuring trainee's performance devices for psychotechnics, e.g. for vehicle drivers A61B5/16, A61B5/18
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/18 Details of the transformation process

Abstract

An autonomous vehicle can transition between operational modes. The readiness of a vehicle driver for a transition can be assessed, particularly when transitioning from a first operational mode to a second operational mode that has a greater degree of manual involvement than the first operational mode. It can be determined whether an operational mode transition event has occurred while the vehicle is operating in the first operational mode. Responsive to determining that an operational mode transition event has occurred, an audial sample from a vehicle driver can be collected. It can be determined whether the vehicle driver is ready or non-ready to provide the greater degree of manual involvement for the second operational mode based on the collected audial sample.

Claims

1. A method of assessing the readiness of a driver for transitioning a vehicle from a first operational mode to a second operational mode, the second operational mode having a greater degree of manual involvement than the first operational mode, the method comprising:

determining whether an operational mode transition event has occurred while the vehicle is operating in the first operational mode;

responsive to determining that an operational mode transition event has occurred, collecting an audial sample from a vehicle driver;

determining whether the vehicle driver is ready or non-ready to provide the greater degree of manual involvement for the second operational mode based on the collected audial sample; and

responsive to determining that the vehicle driver is ready for the greater degree of manual involvement for the second operational mode based on the collected audial sample, causing the vehicle to switch from the first operational mode to the second operational mode.

2. The method of claim 1, further including:

responsive to determining that the vehicle driver is non-ready for the greater degree of manual involvement for the second operational mode based on the collected audial sample, causing the vehicle to switch from the first operational mode to a special operational mode.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the special operational mode includes:

providing at least one of a haptic alert, an audial alert, or a visual alert to the vehicle driver.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the vehicle driver is ready or non-ready for the greater degree of manual involvement for the second operational mode based on the collected audial sample includes comparing the collected audial sample to a baseline audial sample of the driver.

5. The method of claim 1, further including:

responsive to determining that an operational mode transition event has occurred, prompting the vehicle driver to provide the audial sample.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting the audial sample from the vehicle driver is performed automatically.

7. The method of claim 1, further including:

detecting one or more physiological characteristics of the vehicle driver.

8. The method of claim 7, further including:

confirming the determination of whether the vehicle driver is ready or non-ready based on the detected one or more physiological characteristics of the vehicle driver.

9. A system for assessing the readiness of a driver for transitioning a vehicle from a first operational mode to a second operational mode, the second operational mode having a greater degree of manual involvement than the first operational mode, the system comprising:

a microphone; and

a processor operatively connected to the microphone, the processor being programmed to initiate executable operations comprising;

determining whether an operational mode transition event has occurred while the vehicle is operating in the first operational mode;

responsive to determining that an operational mode transition event has occurred, collecting an audial sample from a vehicle driver using the microphone;

determining whether the vehicle driver is ready or non-ready to provide the greater degree of manual involvement for the second operational mode based on the collected audial sample; and

responsive to determining that the vehicle driver is ready for the greater degree of manual involvement for the second operational mode based on the collected audial sample, causing the vehicle to switch from the first operational mode to the second operational mode.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the executable operations further include:

responsive to determining that the vehicle driver is non-ready for the greater degree of manual involvement for the second operational mode based on the collected audial sample, causing the vehicle to switch from the first operational mode to a special operational mode.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein, in the special operational mode, the executable operations further include:

causing at least one of a haptic alert, an audial alert, or a visual alert to be provided to the vehicle driver.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein determining whether the vehicle driver is ready or non-ready for the greater degree of manual involvement for the second operational mode based on the collected audial sample includes comparing the collected audial sample to a previously provided baseline audial sample of the driver.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the executable operations further include:

responsive to determining that an operational mode transition event has occurred, prompting the vehicle driver to provide the audial sample.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein collecting the audial sample from the vehicle driver is performed automatically.

15. The system of claim 9, further including:

one or more physiological sensors located within the vehicle, the one or more physiological sensors being operatively connected to the processor, and

wherein the executable operations further include;

detecting, using the one or more physiological sensors, one or more physiological characteristics of the vehicle driver.

16. The system of claim 15, further including:

confirming the determination of whether the vehicle driver is ready or non-ready based on the detected one or more physiological characteristics of the vehicle driver.

17. A computer program product for assessing the readiness of a driver for transitioning a vehicle from a first operational mode to a second operational mode, the second operational mode having a greater degree of manual involvement than the first operational mode, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therein, the program code executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:

determining whether an operational mode transition event has occurred while the vehicle is operating in the first operational mode;

responsive to determining that an operational mode transition event has occurred, collecting an audial sample from a vehicle driver;

determining whether the vehicle driver is ready or non-ready to provide the greater degree of manual involvement for the second operational mode based on the collected audial sample; and

responsive to determining that the vehicle driver is ready for the greater degree of manual involvement for the second operational mode based on the collected audial sample, causing the vehicle to switch from the first operational mode to the second operational mode.