System and method for monitoring and alerting vehicle occupant to operating efficiencies of autonomous driving assistance systems

• US 9,791,857 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2016
• Issued: 10/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2016
• 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: Ebe, Kazutoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US15/065,944
• Publication Number:
  US 20170261974A1
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 701 23, 701 25, 701 27, 701 45
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• 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 2510/0638 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/202 Steering torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/28 Wheel speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/20 Tyre data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/209 Fuel quantity remaining in tank
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/223 Posture, e.g. hand, foot, or seat position, turned or inclined
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/229 Attention level, e.g. attentive to driving, reading or sleeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/24 Drug level, e.g. alcohol
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4026 Cycles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4029 Pedestrians
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/406 Traffic density
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/20 Data confidence level
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 Lane keeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/14 Adaptive cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 : Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• 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 60/0059 : Estimation of the risk associated with autonomous or manual driving, e.g. situation too complex, sensor failure or driver incapacity
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0005 : with arrangements to save energy

Abstract

A computing device for a vehicle is provided. The computing device includes one or more processors for controlling operation of the computing device, and a memory for storing data and program instructions usable by the one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to receive sensor data relating to operation of an autonomous driving assistance system, process the received sensor data to derive a value for an assistance system data quality parameter, compare the quality parameter value to a reference, and generate a notification including a result of the comparison.

Claims

1. A computing device for a vehicle, the computing device comprising one or more processors for controlling operation of the computing device, and a memory for storing data and program instructions usable by the one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to:

receive sensor data relating to operation of an autonomous driving assistance system;

process the received sensor data to derive a value for a sensor data quality parameter;

compare the quality parameter value to a reference; and

generate a notification including a result of the comparison.

2. The computing device of claim 1 wherein the notification includes a current estimated operating efficiency of the autonomous driving assistance system.

3. The computing device of claim 1 wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to:

receive sensor data gathered from a single sensor during operation of the autonomous system; and

process the sensor data from the sensor to derive the value for the quality parameter.

4. The computing device of claim 1 wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to:

receive sensor data from a plurality of sensors gathered during operation of the autonomous system; and

process the sensor data from each sensor of the plurality of sensors to derive a value for a separate quality parameter for the data received from each of the sensors.

5. The computing device of claim 4 wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to:

assign a weight to each quality parameter;

combine the weighted quality parameters into a composite quality parameter; and

compare the composite quality parameter value to a reference.

6. The computing device of claim 1 wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to deactivate the autonomous system responsive to a result of the comparison being below a predetermined value.

7. The computing device of claim 6 wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to enable a user to select the predetermined value.

8. The computing device of claim 1 wherein the notification further includes a reason for the result of the comparison.

9. The computing device of claim 8 wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to enable a user to select a threshold operating efficiency at or below which the reason for the result of the comparison will be included in the notification.

10. The computing device of claim 1 wherein the autonomous driving assistance system is an autonomous lane-keeping system.

11. The computing device of claim 1 wherein the autonomous driving assistance system is an adaptive cruise control system.

12. A vehicle including a computing device in accordance with claim 1.

13. A vehicle control system including a computing device in accordance with claim 1.

14. The computing device of claim 1 wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to enable manual deactivation of the autonomous system.

15. The computing device of claim 1 wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to enable a user to elect implementation of automatic deactivation of the autonomous system responsive to the occurrence of an operating efficiency at or below a predetermined threshold.

16. The computing device of claim 15 wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to enable a user to select the predetermined threshold at which automatic deactivation of the autonomous system will occur.

17. The computing device of claim 1 wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to automatically deactivate the autonomous system responsive to the occurrence of an operating efficiency at or below a predetermined threshold.

18. A computing device for a vehicle, the computing device comprising one or more processors for controlling operation of the computing device, and a memory for storing data and program instructions usable by the one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to:

receive sensor data relating to operation of the autonomous driving assistance system;

process the received sensor data to derive a value for a data quality parameter;

compare the quality parameter value to a reference;

responsive to the comparison of the quality parameter value to the reference, determine if an operating efficiency of the autonomous driving assistance system is below a first predetermined value;

responsive to a determination that the operating efficiency of the autonomous driving assistance system is below the first predetermined value, determine if the operating efficiency of the autonomous driving assistance system has been below the first predetermined value for longer than a predetermined time period; and

responsive to a determination that the operating efficiency of the autonomous driving assistance system has been below the first predetermined value for longer than the predetermined time period, control the vehicle so as to deactivate the autonomous driving assistance system.

19. The computing device of claim 18 wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to:

responsive to a determination that the operating efficiency of the autonomous driving assistance system is not below a first predetermined value, determine if the operating efficiency of the autonomous driving assistance system is at or below a second predetermined value greater than the first predetermined value;

responsive to a determination that the operating efficiency of the autonomous driving assistance system is at or below the second predetermined value, determine if the operating efficiency of the autonomous driving assistance system has been at or below the second predetermined value for longer than a predetermined time period; and

responsive to a determination that the operating efficiency of the autonomous driving assistance system has been at or below the second predetermined value for longer than the predetermined time period, generate a notification including a reason that the operating efficiency of the autonomous driving assistance system is at or below the second predetermined value.

20. The computing device of claim 18 wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to:

process the sensor data from each sensor of the plurality of sensors to derive a value for a separate quality parameter for the data received from each of the sensors;

assign a weight to each quality parameter to provide weighted quality parameters; and

combine the weighted quality parameters into a composite quality parameter.