Automated vehicle operator skill evaluation system

• US 9,870,001 B1
• Filed: 08/05/2016
• Issued: 01/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aptiv Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Inventors: Mangal, Nandita, Laur, Michael H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elchanti, Hussein
• Application Number:
  US15/229,997
• Publication Number:
  US 20180039268A1
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• 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 2420/54 Audio sensitive means, e.g. ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/30 Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/05 Type of road, e.g. motorways, local streets, paved or unpaved roads
• 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 2554/4042 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/406 Traffic density
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/802 Longitudinal distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/00 Input parameters relating to data
• 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 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/08 Interaction between the driver and the control system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/10 Interpretation of driver requests or demands
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0051 from occupants to vehicle
• 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

An operator-evaluation system for an automated vehicle includes a traffic-detector and a controller. The traffic-detector is used to determine a complexity-ranking of a traffic-scenario approached by a host-vehicle. The controller is in communication with the traffic-detector and is configured to operate the host-vehicle in: an automated-mode where the controller steers the host-vehicle toward a desired-position of a travel-lane; a monitored-mode where an operator steers the host-vehicle and the controller assists the operator to steer the host-vehicle toward the desired-position when the host-vehicle is farther than a lateral-threshold from the desired-position; and a manual-mode where the operator steers the host-vehicle without assistance from the controller. The controller transitions from the automated-mode to the monitored-mode prior to arrival at the traffic-scenario to determine a skill-ranking of the operator relative to the complexity-ranking, and transitions from the automated-mode to the manual-mode when the complexity-ranking is less than the skill-ranking of the operator.

Claims

1. An operator-evaluation system for an automated vehicle, said system comprising:

a traffic-detector used to determine a complexity-ranking of a traffic-scenario approached by a host-vehicle;

a controller in communication with the traffic-detector and configured to operate the host-vehicle in

an automated-mode wherein the controller steers the host-vehicle toward a desired-position of a travel-lane,

a monitored-mode wherein an operator steers the host-vehicle and the controller assists the operator to steer the host-vehicle toward the desired-position when the host-vehicle is farther than a lateral-threshold from the desired-position, and

a manual-mode wherein the operator steers the host-vehicle without assistance from the controller when the controller is unable to navigate the traffic-scenario, wherein

said controller transitions from the automated-mode to the monitored-mode prior to arrival at the traffic-scenario to determine a skill-ranking of the operator relative to the complexity-ranking, and transitions from the automated-mode to the manual-mode when the complexity-ranking is not greater than the skill-ranking of the operator.

2. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the controller operates the host-vehicle in the automated-mode to bypass the traffic-scenario when the complexity-ranking is greater than the skill-ranking of the operator.

3. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the controller operates the host-vehicle in the monitored-mode to update the skill-ranking when a present-ranking of the operator is less than the complexity-ranking of the traffic-scenario approached by the host-vehicle.

4. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the controller increases the skill-ranking when operator steers the host-vehicle to less than the lateral-threshold from the desired-position, and decreases the skill-ranking when operator steers the host-vehicle to not less than the lateral-threshold from the desired-position.

5. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the complexity-ranking is determined based on one of a traffic-density, a traffic-speed, a weather-condition, a lane-maneuver, a speed-change, and a road-type.

6. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the controller allows operation of the host-vehicle to transition from the manual-mode to the automated-mode when the complexity-ranking of the traffic-scenario is not greater than a confidence-ranking of the controller.

7. The system in accordance with claim 6, wherein the confidence-ranking is determined based on one of a lane-marking-quality, an object-tracking-persistence, and a global-position-accuracy.