Apprising a driver of confidence in operation of a vehicle

• US 9,908,464 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2016
• Issued: 03/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2016
• 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: Caveney, Derek S., McNew, John-Michael, Toyoda, Heishiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Shardul D
• Application Number:
  US15/095,121
• Publication Number:
  US 20170291540A1
• Time in Patent Office: 695 Days
• Field of Search: 701 22, 701 23, 701 12, 701 26, 701411, 701533, 340439, 3404255, 34042611, 340438, 340901-903, 180167, 180168, 180271
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 5/005 automatically actuated
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention

Abstract

A vehicle subject to autonomous operation includes one or more autonomous support systems configured to support autonomous operation, a feedback system configured to provide feedback in an interior portion of the vehicle and a confidence appraisal system in communication with the one or more autonomous support systems and the feedback system. During autonomous operation, the confidence appraisal system monitors, based on operational statuses of the one or more autonomous support systems supporting the autonomous operation, confidence in the autonomous operation, and operates the feedback system to provide feedback in the interior portion of the vehicle. The feedback corresponds to the confidence in the autonomous operation, and varies with changes to the confidence in the autonomous operation, to continuously apprise a driver of the confidence in the autonomous operation.

Claims

1. A vehicle subject to autonomous operation, comprising:

one or more autonomous support systems configured to support autonomous operation;

a speaker system configured to disburse sound in an interior portion of the vehicle; and

a confidence appraisal system in communication with the one or more autonomous support systems and the speaker system, the confidence appraisal system including a processor for initiating instructions stored on memory, the instructions including, while the vehicle is subject to autonomous operation supported by the one or more autonomous support systems;

monitoring confidence in the autonomous operation, the confidence being determined based on operational statues of the one or more autonomous support systems supporting the autonomous operation, and corresponding to whether the vehicle can continue the autonomous operation; and

operating the speaker system to disburse sound in the interior portion of the vehicle, the sound corresponding to the confidence in the autonomous operation, and varying with changes to the confidence in the autonomous operation, to continuously apprise a driver of the confidence in the autonomous operation.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the sound has an intensity corresponding to the confidence in the autonomous operation, and varies in intensity with changes to the confidence in the autonomous operation, to continuously apprise the driver of the confidence in the autonomous operation.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the sound'"'"'s intensity increases with decreases to the confidence in the autonomous operation, and decreases with increases to the confidence in the autonomous operation.

4. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the sound includes a temporal string of tones, and varies in intensity via variations to one or more of a pitch, loudness and tempo of the sound'"'"'s tones with changes to the confidence in the autonomous operation, to continuously apprise the driver of the confidence in the autonomous operation.

5. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the sound varies in intensity via variations to the pitch of the sound'"'"'s tones, but otherwise stays the same, with changes to the confidence in the autonomous operation, to continuously apprise the driver of the confidence in the autonomous operation.

6. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the sound varies in intensity via variations to the loudness of the sound'"'"'s tones, but otherwise stays the same, with changes to the confidence in the autonomous operation, to continuously apprise the driver of the confidence in the autonomous operation.

7. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the sound varies in intensity via variations to the tempo of the sound'"'"'s tones, but otherwise stays the same, with changes to the confidence in the autonomous operation, to continuously apprise the driver of the confidence in the autonomous operation.

8. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the sound'"'"'s tones express music.

9. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the sound'"'"'s tones express ambient noise.

10. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the instructions further include, while the vehicle is subject to autonomous operation supported by the one or more autonomous support systems:

identifying a change to the confidence indicating a forthcoming change from a first state of autonomy to which the vehicle is currently subject, to a second state of autonomy; and

apprising the driver of the forthcoming change to the second state of autonomy.

11. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the instructions further include:

transitioning the vehicle from the first state of autonomy to the second state of autonomy.

12. A method of apprising a driver of a confidence in autonomous operation of a vehicle, comprising:

while a vehicle is subject to autonomous operation supported by one or more autonomous support systems;

monitoring confidence in the autonomous operation, the confidence being determined based on operational statues of the one or more autonomous support systems supporting the autonomous operation, and corresponding to whether the vehicle can continue the autonomous operation; and

operating a feedback system to provide feedback in an interior portion of the vehicle, the feedback corresponding to the confidence in the autonomous operation, and varying with changes to the confidence in the autonomous operation, to continuously apprise a driver of the confidence in the autonomous operation.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the feedback is sound, and the sound has an intensity corresponding to the confidence in the autonomous operation, and the method further comprises:

varying the intensity of the sound with changes to the confidence in the autonomous operation, to continuously apprise the driver of the confidence in the autonomous operation.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the sound'"'"'s intensity increases with decreases to the confidence in the autonomous operation, and decreases with increases to the confidence in the autonomous operation.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the sound includes a temporal string of tones, and varies in intensity via variations to one or more of a pitch, loudness and tempo of the sound'"'"'s tones with changes to the confidence in the autonomous operation, to continuously apprise the driver of the confidence in the autonomous operation.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the sound varies in intensity via variations to the pitch of the sound'"'"'s tones, but otherwise stays the same, with changes to the confidence in the autonomous operation, to continuously apprise the driver of the confidence in the autonomous operation.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the sound varies in intensity via variations to the loudness of the sound'"'"'s tones, but otherwise stays the same, with changes to the confidence in the autonomous operation, to continuously apprise the driver of the confidence in the autonomous operation.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the sound varies in intensity via variations to the tempo of the sound'"'"'s tones, but otherwise stays the same, with changes to the confidence in the autonomous operation, to continuously apprise the driver of the confidence in the autonomous operation.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

identifying a change to the confidence indicating a forthcoming change from a first state of autonomy to which the vehicle is currently subject, to a second state of autonomy; and

apprising the driver of the forthcoming change to the second state of autonomy.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

transitioning the vehicle from the first state of autonomy to the second state of autonomy.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the feedback is haptic feedback, the haptic feedback having an intensity corresponding to the confidence in the autonomous operation, and the method further comprises:

varying the intensity of the haptic feedback with changes to the confidence in the autonomous operation, to continuously apprise the driver of the confidence in the autonomous operation.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein the feedback is a scent in the interior portion of the vehicle, the scent in the interior portion of the vehicle has an intensity corresponding to the confidence in the autonomous operation, and the method further comprises:

varying the intensity of the scent in the interior portion of the vehicle with changes to the confidence in the autonomous operation, to continuously apprise the driver of the confidence in the autonomous operation.