Autonomous confidence control

• US 9,989,963 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2016
• Issued: 06/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Perkins, William Paul, Kelley, David B., Miller, Kenneth James
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US15/073,116
• Publication Number:
  US 20170248951A1
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• Field of Search: 701 23, 701 26
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/04 including control of propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• 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 2540/21 Voice
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/22 Psychological state; Stress level or workload
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/223 Posture, e.g. hand, foot, or seat position, turned or inclined
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/225 Direction of gaze
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/229 Attention level, e.g. attentive to driving, reading or sleeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/35 Road bumpiness, e.g. potholes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/20 Data confidence level
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/182 Selecting between different operative modes, e.g. comfort and performance modes
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0248 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S

Abstract

Signals are from a plurality of sources representing aspects of the vehicle and an environment surrounding the vehicle. An autonomous confidence factor is developed based on component confidence levels for at least one of the signals. Control of the vehicle is transitioned between levels of autonomous control based at least in part on the autonomous confidence factor.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

collecting data from each of a plurality of respective vehicle subsystems;

determining a component confidence factor for each subsystem indicating a quality of the collected data from the respective subsystem based on the collected data and a weighting factor;

determining a global autonomous confidence factor based at least in part on the component confidence factors; and

transitioning between levels of autonomous control of the vehicle based at least in part on the global autonomous confidence factor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the levels include an autonomous, a semi-autonomous, and a manual level of control.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the specific weighted factor for a respective subsystem is determined by a value of the collected data from the respective subsystem.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of vehicle subsystems includes at least one of a lidar, a radar, an optical camera, an infrared camera, an ultrasonic transducer, an altimeter, a global position system, and a telematics system.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising changing from a first one of the levels of autonomous control to a second one of the levels of autonomous control when the global autonomous confidence factor exceeds a first threshold.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising changing to a semi-autonomous level of control when the global autonomous confidence factor is below the first threshold and exceeds a second threshold.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the vehicle subsystems each have a specific autonomous confidence threshold, the method further comprising autonomously controlling each of the vehicle subsystems when a specific component confidence factor for the vehicle subsystem exceeds the specific autonomous confidence threshold and allowing manual control of each of the vehicle subsystems when the specific component confidence factor for the vehicle subsystem that is below the specific autonomous confidence threshold.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising actuating at least one of vehicle steering, braking, and propulsion according to the global autonomous confidence factor.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the autonomous control includes control of each of vehicle steering, braking, and propulsion by a vehicle computer, semi-autonomous control includes control of at least one of vehicle steering, braking, and propulsion by the vehicle computer, and manual control includes control of none of vehicle steering, braking, and propulsion by the vehicle computer.

10. An autonomous vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of vehicle control subsystems; and

at least one controller programmed to;

collect data from each of the plurality of respective vehicle subsystems;

determine a component confidence factor for each subsystem indicating a quality of the collected data from the respective subsystem based on the collected data and a weighting factor;

determine a global autonomous confidence factor based at least in part on the component confidence factors; and

between levels of autonomous control of the vehicle based at least in part on the global autonomous confidence factor.

11. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the levels include an autonomous, a semi-autonomous, and a manual level of control.

12. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the plurality of vehicle subsystems includes at least one of a lidar, a radar, an optical camera, an infrared camera, an ultrasonic transducer, an altimeter, a global position system, and a telematics system.

13. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the controller is programmed to change from a first one of the levels of autonomous control to a second one of the levels of autonomous control when the global autonomous confidence factor exceeds a first threshold.

14. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the controller is programmed to change to a semi-autonomous level of control when the global autonomous confidence factor is below the first threshold and exceeds a second threshold.

15. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the vehicle subsystems each have a specific autonomous confidence threshold, the controller programmed to autonomously control each of the vehicle subsystems when a specific component confidence factor for the vehicle subsystem exceeds the specific autonomous confidence threshold and allowing manual control of each of the vehicle subsystems when the specific component confidence factor for the vehicle subsystem that is below the specific autonomous confidence threshold.

16. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the controller is programmed to actuate at least one of vehicle steering, braking, and propulsion according to the global autonomous confidence factor.