Environmental driver comfort feedback for autonomous vehicle

• US 10,543,852 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2016
• Issued: 01/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2016
• 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: Marcoux, John H., Johnson, Miles J, Prokhorov, Danil V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sample, Jonathan L
• Application Number:
  US15/242,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20180052461A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,256 Days
• Field of Search: 701 23- 28
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/00 Input parameters relating to data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention

Abstract

Described herein is an autonomous vehicle comprising a sensor and a driver notification module in communication with the sensor. The driver notification module may be configured to receive first information related to an upcoming event; determine an action for an autonomous vehicle based, at least in part, on the first information; determine one or more characteristics of the action based, at least in part on the first information and a current status of the autonomous vehicle; determine a notification based, at least in part, on the action and the one or more characteristics; and deliver the notification within the autonomous vehicle.

Claims

1. A driver notification module comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory, the processor configured to;

receive first information related to an upcoming event;

determine an action for an autonomous vehicle based, at least in part, on the first information;

determine one or more characteristics of the action based, at least in part on the first information and a current status of the autonomous vehicle;

create a notification based, at least in part, on the action and the one or more characteristics; and

deliver the notification within the autonomous vehicle to improve a situational awareness of occupants in relation to an environment around the autonomous vehicle.

2. The driver notification module of claim 1, wherein the first information is received from one of a sensor of the autonomous vehicle or a geography data store.

3. The driver notification module of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive second information related to the upcoming event, wherein the first information is received from a sensor of the autonomous vehicle and the second information is received from a geography data store;

determine the action for the autonomous vehicle based, at least in part, on the first information and the second information; and

determine the one or more characteristics of the action based, at least in part on the first information, the second information, and a current status of the autonomous vehicle.

4. The driver notification module of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the notification is retrieved from a database, the database configured to map the one or more characteristics to the portion of the notification.

5. The driver notification module of claim 4, wherein the database is further configured to map the one or more characteristics to the action.

6. The driver notification module of claim 1, wherein the action is related to a change in a current operating status of the autonomous vehicle.

18. The driver notification module of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to create the notification based, at least in part, on the action, the one or more characteristics, and the upcoming event.

7. A method for driver notification, the method comprising:

receiving, by a driver notification module, first information related to an upcoming event;

determining, by the driver notification module, an action for an autonomous vehicle based, at least in part, on the first information;

determining, by the driver notification module, one or more characteristics of the action based, at least in part on the first information and a current status of the autonomous vehicle;

creating, by the driver notification module, a notification based, at least in part, on the action and the one or more characteristics; and

delivering, by the driver notification module, the notification within the autonomous vehicle to improve a situational awareness of occupants in relation to an environment around the autonomous vehicle.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving the first information comprises receiving the first information from one of a sensor of the autonomous vehicle or a geography data store.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

receiving second information related to the upcoming event, wherein the first information is received from a sensor of the autonomous vehicle and the second information is received from a geography data store;

determining the action for the autonomous vehicle based, at least in part, on the first information and the second information; and

determining the one or more characteristics of the action based, at least in part on the first information, the second information, and a current status of the autonomous vehicle.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

retrieving at least a portion of the notification from a database, the database configured to map the one or more characteristics to the portion of the notification.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the database is further configured to map the one or more characteristics to the action.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the action is related to a change in a current operating status of the autonomous vehicle.

19. The method of claim 7, wherein creating the notification comprises:

creating the notification based, at least in part, on the action, the one or more characteristics, and the upcoming event.

13. An autonomous vehicle comprising:

a sensor; and

a driver notification module in communication with the sensor, the driver notification module configured to;

receive first information related to an upcoming event;

determine an action for the autonomous vehicle based, at least in part, on the first information;

determine one or more characteristics of the action based, at least in part on the first information and a current status of the autonomous vehicle;

create a notification based, at least in part, on the action and the one or more characteristics; and

deliver the notification within the autonomous vehicle to improve a situational awareness of occupants in relation to an environment around the autonomous vehicle.

14. The autonomous vehicle of claim 13, wherein the first information is received from one of the sensor or a geography data store.

15. The autonomous vehicle of claim 13, wherein the driver notification module is further configured to:

receive second information related to the upcoming event, wherein the first information is received from the sensor and the second information is received from a geography data store;

determine the action for the autonomous vehicle based, at least in part, on the first information and the second information; and

determine the one or more characteristics of the action based, at least in part on the first information, the second information, and a current status of the autonomous vehicle.

16. The autonomous vehicle of claim 13, wherein at least a portion of the notification is retrieved from a database, the database configured to:

map the one or more characteristics to the portion of the notification; and

map the one or more characteristics to the action.

17. The autonomous vehicle of claim 13, wherein the action is related to a change in a current operating status of the autonomous vehicle.

20. The autonomous vehicle of claim 13, wherein the driver notification module is further configured to create the notification based, at least in part, on the action, the one or more characteristics, and the upcoming event.