Method for monitoring automated driving

• US 10,606,262 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2015
• Issued: 03/31/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Schmid, Bernhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Assistant Examiner(s): Greene, Daniel L
• Application Number:
  US15/326,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20170212512A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,720 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/02 responsive to conditions relating to the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/10 responsive to conditions relating to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/215 Selection or confirmation of options
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/08 Interaction between the driver and the control system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/082 Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/087 where the control system corrects or modifies a request from the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/10 Interpretation of driver requests or demands
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0053 from vehicle to occupant
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0057 Estimation of the time available or required for the handover
• 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: B60W 60/007 Emergency override Handing over between remote control and on-board control or handing over between remote control arrangements G05D1/227
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa

Abstract

On the basis of a sensed driving situation of a vehicle which will occur in the future, it is determined whether a driving assistance system is able to control the vehicle in the automated driving mode in the future driving situation. If it is determined that an automated driving mode is not possible in the future driving situation, and a time (Ts) up to the occurrence of the future driving situation is longer than a time (Tu) necessary for the driver to assume control of the vehicle, it is checked whether the manual control processes sensed by sensors of the vehicle correspond, in the current driving situation, to the automated control processes, determined by the driving assistance system, for the current driving situation. In this case, the assumption of control of the vehicle by the driver is confirmed, and the vehicle continues to be controlled in the manual driving mode.

Claims

1. A method of automated driving, comprising:

making available a vehicle, wherein the vehicle can be controlled by automated control processes by a driving assistance system in an automated driving mode without a driver, wherein the vehicle can be controlled by the driving assistance system in an automated emergency operating mode in which the automated driving mode is ended and the vehicle is stopped, and wherein the vehicle can be controlled in a manual driving mode by manual control processes of the driver, wherein for a changeover between the automated driving mode and the manual driving mode a time (T_U) is necessary for control of the vehicle to be assumed by the driver;

detecting a driving situation which will occur in the future;

determining whether the driving assistance system is able to control the vehicle in the automated driving mode in the future driving situation;

comparing a time (T_S) until the future driving situation will occur with the time (T_U) for the assumption of control of the vehicle in response to the determination that the driving assistance system is not able to control the vehicle in the automated driving mode in the future driving situation;

checking whether the manual control processes detected by sensors of the vehicle correspond in the current driving situation to the automated control processes determined for the current driving situation by the driving assistance system in response to a determination that the time (T_S) until the future driving situation will occur is longer than the time (T_U) for the assumption of control of the vehicle by the driver;

deactivating the automated driving mode and controlling the vehicle in the manual driving mode in response to a determination that the manual control processes correspond in the current driving situation to the automated control processes determined for the current driving situation by the driving assistance system; and

activating the automated emergency operating mode of the vehicle in response to a determination that the time (T_S) until the future driving situation will occur is shorter than or equal to the time (T_U) for the assumption of control of the vehicle.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising:

detecting the driving situation which will occur in future in response to a determination that the manual control processes in the current driving situation do not correspond to the automated control processes determined for the current driving situation by the driving assistance system.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising:

comparing the time (T_S) until the future driving situation will occur with a sum of the time (T_U) for the assumption of control of the vehicle and a buffer time (T_p) in response to a determination that the driving assistance system will not able to control the vehicle in the automated driving mode in the future driving situation, and

continuing the automated driving mode of the vehicle in response to a determination that the time (T_S) until the future driving situation will occur is longer than the sum of the time (T_U) for the assumption of control of the vehicle and the buffer time (T_P).

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, comprising:

carrying out the comparison of the time (T_S) until the future driving situation will occur with the time (T_U) for the assumption of control of the vehicle in response to a determination that the time (T_S) until the future driving situation will occur is shorter than or equal to the sum of the time (T_U) for the assumption of control of the vehicle and the buffer time (T_P).

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising:

checking whether the activated emergency operating mode of the vehicle is activated in response to a determination that the driving assistance system is not able to control the vehicle in the automated driving mode in the future driving situation, and

pre-conditioning the activated emergency operating mode in response to a determination that the activated emergency operating mode of the vehicle is deactivated and the driving assistance system is not able to control the vehicle in the automated driving mode in the future driving situation.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, comprising:

cancelling the pre-conditioning of the activated emergency operating mode in response to a determination that the driving assistance system is able to control the vehicle in the automated driving mode in the future driving situation.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising:

checking whether the driving assistance system is defective in such a way that the automated driving mode of the vehicle by the driving assistance system is impossible, and

activating the automated emergency operating mode of the vehicle in response to a determination that the driving assistance system is defective.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, comprising:

providing an input device for the external inputting of a control command to change into the manual driving mode,

checking whether the inputting of the control command to change into the manual driving mode has taken place, and

deactivating the automated emergency operating mode of the vehicle and controlling the vehicle in the manual driving mode in response to the receipt of the control command to change into the manual driving mode.

9. A vehicle configured for automated driving, the vehicle comprising:

a driving assistance system for automated driving, the driving assistance system being configured to perform operations including;

providing an automated driving mode wherein the vehicle can be controlled by automated control processes without a driver, an automated emergency operating mode in which the automated driving mode is ended and the vehicle is stopped, and a manual driving mode wherein the vehicle is controlled by manual control processes of the driver, wherein for a changeover from the automated driving mode to the manual driving mode a time (T_U) is necessary for control of the vehicle to be assumed by the driver;

detecting a driving situation which will occur in the future;

determining whether the driving assistance system is able to control the vehicle in the automated driving mode in the future driving situation;

comparing a time (T_S) until the future driving situation will occur with the time (T_U) for the assumption of control of the vehicle in response to a determination that the driving assistance system is not able to control the vehicle in the automated driving mode in the future driving situation;

checking whether the manual control processes detected by sensors of the vehicle correspond in the current driving situation to the automated control processes determined for the current driving situation by the driving assistance system in response to a determination that the time (T_S) until the future driving situation will occur is longer than the time (T_U) for the assumption of control of the vehicle by the driver;

deactivating the automated driving mode and controlling the vehicle in the manual driving mode in response to a determination that the manual control processes correspond in the current driving situation to the automated control processes determined for the current driving situation by the driving assistance system; and

activating the automated emergency operating mode of the vehicle in response to a determination that the time (T_S) until the future driving situation will occur is shorter than or equal to the time (T_U) for the assumption of control of the vehicle.

10. A driving assistance system for automated driving of a vehicle with monitoring of the automated driving, wherein the driving assistance system is configured to carry out operations comprising:

providing an automated driving mode without a driver, an automated emergency operating mode in which the automated driving mode is ended and the vehicle is stopped, and a manual driving mode in which the vehicle is controlled by manual control processes of the driver, wherein for a changeover from the automated driving mode to the manual driving mode a time (T_U) is necessary for control of the vehicle to be assumed by the driver;

detecting a driving situation which will occur in the future;

determining whether the driving assistance system is able to control the vehicle in the automated driving mode in the future driving situation;

comparing a time (T_S) until the future driving situation will occur with the time (T_U) for the assumption of control of the vehicle in response to a determination that the driving assistance system is not able to control the vehicle in the automated driving mode in the future driving situation;

checking whether the manual control processes detected by sensors of the vehicle correspond in the current driving situation to the automated control processes determined for the current driving situation by the driving assistance system in response to a determination that the time (T_S) until the future driving situation will occur is longer than the time (T_U) for the assumption of control of the vehicle by the driver;

deactivating the automated driving mode and controlling the vehicle in the manual driving mode in response to a determination that the manual control processes correspond in the current driving situation to the automated control processes determined for the current driving situation by the driving assistance system; and

activating the automated emergency operating mode of the vehicle in response to a determination that the time (T_S) until the future driving situation will occur is shorter than or equal to the time (T_U) for the assumption of control of the vehicle.

11. The driving assistance system as claimed in claim 10, further configured to carry out operations comprising detecting the driving situation which will occur in future in response to a determination that the manual control processes in the current driving situation do not correspond to the automated control processes determined for the current driving situation by the driving assistance system.

12. The driving assistance system as claimed in claim 10, further configured to carry out operations comprising:

comparing the time (T_S) until the future driving situation will occur with a sum of the time (T_U) for the assumption of control of the vehicle and a buffer time (T_p) in response to a determination that the driving assistance system is not able to control the vehicle in the automated driving mode in the future driving situation, and

continuing the automated driving mode of the vehicle in response to a determination that the time (T_S) until the future driving situation will occur is longer than the sum of the time (T_U) for the assumption of control of the vehicle and the buffer time (T_P).

13. The driving assistance system as claimed in claim 12, further configured to carry out operations comprising carrying out the comparison of the time (T_S) until the future driving situation will occur with the time (T_U) for the assumption of control of the vehicle in response to a determination that the time (T_S) until the future driving situation will occur is shorter than or equal to the sum of the time (T_U) for the assumption of control of the vehicle and the buffer time (T_P).

14. The driving assistance system as claimed claim 10, further configured to carry out operations comprising:

checking whether the activated emergency operating mode of the vehicle is activated in response to a determination that the driving assistance system is not able to control the vehicle in the automated driving mode in the future driving situation, and

pre-conditioning the activated emergency operating mode in response to a determination that the activated emergency operating mode of the vehicle is deactivated and the driving assistance system is not able to control the vehicle in the automated driving mode in the future driving situation.

15. The driving assistance system as claimed in claim 14, further configured to carry out operations comprising cancelling the pre-conditioning of the activated emergency operating mode in response to a determination that the driving assistance system is able to control the vehicle in the automated driving mode in the future driving situation.

16. The driving assistance system as claimed in claim 10, further configured to carry out operations comprising:

checking whether the driving assistance system is defective in such a way that the automated driving mode of the vehicle by the driving assistance system is impossible, and

activating the automated emergency operating mode of the vehicle in response to a determination that the driving assistance system is defective.

17. The driving assistance system as claimed in claim 16, further configured to carry out operations comprising:

making available to the vehicle an input device for the external inputting of a control command to change into the manual driving mode,

checking whether the inputting of the control command to change into the manual driving mode has taken place, and

deactivating the automated emergency operating mode of the vehicle and controlling the vehicle in the manual driving mode in response to the receipt of the control command to change into the manual driving mode.