INTERPRETATION OF AMBIGUOUS VEHICLE INSTRUCTIONS

• US 20140365228A1
• Filed: 08/21/2014
• Published: 12/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Ng-Thow-Hing, Victor, Bark, Karlin, Tran, Cuong
• Granted Patent: US 9,747,898 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3664 Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0187 slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/00 Machine learning
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/20 Speech recognition techniques specially adapted for robustness in adverse environments, e.g. in noise, of stress induced speech G10L21/02 takes precedence

Abstract

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a command interpreter for use in a vehicle control system in a vehicle for interpreting user commands, a vehicle interaction system including such a command interpreter, a vehicle including such a vehicle interaction system, and related method and non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, including: a memory and a processor, the processor being configured to: receive, from at least one human via a first input device, a first input having a first type; receive a second input having a second type via a second input device, wherein the second type comprises at least one of sensed information describing a surrounding environment of the vehicle and input received from at least one human; interpret both the first input and the second input to generate a system instruction; and transmit the system instruction to a different system of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A command interpreter comprising:

a memory and a processor, the processor being configured to;

receive, from at least one of a human vehicle driver and a human vehicle passenger via a first input device, a first input having a first input type;

receive a second input having a second input type different from the first input type via a second input device, wherein the second input type comprises at least one of sensed information describing a surrounding environment of the vehicle and input received from at least one of the human vehicle driver and the human passenger;

interpret both the first input and the second input to generate a system instruction; and

transmit the system instruction to a different system of the vehicle.

2. The command interpreter of claim 1, wherein, in interpreting both the first input and the second input to generate a system instruction, the processor is configured to:

interpret the first input to identify a relevant portion of the second input; and

interpret both the first input and the relevant portion of the second input to generate the system instruction.

3. The command interpreter of claim 1, wherein the system instruction includes a command and at least one parameter and, in interpreting both the first input and the second input to generate a system instruction, the processor is configured to:

determine the command based on the first input; and

determine the parameter based on the second input.

4. The command interpreter of claim 1, wherein, in interpreting both the first input and the second input to generate a system instruction, the processor is configured to utilize the second input to select from a plurality of potential instructions indentified as being associated with the first input.

5. The command interpreter of claim 1, wherein, in interpreting both the first input and the second input to generate a system instruction, the processor is configured to evaluate at least one rule of a plurality of rules correlating various inputs to various system instructions.

6. The command interpreter of claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to utilize machine learning to generate the plurality of rules.

7. The command interpreter of claim 1, wherein:

the second input device is a camera;

the processor is configured to receive the second input from a gesture recognition system; and

the second input describes a gesture performed by at least one of the human vehicle driver and the human passenger.

8. The command interpreter of claim 1, wherein:

the processor is configured to receive the second input from an environment sensing system that is configured to identify objects present in the environment outside of the vehicle; and

the second input describes at least one object present in the environment outside the vehicle.

9. The command interpreter of claim 1, wherein the different system is an autonomous control system configured to control the motion of the vehicle.

10. The command interpreter of claim 9, wherein the instruction indicates a tactical maneuver for the autonomous control system to perform.

11. The command interpreter of claim 1, wherein the different system is a heads-up display positioned for viewing by at least one of the human vehicle driver and the human vehicle passenger and the instruction is associated with a graphic to be displayed via the heads-up-display.

12. A vehicle interaction system comprising:

a first input system configured to receive a first input having a first input type from at least one of a human vehicle driver and a human passenger;

a second input system configured to receive a second input having a second input type that is different from the first input type, wherein the second input type comprises at least one of sensed information describing a surrounding environment of the vehicle and input received from at least one of the human vehicle driver and the human passenger;

an output system configured to accept instructions from other systems;

a command interpreter configured to;

receive the first input and the second input,

interpret both the first input and the second input to generate an system instruction, and

transmit the system instruction to the output system.

13. The command interpreter of claim 12, wherein, in interpreting both the first input and the second input to generate a system instruction, the command interpreter is configured to:

interpret the first input to identify a relevant portion of the second input; and

interpret both the first input and the relevant portion of the second input to generate the system instruction.

14. The vehicle interaction system of claim 12, wherein the system instruction includes a command and at least one parameter and, in interpreting both the first input and the second input to generate a system instruction, the command interpreter is configured to:

determine the command based on the first input; and

determine the parameter based on the second input.

15. The vehicle interaction system of claim 12, wherein, in interpreting both the first input and the second input to generate a system instruction, the command interpreter is configured to utilize the second input to select from a plurality of potential instructions indentified as being associated with the first input.

16. The vehicle interaction system of claim 12, wherein, in interpreting both the first input and the second input to generate a system instruction, the command interpreter is configured to evaluate at least one rule of a plurality of rules correlating various inputs to various system instructions.

17. The vehicle interaction system of claim 16, wherein the command interpreter is configured to utilize machine learning to generate the plurality of rules.

18. The vehicle interaction system of claim 12, wherein:

the second input system is a gesture recognition system;

the second input describes a gesture performed by at least one of the human vehicle driver and the human passenger.

19. The vehicle interaction system of claim 12, wherein:

the second input system is an environment sensing system that is configured to identify objects present in the environment outside of the vehicle; and

the second input describes at least one object present in the environment outside the vehicle.

20. The vehicle interaction system of claim 12, wherein the output system is an autonomous control system configured to control the motion of the vehicle.