Engaging and disengaging for autonomous driving

• US 9,352,752 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2015
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Waymo LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Cullinane, Brian Douglas, Nemec, Philip, Clement, Manuel Christian, Mariet, Robertus Christianus Elisabeth, Jonsson, Lilli Ing-Marie
• Primary Examiner(s): CAMBY, RICHARD M
• Application Number:
  US14/746,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20150284009A1
• Time in Patent Office: 344 Days
• Field of Search: 701/23
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2350/1076 Type of information
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/172 Driving mode indication
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/175 Autonomous driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/16 Type of information
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/172 Driving mode indication
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/175 Autonomous driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 37/06 of controls, e.g. controls knobs
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/023 for transmission of signals between vehicle parts or subsystems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4866 Displaying or indicating arrangements thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/48 Control systems, alarms, or interlock systems, for the correct application of the belt or harness
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0002 Automatic control, details of type of controller or control system architecture
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/045 Occupant permissions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/16 Ratio selector position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/215 Selection or confirmation of options
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/229 : Attention level, e.g. attentive to driving, reading or sleeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 : Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/20 : Road profile, i.e. the change in elevation or curvature of a plurality of continuous road segments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/30 : Road curve radius
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/53 : Road markings, e.g. lane marker or crosswalk
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/801 : Lateral distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 : Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/00 : Input parameters relating to data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 : External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 : of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2600/00 : Indexing codes relating to automatic control systems or control processes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/00 : Purposes of road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub-unit, e.g. of systems using conjoint control of vehicle sub-units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/082 : Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 : Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0051 : from occupants to vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0053 : from vehicle to occupant
• 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 1/0212 : with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0223 : involving speed control of the vehicle vehicle fittings for automatically controlling, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator B60K31/00

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure relate switching between autonomous and manual driving modes. In order to do so, the vehicle'"'"'s computer may conduct a series of environmental, system, and driver checks to identify certain conditions. The computer may correct some of these conditions and also provide a driver with a checklist of tasks for completion. Once the tasks have been completed and the conditions are changed, the computer may allow the driver to switch from the manual to the autonomous driving mode. The computer may also make a determination, under certain conditions, that it would be detrimental to the driver'"'"'s safety or comfort to make a switch from the autonomous driving mode to the manual driving mode.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, user input requesting that the one or more processors activate an autonomous driving mode of a vehicle;

in response to receiving the request, using, by the one or more processors, protocol data to assess (i) the status of the vehicle'"'"'s environment, (ii) the vehicle, and systems of the vehicle, and (iii) a user of the vehicle;

generating, by the one or more processors, a set of tasks based on the assessments wherein at least one task of the set of tasks is one that may be performed by a driver to change the condition;

selecting, by the one or more processors, as a first task of the set of tasks based on a priority of the tasks;

displaying, by the one or more processors, to the user of the vehicle an instruction to complete the first task of the set of tasks; and

upon determining that all of the tasks of the set of tasks including the first task of the set of tasks, are completed, controlling, by the one or more processors, the vehicle in an autonomous driving mode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the assessments includes determining whether the current or future weather would make autonomous driving unsafe.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the assessments includes determining whether data received from the sensors of the detection system agrees with the corresponding detailed map information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the assessments includes determining whether the vehicle is currently driving in an area pre-approved for initiating the autonomous driving mode.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the assessments includes determining whether the vehicle can be driving in the autonomous driving mode for a minimum period of time before a switch to a manual mode is required.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the assessments includes determining whether the vehicle has met a minimum maintenance standard.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the assessments includes determining whether the vehicle'"'"'s automatic wipers are currently on.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first task of the set of tasks includes buckling a seatbelt of an occupant of the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing, by the one or more processors, any of the tasks of the set of tasks which can be fully completed by the one or more processors.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising, before activating the autonomous driving but after the first task of the set of tasks has been completed, reassessing, by the one or more processors, the priority of any remaining tasks of the set of tasks by:

using the protocol data to reassess (i) the status of the vehicle'"'"'s environment, (ii) the vehicle, and systems of the vehicle, and (iii) a user of the vehicle; and

reconfiguring the set of tasks based on one or more of the reassessments.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first task of the set of tasks includes closing a door of the vehicle through which an occupant enters the vehicle.

12. A system comprising one or more computing devices having one or more processors configured to:

receive user input requesting that the one or more processors activate an autonomous driving mode of a vehicle;

in response to receiving the request, use protocol data to assess (i) the status of the vehicle'"'"'s environment, (ii) the vehicle, and systems of the vehicle, and (iii) a user of the vehicle;

generate a set of tasks based on the assessments wherein at least one task of the set of tasks is one that may be performed by a driver to change the condition;

select as a first task of the set of tasks based on a priority of the tasks;

display to the user of the vehicle an instruction to complete the first task of the set of tasks;

upon determining that all of the tasks of the set of tasks, including the first task, are completed, control the vehicle in the autonomous driving mode.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein at least one of the assessments includes determining whether the current or future weather would make autonomous driving unsafe.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein at least one of the assessments includes determining whether data received from the sensors of the detection system agrees with the corresponding detailed map information.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein at least one of the assessments includes determining whether the vehicle is currently driving in an area pre-approved for initiating the autonomous driving mode.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein at least one of the assessments includes determining whether the vehicle has met a minimum maintenance standard.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein at least one of the assessments includes determining whether the vehicle'"'"'s automatic wipers are currently on.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the first task of the set of tasks includes buckling a seatbelt of an occupant of the vehicle.

19. The system of claim 12, further comprising performing, by the one or more processors, any of the tasks of the set of tasks which can be fully completed by the one or more processors.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the first task of the set of tasks includes closing a door of the vehicle through which an occupant enters the vehicle.