Splash condition detection for vehicles

• US 9,428,194 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2014
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2014
• 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: Prokhorov, Danil V., Watanabe, Junya
• Primary Examiner(s): CHEUNG, CALVIN K
• Application Number:
  US14/566,998
• Publication Number:
  US 20160167668A1
• Time in Patent Office: 628 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0095 Automatic control mode change
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0215 Sensor drifts or sensor failures
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• 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 30/18009 related to particular drive situations
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/182 Selecting between different operative modes, e.g. comfort and performance modes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/06 Road conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/064 Degree of grip
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0053 from vehicle to occupant

Abstract

Arrangements relate to the operation of a vehicle, which can be an autonomous vehicle. A splash condition in a surrounding environment of the vehicle can be detected. An object near the vehicle can be detected. Further, it can be determined whether the detected object is passing the vehicle. Responsive to detecting a splash condition and determining that the object is passing the vehicle, a warning can be presented to an occupant of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method of operating a vehicle, comprising:

detecting a splash condition in a surrounding environment of the vehicle;

detecting an object near the vehicle;

determining whether the detected object is passing the vehicle;

responsive to detecting a splash condition and determining that the object is passing the vehicle, presenting a warning to an occupant of the vehicle;

determining whether the detected object will travel through at least a portion of the splash condition;

responsive to determining that the detected object will travel through at least a portion of splash condition, determining whether a resulting splash will contact at least a portion of the vehicle; and

responsive to determining that the resulting splash will contact at least a portion of the vehicle, presenting a splash warning to an occupant of the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle configured to operate in an autonomous mode and a manual mode, wherein the vehicle is currently operating in the autonomous mode, and further including:

causing the vehicle to switch from the autonomous mode to the manual mode.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein causing the vehicle to switch from the autonomous mode to the manual mode is responsive to receiving an occupant input subsequent to presenting the warning.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the splash condition includes rain, snow, slush, sand or dust.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the splash condition is a pool of fluid located in at least a travel lane that is adjacent to a travel lane of the vehicle, and wherein the detected object is located in the travel lane that is adjacent to the current travel lane of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether a resulting splash will contact at least a portion of the vehicle is based on at least one of a detected speed of the object, a detected speed of the vehicle, a detected distance between the object and the splash condition, and a detected distance between the vehicle and the splash condition.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the object is passing the vehicle includes determining whether an object is traveling in the same direction as the vehicle or in the opposite direction as the vehicle.

7. A method of operating a vehicle, comprising:

detecting a splash condition in a surrounding environment of the vehicle;

detecting an object near the vehicle;

determining a length of the object;

ignoring the object if the determined length is less than a predetermined length;

if the determined length of the object is greater than the predetermined length, determining whether the detected object is passing the vehicle; and

responsive to detecting a splash condition and determining that the object is passing the vehicle, presenting a warning to an occupant of the vehicle.

9. A method of operating a vehicle, comprising:

detecting a splash condition in a surrounding environment of the vehicle;

detecting an object near the vehicle;

determining whether the detected object is passing the vehicle;

responsive to detecting a splash condition and determining that the object is passing the vehicle, presenting a warning to an occupant of the vehicle;

detecting a forward object traveling in the travel lane of the vehicle;

determining whether the distance between the vehicle and the forward object is sufficient; and

responsive to determining that the distance between the vehicle and the forward object is not sufficient, presenting a warning to an occupant of the vehicle.

10. A method of operating a vehicle, comprising:

detecting a splash condition in a surrounding environment of the vehicle;

detecting an object near the vehicle;

determining whether the detected object is passing the vehicle;

responsive to detecting a splash condition and determining that the object is passing the vehicle, presenting a warning to an occupant of the vehicle; and

implementing at least one of a default driving action and a splash mitigating action if an occupant input is not received within a predetermined amount of time subsequent to presenting the warning.

11. A system for a vehicle comprising:

a processor, the processor being programmed to initiate executable operations comprising;

detecting a splash condition in a surrounding environment of the vehicle;

detecting an object near the vehicle;

determining whether the detected object is passing the vehicle;

responsive to detecting a splash condition and determining that the object is passing the vehicle, presenting a warning to an occupant of the vehicle;

determine whether the object will travel through at least a portion of the splash condition;

responsive to determining that the object will travel through at least a portion of the splash condition, determine whether a resulting splash will contact at least a portion of the vehicle; and

responsive to determining that the resulting splash will contact at least a portion of the vehicle, present a splash warning to an occupant of the vehicle.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle configured to operate in an autonomous mode and a manual mode, wherein the vehicle is currently operating in the autonomous mode, and the executable operations further including:

causing the vehicle to switch from the autonomous mode to the manual mode.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein causing the vehicle to switch from the autonomous mode to the manual mode is responsive to receiving an occupant input subsequent to presenting the warning.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the splash condition includes rain, snow, slush, sand or dust.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the splash condition is a pool of fluid is located in at least the travel lane that is adjacent to the travel lane of the vehicle.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein determining whether a resulting splash will contact at least a portion of the vehicle is based on a detected speed of the object, a detected speed of the vehicle, a detected distance between the object and the splash condition, or a detected distance between the vehicle and the splash condition.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein determining whether an object is passing the vehicle includes determining whether an object is traveling in the same direction as the vehicle or in the opposite direction as the vehicle.

18. A system for a vehicle comprising:

a processor, the processor being programmed to initiate executable operations comprising;

detecting a splash condition in a surrounding environment of the vehicle;

detecting an object near the vehicle;

determining a length of the object;

ignoring the object if the determined length is less than a predetermined length;

if the determined length of the object is greater than the predetermined length, determining whether the detected object is passing the vehicle; and

responsive to detecting a splash condition and determining that the object is passing the vehicle, presenting a warning to an occupant of the vehicle.

19. A system for a vehicle comprising:

a processor, the processor being programmed to initiate executable operations comprising;

detecting a splash condition in a surrounding environment of the vehicle;

detecting an object near the vehicle;

determining whether the detected object is passing the vehicle; and

responsive to detecting a splash condition and determining that the object is passing the vehicle, presenting a warning to an occupant of the vehicle;

detecting a forward object traveling in the travel lane of the vehicle;

determining whether the distance between the vehicle and the forward object is sufficient; and

responsive to determining that the distance between the vehicle and the forward object is not sufficient, presenting a warning to an occupant of the vehicle.

20. A system for a vehicle comprising:

a processor, the processor being programmed to initiate executable operations comprising;

detecting a splash condition in a surrounding environment of the vehicle;

detecting an object near the vehicle;

determining whether the detected object is passing the vehicle; and

responsive to detecting a splash condition and determining that the object is passing the vehicle, presenting a warning to an occupant of the vehicle; and

implementing at least one of a default driving action and a splash mitigating action if an occupant input is not received within a predetermined amount of time subsequent to presenting the warning.