Modified autonomous vehicle settings

• US 9,475,496 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2013
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Attard, Christopher, Elwart, Shane, Greenberg, Jeff Allen, Johri, Rajit, Kochhar, Devinder Singh, Rhode, Douglas Scott, Shutko, John, Tseng, Eric Hongtei
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, John Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUTCHINSON, ALAN D
• Application Number:
  US14/088,031
• Publication Number:
  US 20150149023A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/037 for occupant comfort , e.g. for automatic adjustment of appliances according to personal settings, e.g. seats, mirrors, steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0064 using a remote, e.g. cordless, transmitter or receiver unit, e.g. remote keypad or mobile phone
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/043 Identity of occupants
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/045 Occupant permissions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/182 Selecting between different operative modes, e.g. comfort and performance modes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/085 Changing the parameters of the control units, e.g. changing limit values, working points by control input
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/10 Interpretation of driver requests or demands
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/12 Limiting control by the driver depending on vehicle state, e.g. interlocking means for the control input for preventing unsafe operation

Abstract

A vehicle includes at least one autonomous driving sensor configured to monitor at least one condition while operating in an autonomous mode. The vehicle further includes a processing device configured to identify at least one occupant, select a profile associated with the occupant, and autonomously operate at least one subsystem according to the selected profile and the at least condition monitored by the at least one autonomous driving sensor.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

at least one autonomous driving sensor configured to monitor at least one condition while operating in an autonomous mode;

a processing device configured to identify at least one occupant, select a profile associated with the occupant, and autonomously operate at least one subsystem according to the selected profile and the at least one condition monitored by the at least one autonomous driving sensor,

wherein the processing device is programmed to transmit an override request to temporarily disable a driving restriction associated with the profile of the occupant, and wherein the processing device is programmed to temporarily disable the driving restriction in response to receiving an override authorization and output a message to the at least one occupant if the override request is denied, and

wherein the processing device is programmed to select a default response to the override request if the override authorization is not received within a predetermined period of time after transmitting the override request, wherein the default response includes temporarily approving the override request.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processing device is configured to identify the at least one occupant based on an occupant identification signal.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the occupant identification signal is received from an occupant identification system configured to receive a key and identify an occupant based at least in part on the key.

4. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the occupant identification system includes a camera configured to capture an image of at least one occupant.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processing device is configured to identify multiple occupants and determine whether at least one of the occupants is licensed to operate the vehicle.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the driving restriction including at least one of a geographic restriction, a road type restriction, a timing restriction, a speed restriction, a safety restriction, and an environmental restriction.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processing device is configured to receive a user input requesting at least a partial override of the driving restriction associated with the selected profile, and wherein the processing device is programmed to transmit the override request in response to the user input.

8. The vehicle of claim 7, further comprising a network interface device configured to transmit the override request to a vehicle owner.

9. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the user input includes at least one of a vehicle owner override request and an emergency services override.

10. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the message to the at least one occupant includes a reason for denying the override request.

11. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processing device is programmed to approve an emergency services override request without an override authorization.

12. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the profile associated with the at least one occupant identifies a permitted lane and a restricted lane, and wherein the processing device is programmed to temporarily allow the vehicle to travel in the restricted lane if the at least one autonomous driving sensor detects an obstruction in the permitted lane.

13. A method comprising

identifying at least one vehicle occupant;

selecting a profile associated with the at least one vehicle occupant;

autonomously operating at least one vehicle subsystem according to the selected profile;

transmitting an override request to temporarily disable a driving restriction associated with the selected profile;

receiving, at a processing device, an override authorization to temporarily disable the driving restriction if the override request is authorized;

outputting a message to the at least one vehicle occupant if the override request is denied; and

selecting a default response to the override request if the override authorization is not received within a predetermined period of time after transmitting the override request, wherein the default response includes temporarily approving the override request.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one vehicle occupant is identified from an occupant identification signal.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the driving restriction includes at least one of a geographic restriction, a road type restriction, a timing restriction, a speed restriction, a safety restriction, and an environmental restriction.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving a user input requesting the override request including at least a partial override of the driving restriction associated with the selected profile.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the user input includes at least one of a vehicle owner override request and an emergency services override.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising autonomously operating at least one vehicle subsystem according to the selected profile subject to the override authorization.

19. A vehicle comprising:

at least one autonomous driving sensor configured to monitor at least one condition while operating in an autonomous mode;

an occupant identification system configured to output an occupant identification signal representing at least one vehicle occupant;

a processing device configured to identify the at least one occupant based on the occupant identification signal, select a profile associated with the identified occupant, and autonomously operate at least one subsystem according to the selected profile and the at least one condition monitored by the at least one autonomous driving sensor;

wherein the selected profile defines at least one driving restriction and wherein the processing device is configured to receive a user input requesting an override of at least one of the driving restrictions and output a message to the at least one occupant if the override request is denied,

wherein the processing device is programmed to select a default response to the override request if the override authorization is not received within a predetermined period of time after transmitting the override request, wherein the default response includes temporarily approving the override request.