Vehicle seat haptic indication of future planned driving maneuvers

• US 9,573,522 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2015
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2015
• 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: James, Michael R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Edwards, Jerrah
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALSOMIRI, MAJDI A
• Application Number:
  US14/699,670
• Publication Number:
  US 20160318442A1
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0244 with logic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0276 reaction to emergency situations, e.g. crash
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/04 the whole seat being movable
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2002/981 Warning systems, e.g. the seat or seat parts vibrates to warn the passenger when facing a danger
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling

Abstract

Arrangements related to the operation of an autonomous vehicle are described. The autonomous vehicle includes a vehicle seat. It can be determined whether a future planned driving maneuver of the autonomous vehicle includes a change in a current motion of the autonomous vehicle. Responsive to determining that the future planned driving maneuver includes a change in the current motion of the autonomous vehicle, the vehicle seat can be caused to provide a haptic indication of the future planned driving maneuver prior to implementing the future planned driving maneuver. In this way, a vehicle seat occupant can be alerted to the future planned driving maneuver. The haptic indication can include a movement of the vehicle seat. In one or more arrangements, the movement of the vehicle seat can correspond to a sensation that a vehicle seat occupant will experience during at least a portion of the future planned driving maneuver.

Claims

1. A method of operating an autonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehicle including a processor, a vehicle seat, and one or more vehicle seat actuators, the one or more vehicle seat actuators being operatively connected to the vehicle seat and to the processor, the method comprising:

determining, using the processor, whether a future planned driving maneuver of the autonomous vehicle includes a change in a current motion of the autonomous vehicle; and

responsive to determining that the future planned driving maneuver includes a change in the current motion of the autonomous vehicle, activating at least one of the one or more vehicle seat actuators to cause the vehicle seat to provide a haptic indication of the future planned driving maneuver prior to implementing the future planned driving maneuver, whereby a seat occupant is alerted to the future planned driving maneuver.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the haptic indication includes a movement of the vehicle seat.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the movement of the vehicle seat corresponds to a sensation that a vehicle seat occupant will experience during at least a portion of the future planned driving maneuver.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, when the future planned driving maneuver is acceleration, the movement of the vehicle seat that corresponds to a sensation that a vehicle seat occupant will experience during at least a portion of the future planned driving maneuver includes tilting the vehicle seat in a rearward direction.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein, when the future planned driving maneuver is deceleration, the movement of the vehicle seat that corresponds to a sensation that a vehicle seat occupant will experience during at least a portion of the future planned driving maneuver includes tilting the vehicle seat in a forward direction.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein, when the future planned driving maneuver is a turn or a curve, the movement of the vehicle seat that corresponds to a sensation that a vehicle seat occupant will experience during at least a portion of the future planned driving maneuver includes tilting the vehicle seat in a lateral direction opposite to the direction of the turn or the curve.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein, when the future planned driving maneuver is a turn or a curve, the movement of the vehicle seat includes moving the vehicle seat in substantially the same lateral direction as the direction of the turn or the curve.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the vehicle seat to provide a haptic indication of the future planned driving maneuver prior to implementing the future planned driving maneuver includes causing the vehicle seat to provide a haptic indication at a predetermined period of time prior to implementing the future planned driving maneuver.

9. A system for an autonomous vehicle comprising:

a vehicle seat;

one or more vehicle seat actuators, the one or more vehicle seat actuators being operatively connected to the vehicle seat; and

a processor operatively connected to the one or more vehicle seat actuators, the processor being programmed to initiate executable operations comprising;

determining whether a future planned driving maneuver of the autonomous vehicle includes a change in a current motion of the autonomous vehicle; and

responsive to determining that the future planned driving maneuver includes a change in the current motion of the autonomous vehicle, activating at least one of the one or more vehicle seat actuators to cause the vehicle seat to provide a haptic indication of the future planned driving maneuver prior to implementing the future planned driving maneuver.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the haptic indication includes

wherein a movement of the vehicle seat in one or more directions.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the movement of the vehicle seat corresponds to a sensation that a vehicle seat occupant will experience during at least a portion of the future planned driving maneuver.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein, when the future planned driving maneuver is acceleration, the movement of the vehicle seat that corresponds to a sensation that a vehicle seat occupant will experience during at least a portion of the future planned driving maneuver includes tilting the vehicle seat in a rearward direction.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein, when the future planned driving maneuver is deceleration, the movement of the vehicle seat that corresponds to a sensation that a vehicle seat occupant will experience during at least a portion of the future planned driving maneuver includes tilting the vehicle seat in a forward direction.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein, when the future planned driving maneuver is a turn or a curve, the movement of the vehicle seat that corresponds to a sensation that a vehicle seat occupant will experience during at least a portion of the future planned driving maneuver includes tilting the vehicle seat in a lateral direction opposite to the direction of the turn or the curve.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein, when the future planned driving maneuver is a turn or a curve, the movement of the vehicle seat includes moving the vehicle seat in substantially the same lateral direction as the direction of the turn or the curve.

16. A computer program product for operating an autonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehicle including a vehicle seat and one or more vehicle seat actuators, the one or more vehicle seat actuators being operatively connected to the vehicle seat, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therein, the program code executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:

determining whether a future planned driving maneuver of the autonomous vehicle includes a change in a current motion of the autonomous vehicle; and

responsive to determining that the future planned driving maneuver includes a change in the current motion of the autonomous vehicle, activating one or more vehicle seat actuators to cause the vehicle seat to provide a haptic indication of the future planned driving maneuver prior to implementing the future planned driving maneuver, whereby a vehicle seat occupant is alerted to the future planned driving maneuver.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the haptic indication includes a movement of the vehicle seat.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the movement of the vehicle seat corresponds to a sensation that a vehicle seat occupant will experience during at least a portion of the future planned driving maneuver.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein, when the future planned driving maneuver is acceleration, the movement of the vehicle seat that corresponds to a sensation that a vehicle seat occupant will experience during at least a portion of the future planned driving maneuver includes tilting the vehicle seat in a rearward direction.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein, when the future planned driving maneuver is a turn or a curve, the movement of the vehicle seat that corresponds to a sensation that a vehicle seat occupant will experience during at least a portion of the future planned driving maneuver includes tilting the vehicle seat in a lateral direction opposite to the direction of the turn or the curve.