Adaptive driving system

• US 9,956,956 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2016
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Ali, Syed, Imanishi, Masayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALSOMIRI, MAJDI A
• Application Number:
  US14/992,605
• Publication Number:
  US 20170197618A1
• Time in Patent Office: 841 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0088 Adaptive recalibration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0638 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/125 Lateral acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/801 Lateral distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/802 Longitudinal distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2754/10 Spatial relation or speed relative to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2754/20 Lateral distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18163 Lane change; Overtaking manoeuvres
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/082 Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling
• 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 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0016 of the vehicle or its occupants
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0053 : from vehicle to occupant
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0221 : involving a learning process
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/00 : Machine learning

Abstract

A vehicle system for a vehicle can include sensors and a controller. The sensors can detect a position and speed of the vehicle and a position and speed of an object adjacent to the vehicle'"'"'s lane. The controller can determine an operational state based on input from the sensors. The controller can operate the vehicle in an autonomous mode, wherein the controller controls the speed of the vehicle and a spacing between the vehicle and the object. The controller can switch from the autonomous mode to a learning mode in response to a driver taking control of the vehicle'"'"'s speed or steering. In the learning mode, the controller can learn a preferred spacing between the vehicle and the object and a preferred speed relative to the object. The controller can control the vehicle in the autonomous mode based on the preferred spacing and speed during similar operational states.

Claims

1. A vehicle system for a host vehicle traveling in a driving lane with an object adjacent to the driving lane, the vehicle system comprising:

a set of sensors being configured to detect a position and a speed of the host vehicle within the driving lane, and to detect a position and a speed of the object adjacent to the driving lane; and

a control system configured to determine an operational state based on input from the sensors, to operate the host vehicle in an autonomous mode wherein the control system controls the speed of the host vehicle and a spacing between the host vehicle and the object, and to switch from the autonomous mode to a learning mode in response to the driver taking control of the speed or steering of the host vehicle;

wherein when in the learning mode, the control system learns a preferred spacing between the host vehicle and the object and a preferred speed of the host vehicle relative to the object;

wherein the control system is configured to control the host vehicle in the autonomous mode based on the preferred spacing and preferred speed during similar operational states; and

wherein the control system is configured to notify the driver of a change in an overtaking policy and to prompt the driver to accept or reject the change.

2. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein when the control system is operated in the autonomous mode, the control system is configured to control a steering input of the host vehicle to control a lateral spacing between the host vehicle and the object, wherein when in the learning mode, the control system is configured to learn a preferred lateral spacing between the host vehicle and the object, and wherein the control system is configured to control the host vehicle in the autonomous mode based on the preferred lateral spacing during similar operational states.

3. The vehicle system of claim 2, wherein the operational states are overtaking conditions.

4. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the control system is configured to prompt the driver to select a preferred overtaking policy from a selection of overtaking policies that includes a planned overtaking policy and a previously saved actual overtaking policy, and wherein in response to the driver selecting the preferred overtaking policy, the control system is configured to set the preferred overtaking policy as the planned overtaking policy for operation in autonomous mode during similar operational states.

5. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the control system is configured to prompt the driver to accept or reject the change in response to the driver starting the vehicle.

7. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the set of sensors are configured to detect a type or a size of the object, and wherein the operational state includes the type or size of the object.

6. A vehicle system for a host vehicle traveling in a driving lane with an object adjacent to the driving lane, the vehicle system comprising:

a set of sensors being configured to detect a position and a speed of the host vehicle within the driving lane, and to detect a position and a speed of the object adjacent to the driving lane; and

a control system configured to determine an operational state based on input from the sensors, to operate the host vehicle in an autonomous mode wherein the control system controls the speed of the host vehicle and a spacing between the host vehicle and the object, and to switch from the autonomous mode to a learning mode in response to the driver taking control of the speed or steering of the host vehicle;

wherein when in the learning mode, the control system learns a preferred spacing between the host vehicle and the object and a preferred speed of the host vehicle relative to the object;

wherein the control system is configured to control the host vehicle in the autonomous mode based on the preferred spacing and preferred speed during similar operational states; and

wherein the control system is configured to store multiple overtaking policies for a particular operational state and to prompt the driver to choose a preferred overtaking policy from a list including the multiple overtaking policies.

8. A method of controlling a host vehicle traveling in a driving lane with an object adjacent to the driving lane, the method comprising:

detecting a first operational state including a position and speed of the host vehicle relative to the object;

determining a planned overtaking policy based on the first operational state;

operating the host vehicle in an autonomous mode according to the planned overtaking policy;

operating the host vehicle in a learning mode in response to a driver taking over control during the autonomous mode;

storing an actual overtaking policy based on the first operational state and input from the driver during the learning mode; and

operating the host vehicle in the autonomous mode based on the actual overtaking policy in response to the vehicle encountering operational states similar to the first operational state; and

prompting the driver to select a preferred overtaking policy from a selection of overtaking policies corresponding to the first operational state.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the planned overtaking policy includes a planned lateral spacing between the host vehicle and the object, and the actual overtaking policy includes an actual lateral spacing between the host vehicle and the object.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the selection of overtaking policies includes the planned overtaking policy and the actual overtaking policy.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

operating the host vehicle in the autonomous mode based on the preferred overtaking policy in response to the host vehicle encountering operational states similar to the first operational state.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining if the actual overtaking policy is within predetermined safety levels; and

wherein the host vehicle is only operated in the autonomous mode based on the actual overtaking policy when the actual overtaking policy is within the predetermined safety levels.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining a preferred overtaking policy for a second operational state based on actual overtaking policies corresponding to operational states that differ from the second operational state.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the first operational state includes at least one of a type of the object, road structure information, weather information, accident records, vehicle average speed records, or traffic records.

15. A method of controlling a host vehicle traveling in a driving lane, the method comprising:

detecting a first operational state that includes a lateral spacing of the host vehicle relative to an object adjacent to the driving lane, a speed of the host vehicle relative to the object, and a size or a type of the object;

determining a planned overtaking policy for overtaking the object, the planned overtaking policy including a planned lateral spacing and a planned speed of the host vehicle relative to the object;

operating the host vehicle in an autonomous mode according to the planned overtaking policy;

detecting an actual overtaking policy based on manual input by a driver during the autonomous mode, the actual overtaking policy including an actual lateral spacing and an actual speed of the host vehicle relative to the object;

storing the actual overtaking policy in a database of overtaking policies; and

operating the host vehicle in the autonomous mode according to a preferred overtaking policy that is based on the actual overtaking policy in response to the host vehicle encountering a second operational state that is similar to the first operational state; and

prompting the driver to select the preferred overtaking policy from a selection of overtaking policies.