Smart tutorial that learns and adapts

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10909873-B2
Application number	US-201816116358-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 29, 2018
Priority date	Jul 29, 2016
Publication date	Feb 2, 2021
Grant date	Feb 2, 2021

Abstract

An adaptive smart tutorial that assists in operating a vehicle is described. A situational profile for the vehicle including driver identity data is generated. The driver identity data includes respective usage frequency values corresponding to a plurality of assistance instructions. The situational profile is compared to a plurality of assistance profiles including aggregate identity data corresponding to the driver identity data, Based on the comparison, a plurality of similarity values corresponding to the plurality of assistance profiles indicating a level of similarity between the situational profile for the vehicle and a respective assistance profile of the plurality of assistance profiles is generated. An assistance instruction of the plurality of assistance instructions is selected depending upon a similarity value and a usage frequency value that corresponds to the assistance instruction. The assistance instruction is associated with one or more control system inputs for changing a control state of the vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of operating a vehicle, the method comprising:
generating, by a processor, a situational profile for the vehicle including driver identity data, wherein the driver identity data includes respective usage frequency values corresponding to a plurality of assistance instructions;
comparing, by the processor, the situational profile for the vehicle to a plurality of assistance profiles including aggregate identity data corresponding to the driver identity data;
generating, by the processor and based on comparing the situational profile for the vehicle to the plurality of assistance profiles, a plurality of similarity values corresponding to the plurality of assistance profiles indicating a level of similarity between the situational profile for the vehicle and a respective assistance profile of the plurality of assistance profiles; and
selecting, by the processor, an assistance instruction of the plurality of assistance instructions depending upon a similarity value of the plurality of similarity values and a usage frequency value that corresponds to the assistance instruction, wherein the assistance instruction is associated with one or more control system inputs for changing a control state of the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
updating the usage frequency value that corresponds to the assistance instruction within the driver identity data.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein updating the usage frequency value occurs responsive to use of the assistance instruction.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting whether the driver identity data indicates autonomous systems control by the vehicle; and
activating or deactivating one or more control systems of the vehicle in accordance with the selected assistance instruction responsive to detecting that the driver identity data indicates autonomous systems control by the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
providing a notification indication to the driver that the vehicle will be activating or deactivating the one or more control systems before activating or deactivating the one or more control systems; and
awaiting confirmation from a driver before activating or deactivating the one or more control systems.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating an assistance indication that corresponds to the selected assistance instruction; and
determining whether the selected assistance instruction is performed responsive to the assistance indication.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein determining whether the selected assistance instruction is performed comprises:
detecting a feedback input indicating whether the selected assistance instruction is performed responsive to the assistance indication.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating, by the processor, an assistance indication based on the assistance instruction, wherein the assistance indication includes at least one of audible indication, a visual indication, or a haptic indication.

9. An apparatus for operating a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:
a non-transitory memory; and
a processor configured to execute instructions stored in the non-transitory memory to:
generate a situational profile for the vehicle including driver identity data, wherein the driver identity data includes respective usage frequency values corresponding to a plurality of assistance instructions;
compare the situational profile for the vehicle to a plurality of assistance profiles including aggregate identity data corresponding to the driver identity data;
generate, based on a comparison between the situational profile for the vehicle and the plurality of assistance profiles, a plurality of similarity values corresponding to the plurality of assistance profiles indicating a level of similarity between the situational profile for the vehicle and a respective assistance profile of the plurality of assistance profiles; and
select an assistance instruction of the plurality of assistance instructions depending upon a similarity value of the plurality of similarity values and a usage frequency value that corresponds to the assistance instruction, wherein the assistance instruction is associated with one or more control system inputs for changing a control state of the vehicle.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of assistance profiles comprises data representing changes in a level of expertise of a driver over time and data representing changes in a level of notification of an assistance instruction for a control system over time.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the data representing changes in a level of notification of an assistance instruction for a control system over time comprises a first level of notification of the assistance instruction during a first time interval, a second level of notification of the assistance instruction during a second time interval after the first time interval, and a third level of notification of the assistance instruction during a third time interval after the second time interval, the second level of notification increases over time during the second time interval from the first level of notification to a value higher than the first level of notification and decreases thereafter to the third level of notification at a start of the third time interval, the third level of notification decreasing over time to a value below the first level of notification.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to:
select the assistance instruction of the plurality of assistance instructions having a highest similarity value based on comparing the plurality of similarity values and having a usage frequency value exceeding a usage frequency threshold value.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the situational profile includes vehicle state data and extra-vehicular state data, and the instructions further comprise instructions to:
determine a vehicle path of the vehicle using the vehicle state data;
determine an extra-vehicular path of a remote vehicle using the extra-vehicular state data;
compare the vehicle path with the extra-vehicular path; and
determine whether to generate an assistance indication corresponding to the assistance instruction based on a result of comparing the vehicle path with the extra-vehicular path.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the instructions to determine whether to generate the assistance indication comprise instructions to:
responsive to a determination that the vehicle path will intercept the extra-vehicular path within a defined amount of time, generate the assistance indication after a delay.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the instructions to generate the assistance indication after the delay comprise instructions to generate the assistance indication after adjustment of the vehicle path.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the instructions to compare the vehicle path with the extra-vehicular path comprises instructions to determine a distance between the vehicle and the remote vehicle, and the instructions to determine whether to generate the assistance indication comprise instructions to generate the assistance indication unless the distance is less than a threshold distance.

17. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to:
access at least one of remote servers or cloud storage services to determine an assistance indication based on at least one of real-time or predicted traffic informat

Assignees

• Nissan North America Inc
• Renault Sas

Inventors

• Nishijima David M
• Cordesses Lionel
• Hougard Simon

Classifications

• G06V20/588

  Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road · CPC title

• G06V20/56

  exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle · CPC title

• G09B19/167

  Control of land vehicles · CPC title

• H04W4/023

  using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds · CPC title

• H04W4/90

  Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS] · CPC title