Method for monitoring and controlling autonomous vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11378951-B2
Application number	US-201916489306-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 21, 2019
Priority date	Mar 21, 2019
Publication date	Jul 5, 2022
Grant date	Jul 5, 2022

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a method for allowing a user to monitor or control an autonomous vehicle after a drop-off of the user. The method for monitoring and controlling an autonomous vehicle according to an embodiment includes receiving user alighting information for an autonomous vehicle, identifying whether a destination is set for the autonomous vehicle, determining an operating mode of a user terminal as a monitoring mode or a controlling mode on the basis of whether the destination is set, and transmitting a driving state of the autonomous vehicle to the user terminal, or transmitting a control signal corresponding to user manipulation inputted to the user terminal to the autonomous vehicle, on the basis of the operating mode.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for monitoring and controlling an autonomous vehicle, the method comprising:
receiving user alighting information for the autonomous vehicle;
identifying whether a destination of the autonomous vehicle from which the user alighted is set;
determining an operating mode of a user terminal as being a monitoring mode or a controlling mode based on whether the destination is set;
transmitting a driving state of the autonomous vehicle to the user, terminal based on the operating mode being the monitoring mode; and
transmitting a control signal corresponding to user manipulation received from the user terminal to the autonomous, vehicle based on the operating mode being the controlling mode; and
controlling the autonomous vehicle based on the user manipulation in the controlling mode,
wherein determining the operating mode of the user terminal comprises:
determining the operating mode of the user terminal as being the monitoring mode based on the destination being set; and
determining the operating mode of the user terminal as being the controlling mode based on the destination being not set, and

wherein transmitting the driving state of the autonomous vehicle to the user terminal comprises:
identifying an angle between the user terminal and the ground through a gyro sensor in the user terminal;
transmitting a map, on which the driving state of the autonomous vehicle is displayed, to the user terminal based on the identified angle being less than a preset angle; and
transmitting augmented data, which display the driving state of the autonomous vehicle in an image recorded by the user terminal, to the user terminal based on the identified angle being greater than or equal to the preset angle.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the autonomous vehicle generates the user alighting information based on results of sensing a user using a user detection sensor, and
receiving the user alighting information for the autonomous vehicle comprises receiving the user alighting information from the autonomous vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user terminal generates the user alighting information based on user manipulation inputted by a user,
receiving the user alighting information for the autonomous vehicle comprises receiving the user alighting information from the user terminal.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying whether the destination is set for the autonomous vehicle comprises receiving destination information set by a user through a human machine interface (HMI) in the autonomous vehicle, and identifying whether the destination is set based on the received destination information.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying whether the destination is set for the autonomous vehicle comprises receiving destination information set by a user through an autonomous driving application installed in the user terminal, and identifying whether the destination is set based on the received destination information.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein transmitting the driving state of the autonomous vehicle to the user terminal comprises transmitting at least one of a location, a driving path, an external image, or driving information of the autonomous vehicle.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein transmitting the driving state of the autonomous vehicle to the user terminal further comprises transmitting augmented data corresponding to the driving state of the autonomous vehicle to the user terminal,
wherein the augmented data are expressed as an augmented image showing the driving state of the autonomous vehicle in an external image recorded by the autonomous vehicle and displayed on the user terminal.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein transmitting the driving state of the autonomous vehicle to the user terminal further comprises transmitting augmented data corresponding to the driving state of the autonomous vehicle to the user terminal,
wherein the augmented data are expressed as an augmented image showing the driving state of the autonomous vehicle in the image recorded by the user terminal and displayed on the user terminal.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein transmitting the control signal corresponding to the user manipulation, comprises:
transmitting an external image recorded by a camera module in the autonomous vehicle to the user terminal;
receiving the user manipulation through the user terminal on which the external image is displayed; and
transmitting a control signal corresponding to the received user manipulation to the autonomous vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising converting the operating mode from the monitoring mode to the controlling mode based on driving event-occurrence information being received from the autonomous vehicle.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising converting the operating mode from the monitoring mode to the controlling mode based on a rate of change in speeds of the autonomous vehicle exceeding a preset value.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising converting the operating mode from the monitoring mode to the controlling mode based on a location of the autonomous vehicle being the same during a preset period.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Jang Yujung
• Choi Sung Hwan
• Jung Du Kyung

Classifications

• B60K35/22

  Display screens · CPC title

• B60K35/80

  Arrangements for controlling instruments · CPC title

• B60K35/10

  Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor · CPC title

• B60W40/02

  related to ambient conditions · CPC title

• G07C5/008 Primary

  communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C) · CPC title