Layered architecture for availability of advanced driver assistance features

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12179797-B2
Application number	US-202016952852-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2020
Priority date	Oct 28, 2020
Publication date	Dec 31, 2024
Grant date	Dec 31, 2024

Abstract

A method of controlling availability of autonomy functions of a vehicle includes determining one or more uncertainty levels, each corresponding to a driving data stream including driving data, wherein the uncertainty levels correspond to a probability of a collision or driving off the roadway. The method further includes generating a total uncertainty level based on the one or more uncertainty levels and disabling a first autonomy function based on availability criteria of the first autonomy function. The availability criteria define a first threshold of the total uncertainty level. The method further includes providing a second autonomy function based on the second autonomy function's availability criteria that include a total uncertainty threshold higher than the first threshold.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for controlling availability of autonomy functions of a vehicle, the method comprising:
determining one or more uncertainty levels, each corresponding to a driving data stream comprising driving data, wherein the uncertainty levels correspond to a probability of an undesirable outcome;
generating a total uncertainty level based on the one or more uncertainty levels; and
disabling a driver assistance feature comprising an adaptive cruise control that includes a plurality of autonomy functions including a first autonomy function based on availability criteria of the first autonomy function, the plurality of autonomy functions further including a second autonomy function; and
enabling a second driver assistance feature when the first autonomy function and the second autonomy function of the driver assistance feature are disabled based on a first uncertainty level for the first autonomy function and a second uncertainty level for the second autonomy function,
wherein the first uncertainty level includes its own respective threshold that is triggered and the second uncertainty level includes its own respective threshold is triggered, the first uncertainty level and the second uncertainty level being defined in a respective availability criteria, and the first uncertainty level corresponding to a first driving data stream and the second uncertainty level corresponding to a second driving data stream,
wherein the availability criteria define a first threshold of the total uncertainty level,
wherein the first autonomy function remains enabled when the second autonomy function is disabled, and
wherein the first autonomy function includes a lane keeping autonomous function, the second autonomy function includes a following distance autonomy function, and the second driver assistance feature comprises basic cruise control.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the availability criteria further define a second threshold of an uncertainty level corresponding to at least one of the driving data streams, and
wherein the disabling of the driver assistance feature including the first autonomy function is performed in response to at least one of the first threshold or the second threshold being triggered.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing the second autonomy function of the plurality of autonomy functions based on the second autonomy function's availability criteria that include a total uncertainty threshold higher than the first threshold.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generating of a total uncertainty level comprises:
projecting the driving data of each driving data stream into an occupancy grid, wherein the occupancy grid including a set of locations that represent physical space within a range of a vehicle sensor, each location in the occupancy grid associated with the driving data stream;
creating an uncertainty map by convolving the uncertainty level corresponding to each driving data stream with the occupancy grid; and
combining uncertainty levels in a path of the vehicle in the uncertainty map to produce the total uncertainty level.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the combining comprises one or more of weighted averaging, multiplication, or summation.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the undesirable outcome comprises a collision or leaving a roadway.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein driving data comprises one or more of sensor data, map data, trajectory data, location data, and
wherein sensor data comprises camera data, image device data, audio data, sonar data, LIDAR data, RADAR data, obstacle detection data, throttle data, steering data, or any data from a vehicle sensor.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising re-enabling one or more of the first autonomy function or the second autonomy function in response to satisfying the respective availability criteria.

9. A system for controlling availability of autonomy functions of a vehicle, the system comprising:
a processor; and
memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform the steps of:
determining one or more uncertainty levels, each corresponding to a driving data stream comprising driving data, wherein the uncertainty levels correspond to a probability of an undesirable outcome;
generating a total uncertainty level based on the one or more uncertainty levels;
disabling a driver assistance feature comprising an adaptive cruise control that includes a plurality of autonomy functions including a first autonomy function based on availability criteria of the first autonomy function, the plurality of autonomy functions further including a second autonomy function; and
enabling a second driver assistance feature when the first autonomy function and the second autonomy function of the driver assistance feature are disabled based on a first uncertainty level for the first autonomy function and a second uncertainty level for the second autonomy function,
wherein the first uncertainty level includes its own respective threshold that is triggered and the second uncertainty level includes its own respective threshold is triggered, the first uncertainty level and the second uncertainty level being defined in a respective availability criteria, and the first uncertainty level corresponding to a first driving data stream and the second uncertainty level corresponding to a second driving data stream,
wherein the availability criteria define a first threshold of the total uncertainty level,
wherein the first autonomy function remains enabled when the second autonomy function is disabled, and
wherein the first autonomy function includes a lane keeping autonomous function, the second autonomy function includes a following distance autonomy function, and the second driver assistance feature comprises basic cruise control.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the availability criteria further define a second threshold of an uncertainty level corresponding to at least one of the driving data streams, and
wherein the disabling of the driver assistance feature including the first autonomy function is performed in response to at least one of the first threshold or the second threshold being triggered.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to perform the steps of:
providing the second autonomy function of the plurality of autonomy functions based on the second autonomy function's availability criteria that include a total uncertainty threshold higher than the first threshold.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the generating of a total uncertainty level comprises:
projecting the driving data of each driving data stream into an occupancy grid, wherein the occupancy grid including a set of locations that represent physical space within a range of a vehicle sensor, each location in the occupancy grid associated with the driving data stream;
creating an uncertainty map by convolving the uncertainty level corresponding to each driving data stream with the occupancy grid; and
combining uncertainty levels in a path of the vehicle in the uncertainty map to produce the total uncertainty level.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the undesirable outcome comprises a collision or leaving a roadway.

14. The system of claim 9 , wherein driving data comprises one or more of sensor data, map data, trajectory data, or location data;
wherein sensor data comprises data from the vehicle sensor; and
wherein the vehicle sensor comprises one or more of a camera, image device, audio sensor, sonar sensor, LIDAR device, RADAR device, obstacle detecti

Assignees

• Toyota Res Inst Inc

Inventors

• Marcotte Ryan
• Hammond Marcus Mccoy

Classifications

• B60W2420/408

  Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar · CPC title

• B60W2420/403

  Image sensing, e.g. optical camera · CPC title

• B60W30/0956

  the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters · CPC title

• B60W2420/54

  Audio sensitive means, e.g. ultrasound · CPC title

• B60W2510/20

  Steering systems · CPC title