System and method for control of an autonomous drive related operation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9783206-B2
Application number	US-201514858047-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2015
Priority date	Sep 24, 2014
Publication date	Oct 10, 2017
Grant date	Oct 10, 2017

Abstract

A control system and method in a vehicle are disclosed for controlling an autonomous drive related operation of the vehicle. The method may include detecting a pre-determined foot arrangement of an occupant in a front seat of the vehicle and controlling a state of the autonomous drive related operation, based on the detected pre-determined foot arrangement. The system may include at least one sensor configured to detect a pre-determined foot arrangement of an occupant in a front seat of the vehicle, and a control unit configured to control a state of the autonomous drive related operation, based on the detected pre-determined foot arrangement.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method in a vehicle for controlling an autonomous drive related operation of the vehicle, the method comprising:
detecting a pre-determined foot arrangement of an occupant in a front seat of the vehicle; and
controlling a state of the autonomous drive related operation, based on the detected pre-determined foot arrangement, wherein controlling comprises configuring an interior of the vehicle by controlling movement of the front seat.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the detecting comprises any of:
sensing a distance between the feet of the occupant and one or more pedals of the vehicle, and comparing the distance to a pre-determined distance threshold;
sensing if both feet of the occupant are located in a pre-determined zone in the vehicle; and
sensing a motion of the feet of the occupant over a pre-determined time duration, and comparing the motion to a pre-determined motion pattern during said time duration.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein controlling comprises retracting the front seat in a direction towards a back end of the vehicle such that the occupant is out of reach of the one or more pedals of the vehicle, or returning the front seat in a direction towards a front end of the vehicle such that the front seat is in an initial position.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein controlling comprises engaging or disengaging an autonomous driving mode of the vehicle.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein detecting the pre-determined foot arrangement constitutes one of at least two conditions for controlling.

6. The method according to claim 5 further comprising issuing an alert signal when the detecting does not occur within a pre-determined time duration measured from a time instant when at least one other condition out of the at least two conditions is fulfilled.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein detecting comprises detecting an attempted engagement of the occupant with a control device of the vehicle, and wherein controlling comprises returning the front seat in a direction towards a front end of the vehicle when both feet of the occupant are located in a pre-determined zone in the vehicle.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising stored computer executable program code, the program code for execution by a control unit in a vehicle to:
detect a pre-determined foot arrangement of an occupant in a front seat of the vehicle; and
control a state of the autonomous drive related operation, based on the detected pre-determined foot arrangement, wherein the control comprises configuration of an interior of the vehicle by control of movement of the front seat.

9. A control system in a vehicle for controlling an autonomous drive related operation of the vehicle, the control system comprising:
at least one sensor configured to detect a pre-determined foot arrangement of an occupant in a front seat of the vehicle; and
a control unit configured to control a state of the autonomous drive related operation, based on the detected pre-determined foot arrangement, wherein the control unit is further configured to control configuration of an interior of the vehicle by control of movement of the front seat.

10. The control system according to claim 9 wherein the at least one sensor comprises any one of a camera, an infra-red, IR, detector, an ultra-sound detector, and a pressure sensor.

11. The control system according to claim 9 wherein the at least one sensor is integrated into a floor and/or into one or more pedals of the vehicle, and/or mounted on a front side of the front seat, under a dashboard, in connection to a ceiling, in connection to a vertical surface adjacent to the ceiling of the vehicle, and/or an interior surface of the vehicle in which a foot arrangement of the occupant is within a field of view of the at least one sensor.

12. The control system according to claim 9 wherein the state of the autonomous drive related operation comprises any of engaging an autonomous driving mode of the vehicle, disengaging an autonomous driving mode of the vehicle, retraction of the front seat in a direction towards a back end of the vehicle such that the occupant is out of reach of at least one of the one or more pedals of the vehicle, and returning of the front seat in a direction towards a front end of the vehicle such that the front seat is in an initial position.

13. A vehicle comprising the control system according to claim 9 .

Assignees

• Volvo Car Corp

Inventors

• Sugioka Ichiro

Classifications

• B60K35/658

  the instruments being ergonomically adjustable to the user · CPC title

• B60K35/80

  Arrangements for controlling instruments · CPC title

• B60K35/60

  Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles (arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10) · CPC title

• B60K35/10

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

• G06F3/017

  Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883) · CPC title