Vehicle-user-interaction system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9815481-B2
Application number	US-201514868033-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2015
Priority date	Sep 28, 2015
Publication date	Nov 14, 2017
Grant date	Nov 14, 2017

Abstract

A system, for use at an autonomous-driving-capable vehicle, including a processing hardware unit and a tangible interface device. The system further includes a mode-determining module configured to, via the processing hardware unit, determine an applicable interaction mode corresponding to a driver of the autonomous-driving-capable vehicle. The system also includes an interaction module configured to, via the processing hardware unit, perform various operations. The operations include generating system messages having content based on the applicable interaction mode determined and related to autonomous-driving activities of the vehicle. The operations also include transmitting, by way of the tangible communication device, the system messages to a tangible interface device of the autonomous-driving-capable vehicle for communication to the driver by way of the tangible output device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, for use at an autonomous-driving-capable vehicle, comprising:
a processing hardware unit;
a tangible interface device;
a mode-determining module configured to, via the processing hardware unit, select, from amongst a plurality of pre-established interaction modes, an applicable interaction mode corresponding to a driver of the autonomous-driving-capable vehicle, wherein the plurality of pre-established interaction modes comprise a minimum autonomous-driving interaction mode, an intermediate autonomous-driving interaction mode, and a maximum autonomous-driving mode; and
an interaction module configured to, via the processing hardware unit:
interact, by way of the tangible interface device, with the driver at a highest level of interaction if the minimum autonomous-driving interaction mode is selected;
interact, by way of the tangible interface device, with the driver at an intermediate level of interaction, lower than said highest level of interaction, if the intermediate autonomous-driving interaction mode is selected; and
interact, by way of the tangible interface device, with the driver at a lowest level of interaction, lower than said intermediate level of interaction, if the maximum autonomous-driving interaction mode is selected.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the tangible interface device comprises at least one component selected from a group consisting of a microphone, a visual sensor, a motion detector, a display-screen component, a display unit, and an audio-speaker component.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the mode-determining module, in being configured to select the applicable interaction mode from amongst the plurality of pre-established modes, is configured to select the applicable interaction mode based on a user input received at a tangible input component selected from a group consisting of a knob, a dial, a touch-sensitive display, and a microphone.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein each level of interaction relates to a frequency of vehicle-driver interaction, whereby:
the highest level of interaction is a highest frequency of vehicle-driver interaction;
the intermediate level of interaction is an intermediate frequency of vehicle-driver interaction, lower than the highest frequency of vehicle-driver interaction; and
the lowest level of interaction is a lowest frequency of vehicle-driver interaction, lower than the intermediate frequency of vehicle-driver interaction.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein each level of interaction relates to an amount of vehicle-driver interaction, whereby:
the highest level of interaction is a highest amount of vehicle-driver interaction;
the intermediate level of interaction is an intermediate amount of vehicle-driver interaction, lower than the highest amount of vehicle-driver interaction; and
the lowest level of interaction is a lowest amount of vehicle-driver interaction, lower than the intermediate amount of vehicle-driver interaction.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the interaction module, in interacting with the driver at each level of interaction, delivers messaging to the driver, whereby:
the interaction module delivers messaging to the driver most if the minimum autonomous-driving interaction mode is selected;
the interaction module delivers, if the intermediate autonomous-driving interaction mode is selected, messaging to the driver at an intermediate level, being less than the messaging under the minimum autonomous-driving interaction mode; and
the interaction module delivers, if the maximum autonomous-driving maximum mode is selected, messaging to the driver at a lowest level, being less than the messaging under the intermediate autonomous-driving interaction mode.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the messaging at the highest level includes a post-action message comprising feedback information regarding an autonomous-driving action performed by the vehicle.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the messaging at the highest level includes a pre-action request for approval for an autonomous-driving action for the vehicle.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the interaction module, in interacting with the driver at each level of interaction, monitors driver activity, whereby:
the interaction module monitors the driver at a highest level if the minimum autonomous-driving interaction mode is selected;
the interaction module monitors the driver at an intermediate level, being less than the monitoring under the minimum autonomous-driving interaction mode, if the intermediate autonomous-driving interaction mode is selected; and
the interaction module monitors the driver at a lowest level, being less than the monitoring under the intermediate autonomous-driving interaction mode, if the maximum autonomous-driving interaction mode is selected.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein:
the interaction module is configured to, by way of the processing hardware unit, in monitoring the driver, sense a driver communication in monitoring the driver via the tangible interface device; and
the interaction module is configured to, by way of the processing, determine a responsive operation to perform in response to the driver communication.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the driver communication comprises at least one expression selected from a group consisting of a gesture, a touch or other manual input, a voice statement, a voice request for vehicle feedback, and another voice expression.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the responsive operation comprises at least one operation selected from a group consisting of:
determining an autonomous-driving action based on the driver communication;
providing a system recommendation, based on the driver communication, to perform an autonomous-driving action;
initiating an autonomous-driving action based on the driver communication;
initiating early performance of an autonomous-driving action to alleviate a driver concern indicated by the driver communication; and
initiating a transfer of vehicle control, to the system from the driver or to the driver from the system, in response to the driver communication.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the responsive operation comprises at least one operation selected from a group consisting of:
determining the applicable interaction mode based on the driver communication;
changing the applicable interaction mode based on the driver communication; and
proposing an alternative interaction mode based on the driver communication.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the responsive operation comprises at least one operation selected from a group consisting of:
determining a responsive system message comprising information requested by the driver communication; and
determining, based on the driver communication, a responsive message, of said system messages, configured to alleviate a driver concern indicated by the driver communication.

15. The system of claim 10 , wherein the responsive operation comprises establishing, based on the driver communication, a driver preference to affect future autonomous-driving actions of the vehicle.

16. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage device comprising the mode-determining module, the interaction module, and a driver profile, wherein:
the interaction module, in interacting with the driver at each level of interaction, delivers messaging to the driver; and
the interaction module, via the processing hardware unit, determines the messaging based on a pre-established driver preference stored in the driv

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Goldman-Shenhar Claudia V
• Raphael Eric L

Classifications

• G06F3/017 Primary

  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

• G06F3/00

  Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements · CPC title

• G06F3/04883

  for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text · CPC title

• G06F3/04847

  Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials · CPC title

• B60W50/08 Primary

  Interaction between the driver and the control system · CPC title