Controlling driving modes of self-driving vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9834224-B2
Application number	US-201514883708-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 15, 2015
Priority date	Oct 15, 2015
Publication date	Dec 5, 2017
Grant date	Dec 5, 2017

Abstract

A processor-implemented method, system, and/or computer program product control a driving mode of a self-driving vehicle (SDV). One or more processors detect that an SDV is being operated in manual mode by a human driver. The processor(s) determine that the human driver is unqualified to operate the SDV in manual mode, and then transfer control of the SDV to an SDV on-board computer in order to place the SDV in autonomous mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A processor-implemented method for controlling a driving mode of a self-driving vehicle (SDV), the processor-implemented method comprising:
detecting, by one or more processors, that an SDV is being operated in manual mode by a human driver;
detecting, by one or more processors within an SDV on-board computer within the SDV that monitors a telecommunication device within the SDV, that the telecommunication device within the SDV is receiving a telecommunication message;
in response to detecting that the telecommunication device within the SDV is receiving the telecommunication message, determining, by the one or more processors, that the human driver is unqualified to operate the SDV in manual mode based on the telecommunication device receiving the telecommunication message; and
in response to determining that the human driver is unqualified to operate the SDV in manual mode, transferring, by the one or more processors, control of the SDV to the SDV on-board computer to place the SDV in autonomous mode, wherein the SDV is in the autonomous mode when steering, braking, throttle control, and obstacle avoidance by the SDV are all controlled by the SDV on-board computer.

2. The processor-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the one or more processors, a response requirement of the telecommunication message, wherein an urgent response requirement requires a response to the telecommunication message within a first predefined amount of time after receipt of the telecommunication message, and wherein a non-urgent response requirement requires no response to the telecommunication message until after a second predefined amount of time after receipt of the telecommunication message, wherein the first predefined amount of time is shorter than the second predefined amount of time; and
in response to determining that the response requirement is the urgent response requirement, automatically placing, by the one or more processors, the SDV into autonomous mode.

3. The processor-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein said determining that the human driver is unqualified to operate the SDV in manual mode comprises:
determining, by the one or more processors looking up data from a database about the human driver, that the human driver is required to wear prescription eyewear;
detecting, by the one or more processors receiving images of the human driver that are received from a cabin camera that captures images of the human driver while the human driver is within a cabin of the SDV, that the human driver is not wearing prescription eyewear; and
in response to detecting that the human driver is not wearing prescription eyewear, further determining, by the one or more processors, that the human driver is unqualified to operate the SDV in manual mode based on the human driver not wearing prescription eyewear and transferring, by the one or more processors, control of the SDV to the SDV on-board computer in order to place the SDV in the autonomous mode.

4. The processor-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein said determining that the human driver is unqualified to operate the SDV in manual mode comprises:
determining, by the one or more processors, that the SDV is driving towards an object that is brighter than a predetermined level of brightness based on data from a roadway sensor detecting a position of a sun relative to the SDV;
detecting, by the one or more processors receiving images of the human driver that are received from a cabin camera that captures images of the human driver while the human driver is within a cabin of the SDV, that the human driver is not wearing sunglasses; and
in response to detecting that the human driver is not wearing sunglasses while the SDV is driving towards the object that is brighter than the predetermined level of brightness, further determining, by the one or more processors, that the human driver is unqualified to operate the SDV in manual mode based on the SDV driving towards the object that is brighter than the predetermined level of brightness and the human driver not wearing sunglasses and transferring, by the one or more processors, control of the SDV to the SDV on-board computer in order to place the SDV in the autonomous mode.

5. The processor-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein said determining that the human driver is unqualified to operate the SDV in manual mode comprises:
detecting, by the one or more processors searching a database of holders of a valid driver's license, that the human driver currently is not a holder of the valid driver's license; and
in response to detecting that the human driver currently is not the holder of the valid driver's license, further determining, by the one or more processors, that the human driver is unqualified to operate the SDV in manual mode based on the human driver not currently being the holder of the valid driver's license and transferring, by the one or more processors, control of the SDV to the SDV on-board computer in order to place the SDV in the autonomous mode.

6. The processor-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein said determining that the human driver is unqualified to operate the SDV in manual mode comprises:
detecting, by the one or more processors receiving a signal from a collision detector on the SDV, that the SDV has been involved in an accident; and
in response to detecting that the SDV has been involved in the accident, further determining, by the one or more processors, that the human driver is unqualified to operate the SDV in manual mode based on the SDV being involved in the accident and transferring, by the one or more processors, control of the SDV to the SDV on-board computer in order to place the SDV in the autonomous mode.

7. The processor-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein said determining that the human driver is unqualified to operate the SDV in manual mode comprises:
detecting, by the one or more processors receiving a signal from an airbag in the SDV, that the airbag in the SDV has deployed; and
in response to detecting that the airbag in the SDV has deployed, further determining, by the one or more processors, that the human driver is unqualified to operate the SDV in manual mode based on the airbag having deployed and transferring, by the one or more processors, control of the SDV to the SDV on-board computer in order to place the SDV in the autonomous mode.

8. The processor-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein said determining that the human driver is unqualified to operate the SDV in manual mode comprises:
detecting, by the one or more processors receiving a signal from roadway sensors on the SDV, a current roadway condition for a roadway upon which the SDV is traveling;
further determining, by the one or more processors and based on a driving history of the human driver, that the human driver is unqualified to operate the SDV in manual mode based on the current roadway condition being beyond an ability of the human driver to control the SDV based on a lack of experience by the human driver in driving in the current roadway condition; and
transferring, by the one or more processors, control of the SDV to the SDV on-board computer in order to place the SDV in the autonomous mode.

9. The processor-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the SDV is traveling on a roadway, and wherein the processor-implemented method further comprises:
retrieving, by the one or more processors, driver profile information about the human driver of the SDV;
assigning, by the one or more processors and based on a predetermined quantity of traits shared by the human driver with members of a cohort of drivers traveling on the roadway in multiple SDVs, the human driver of th

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Gordon Michael S
• Kozloski James R
• Kundu Ashish
• Malkin Peter K
• Pickover Clifford A

Classifications

• B60W2540/221

  Physiology, e.g. weight, heartbeat, health or special needs · CPC title

• B60W2030/082

  Vehicle operation after collision · CPC title

• B60W2050/0095

  Automatic control mode change · CPC title

• B60W2540/30

  Driving style · CPC title

• B60W30/182

  Selecting between different operative modes, e.g. comfort and performance modes · CPC title