Method for managing operation design domain expansion of automatic

Abstract

A method for managing an operational design domain extension of an automatic driving system of a vehicle is presented. The method includes requesting an ODD verification completion rate for each of the plurality of segments by transmitting a request from the vehicle to a remote server, obtaining segment ODD status data for the plurality of segments (102) including the ODD verification completion rates from the remote server, displaying a graphical user interface via a display device, the GUI including: a graphical representation, the graphical representation includes a classified road segment including at least a road segment under ADS verification, where the classified road segment includes a plurality of road segments classified based on the road segment ODD state data, and a guide marker associated with a subset of the road segments under ADS verification, where one definition criterion of the subset is an ODD verification completion rate range.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The disclosed technology relates to methods and systems for managing user demand-based operational design domain (ODD) expansion of an automated driving system (ADS) of a vehicle. In particular, but not exclusively, the disclosed technology relates to providing a platform for allowing users to coordinate efforts in geographic ODD expansion. Background Art

[0002] Automated driving systems (ADS) are developing at an impressive pace, and many cars, trucks and other vehicles produced today are equipped with automated driving systems (ADS) capabilities to at least some extent. In the following, ADAS and AD are collectively referred to as automated driving systems (ADS) as a general term corresponding to all different levels of automation, such as the driving automation levels (0-5) defined by SAE J3016, for example.

[0003] Today, most ADS functions / features deployed are at Level 0 and Level 1, i.e., the ADS issues a warning and may intervene briefly, and the driver and the vehicle share control. A well-known example of a Level 1 ADS function / feature is adaptive cruise control. It is expected that ADS will continue to play an important role and will be further developed and deployed on a larger scale in the near future. For example, within a few years, it is expected that Level 2 or Level 3 ADS functions / features will be deployed on a large scale, i.e., so-called "hands-off" systems, where the vehicle accelerates, brakes and steers under the supervision of the driver.

[0004] A key factor in being able to provide ADS functions / features (especially Level 2 and above) is the ability to access information describing the road. Even if the vehicle's sensor system provides information about the road in the vicinity of the vehicle, improved ADS can be provided if the ADS not only relies on sensor data obtained via the vehicle's sensor system, but also relies on sensor data from other sensor systems external to the vehicle. For example, if information about road conditions is provided to the vehicle via a remote server, the vehicle can slow down sufficiently in advance or compensate in any other way for obstacles placed on the road. Having such a setup in place can make it possible to compensate for potholes by allowing the vehicle to change lanes sufficiently in advance before the pothole appears in front of the vehicle.

[0005] One way to collect data for ADS is to have vehicles share the sensor data they collect so that the ADS model can be improved. As a result, vehicles can benefit from sensor data collected by a large number of vehicles, rather than just sensor data collected by the vehicle's own sensor system. Because different road sections may have different characteristics and different coverage in terms of the sensor data collected, different road sections may differ in terms of ADS capabilities. For example, a gravel road section with few cars passing through may not have the sensor data required for ADS to operate safely. Therefore, an ADS-equipped car traveling on this gravel road section may require the driver to control steering, acceleration and braking. On the other hand, a highway section with thousands of cars passing through every hour may be certified for advanced ADS functions (e.g., Level 4 or Level 5 ADS), that is, allowing ADS-equipped cars to steer, brake and accelerate with only the driver monitoring the operation. In this context, in order to define the extent to which a road section enables a specific ADS function / feature, reference is usually made to the Operational Design Domain (ODD).

[0006] Although there are available solutions for how to collect sensor data and how to measure the ODD completion rate, there is a disadvantage that some road sections will not be able to collect enough sensor data, resulting in these sections not being open for certain ADS functions / features. The effect of this is that the driver must participate in controlling the car when passing through these sections, which may negatively affect the travel experience. Summary of the invention

[0007] The technology disclosed herein seeks to mitigate, alleviate or eliminate one or more of the above-identified deficiencies and shortcomings in the prior art to address various issues involving the risk that ADS-certified road sections (i.e., road sections open for ADS) will be widely used, while road sections under ADS verification (i.e., road sections that comply with ADS, especially comply with Level 3, Level 4 or Level 5 ADS functions / features, but have not collected sufficient sensor data) are underutilized, resulting in ODD expansion being limited to a small number of road sections and the road network not utilizing its full potential. The disclosed technology also seeks to provide a method and apparatus for ensuring ODD expansion based on user needs, i.e., providing drivers or users with a means to participate in and influence how ODD verification work is guided in terms of geographic expansion and road type expansion.

[0008] As noted above, the ODD may relate to the amount of data collected for a specific road segment. For example, it may be necessary to collect sensor data from hundreds of vehicles traveling on the road segment to enable this ADS, and in particular enable AD (i.e., ADS Level 3, Level 4, or Level 5). The ODD may also or alternatively relate to the characteristics of a specific road segment. For example, a specific road segment may be a gravel road segment without lane markings. Thus, the ODD as defined herein may refer to the collection of enough sensor data relating to a specific road segment to enable ADS on that road segment, and to the collection of enough sensor data of the type of a specific road segment. In other words, as defined herein, the ODD may be used to define a geographic domain, in which there is enough sensor data to enable functions such as autonomous driving, and the ODD may also be used to define a type domain, i.e., which types of roads have enough sensor data to enable functions.

[0009] The geographic expansion and road type expansion mentioned above may result in a road segment being ADS-enabled for a short period of time, but in the present context, the expansion is not limited to ADS-enabling and is not limited to a short period of time, such as enabling a road segment to ADS after collecting sensor data during 1,000 trips or less. Road type expansion may, for example, be used only for research and development purposes. For example, if an existing database used by a research and development engineer for testing purposes does not contain or contains only a limited data set of sensor data collected from vehicles traveling on gravel roads, night conditions, storms, and frost conditions, the user may be advised to select a route that includes such a road segment so that the sensor data can be added to the database used by the research and development engineer so that the coverage of the database can be improved.

[0010] ADS should be interpreted broadly. In addition to autonomous vehicles, these expressions should also be understood to include systems that involve human interaction. For example, ADS should be understood to include so-called advanced driver assistance systems, ADAS, and autonomous driving (AD).

[0011] Various aspects and embodiments of the disclosed invention are defined below and in the accompanying independent and dependent claims.

[0012] A first aspect of the disclosed technology includes a computer-implemented method for managing a user-demand-based operational design domain expansion of an automated driving system (ADS) of a vehicle. The method includes requesting an ODD verification completion rate for each of a plurality of road segments by transmitting a request from a vehicle to a remote server, obtaining road segment ODD status data including the ODD verification completion rate for the plurality of road segments from the remote server, and displaying a graphical user interface (GUI) via a display device. The GUI includes a graphical representation including at least classified road segments including road segments under ADS verification and guide markers associated with a subset of road segments under ADS verification, wherein the classified road segments include a plurality of road segments classified based on the road segment ODD status data, wherein one definition criterion of the subset is an ODD verification completion rate range.

[0013] A second aspect of the disclosed technology includes a device for managing a user-demand-based operational design domain (ODD) expansion of an automated driving system (ADS) of a vehicle. The device includes a control circuit configured to request an ODD verification completion rate for each of a plurality of road segments by transmitting a request from a vehicle to a remote server, obtain road segment ODD status data including an ODD verification completion rate for the plurality of road segments from the remote server, and display a graphical user interface (GUI) via a display device. The GUI includes a graphical representation of a digital map area, the graphical representation including at least classified road segments including road segments under ADS verification and guide markers associated with a subset of road segments under ADS verification, wherein the classified road segments include a plurality of road segments classified based on the road segment ODD status data, wherein one definition criterion of the subset is an ODD verification completion rate range. With this aspect of the disclosed technology, there are advantages and preferred features similar to those of the other aspects.

[0014] Another aspect of the disclosed technology includes a computer program product including instructions that, when executed by a computing device of a vehicle, cause the computing device to perform a method according to any one of the embodiments disclosed herein. With this aspect of the disclosed technology, there are similar advantages and preferred features as the previously discussed aspects.

[0015] Another aspect of the disclosed technology includes a (non-transitory) computer-readable storage medium containing instructions, which, when executed by a computing device of a vehicle, cause the computing device to perform a method according to any one of the embodiments disclosed herein. With this aspect of the disclosed technology, there are similar advantages and preferred features as the previously discussed aspects.

[0016] The term "non-transitory" as used herein is intended to describe a computer-readable storage medium (or "memory") that excludes propagating electromagnetic signals, but is not intended to otherwise limit the type of physical computer-readable storage device encompassed by the phrase computer-readable medium or memory. For example, the term "non-transitory computer-readable medium" or "tangible memory" is intended to encompass types of storage devices that do not necessarily store information permanently, including, for example, random access memory (RAM). Program instructions and data stored in a non-transitory form on a tangible computer-accessible storage medium may be further transmitted via a transmission medium or signal such as an electrical signal, an electromagnetic signal, or a digital signal, which may be transmitted via a communication medium such as a network and / or a wireless link. Therefore, the term "non-transitory" as used herein is a limitation on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), rather than a limitation on data storage persistence (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

[0017] Another aspect of the disclosed technology includes a vehicle comprising an automated driving system (ADS) and an apparatus according to any one of the embodiments disclosed herein. With this aspect of the disclosed technology, there are similar advantages and preferred features to the previously discussed aspects.

[0018] The disclosed aspects and preferred embodiments may be appropriately combined with one another in any manner apparent to a person skilled in the art, such that one or more features or embodiments related to one aspect may also be considered related to another aspect or another embodiment.

[0019] Further embodiments are defined in the dependent claims. It should be emphasized that when used in this specification, the term "comprise / comprising" is used to specify the presence of recited features, integers, steps or components. It does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof.

[0020] An advantage of some embodiments is that geographic ODD expansion of ADS-equipped vehicles may be accomplished at a faster rate.

[0021] An advantage of some embodiments is that guided human-machine interaction is provided to assist a user in controlling a vehicle to collect relevant sensor data and facilitate geographic ODD expansion of an ADS-equipped vehicle.

[0022] These and other features and advantages of the disclosed technology will be further elucidated below with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The above-described aspects, features, and advantages of the disclosed technology will be more fully understood by reference to the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description of example embodiments of the present disclosure when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0024] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle with a display device for managing an operational design domain (ODD) extension of an automated driving system (ADS), according to some embodiments.

[0025] Figure 2 is a schematic flow chart of a computer-implemented method for managing user demand-based ODD extensions of an ADS of a vehicle, according to some embodiments.

[0026] Figure 3 An example of two route alternatives provided by a route planning module is illustrated, wherein one of the alternatives is based on user segment selection data, ie, data identifying segments that are considered relevant to the user from an ODD extension perspective in accordance with some embodiments.

[0027] Figure 4 A schematic block diagram representation of a system in accordance with some embodiments is shown.

[0028] Figure 5 A schematic illustration of a vehicle equipped with an ADS according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some example embodiments of the disclosed technology are shown. However, the disclosed technology may be embodied in other forms and should not be construed as being limited to the disclosed example embodiments. The disclosed example embodiments are provided to fully convey the scope of the disclosed technology to those skilled in the art. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the steps, services, and functions explained herein may be implemented using separate hardware circuits, using software that works in conjunction with a programmed microprocessor or a general-purpose computer, using one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), using one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and / or using one or more digital signal processors (DSPs).

[0030] It will also be appreciated that when the present disclosure is described in the form of a method, it may also be embodied in a device comprising one or more processors, one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors, wherein computer code is loaded to implement the method. For example, in some embodiments, the one or more memories may store one or more computer programs that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to perform the steps, services, and functions disclosed herein.

[0031] It should also be understood that the terms used herein are only used for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and are not intended to be limiting. It should be noted that the articles "a", "an", "the" and "said" as used in the specification and the appended claims are intended to mean the presence of one or more elements, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Thus, for example, in some contexts, references to "unit" or "the unit" may refer to more than one unit, etc. In addition, the words "comprising", "including" and "containing" do not exclude other elements or steps. It should be emphasized that when used in this specification, the term "comprise / comprising" is used to specify the presence of the described features, integers, steps or components. It does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof. The term "and / or" should be interpreted as meaning "both" and each as optional. Similarly, “at least one of A, B, and C” should be interpreted as only A, only B, only C, both A and B, both A and C, both B or C, or all of A, B, and C.

[0032] It should also be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. can be used to describe various elements or features in this article, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, without departing from the scope of the embodiment, the first signal can be called the second signal, and similarly, the second signal can be called the first signal. The first signal and the second signal are both signals, but they are not the same signal.

[0033] definition

[0034] Before describing the embodiments of the presently disclosed technology in detail, some terms and expressions will now be explained to improve understanding.

[0035] The wording "autonomous driving system" is used herein as a general term for all features related to the control and operation of the autonomous part of an "autonomous" or "semi-autonomous vehicle". ADS may include different ADS features (also referred to as ADS functions). ADS may include any advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) function / feature and / or autonomous driving (AD) function / feature. Therefore, the ADS feature may correspond to any automation level 0-5 according to the SAE J3016 level of driving automation for road vehicles. Preferably, in the context of the currently disclosed technology, the ADS feature of the vehicle is a level 3 feature or higher. The ADS feature may, for example, be traffic jam guidance, highway guidance or any other SAE J3016 level 3+ ADS feature. In some embodiments, the ADS function / feature is an AD function or feature. However, the principles of the present disclosure may also be applicable to lower-level ADS features such as lane change assistance functions, lane keeping assistance functions (e.g., using map data) or adaptive cruise control features.

[0036] In order to allow an automated driving system (ADS) to operate, a number of predefined "safety requirements" must be met. Meeting the predefined safety requirements can ensure, for example, that the risk of an accident or injury to anyone or anything is below an acceptable level. For example, a safety requirement may specify that a specified vehicle should be able to stop within a certain distance depending on a certain speed. As another example, a safety requirement may specify that the vehicle should not collide with pedestrians at speeds above a threshold, or should not collide with pedestrians at all when traveling at speeds below another threshold. Safety requirements can be formulated as constraints on multiple "component capabilities" of the ADS. In other words, the capabilities of multiple components of the ADS must meet certain requirements in order to ensure that the safety requirements are met.

[0037] The term "component capability" as used in this document should be interpreted as the capability value of a component of an ADS or the entire vehicle under certain operating conditions. As an example, the component capability of a sensor may relate to the detection range under different operating conditions. As another example, the component capability of a braking system may relate to the braking distance under different road conditions. Component capabilities may relate to external and internal conditions. As an example of an external condition, the sensor range may be limited due to visibility of the surrounding environment (e.g., due to weather conditions). As an example of an internal condition, the sensor range may be limited due to the hardware of the sensor or the health status of the sensor. Component capabilities may further relate to software and hardware limitations. Software limitations may, for example, relate to connections between components within the vehicle or between external elements. The connection between the vehicle's GPS and multiple satellites may, for example, affect the positioning algorithm of the ADS. Examples of hardware limitations may be, for example, how rain affects the detection range of a sensor or the upper limit of the braking capability of a braking system. The wording "component" in this document means any element or actuator of a vehicle or ADS such as a sensor, braking system, steering system, throttle system, communication system, etc., as well as any other more "advanced" features or functions of the ADS such as a route planning module, an object detection module, a free space estimation module, a minimum risk maneuvering module, etc. The safety requirements to be met can be formulated at a general level, such as the examples given above. Alternatively, safety requirements can be formulated at a component level so that each component has one or more component requirements. In this context, a "module" of an ADS can be understood as a software and / or hardware component of the ADS that is configured to enable the ADS to perform the functions of the ADS (e.g., detecting objects in an image, generating a path to be executed by the vehicle, generating control signals to one or more actuators of the vehicle, etc.).

[0038] An "operational design domain" (ODD) is to be understood as a domain in which an automated driving system (ADS) or its functions / features are allowed to operate. If the vehicle is within the ODD, the ADS is "allowed to operate" because it meets a number of safety requirements. In particular, the ODD includes a number of "ODD conditions" relating to the vehicle's environment, and the ADS is configured to handle these conditions in order to safely operate the vehicle in that environment. With respect to ADS functions, this may be understood as specific ADS functions or features such as highway guidance, traffic jam guidance, automatic valet parking, lane change assistance, lane keeping assistance, etc. Moreover, ADS functions may be associated with different ODDs, such that one function (e.g., highway guidance) is designed and verified for a first ODD, while another function (e.g., traffic jam guidance) is designed and verified for a different second ODD. In the following, when it is stated that something is "ADS-verified" or "ADS-certified", it may be understood that the thing has been verified or certified for one or more ADS functions / features. An ODD condition may relate to any parameter of the vehicle's driving environment. For example, the multiple conditions may include weather conditions, visibility in the surrounding environment, road condition parameters, driving scenario parameters, geographic data parameters, map data parameters, the presence of vulnerable road users (VRU), connection parameters, and at least one of surrounding object parameters. Meeting the multiple conditions of the ODD can ensure that multiple safety requirements are met. In other words, the ODD can be regarded as converting safety requirements into conditions for the vehicle's environment related to the component capabilities to be met to ensure the safe operation of the ADS. In other words, if the vehicle is outside the ODD, it may no longer be possible to ensure that the safety requirements are met. In general, the ODD conditions that a specific ADS function / feature must meet are defined at design time.

[0039] The vehicle's environment can be defined by multiple "scenario parameters". In other words, the vehicle's environment can be formulated by multiple scenario parameters. Each of the multiple scenario parameters can correspond to a corresponding ODD condition. Therefore, the multiple scenario parameters may include at least one of weather conditions, visibility of the surrounding environment, road condition parameters, driving scenario parameters, geographic data parameters, map data parameters, the presence of vulnerable road users (VRU), connection parameters and surrounding object parameters. However, the ODD condition can specify requirements for a combination of several scenario parameters. Therefore, scenario parameters are parameters exposed by the ADS / vehicle during operation, while ODD conditions are design-time parameters, and scenario parameters can be mapped to design-time parameters.

[0040] The expression "variable state parameter" as used herein should be interpreted as any adjustable parameter of the ADS or the vehicle. In particular, a variable state parameter should be regarded as any parameter related to the operation of the vehicle and can be adjusted in order to find a permissible degradation mode (as further explained below). The variable state parameter of the ADS may, for example, include at least one of vehicle speed, automatic lane change permissibility, distance to a leading vehicle, steering angle, steering angle rate, braking level, acceleration level, acceleration rate and braking rate, lane selection, permissibility of certain turns, overtaking, lateral distance to an object, proximity to a lane marking or a road edge.

[0041] Example Implementations

[0042] Figure 1 Generally, a dashboard of a vehicle 100 is illustrated with a display device 110. The display device 110 may form part of the dashboard and be part of the vehicle 100 as illustrated, but the display device 110 may equally be a separate piece of equipment that is communicatively connected to the vehicle 110. On the display device 110, a graphical user interface (GUI) including a graphical representation may be provided. The graphical representation may include a plurality of road segments 102. As illustrated, the road segments 102 being displayed may include road segments that are near a vehicle location 103. However, the plurality of road segments 102 are not necessarily road segments that are near a vehicle location 103 as illustrated, but may be road segments near any location.

[0043] In order to receive information about the ODD completion rate of different road segments 102 being displayed, a request 104 can be transmitted from the vehicle 100 to the remote server 106. The remote server 106 can be communicatively connected to a large number of vehicles, and can also be provided with a processor and memory so that sensor data retrieved from different vehicles at different locations can be processed and stored. In response to the request 104, the road segment ODD status data 108 can be transmitted from the remote server 106 to the vehicle 100. After obtaining the data 108, the graphical representation can be modified / updated based on the data 108.

[0044] Before modifying / updating the graphical representation, the road segment ODD status data 108 can be combined with the road segment 102 to generate classified road segments 112a-112m. For example, the road segment 102 can be divided into different categories based on the ODD completion rate reflected in the road segment ODD status data 108. For example, the classified road segments 112a-112m can constitute two different categories, i.e., the road segments 112a, 112h, 112m certified by ADS and the road segments 112b-112f, 112i-112l under ADS verification, i.e., the road segments where ADS operation can be performed and the road segments where ADS operation is impossible (or at least impossible at present). In some cases, a third category, i.e., unqualified ADS road segments 112g, can be added. An example of such a road segment can be a road segment in an area where cameras, microphones and other sensors are not allowed to capture information about the surrounding environment, such as a nuclear power plant area or other high-security area.

[0045] The road segments 112b-112f, 112i-112l under ADS verification may include one or several subcategories, also referred to as subsets. For example, as illustrated, a subset 112b, 112e, 112f, 112k, 112l of the road segments 112b-112f, 112i-112l under ADS verification may have an ODD verification completion rate in a higher range, and another subset 112c, 112d, 112i, 112j may have an ODD completion rate in a lower range, wherein the higher range is above the lower range. In other words, the subset 112b, 112e, 112f, 112k, 112l of road segments with ODD verification completion rates is closer to ADS-certified road segments than the other subsets 112c, 112d, 112i, 112j, i.e., is considered to have the sensor data coverage required to allow ADS operation. In this context, sensor data coverage can be understood as collecting enough data to confirm the ADS function, i.e., the ADS function is being performed as expected. Such a subset can be defined using several definition criteria. One such criterion can be the ODD verification completion rate range. As illustrated, different road sections can be represented in different ways in the graphical representation so that the driver can easily distinguish them. Therefore, by not only providing the driver or user with information about which road sections 102 are ADS-certified and which road sections 102 are not ADS-certified, but also providing information about the ODD completion rates of different road sections, the driver can play an active role and participate in deciding how to guide in terms of geographic ODD expansion.

[0046] For example, if a driver is particularly interested in having a certain road segment certified by ADS, even if it is a detour, he or she can choose a route that includes the road segment until the road segment is certified by ADS. There may be different reasons why a driver is interested in having the road segment certified by ADS. Among them, one reason may be that he or she wants to participate in making services involving autonomous vehicles (i.e., driverless vehicles) accessible in a certain area. For example, such a service may be a food delivery service involving driverless vehicles. Another reason that a driver wants to have this particular road segment certified by ADS may be that this will open up additional ADS-certified routes between two locations. By providing additional alternatives in terms of ADS-certified routes, and if the ADS-certified route is the preferred choice of most drivers, the risk of traffic congestion between the two locations can be reduced. Selecting this particular road segment may bring different types of benefits. For example, a company interested in being able to provide services using autonomous vehicles in a certain area may provide gift cards, reduced subscription fees, or other incentives to drivers who choose to drive on a road segment in this particular area, so that they move closer to ADS certification.

[0047] In order to facilitate the user to identify the subset 112b, 112e, 112f, 112k, 112l of the road segments under ADS verification, a guide mark 114b, 114e, 114f, 114k, 114l can be linked to the road segments of the subset in the graphical representation. The guide mark 114b, 114e, 114f, 114k, 114l can be provided in various forms and colors. In the illustrated example, the subset 112b, 112e, 112f, 112k, 112l includes road segments with an ODD verification completion rate range in a higher range, and the guide mark is provided as a cloud-shaped mark placed around the road segments of the subset.

[0048] In order to enable the driver to understand whether other users are interested in a particular road segment, information about multiple users 116b, 116c, 116e, 116f, 116j that are linked to different road segments can be made available via a graphical representation. As illustrated, information can be made available by representing the number of users with numbers in a graphical representation. However, there may be other examples of how to convey this information, such as by using different shadows on different road segments, or by using different colors. Having information about the number of users that are linked to different road segments may help the driver decide how to contribute to ODD expansion. For example, by making information about the number of users that are linked to different road segments available via a graphical representation, users can turn their efforts to a few road segments so that at least one route involving one or more road segments between two locations is certified by ADS.

[0049] One way to make it possible to link a user to a road segment is to obtain user identification data 118 and user road segment selection data 120 via a GUI or other electronic means. The user identification data 118 can be obtained directly or indirectly. One way to obtain data indirectly is to use user identification data linked to a mobile phone or a key card, etc., which may have been used to automatically adjust vehicle settings, for example, according to the user's preferences. The user road segment selection data 120 can be obtained by the user selecting the road segment via a display device 110 that can be touch-sensitive and / or voice-controlled. The user road segment selection data 120 can also be obtained by using different tools with, for example, filtering functions. For example, a user can select a road segment by defining an area via a graphical representation and selecting all roads that meet a specific filtering criterion in the area. A further option is to select a road segment by using the selection of another user or other users. Once the user identification data 118 and the user road segment selection data 120 are obtained, they can be uploaded to the remote server 106.

[0050] Once the link between the user identification data 118 and the user road segment selection data 120 is linked to one or more road segments 102, a notification may be sent to the user or driver via a mobile phone linked to the user or via a graphical representation of the GUI if the category of one of the road segments linked to the user identification data 118 changes. For example, if one of the road segments that the user is actively verifying changes from a road segment under ADS verification to a road segment verified by ADS, a message or other notification may be sent to the user.

[0051] It is possible to form user groups, rather than having users actively find out how different users are linked to different road segments. These groups can be formed in different ways. For example, groups can be formed by individual users who see the opportunity to make certain road segments more effectively verified by ADS if multiple users cooperate. Alternatively, user groups can be formed as a result of a software program recognizing that if multiple users cooperate, they can benefit from the perspective of ODD expansion. Inviting who to join the user group can be done manually. For example, an individual user who initiates a group can invite friends and family to join his or her group. If the user group is automatically generated by a software program, the users invited to the group can be selected based on multiple selection criteria, for example, the selected users may have been driving near or on the road segment linked to the user group in history. If selected to be invited to join the user group, the invitation 122 to join can be transmitted from the remote server 106 to the vehicle 100 or to the device linked to the user, such as a mobile phone. If the invitation 122 is accepted, the driver or user can not only be linked to the road segment identified via the user road segment selection data 120, but also to the user group subset of the road segment. If one of these road segments undergoes a change in category, a notification may be provided to the user, for example by updating the graphical representation or sending a text message to the user's mobile phone.

[0052] Different user groups can be linked to chat forums or social media platforms so that achievements, news, etc. can be shared within the group. Statistics can also be added so that contributions made by individual users and / or different user groups can be tracked. Food delivery services, etc. can also post and / or request users to pay attention to certain areas so that more sections of the area are certified by ADS.

[0053] The segment selection data 120 and the user identification data 118 can be provided to a route planning module 124, which is illustrated herein as forming part of the remote server 106. By providing information about the segments that the user considers relevant and / or the user identification data 118 to the route planning module 124, so that this information can be obtained from a database including information about different user groups, the route planning module 123 can provide route alternatives selected based on the user's ODD extended preferences. For example, the route planning module 124 can be configured to provide the shortest distance route alternative, the fastest route alternative, the most energy-efficient alternative, and the ODD extended route alternative. The latter alternative can be determined by coinciding as much as possible the segments constituting the route with the segments of the user segment selection data 120 and / or the user group subset of the segments of the user group linked to the user identification data 118 as much as possible. To ensure that the ODD extended route alternative is a viable option, it may be conditioned that the alternative should not exceed a detour threshold, e.g., there may be time and / or distance limits on how far the alternative can differ from the shortest distance alternative and / or the fastest route alternative.

[0054] If digital map data and ODD verification completion rates for different road sections are retrieved from different sources, image overlay data based on the ODD verification completion rates can be obtained and, once obtained, the image overlay data can be applied to a digital map to provide ODD verification progress map data. In this way, information on the ODD completion rates for road sections can be saved separately and in this way combined with map data provided by various map providers.

[0055] The ODD verification completion rate may vary for different conditions. For example, a road segment may be ADS verified for daytime, non-raining, non-freezing conditions, but may be under ADS verification for nighttime, non-raining, non-freezing conditions, and daytime, raining, and non-freezing conditions. Therefore, by considering conditions, the number of categories can be increased, and each of these categories can have its own ODD verification completion rate. Information about conditions can be retrieved via the sensor system of the vehicle 100 and provided in the form of current condition data 128. The current condition data 128 can also be provided from the remote server 106. Different subsets of the condition data 128 can be provided via the sensor system of the vehicle 100 and the remote server 106. For example, rain conditions can be provided by the sensor system of the vehicle, while wind conditions can be provided via the remote server 106, which can in turn receive this information from a weather information service provider that can access data from wind sensors located in different locations. The same subset of condition data can also be provided from both the sensor system of the vehicle and the remote server. For example, temperature conditions can be provided both locally (via the sensor system of the vehicle) and remotely (via the remote server).

[0056] The remote server 106 may also provide predicted condition data 130, i.e., condition data that is predicted to occur at a future point in time. The predicted condition data 130 may include condition data linked to several future points in time, and just as the condition data 128, this may include different subsets related to different types of conditions (e.g., temperature, wind, and rain). The benefit of being able to access the predicted condition data 130 is that if a route is planned for a trip that is likely to involve different conditions at different points in time, it may be possible to determine when different sections along the route are expected to be reached, and having done so, the expected conditions upon arrival at the different sections may be determined by using the predicted condition data 130.

[0057] In addition to the ODD verification completion rates 126b, 126c, 126e, 126f, 126i, 126j, which may be expressed as a percentage, or as an alternative thereto, the graphical representation may include a number of trips 132e, 132f that the vehicle 100 is required to make along the segment under the conditions reflected in the graphical representation, which is an estimated number of trips required to transition the segment from being under ADS verification to being ADS certified.

[0058] Figure 2is a flow chart illustrating a method 200 for managing user demand-based ODD extensions of an ADS of a vehicle 100. The method 200 is preferably a computer-implemented method 100 executed by a processing system of the vehicle. The processing system may, for example, include one or more processors and one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the one or more memories store one or more programs that, when executed by the one or more processors, perform the steps, services, and functions of the method 100 disclosed herein.

[0059] The method 200 may include requesting 202 an ODD verification completion rate for each of the plurality of road segments 102 by transmitting the request 104 from the vehicle 100 to the remote server 106. The method may further include obtaining 204 from the remote server 106 segment ODD status data for the plurality of road segments 102 including the ODD verification completion rate. Once this information is obtained, the method may include displaying 206 a GUI via the display device 110, the GUI including: a graphical representation including: classified road segments 112a-112m including at least road segments 112b-112f, 112i-112l under ADS verification, and guidance markers 114b, 114e, 114h, 114k, 114l associated with a subset 112b, 112e, 112f, 112k, 112l of the road segments 112b-112f, 112i-112l under ADS verification, wherein the classified road segments 112a-112m include a plurality of road segments 102 classified based on the road segment ODD status data 108. One definition criterion for the subset 112b, 112e, 112f, 112k, 112l may be an ODD verification completion rate range. The classified road sections may further include road sections 112a, 112h, and 112m that are certified by the autonomous driving ADS.

[0060] As described above, a link may be formed between the user and the different road segments. In this way, the user may identify the relevant road segments for him or her to be ADS authenticated. In this regard, the method 200 may further include registering 208 the user to at least one of the plurality of road segments by obtaining 210 user identification data 118 and obtaining 212 user road segment selection data 120. The user road segment selection data 120 may be related to at least one road segment of the plurality of road segments 102. After obtaining this information, the method 200 may further include uploading 214 the user identification data 118 and the user road segment selection data 120 to the remote server 106.

[0061] If one of the at least one road segment in the plurality of road segments 102 linked to the user road segment selection data 120 undergoes a change in category, the method 200 may further include notifying 216 the change in category by updating the graphical representation to reflect the change in category. As an alternative or in addition to updating the graphical representation, the change in category may be communicated to the user via a mobile phone or other device linked to the user identification data.

[0062] Further, the method 200 may include obtaining 218 an invitation 122 to join a user group, wherein the user group may be linked to a user group subset of a road segment under ADS verification. If the invitation 122 is accepted, the method 200 may include linking 220 the user identification data 118 to the user group. Further, if one of the user group subsets of a road segment linked to the user group undergoes a category change, the method 200 may include notifying 222 the category change by updating the graphical representation to reflect the category change. Also for this case, information may be provided to the user via a mobile phone or other device linked to the user identification data.

[0063] The method may further include transmitting 224 the user segment selection data 120 together with the user identification data 118 to the route planning module 124, so that the route planning performed by the route planning module 124 is based at least in part on the user segment selection data 120. As described above, according to one example, this may result in the user being provided with at least one ODD extended route alternative when using the route planning module 124.

[0064] In order to ensure that the ODD verification completion rate can be combined with third-party map data or map data provided separately to the display device 110, the method may include obtaining 226 image overlay data based on the ODD verification completion rate of each road segment under ADS verification, and applying 228 the image overlay data to the digital map area so that an ODD verification progress map area can be provided, wherein the ODD verification progress map area is a map area combined with the image overlay data.

[0065] As described above, the road segment ODD status data 108 may include ODD verification completion rates 126b, 126c, 126e, 126f, 126i, 126j for different conditions such as wind conditions, rain conditions, light conditions, and temperature conditions. With this in mind, the method may further include obtaining 230 current condition data 128 from the vehicle 100 and / or the remote server 106, wherein, based on a combination of the ODD status data 108 and the current condition data 126, a nearby road segment of the road segment 102 may be classified as an ADS-certified road segment and / or a road segment under ADS verification, wherein the nearby road segment is located at a position less than a distance threshold from the vehicle 100.

[0066] The method may further include obtaining 232 predicted condition data 130 from the remote server 106. A distant road segment of the road segment may be classified by estimating 234 a time period for the vehicle to reach the distant road segment, wherein the distant road segment is located further from the current position of the vehicle 100 than a distance threshold, and identifying 236 predicted condition data 130 for the distant road segment based on the time period. Based on a combination of the ODD state data 108 and the predicted condition data 130, the distant road segment may be classified as an ADS-certified road segment and / or a road segment under ADS verification.

[0067] Executable instructions for performing these functions are optionally included in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or other computer program product configured for execution by one or more processors.

[0068] Figure 3 1 is an example of an output from a route planning module 124 provided via a GUI of a display device 110. In this example, a user has requested that the route planning module 124 provide route options, sometimes referred to as route alternatives, from location A to location B. In addition to making this request, the user also provides user segment selection data 120, i.e., segments that the user is interested in ADS certification, which can be used by the route planning module 123. One way for the user to provide this information to be shared with the route planning module 124 is to confirm that he or she accepts this information to be continuously shared with the route planning module 124. As shown, a shortest possible distance option 300 and an ODD extended route option 302 are provided. In order to ensure that the ODD extended route option 302 is limited in the degree to which it is allowed to deviate from the shortest possible distance option 300, a detour threshold can be used. If such a detour threshold is used, the ODD extended route option 302 is constrained to be no longer than the shortest possible distance option 300 plus the detour threshold. Instead of a distance-based detour threshold, there could also be the option of a time-based detour threshold, and instead of having the shortest possible distance option 300, there could be a shortest possible travel time option.

[0069] Figure 4is a schematic block diagram representation of a system 400 for managing user demand-based ODD extensions of an ADS of a vehicle 100. The system 400 includes a control circuit (e.g., one or more processors) configured to perform the functions of the method 200 disclosed herein, wherein the functions may be included in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium 406 or in other computer program products configured to be executed by the control circuit 402. The system 400 may include a transceiver 408 for sending and / or receiving data from any device external to the system 400. In other words, the system 400 includes one or more memory storage areas containing program code, and the one or more memory storage areas 12 and the program code are configured to cause the system 400 to perform the method 200 according to any one of the embodiments disclosed herein with one or more processors 404. However, in order to better illustrate the embodiments disclosed herein, the control circuit is not described in detail in detail. Figure 4 The MCU is represented as various "modules" or blocks, each of which is linked to one or more specific functions of the control circuit.

[0070] A request function 408 may be provided for requesting an ODD verification completion rate for each of the plurality of road segments 102 by transmitting a request 104 from the vehicle 100 to the remote server 106. An acquisition function 410 may be provided for obtaining 204 the road segment ODD status data 108 including the ODD verification completion rate for the plurality of road segments 102 from the remote server 106. A display function 412 may be provided for displaying a graphical user interface GUI including the above-mentioned graphical representation via the display device 110.

[0071] Figure 5 is a schematic illustration of an ADS-equipped vehicle 100 including such a system 400. As used herein, a "vehicle" is any form of motor vehicle. For example, the vehicle 100 may be any road vehicle such as (as illustrated herein) a car, a motorcycle, a (freight) truck, a bus, etc.

[0072] System 400 may include control circuit 402 and memory 406. Control circuit 402 may physically include a single circuit device. Alternatively, control circuit 402 may be distributed over several circuit devices. As an example, system 400 may share its control circuit 402 with other components of vehicle 100. Moreover, system 400 may form a part of ADS 310, i.e., system 400 may be implemented as a module or feature of ADS. Control circuit 402 may include one or more processors such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, or a microprocessor. One or more processors may be configured to execute program code stored in memory 406 so as to perform various functions and operations of vehicle 100 in addition to the methods disclosed herein. The processor may be or include any number of hardware components for performing data or signal processing or for executing computer code stored in memory 406. Memory 406 optionally includes high-speed random access memory such as DRAM, SRAM, DDR RAM or other random access solid-state memory devices; and optionally includes non-volatile memory such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, optical disk storage devices, flash memory devices or other non-volatile solid-state storage devices. Memory 406 may include database components, object code components, script components or any other type of information structure for supporting various activities of this specification.

[0073] In the illustrated example, the memory 406 further stores map data 500. The map data 500 may be used, for example, by the ADS 502 of the vehicle 100 to perform autonomous functions of the vehicle 100. The map data 500 may include high-definition (HD) map data. In some embodiments, the above-mentioned graphical representation of the GUI may be provided as a map layer of a digital map such as an HD map. Therefore, the classified road segments may be added as a layer in the digital map and displayed to the user.

[0074] It is considered that even though the memory 406 is illustrated as a separate element from the ADS 503, it can also be provided as an integrated element of the ADS 502. In other words, according to an exemplary embodiment, any distributed or local memory device can be used for the implementation of the present inventive concept. Similarly, the control circuit 402 can be distributed, for example, so that one or more processors of the control circuit 402 are provided as an integrated element of the ADS 502 or any other system of the vehicle 100. In other words, according to an exemplary embodiment, any distributed or local control circuit device can be used for the implementation of the present inventive concept. The ADS 502 is configured to perform the functions and operations of the autonomous or semi-autonomous functions of the vehicle 100. The ADS 502 may include multiple modules, wherein each module is responsible for different functions of the ADS 502.

[0075] The vehicle 100 may include a number of elements that are typically found in an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle. Figure 5 Any combination of the various elements shown in FIG. Moreover, the vehicle 100 may include Figure 5 . Although various elements are shown herein as being located inside the vehicle 100, one or more elements may be located outside the vehicle 100. For example, map data may be stored in a remote server and accessed by various components of the vehicle 100 via the communication system 504. Further, even though various elements are depicted herein in certain arrangements, as will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art, the various elements may also be implemented in different arrangements. It should be further noted that the various elements may be communicatively connected to each other in any suitable manner. Figure 5 The vehicle 100 should be considered as an illustrative example only, as the elements of the vehicle 100 may be implemented in a number of different ways.

[0076] The vehicle 100 further comprises a sensor system 506. The sensor system 506 may be configured to acquire sensor data about the vehicle itself or its surroundings. The sensor system 506 may, for example, comprise a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) module 508 (such as GPS) configured to collect geographic location data of the vehicle 100. The sensor system 506 may further comprise one or more sensors 510. The sensor 510 may be any type of on-board sensor such as a camera, a lidar and radar, an ultrasonic sensor, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, an odometer, etc. It should be appreciated that the sensor system 506 may also provide the possibility of acquiring sensor data directly or via a dedicated sensor control circuit in the vehicle 100.

[0077] The vehicle 100 may further include a communication system 504. The communication system 504 may be configured to communicate with external units such as other vehicles (i.e., via a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication protocol), a remote server (e.g., a cloud server), a database, or other external devices, i.e., a vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) or a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication protocol. The communication system 504 may communicate using one or more communication technologies. The communication system 504 may include one or more antennas (not shown). Cellular communication technology may be used for remote communications such as to a remote server or a cloud computing system. In addition, if the cellular communication technology used has low latency, it may also be used for V2V, V2I, or V2X communications. Examples of cellular radio technologies are GSM, GPRS, EDGE, LTE, 5G, 5G NR, etc., including future cellular solutions. However, in some solutions, medium- and short-range communication technologies such as wireless local area networks (LANs) (e.g., solutions based on IEEE 802.11) may be used to communicate with other vehicles near the vehicle 1 or with local infrastructure elements. ETSI is working on cellular standards for vehicle communications, with 5G considered a suitable solution due to its low latency and efficient handling of high bandwidth and communication channels.

[0078] The communication system 504 may accordingly provide the possibility to send outputs to a remote location (e.g., a remote operator or a control center) and / or receive inputs from a remote location via one or more antennas. Moreover, the communication system 504 may further be configured to allow the various elements of the vehicle 100 to communicate with each other. As an example, the communication system may provide a local network setup such as CAN bus, I2C, Ethernet, fiber optics, etc. The local communication within the vehicle may also be of wireless type with protocols such as WiFi, LoRa, Zigbee, Bluetooth or similar medium / short range technologies.

[0079] The vehicle 100 further includes a control system 512. The control system 512 is configured to control the control of the vehicle 100. The control system 512 includes a steering module 514 configured to control the heading of the vehicle 100. The control system 5112 further includes a throttle module 516 configured to control the actuation of the throttle of the vehicle 100. The control system 512 further includes a brake module 518 configured to control the actuation of the brakes of the vehicle 100. The various modules of the control system 512 can also receive manual inputs from the driver of the vehicle 100 (i.e., from the steering wheel, accelerator pedal, and brake pedal, respectively). However, the control system 512 can be communicatively connected to the ADS 502 of the vehicle to receive instructions on how the various modules of the control system 512 should act. Therefore, the ADS 502 can control the control of the vehicle 100, for example, via the decision and control module 526.

[0080] The ADS 502 may include a positioning module 520 or positioning block / system. The positioning module 520 is configured to determine and / or monitor the geographic location and heading of the vehicle 100 and may utilize data from a sensor system 512, such as data from a GNSS module 508. Alternatively or in combination, the positioning module 520 may utilize data from one or more sensors 510. The positioning system may alternatively be implemented as a real-time kinematic (RTK) GPS for improved accuracy.

[0081] The ADS 502 may further include a perception module 522 or perception block / system 522. The perception module 522 may refer to any known module and / or functionality, such as included in one or more electronic control modules and / or nodes of the vehicle 100, adapted and / or configured to interpret sensory data related to driving of the vehicle 100 to identify, for example, obstacles, lanes, relevant signs, appropriate navigation paths, etc. The perception module 522 may thus be adapted to rely on and obtain input from multiple data sources such as automotive imaging, image processing, computer vision, and / or in-vehicle networking, combining, for example, perception data from the sensor system 506. The ADS 502 may also include a route planning module 524.

[0082] The positioning module 520 and / or the perception module 522 may be communicatively connected to the sensor system 506 to receive the perception data from the sensor system 506. The positioning module 520 and / or the perception module 522 may further transmit control instructions to the sensor system 510.

[0083] The technology of the present invention is presented above with reference to specific embodiments. However, other embodiments than those described above are possible and within the scope of the present invention. Within the scope of the present technology, different method steps for executing the method by hardware or software different from those described above may be provided. Therefore, according to an exemplary embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs is provided, and the one or more programs are configured to be executed by one or more processors of a vehicle control system, and the one or more programs include instructions for executing the method according to any of the above-mentioned embodiments. Alternatively, according to another exemplary embodiment, a cloud computing system may be configured to perform any of the methods presented herein. The cloud computing system may include distributed cloud computing resources that jointly execute the methods presented herein under the control of one or more computer program products.

[0084] In general, computer-accessible media may include any tangible or non-transitory storage media or storage media such as electronic, magnetic or optical media (e.g., a disk or CD / DVD-ROM connected to a computer system via a bus). The terms "tangible" and "non-transitory" as used herein are intended to describe computer-readable storage media (or "memory") that exclude propagating electromagnetic signals, but are not intended to otherwise limit the type of physical computer-readable storage device encompassed by the phrase computer-readable media or memory. For example, the term "non-transitory computer-readable medium" or "tangible memory" is intended to encompass types of storage devices that do not necessarily store information permanently, including, for example, random access memory (RAM). Program instructions and data stored in a non-transitory form on a tangible computer-accessible storage medium may be further transmitted via a transmission medium or a signal such as an electrical signal, an electromagnetic signal, or a digital signal, which may be transmitted via a communication medium such as a network and / or a wireless link.

[0085] The processor 404 (associated with the control device hereinafter referred to as the system 400) may be or include any number of hardware components for performing data or signal processing or for executing computer code stored in the memory 406. The device has an associated memory 406, and the memory 406 may be one or more devices for storing data and / or computer code to complete or facilitate the various methods described in this specification. The memory may include volatile memory or non-volatile storage. The memory 406 may include a database component, an object code component, a script component, or any other type of information structure for supporting the various activities of the specification. According to an exemplary embodiment, any distributed or local storage device may be used with the system and method of the specification. According to an exemplary embodiment, the memory 406 is communicatively connected to the processor 404 (e.g., via a circuit or any other wired, wireless or network connection) and includes computer code for executing one or more processes described herein.

[0086] Accordingly, it is understood that parts of the described solution may be implemented in the vehicle 100, in a system located external to the vehicle 100, or in a combination of internal and external to the vehicle; such as a so-called cloud solution implemented in a server in communication with the vehicle. For example, sensor data may be sent to an external system and the system performs a step of comparing the sensor data (the movement of other vehicles) with a predetermined behavior model. Different features and steps of the embodiments may be combined in other combinations than those described.

[0087] It should be noted that any reference signs do not limit the scope of the claims, that the present invention may be implemented at least partially by both hardware and software, and that several "means" or "units" may be represented by the same item of hardware.

[0088] Although the accompanying drawings may show the specific order of method steps, the order of steps may be different from that depicted. In addition, two or more steps may be performed simultaneously or partially simultaneously. For example, the step of receiving a signal including information about motion and information about the current road scene may be interchanged based on a specific implementation. This variation will depend on the selected software and hardware system and the designer's choice. All such variations are within the scope of the present invention. Similarly, software implementation can be completed with standard programming techniques based on rule-based logic and other logics to complete various connection steps, processing steps, comparison steps and decision steps. The above-mentioned and described embodiments are given as examples only and should not be limited to the present invention. Other solutions, uses, purposes and functions within the scope of the present invention claimed in the patent claims described below should be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method (200) for managing a user demand-based operational design domain (ODD) extension of an automated driving system (ADS) of a vehicle (100), the method (200) comprising: requesting (202) an ODD verification completion rate for each of a plurality of road segments (102) by transmitting a request (104) from the vehicle (100) to a remote server (106), obtaining (204) the road segment ODD status data (108) of the plurality of road segments (102) including the ODD verification completion rate from the remote server (106), A graphical user interface (GUI) is displayed (206) via a display device (110), the graphical user interface (GUI) comprising: A graphical representation, the graphical representation comprising: A classified road segment (112a-112m) including at least a road segment (112b-112f, 112i-112l) under ADS verification, wherein the classified road segment (112a-112m) includes the plurality of road segments (102) classified based on the road segment ODD status data (108), and A guidance marker (114b, 114e, 114f, 114k, 114l) associated with a subset (112b, 112e, 112f, 112k, 112l) of the road segments (112b-112f, 112i-112l) under ADS verification, wherein a defining criterion of the subset (112b, 112e, 112f, 112k, 112l) is a range of ODD verification completion rates.

2. The method (200) according to claim 1, wherein: The segment ODD status data (108) further includes, for each of the plurality of segments (102), a number of users registered therewith, the graphical representation further including: A number of users (116b, 116c, 116e, 116f, 116j) registered with at least one segment of the subset of segments (112b-112f, 112i-112l) under ADS authentication.

3. The method (200) according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising registering (208) a user with at least one of the plurality of road segments by: obtaining (210) user identification data (118), Obtaining (212) user route selection data (120), wherein: The user segment selection data (120) is related to the at least one segment of the plurality of segments (102), and The user identification data (118) and the user route selection data (120) are uploaded (214) to the remote server (106).

4. The method (200) according to claim 3, further comprising: If one of the at least one of the plurality of road segments (102) linked to the user road segment selection data (120) undergoes a change in category, the change in category is notified (216) by updating the graphical representation to reflect the change in category.

5. The method (200) according to claim 3, further comprising: obtaining (218) an invitation (122) to join a user group linked to a subset of user groups for the segment under ADS authentication, If the invitation (122) is accepted, linking (220) the user identification data (118) to the user group, and If one of the user group subsets of road segments linked to the user group experiences a category change, the category change is notified (222) by updating the graphical representation to reflect the category change.

6. The method (200) of claim 3, further comprising: The user segment selection data (120) is transmitted (224) to a route planning module (124) together with the user identification data (118), so that route planning performed by the route planning module (124) is based at least in part on the user segment selection data (120).

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The route planning module (124) is configured to provide the ODD extended route option (302) based on a user request for a route from a first location (A) to a second location (B) if a route distance difference between the ODD extended route option (302) and the shortest possible distance option (300) is below a detour threshold.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: obtaining (226) image overlay data based on the ODD verification completion rate of each of the road sections under ADS verification, and Applying (228) the image overlay data to a digital map area enables an ODD verification progress map area to be provided, wherein the ODD verification progress map area is a map area combined with the image overlay data.

9. The method (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein: The road segment ODD status data (108) includes ODD verification completion rates (126b, 126c, 126e, 126f, 126i, 126j) with respect to different conditions such as wind conditions, rain conditions, light conditions, and temperature conditions, and the method further comprises: obtaining (230) current condition data (128) from the vehicle (100) and / or the remote server (106), and Wherein, based on the combination of the road segment ODD status data (108) and the current condition data (128), the nearby road segment of the road segment (102) is classified as the road segment under ADS verification, wherein the nearby road segment is located at a position less than a distance threshold from the vehicle.

10. The method (200) of claim 9, further comprising: obtaining (232) predicted condition data (130) from the remote server (106), and wherein distant road segments of the road segments are classified in the following manner: estimating (234) a time period for the vehicle to reach the distant road segment, wherein the distant road segment is located further from the current position of the vehicle (100) than the distance threshold; and identifying (236) the predicted condition data (130) for the distant road segment based on the time period, The distant road segment is classified as the road segment under ADS verification based on a combination of the road segment ODD status data (108) and the predicted condition data (130).

11. The method (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 2, the graphical representation further comprising: For at least one of the road sections under ADS verification, the determined number of trips of the vehicle (100) required to convert to an ADS-certified road section (132e, 132f).

12. The method (200) of claim 1, wherein: The vehicle (100) is provided with different types of sensors (324), wherein which type of sensor (324) activates data transmission at a point in time depends on the ODD completion rate of the road section where the vehicle (100) is located at the point in time.

13. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform the method (200) according to claim 1.

14. A device (10) for managing a user demand-based operational design domain (ODD) extension of an automated driving system (ADS) of a vehicle, the device comprising a control circuit (11), the control circuit (11) being configured to: requesting an ODD verification completion rate for each of a plurality of road segments (102) by transmitting a request (104) from the vehicle (100) to a remote server (106), Obtaining the road segment ODD status data (108) of the plurality of road segments (102) including the ODD verification completion rate from the remote server (106), A graphical user interface (GUI) is displayed via a display device (110), the graphical user interface (GUI) comprising: A graphical representation of a digital map area, the graphical representation comprising: A classified road segment (112a-112m) including at least a road segment (112b-112f, 112i-112l) under ADS verification, wherein the classified road segment (112a-112m) includes the plurality of road segments (102) classified based on the road segment ODD status data (108), and Guidance markers (114b, 114e, 114f, 114k, 114l) associated with a subset (112b, 112e, 112f, 112k, 112l) of the road segments (112b-112f, 112i-112l) under ADS verification, wherein a defining criterion of the subset is a range of ODD verification completion rates.

15. A vehicle (100), comprising: Automated Driving System (ADS) (410); as well as The device (10) for managing a user demand-based operational design domain (ODD) extension of an ADS of the vehicle (100) according to claim 14.

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