Autonomous Vehicle Disengage Alerts for Unintentional Mode Transitions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing autonomous vehicle systems lack an effective method to ensure occupants are aware of transitions from autonomous driving mode to manual or semiautonomous driving modes, particularly in cases of unintentional disengagement.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for providing secondary disengage alerts in autonomous vehicles, which include determining the circumstances of user input to decide whether to provide a secondary alert, and adjusting the alert based on factors like user input device, force or torque thresholds, and additional user inputs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a primary disengage alert is provided to inform occupants of mode transitions, then occupant awareness is improved, but additional alerts may cause information overload or distraction
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different alert strategies based on the specific disengagement scenario. Conditional secondary alerts are provided only for certain types of user inputs (e.g., steering wheel inputs) but not others (e.g., brake pedal inputs), creating localized information delivery tailored to the specific situation rather than uniform alerting
Solution Approach 2:
The alert system dynamically adjusts its behavior based on real-time conditions. The determination module evaluates multiple factors including type of user input, vehicle operating conditions, and timing to decide whether to provide a secondary alert, making the information delivery adaptive rather than static
2Reliability
If the system provides alerts for all mode transitions, then safety is improved, but false alerts for unintentional inputs reduce system reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary evaluation of user input characteristics before triggering a secondary alert. By assessing the type of input device, force/torque thresholds, and timing patterns in advance, the system can distinguish between intentional and unintentional disengagement attempts, providing alerts only when appropriate
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from multiple sensors (steering wheel torque sensors, brake pedal position sensors, accelerator pedal sensors) to continuously monitor driver intent. This feedback loop allows the system to verify whether a disengagement was intentional before providing additional alerts, improving reliability by reducing false positives
3Measurement precision
If multiple alert conditions are monitored to distinguish intentional from unintentional disengagement, then alert accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The determination module serves multiple functions: it evaluates user input type, assesses force/torque thresholds, analyzes timing patterns, and decides on secondary alert provision. This multi-functional component consolidates what could be separate complex subsystems into a single integrated decision-making unit, managing complexity while maintaining precision
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of the disclosure provide for determining when to provide and providing secondary disengage alerts for a vehicle having autonomous and manual driving modes. For instance, while the vehicle is being controlled in the autonomous driving mode, user input is received at one or more user input devices of the vehicle. In response to receiving the user input, the vehicle may be transitioned from the autonomous driving mode to a manual driving mode and provide a primary disengage alert to an occupant of the vehicle regarding the transition. Whether to provide a secondary disengage alert may be determined based on at least circumstances of the user input. After the transition, the secondary disengage alert may be provided based on the determination.