Autonomous Vehicle Occupant Priority Control for Conflicting Commands
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current autonomous vehicle systems lack effective prioritization of user commands based on occupant ranking or hierarchy, leading to potential conflicts and unintended changes in vehicle settings, such as climate control, without considering the owner's preferences.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method that identifies occupants of an autonomous vehicle using occupant identification data and assigns a prioritization level to each occupant, determining the priority of commands based on these levels to control vehicle functions, ensuring that higher-priority users' preferences are respected over lower-priority users.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the autonomous vehicle accepts commands from any occupant without prioritization, then all occupants can control vehicle functions freely, but conflicts arise and higher-priority users' preferences are not respected
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments occupants into different priority groups or levels (e.g., driver, front passenger, rear passengers) and assigns different command authorities to each segment. This segmentation allows the vehicle to accept commands from multiple occupants while maintaining preference consistency by giving priority to higher-priority segments when conflicts occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies different control policies to different occupants based on their local characteristics (priority level, seat position, relationship to vehicle). Instead of a uniform command acceptance policy, the vehicle tailors its response to each occupant's specific priority level, allowing flexible command acceptance while ensuring higher-priority occupants' preferences are respected.
2Reliability
If the autonomous vehicle implements strict prioritization of commands, then higher-priority users' preferences are always respected, but lower-priority occupants have limited control over vehicle functions
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts command acceptance based on the current situation, occupying seats, and relative priorities. Rather than a static rigid hierarchy, the prioritization mechanism can adapt its strictness based on context, allowing lower-priority occupants more control in situations where it is safe and appropriate, while maintaining preference consistency when conflicts arise.
Solution Approach 2:
The prioritization system serves multiple functions: it maintains preference consistency for higher-priority occupants while also providing controlled access to lower-priority occupants. The same prioritization mechanism enables both strict preference protection and flexible occupant control depending on the specific command and context.
3Reliability
If the autonomous vehicle uses complex prioritization logic, then preference conflicts are resolved accurately, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing priority levels for different occupants before conflicts arise. Priority levels are assigned based on seat position, vehicle ownership, or pre-configured hierarchies. This preliminary classification simplifies real-time conflict resolution, as the system only needs to compare pre-assigned priority levels rather than complexly evaluating all occupant characteristics during each command conflict.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses parameter changes by representing occupant priority as a simple numerical or hierarchical parameter rather than complex multi-dimensional characteristics. This parameterization allows accurate prioritization through simple comparison operations, reducing computational complexity while maintaining resolution accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
Controlling autonomous vehicle (AV) functions includes receiving occupant identification data from device(s) of an AV and identifying occupant(s) of the AV based on the received occupant identification data, determining a respective prioritization level for each occupant of the occupant(s), the prioritization level for each occupant dictating priority of the AV in performing commands provided to the AV by that occupant to control AV functions, receiving, from an occupant, input of a command for performance by the AV to control a function of the AV, determining whether to perform the command to control the function of the AV based on the prioritization level for the occupant, and performing processing based on the determining whether to perform the command.