KR20200042390A - Method and apparatus for transition of driving control authority in automated vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides control right switching considering the driving readiness of a driver in performing a planned takeover request (TOR) and an unplanned TOR in an emergency/unexpected situation in an autonomous vehicle. The present invention processes to take action to maintain the driving readiness of a driver at a prescribed threshold value or higher when an autonomous vehicle switches a control right from automatic driving to manual driving to quickly switch the control right from automatic driving to manual driving. The present invention provides various methods to maintain driving readiness at a prescribed threshold value or higher. Representatively, the present invention provides a method of managing a planned control right switching information list and providing a driver with driving mode, remaining time of control right switching, remaining distance, front construction/accident information, surrounding vehicle information, etc., on a driving information screen of a vehicle terminal, and a method of using a multi-modal interface to quickly and safely switch a control right when control right switching is requested from a driver, and providing unplanned control right switching on an emergency/unexpected situation information screen of the vehicle terminal when the unplanned control right switching occurs.

Description

Method and apparatus for transition of driving control authority in automated vehicle}

The present invention relates to a technology for processing a planned control request for an autonomous vehicle (planned TOR) and an unplanned control control request in an emergency or unexpected situation in consideration of a driver's readiness.

In recent years, as one of the ways to drastically reduce traffic accidents caused by driver negligence, advanced countries such as the United States, Japan, and Europe and OEM automakers are accelerating the development of autonomous vehicles. Autonomous driving technology is expected to greatly contribute to reducing traffic congestion through traffic traffic control as well as reducing traffic accidents by improving driving safety.

However, on March 18, 2018, a woman in her 40s who was dragging a bicycle at an intersection in Arizona, USA, was hit by a self-driving car, causing the accident to be demonstrated by Uber, the world's largest vehicle sharing company. It was an SUV that was testing autonomous driving. The Uber self-driving car recognized pedestrians, but the emergency brake system did not work and crashed, and the autonomous car software was known to judge pedestrians as objects, vehicles, or bicycles. The autonomous vehicle had to alert the driver and had to manually operate the brake system, but it failed.

In this way, when an unexpected obstacle appears in the autonomous driving situation or there is an error that the autonomous driving system cannot handle, the method for the driver to urgently receive the control of the driver must be reinforced.

The role of the driver in the autonomous driving situation depends on the stage of autonomous driving. Looking at the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J3016, the role of the driver is emphasized up to level 3 and the driver's intervention is eliminated at level 4 and above. Therefore, the SAE level 2 and level 3 autonomous driving vehicles must be able to switch the driving control from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode or from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode at any time during driving, so that the stable vehicle control between the driver and the vehicle Conversion is important.

Control switching may be divided into a planned control (takeover request) and an unplanned control in an emergency or sudden situation.

According to the planned control right change in the driving route, the possibility of an accident is low because the control right is switched to the driver in a state in which the driver is ready to drive in advance. However, in an emergency situation in which a pedestrian suddenly emerges or an obstacle occurs, and an emergency situation in which a driver's body is in an emergency, sometimes an automated driving system (ADS) fails to respond in advance. If the driver is unable to take the place of driving the vehicle, there is a high possibility of an accident. Therefore, there is a need to deal with the planned TOR considering the driver's readiness and the unplanned TOR in case of emergency / explosion.

In a self-driving vehicle of SAE Level 3 or lower, a control right switching method considering a driver's readiness in performing a planned control TOR and an unplanned TOR in an emergency or unexpected situation And systems.

In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, the autonomous vehicle maintains the driver's readiness over a certain threshold when switching control from automatic operation to manual operation, thereby quickly switching control to the next manual operation. It provides a way to deal with it.

According to the present invention, there is provided a method / apparatus for performing the following task / means to maintain a driving readiness level above a certain threshold.

-Task or means that manages the list of planned control right conversion information, and provides it to the driver information screen of the vehicle terminal in the driving mode, remaining time of control right change, remaining distance, forward construction / accident information, and surrounding vehicle information.

-A task or means that maintains the driver's readiness for driving over a threshold capable of switching control rights in preparation for requesting a manual conversion.

-A task or means that allows the driver to switch control rights as quickly and safely as possible using a multi-modal interface when requesting control switch to the driver, and provides it to the emergency / explosion information screen of the vehicle terminal when an unplanned control switch occurs.

-If it is determined that it is difficult to drive with an autonomous vehicle, such as an obstacle detected in front of the autonomous driving path or a physical danger condition of the driver, the vehicle is designed to prevent accidents by switching to unplanned control and to inform surrounding vehicles. Tasks or means to indicate emergency situations externally,

-When a failure or system error occurs in the autonomous vehicle and ADS Fail, it is possible to switch to unplanned control and prevent an accident and display an emergency on the outside of the vehicle to notify the surrounding vehicles.

-Tasks or means to perform unplanned control switching when there is a situation in which the surrounding environment lacks information necessary to maintain autonomous driving conditions, such as surrounding weather or lane recognition errors.

The configuration and operation of the present invention introduced above will be further clarified through specific embodiments described with reference to the drawings.

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

-Manage the list of planned control right conversion information and provide it to the driver on the driving information screen of the vehicle terminal, the remaining time of control control change, remaining distance, forward construction / accident information, and surrounding vehicle information, etc. Preventive effect

-In preparation for requesting a manual switchover, the driver's readiness is linked to the BOOSTER to prevent the accident by maintaining the driver's readiness above a threshold capable of switching control.

-When the driver requests control switching, a multi-modal interface is used to quickly and safely switch control.

-When an unplanned control right change request occurs, it is provided on the emergency / explosive situation information screen of the vehicle terminal so that the driver prepares for control right change and prevents an accident.

-If an obstacle is detected in front of the autonomous driving route and it is determined that it is difficult to drive with the autonomous driving vehicle, an emergency situation is displayed on the outside of the vehicle to prevent accidents through switching to unplanned control and to inform nearby vehicles.

-When a driver's physical danger condition is detected, an unplanned control can be switched, and an emergency situation is displayed outside the vehicle to prevent accidents and notify surrounding vehicles.

-When an ADS Fail occurs due to a failure or system error inside the autonomous vehicle, it is possible to switch to unplanned control and display an emergency on the outside of the vehicle to prevent accidents and inform surrounding vehicles.

-Effects to prevent accidents by switching to unplanned control when there is a situation in which the surrounding environment lacks information necessary to maintain autonomous driving conditions, such as surrounding weather or lane recognition errors.

1 shows a switching relationship between automatic driving and manual driving in autonomous driving.
2 is a flow chart showing the concept of control right switching in autonomous driving.
3 shows a scenario example of a planned control switching in autonomous driving.
4 is an example of a driving information display screen of an autonomous vehicle.
5a and b show an example of an unplanned control right switching scenario in an emergency or an unexpected situation.
6 is a flowchart of a process in a situation where a lane cannot be changed when an obstacle is detected during autonomous driving.
7 is a process flow diagram for requesting control switch to the driver due to an unexpected situation due to the sudden appearance of an obstacle.
8 is a process flowchart for detecting an abnormality in a driver's state and handling a driver's emergency state when the driver does not respond to a control right change request.
9 is an exemplary view of an emergency / explosion information providing screen.
10 is a block diagram of an autonomous vehicle information transmission network in a road driving environment.
11 shows a configuration diagram of an autonomous driving system capable of switching between planned and unplanned control rights according to the present invention.

Advantages and features of the present invention, and a method of achieving them will become apparent by referring to embodiments described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but will be implemented in various different forms, and only the present embodiments make the disclosure of the present invention complete, and have ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains. It is provided to fully inform the person of the scope of the invention, and the invention is defined by the description of the claims.

On the other hand, the terms used in this specification are for describing the embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. In this specification, the singular form also includes the plural form unless otherwise specified in the phrase. As used herein, “comprise” or “comprising” means the presence of one or more other components, steps, operations and / or elements other than the components, steps, operations and / or elements mentioned, or Addition is not excluded.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In adding reference numerals to the components of each drawing, the same components are assigned the same reference numerals as possible, even though they are displayed on different drawings, and in describing the present invention, detailed descriptions of related well-known components or functions When the gist of the present invention may be obscured, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

1 shows a switching relationship between automatic driving and manual driving in autonomous driving.

In SAE Level 2, it is "partial driving automation", and in Level 3, it is "conditional driving automation", so the driver and the Automated Driving System (ADS) have control of driving while starting and ending driving. 1 can be alternately performed as shown in FIG. 1. As illustrated, while going from Route 1 to Route 5, the driving control is switched from manual to automatic operation during driving or from automatic to manual. Control switching will take place over a period of Take Over Request (TOR). When a driver sets a destination for driving, a driving section list for a manual driving section and an automatic driving section in the entire driving route is created by N paths, and the driver is driven manually or in accordance with the guidance of the autonomous driving system. By using the automatic driving alternately, the driving to the destination is completed. The autonomous driving system provides the driver with the message "drive manually" or "drive automatically" using a multi-modal interface, and the driver brings control of the driver during the TOR section or the ADS system To take over control of the operation.

In the example of FIG. 1, the entire route from the start of the driving to the end of the driving is planned and generated in five sections from (Route 1) to (Route 5), and the autonomous driving system plans whether manual driving or automatic driving is possible for each route. It shows an example (planned control switching).

2 is a view showing a concept of switching control rights in autonomous driving. The change of control in autonomous vehicles consists of a planned TOR and an unplanned TOR in sudden emergencies and emergencies. When the driver inputs the driving route into the autonomous driving system, a planned control TOR list for a manual driving or autonomous driving route is generated among the routes to the destination as shown in FIG. 1. When the vehicle starts driving (201), the ADS checks the planned control list (202). When the control switching occurs, the conversion list is reviewed whether the TOR is a planned conversion or an unplanned conversion (203). If it is the planned TOR (204), the planned TOR processing process is called (206). If it is not the planned TOR (205), the unplanned TOR processing process is called (207).

3 shows an example of a planned control switching scenario in autonomous driving. In scenario 1, when driving starts (301), and during manual driving (302), control information for automatic driving is guided (303), the driver switches (304) control rights to ADS. An automatic driving mode is displayed on the vehicle terminal, and a control right switching information guide 305 such as the remaining distance / time remaining to the next planned autonomous driving is displayed. Autonomous driving continues (306), and when the manual driving section approaches, the driver requests control switching (307). When the driver takes over the control right in the control right switching section 308, manual driving is started (309) and manual driving (310).

In the present invention, when the autonomous driving system is in automatic operation, when the above-mentioned planned TOR and unplanned TOR are performed, measures to maintain the driver's readiness are maintained above a certain threshold so that control switching between automatic operation and manual operation can be quickly performed. Process.

4 is an example of a screen displaying driving information of an autonomous vehicle. This screen is a screen for displaying information on a planned control TOR, and can be implemented as a multi-modal interface.

When vehicle driving starts, the driving mode display unit 401 displays whether autonomous driving or manual driving is in progress. The current speed is displayed on the driving speed display unit 402. In addition to these display units 401 and 402, there is a control right switching information display unit 403. This control right switching information display unit 403 is a configuration provided to maintain the driver's readiness of the driver over a threshold in the present invention.

The control right switching information display unit 403 for keeping the driving readiness above a threshold includes a remaining time display unit 404, a remaining distance display unit 405, a construction / accident section display unit 406, and a surrounding vehicle information display unit 407. do. The remaining time and distance from the start of autonomous driving to the planned control right switching to manual driving are displayed on the remaining time display unit 404 and the remaining distance display unit 405. The autonomous vehicle performs periodic communication with the traffic information server to receive construction / accident information within a certain distance in front of the driving route and displays it on the construction / accident section display unit 406. In addition, the information on the front or rear traveling vehicle is received from the traffic information server and displayed on the surrounding vehicle information display unit 407.

5A and 5B show examples of scenarios of unplanned control switching in emergencies and emergencies.

In FIG. 5A showing Scenario 1, if an obstacle is detected (502) while autonomous driving is in progress (502), the direction of movement of the obstacle is calculated (503), or the distance between the obstacle and the vehicle, whether the obstacle will interfere with the movement of the host vehicle. Calculate (504). If the distance from the obstacle is a distance at which there is a risk of collision, the autonomous vehicle itself slows down the vehicle speed (505) and requests the driver to switch driving control (506). Accordingly, the driver takes over control (507) and drives the vehicle manually (508).

In FIG. 5B showing scenario 2, if an obstacle is detected (551) while autonomous driving is in progress (551), the direction of movement of the obstacle is calculated (552) whether the obstacle will interfere with the movement of the host vehicle, and the distance between the obstacle and the vehicle. Calculate (553). If the distance to the obstacle is a distance at which there is a risk of collision, the autonomous vehicle itself slows down the vehicle speed (554) and requests the driver to switch driving control rights (555) (556). If there is no response from the driver, the autonomous vehicle is stopped on the shoulder (557) (558). The driver is asked to switch control again (559) (560). However, if necessary, these processes 559 and 560 may be omitted. When there is no response from the driver, an e-call is called to dispatch a firefighter or an ambulance team to notify the driver that a problem such as an emergency has occurred (561). In addition, an emergency is displayed outside the vehicle in order to notify the surrounding vehicles that there is a problem with the driver (562).

6 is a flowchart of a process in a situation where a lane cannot be changed when an obstacle is detected during autonomous driving.

If an obstacle is suddenly detected during autonomous driving (602), since there is a risk of collision, the distance between the obstacle and the vehicle is calculated (603). In consideration of the driving speed of the autonomous vehicle, it is determined whether the vehicle needs to be decelerated (604). If deceleration is required (605), the autonomous vehicle reduces the speed (607) and calculates the direction of movement of the forward obstacle (608). If deceleration is not required (606), the direction of movement of the forward obstacle is calculated (608). Based on the calculated direction of movement, it is determined whether an obstacle approaches the autonomous vehicle in the front of the vehicle in the substantially transverse direction (609), and if it is approaching in the roughly transverse direction (610), there is a risk of collision, so the driver can be informed about the unexpected situation. The TOR processing process is called to request control switching (unplanned control switching) (612). If the vehicle is not approached (611), autonomous driving continues (613).

7 is a flowchart of a process for requesting the driver to switch control right due to an unexpected situation due to the sudden appearance of an obstacle.

When the process in which the ADS requests the driver's control right starts (701), the driver and the passenger in the autonomous vehicle are notified of an obstacle (702), so that the driver can quickly recognize the request to switch control. Using the multi-modal interface, a request for switching control is performed to the driver (703). Notification of the occurrence of an obstacle may be performed by means such as voice, terminal screen, seat vibration, steering wheel vibration, and the like. It is checked if the driver responds to the control switching request within a predetermined time (704). When the driver responds (705), transfers control to the driver (707), and if the driver does not respond (706), the driver stops the vehicle (708) on the shoulder, and informs the driver that there is an abnormality in the driver's emergency. A state (emergency) processing process is called (709).

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of a process 709 for detecting an abnormality in the driver's condition and handling the driver's emergency condition when the driver does not respond to the control right change request shown in FIG. 7.

When the process starts (801), since the driver may not respond to the control right switching request in step 706 of FIG. 7, the control switching request is executed using the multi-modal interface once more (802). It is checked whether the driver responds to the control switch request within a predetermined time (803). If the driver responds (804), the control is transferred to the driver (806), and if the driver does not respond (805), an E-Call service that connects to the fire department or the police is called (807). In addition, an emergency situation is displayed on the outside of the vehicle so as to inform the surrounding vehicles (808). At this time, the emergency light may blink or a dedicated lamp or message display may be operated.

9 is an example of an emergency / explosion information providing screen. This screen displays information about unplanned TOR. This screen can be implemented with a multi-modal interface.

When the vehicle starts driving, the driving mode display unit 901 displays whether autonomous driving or manual driving is in progress. The current speed appears on the driving speed display 902. In addition to these display units 901 and 902, an emergency / explosive situation information display unit 903 and a surrounding vehicle information display unit 904 are additionally included to increase the driver's driving readiness. When an emergency / explosive situation is detected, an emergency / explosive situation such as the appearance of an obstacle is displayed on the emergency / explosive situation information display unit 903 so that the driver can prepare for control control switching. In addition, the ADS receives information about the front or rear traveling vehicle from the traffic information server and displays the surrounding vehicle traveling information on the information display unit 904.

10 is an example of a configuration diagram of an autonomous vehicle information transmission network in a road driving environment.

Autonomous vehicles driving on the road are in a state in which V2X communication such as V2V and V2I is possible. It should be possible to transmit the information of the own vehicle 1004 to the traffic information server 1001 by using the RSU 1003 or the like or other communication method while driving on the road. As shown in 807 of FIG. 8, the autonomous vehicle is connected to the traffic information server 1001 and drives to inform the driver of the emergency and to call the e-Call for the dispatch 1002 of the firefighter, the police, and the like. In addition, if there is a sudden obstacle (1005) appeared, it is necessary to configure a network that can transmit it to nearby vehicles.

11 shows a configuration diagram of an autonomous driving system capable of switching between planned and unplanned control rights.

The driving route management unit 1103 separates and manages a route capable of autonomous driving and a route capable of manual driving on the route between the start and end points of the driving, and notifies the planned control authority switching management unit 1109 to utilize the control authority. The driver's driving readiness determination unit 1108 maintains the driver's readiness in association with the BOOSTER 1102 in preparation for requesting a manual switchover from the planning control switching manager 1109 to maintain the driver's readiness above a threshold capable of switching control. do. In the autonomous driving system, various sensing devices 1101 are installed. An obstacle is detected in front of the autonomous driving path through the sensing device 1101 and is transmitted to the obstacle detection unit 1104. If the obstacle characteristic is determined to be difficult for the autonomous vehicle to drive, the unplanned control right switching management unit 1110 sends information to the interaction device management unit 1111 to carry out a subsequent procedure due to the impossibility to continue driving due to the obstacle. , Also transmits information to the external display module 1113 so that an emergency situation due to a front obstacle can be notified outside the vehicle. In addition, the interaction device management unit 1111 measures so that the driver can take control from the ADS 1112.

If the body condition of the driver is periodically detected through the sensing device 1101 or a body danger condition is detected and transmitted to the driver's health risk condition detection unit 1105, the unplanned control right switching management unit 1110 follows the procedure according to the emergency In order to proceed, the information is transmitted to the interaction device management unit 1111, and information is transmitted to the external display module 1113 so that the emergency can be notified outside the vehicle. In addition, the interaction device management unit 1111 calls the ADS module so that the vehicle can take control (1112).

When a failure or system error occurs in the autonomous vehicle through the sensing device 1101, the control right must be switched to manual operation, and thus the detected information is transmitted to the vehicle failure and system error detection unit 1106. If it is determined that the autonomous vehicle is in a failure state that is difficult to drive, the unplanned control right switching management unit 1110 sends information to the interaction device management unit 1111 to carry out a follow-up procedure due to the failure of the vehicle due to a vehicle failure or a system error. Transmission, and the interaction device management unit 1111 measures so that the driver can take control from the ADS 1112.

When the surrounding weather detects an uncomfortable driving condition such as heavy rain / freeze through the sensing device 1101, or when the driving lane disappears and the lane is not recognized, the surrounding weather / environment detection unit 1107 is transmitted. If it is determined that the autonomous vehicle is difficult to drive due to insufficient information required for autonomous driving, the unplanned control control switching unit 1110 may perform an interaction device management unit to perform a subsequent procedure due to the inability to continue driving due to weather / environment. 1111), and transmits the information to the external display module 1113 so as to inform the outside of the vehicle of an emergency. In addition, the interaction device management unit 1111 measures so that the driver can take control from the ADS 1112.

The present invention described above can be implemented in terms of a device or a method. In particular, a function or process of each component of the present invention is a digital signal processor (DSP), processor, controller, or application-specific ASIC. IC), programmable logic devices (FPGA, etc.), at least one of other electronic devices, and combinations thereof, can be implemented as hardware elements. It can also be implemented in software either in combination with hardware elements or independently, which can be stored on a record carrier.

The configuration of the present invention has been described in detail through preferred embodiments of the present invention, but those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains are disclosed herein without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. It will be understood that the lesson may be implemented in other specific forms. It should be understood that the embodiments described above are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The protection scope of the present invention is defined by the claims below, rather than by the detailed description, and all changes or modifications derived from the claims and equivalent concepts should be interpreted to be included in the technical scope of the present invention. .

Claims (1)

In a self-driving vehicle, a control right switching method considering the driver's readiness in performing a planned TOR and an unplanned TOR in an emergency or unexpected situation,
Autonomous driving vehicles include autonomous driving, and when the control is switched from automatic driving to manual driving, the driver's readiness is maintained above a certain threshold, and the autonomous driving vehicle is processed to automatically switch control from automatic driving to manual driving. A method for switching the driving control of a driving vehicle.

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