IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,398,368
Granted Patent B2
US 10,398,368 · App. 15/513,119 · Granted Sep 3, 2019

Onboard system, vehicle control device, and program product for vehicle control device

Inventors: Ichiro Yoshida (Kariya, JP); Kiyohiko Sawada (Kariya, JP)
Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
A61B5/18A61B5/0476A61B5/6893B60W30/182B60W40/08B60W50/0097B60W50/0098B60W50/10B60W50/14B60W2040/0872B60W2050/0095B60W2050/146B60W2540/22B60W2540/26B60W2550/402
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,398,368
App. No.
15/513,119
Granted
Sep 3, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

An onboard system equipped to a vehicle includes a vehicle control device controlling a switching of a driving mode of the vehicle between a manual driving and a self-driving, and a brain activity sensor capable of detecting an activated portion of a brain of a driver of the vehicle. The vehicle control device determines whether a degree of uneasiness felt by the driver exceeds a threshold or not based on a detection result detected by the brain activity sensor before the switching of the driving mode. When determining that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver does not exceed the threshold, the vehicle control device switches the driving mode. When determining that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver exceeds the threshold, the vehicle control device performs a vehicle control corresponding to the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver.

Claims (66)

1. An onboard system equipped to a vehicle comprising:

a vehicle control device controlling a switching of a driving mode of the vehicle between a manual driving and a self-driving; and

a brain activity sensor capable of detecting an activated portion of a brain of a driver of the vehicle, wherein

the vehicle control device determines whether a degree of uneasiness felt by the driver exceeds a threshold or not based on a detection result detected by the brain activity sensor before the switching of the driving mode,

when determining that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver does not exceed the threshold, the vehicle control device switches the driving mode,

when determining that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver exceeds the threshold, the vehicle control device performs a vehicle control corresponding to the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver, and

when determining that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver exceeds the threshold, the vehicle control device forbids the switching of the driving mode as the vehicle control corresponding to the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver.

2. The onboard system according to claim 1 , wherein

the vehicle control device includes:

a storage unit storing a brain emotion map indicative of a relation between a distribution of the activated portion of the brain of the driver and the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver; and

a driving switching unit applying, to the brain emotion map, the distribution of the activated portion of the brain which is generated based on the detection result of the brain activity sensor to specify the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver, and the driving switching unit determines whether the degree of uneasiness that is specified exceeds the threshold or not.

3. The onboard system according to claim 1 , wherein,

after the driver gives an answer to switch the driving mode from the self-driving to the manual driving in response to an inquiry about the driving mode, the vehicle control device forbids the switching of the driving mode when determining that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver exceeds the threshold.

4. The onboard system according to claim 1 , wherein,

after the driver gives an answer not to switch the driving mode from the manual driving to the self-driving in response to an inquiry about the driving mode, the vehicle control device notifies the driver that the manual driving cannot be continued when determining that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver exceeds the threshold.

5. A vehicle control device for controlling a switching of a driving mode of a vehicle between a manual driving and a self-driving, the vehicle control device comprising:

a determination unit determining whether a degree of uneasiness felt by a driver of the vehicle exceeds a threshold or not based on a detection result of a brain activity sensor, wherein the brain activity sensor is capable of detecting an activated portion of a brain of the driver of the vehicle before the switching of the driving mode; and

an uneasiness coping unit switching the driving mode when the determination unit determines that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver does not exceed the threshold, wherein the uneasiness coping unit performs a vehicle control corresponding to the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver when the determination unit determines that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver exceeds the threshold, and

when the determination unit determines that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver exceeds the threshold, the uneasiness coping unit forbids the switching of the driving mode as the vehicle control corresponding to the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver.

6. A program product stored in a computer-readable non-transitory tangible storage medium, the program product comprising instructions to be executed by a computer, the program product being used for a vehicle control device for controlling a switching of a driving mode of a vehicle between a manual driving and a self-driving, the instructions for implementing:

determining whether a degree of uneasiness felt by a driver of the vehicle exceeds a threshold or not based on a detection result of a brain activity sensor, wherein the brain activity sensor is capable of detecting an activated portion of a brain of the driver of the vehicle before the switching of the driving mode;

switching the driving mode when determining that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver does not exceed the threshold; and

performing a vehicle control corresponding to the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver when determining that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver exceeds the threshold, wherein

when determining that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver exceeds the threshold, the switching of the driving mode is forbidden as the vehicle control corresponding to the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver.

7. An onboard system equipped to a vehicle comprising:

a vehicle control device controlling a switching of a driving mode of the vehicle between a manual driving and a self-driving; and

a brain activity sensor capable of detecting an activated portion of a brain of a driver of the vehicle, wherein

the vehicle control device determines whether a degree of uneasiness felt by the driver exceeds a threshold or not based on a detection result detected by the brain activity sensor before the switching of the driving mode,

when determining that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver does not exceed the threshold, the vehicle control device switches the driving mode,

when determining that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver exceeds the threshold, the vehicle control device performs a vehicle control corresponding to the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver, and

after the driver gives an answer to switch the driving mode from the self-driving to the manual driving in response to an inquiry about the driving mode, the vehicle control device forbids the switching of the driving mode when determining that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver exceeds the threshold.

8. The onboard system according to claim 7 , wherein

the vehicle control device includes:

a storage unit storing a brain emotion map indicative of a relation between a distribution of the activated portion of the brain of the driver and the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver; and

a driving switching unit applying, to the brain emotion map, the distribution of the activated portion of the brain which is generated based on the detection result of the brain activity sensor to specify the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver, and the driving switching unit determines whether the degree of uneasiness that is specified exceeds the threshold or not.

9. The onboard system according to claim 7 , wherein,

after the driver gives an answer not to switch the driving mode from the manual driving to the self-driving in response to an inquiry about the driving mode, the vehicle control device notifies the driver that the manual driving cannot be continued when determining that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver exceeds the threshold.

10. An onboard system equipped to a vehicle comprising:

a vehicle control device controlling a switching of a driving mode of the vehicle between a manual driving and a self-driving; and

a brain activity sensor capable of detecting an activated portion of a brain of a driver of the vehicle, wherein

the vehicle control device determines whether a degree of uneasiness felt by the driver exceeds a threshold or not based on a detection result detected by the brain activity sensor before the switching of the driving mode,

when determining that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver does not exceed the threshold, the vehicle control device switches the driving mode,

when determining that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver exceeds the threshold, the vehicle control device performs a vehicle control corresponding to the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver, and

after the driver gives an answer not to switch the driving mode from the manual driving to the self-driving in response to an inquiry about the driving mode, the vehicle control device notifies the driver that the manual driving cannot be continued when determining that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver exceeds the threshold.

11. The onboard system according to claim 10 , wherein

the vehicle control device includes:

a storage unit storing a brain emotion map indicative of a relation between a distribution of the activated portion of the brain of the driver and the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver; and

a driving switching unit applying, to the brain emotion map, the distribution of the activated portion of the brain which is generated based on the detection result of the brain activity sensor to specify the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver, and the driving switching unit determines whether the degree of uneasiness that is specified exceeds the threshold or not.

12. A vehicle control device for controlling a switching of a driving mode of a vehicle between a manual driving and a self-driving, the vehicle control device comprising:

a determination unit determining whether a degree of uneasiness felt by a driver of the vehicle exceeds a threshold or not based on a detection result of a brain activity sensor, wherein the brain activity sensor is capable of detecting an activated portion of a brain of the driver of the vehicle before the switching of the driving mode; and

an uneasiness coping unit switching the driving mode when the determination unit determines that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver does not exceed the threshold, wherein the uneasiness coping unit performs a vehicle control corresponding to the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver when the determination unit determines that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver exceeds the threshold, and

after the driver gives an answer to switch the driving mode from the self-driving to the manual driving in response to an inquiry about the driving mode, the uneasiness coping unit forbids the switching of the driving mode when the determination unit determines that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver exceeds the threshold.

13. A vehicle control device for controlling a switching of a driving mode of a vehicle between a manual driving and a self-driving, the vehicle control device comprising:

a determination unit determining whether a degree of uneasiness felt by a driver of the vehicle exceeds a threshold or not based on a detection result of a brain activity sensor, wherein the brain activity sensor is capable of detecting an activated portion of a brain of the driver of the vehicle before the switching of the driving mode; and

an uneasiness coping unit switching the driving mode when the determination unit determines that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver does not exceed the threshold, wherein the uneasiness coping unit performs a vehicle control corresponding to the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver when the determination unit determines that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver exceeds the threshold, and

after the driver gives an answer not to switch the driving mode from the manual driving to the self-driving in response to an inquiry about the driving mode, the uneasiness coping unit notifies the driver that the manual driving cannot be continued when the determination unit determines that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver exceeds the threshold.

14. A program product stored in a computer-readable non-transitory tangible storage medium, the program product comprising instructions to be executed by a computer, the program product being used for a vehicle control device for controlling a switching of a driving mode of a vehicle between a manual driving and a self-driving, the instructions for implementing:

determining whether a degree of uneasiness felt by a driver of the vehicle exceeds a threshold or not based on a detection result of a brain activity sensor, wherein the brain activity sensor is capable of detecting an activated portion of a brain of the driver of the vehicle before the switching of the driving mode;

switching the driving mode when determining that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver does not exceed the threshold;

performing a vehicle control corresponding to the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver when determining that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver exceeds the threshold; and

after the driver gives an answer to switch the driving mode from the self-driving to the manual driving in response to an inquiry about the driving mode, forbidding the switching of the driving mode when determining that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver exceeds the threshold.

15. A program product stored in a computer-readable non-transitory tangible storage medium, the program product comprising instructions to be executed by a computer, the program product being used for a vehicle control device for controlling a switching of a driving mode of a vehicle between a manual driving and a self-driving, the instructions for implementing:

determining whether a degree of uneasiness felt by a driver of the vehicle exceeds a threshold or not based on a detection result of a brain activity sensor, wherein the brain activity sensor is capable of detecting an activated portion of a brain of the driver of the vehicle before the switching of the driving mode;

switching the driving mode when determining that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver does not exceed the threshold;

performing a vehicle control corresponding to the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver when determining that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver exceeds the threshold; and

after the driver gives an answer not to switch the driving mode from the manual driving to the self-driving in response to an inquiry about the driving mode, notifying the driver that the manual driving cannot be continued when determining that the degree of uneasiness felt by the driver exceeds the threshold.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 28, 2017
From: YOSHIDA, ICHIRO; SAWADA, KIYOHIKO
To: DENSO CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 041767/0226 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2014-195494 · Sep 25, 2014 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20170303842A1 · Oct 26, 2017