IP Library Granted Patent US 12,311,964
Granted Patent B2
US 12,311,964 · App. 17/979,154 · Granted May 27, 2025

Questionnaire apparatus, questionnaire method, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium

Inventors: Sokfan Yee (Toyota, JP); Hiromitsu Kobayashi (Nisshin, JP); Takashi Tokuyama (Kasugai, JP)
Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
B60W50/08B60W40/02B60W60/00
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,311,964
App. No.
17/979,154
Granted
May 27, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an evaluation apparatus which evaluates autonomous driving performed by the autonomous driving vehicle. The present disclosure provides a technique which enables carrying out a questionnaire composed of one or more appropriate questions while reducing the number of the questions. The questionnaire apparatus includes a question management unit configured to manage one or more questions prepared for a passenger of an autonomous driving vehicle to evaluate autonomous driving, an information acquisition unit configured to acquire driving environment information and driving state information related to the autonomous driving, and a question determination unit configured to determine one or more request questions for requesting an answer from the passenger from among one or more managed questions based on at least one of the driving environment information and the driving state information.

Claims (30)

1. A questionnaire apparatus comprising:

an autonomous driving vehicle that includes one or more sensors;

a server that includes:

one or more processors; and

one or more memories storing one or more programs that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to execute:

managing one or more questions prepared for a passenger of the autonomous driving vehicle to evaluate autonomous driving performed by the autonomous driving vehicle;

acquiring, via the one or more sensors, driving environment information and driving state information related to the autonomous driving, including an occurrence of rapid acceleration or deceleration of the autonomous driving vehicle to determine a vehicle control state, a driving route undertaken by the autonomous driving vehicle, and a driving position of the autonomous driving vehicle when the vehicle control state becomes a particular state that includes rapid steering or evacuation driving or the rapid acceleration or deceleration;

determining one or more request questions for requesting an answer from the passenger from among one or more managed questions based on the driving environment information and the driving state information and in accordance with the vehicle control state, wherein the one or more request questions includes at least one question related to a specific scene encountered during the autonomous traveling by the autonomous driving vehicle, and at least one question unaffected by the specific scene encountered during the autonomous traveling by the autonomous driving vehicle; and

transmitting the one or more request questions at a predetermined timing in response to determining a time at which the autonomous driving vehicle is caused to autonomously arrive at a destination from the acquired driving state information; and

an answer terminal that includes one or more processors and a display device, wherein the one or more processors of the answer terminal are configured to receive the one or more request questions from the one or more processors of the server, and control an output of the one or more request questions via the display device.

2. The questionnaire apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the determining the one or more request questions includes prioritizing the one or more questions, and when a number of the one or more request questions exceeds a predetermined number, determining the one or more request questions in descending order of priority so that the number of the one or more request questions is equal to or less than the predetermined number.

3. The questionnaire apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more programs, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to execute:

acquiring an answer to the one or more request questions; and

evaluating the autonomous driving based on the answer.

4. The questionnaire apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more programs, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to execute:

acquiring an answer to the one or more request questions; and

evaluating the autonomous driving based on the answer.

5. The questionnaire apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one question unaffected by the specific scene encountered during the autonomous traveling by the autonomous driving vehicle includes one or more mandatory questions, and the evaluating the autonomous driving is performed only when an answer to the one or more mandatory questions is acquired.

6. A questionnaire method performed by a questionnaire apparatus, the method comprising:

managing, by one or more processors of a server of the questionnaire apparatus, one or more questions prepared for a passenger of an autonomous driving vehicle to evaluate autonomous driving performed by the autonomous driving vehicle;

acquiring, by one or more sensors of the autonomous driving vehicle of the questionnaire apparatus, driving environment information and driving state information related to the autonomous driving, including an occurrence of rapid acceleration or deceleration of the autonomous driving vehicle to determine a vehicle control state, a driving route undertaken by the autonomous driving vehicle, and a driving position of the autonomous driving vehicle when the vehicle control state becomes a particular state that includes rapid steering or evacuation driving or the rapid acceleration or deceleration;

determining, by the one or more processors of the server, one or more request questions for requesting an answer from the passenger from among one or more managed questions based on the driving environment information and the driving state information and in accordance with the vehicle control state, wherein the one or more request questions includes at least one question related to a specific scene encountered during the autonomous traveling by the autonomous driving vehicle, and at least one question unaffected by the specific scene encountered during the autonomous traveling by the autonomous driving vehicle;

transmitting, by the one or more processors of the server, the one or more request questions at a predetermined timing in response to determining a time at which the autonomous driving vehicle is caused to autonomously arrive at a destination from the acquired driving state information; and

receiving, by one or more processors of an answer terminal of the questionnaire apparatus, the one or more request questions from the one or more processors of the server, and controlling an output of the one or more request questions via a display device of the answer terminal.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program configured to cause a computer to execute:

managing one or more questions prepared for a passenger of an autonomous driving vehicle to evaluate autonomous driving performed by the autonomous driving vehicle;

acquiring, by one or more sensors of the autonomous driving vehicle, driving environment information and driving state information related to the autonomous driving, including an occurrence of rapid acceleration or deceleration of the autonomous driving vehicle to determine a vehicle control state, a driving route undertaken by the autonomous driving vehicle, and a driving position of the autonomous driving vehicle when the vehicle control state becomes a particular state that includes rapid steering or evacuation driving or the rapid acceleration or deceleration;

determining one or more request questions for requesting an answer from the passenger from among one or more managed questions based on the driving environment information and the driving state information and in accordance with the vehicle control state, wherein the one or more request questions includes at least one question related to a specific scene encountered during the autonomous traveling by the autonomous driving vehicle, and at least one question unaffected by the specific scene encountered during the autonomous traveling by the autonomous driving vehicle;

transmitting the one or more request questions at a predetermined timing in response to determining a time at which the autonomous driving vehicle is caused to autonomously arrive at a destination from the acquired driving state information; and

receiving, by one or more processors of an answer terminal, the one or more request questions, and controlling an output of the one or more request questions via a display device of the answer terminal.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 2, 2022
From: YEE, SOKFAN; KOBAYASHI, HIROMITSU; TOKUYAMA, TAKASHI
To: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 061628/0818 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2021-180579 · Nov 4, 2021 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230134362A1 · May 4, 2023
References Cited (21)
US 10866106B2 · Arakawa · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 10991176B2 · Yoshizaki et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 10991254B2 · Hayashi et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 11048263B2 · Urano · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 11052780B2 · Taguchi et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 11281215B2 · Yoshizaki et al. · 2022 [cited by applicant]
US 20080291032A1 · Prokhorov · 2008 [cited by examiner]
US 20190128694A1 · Matsushita et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 20190129438A1 · Morita et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 20200094845A1 · Shiga · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20200189610A1 · Sakai et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20200292322A1 · Ozog · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20200324788A1 · Ando · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20220114511A1 · Ebata et al. · 2022 [cited by applicant]
US 20230368302A1 · Iqbal · 2023 [cited by examiner]
JP 202052468A · 2016 [cited by applicant]
JP 2020052468A · 2020 [cited by applicant]
JP 2020524632A · 2020 [cited by applicant]
JP 2020160605A · 2020 [cited by applicant]
KR 20220089772A · 2020 [cited by examiner]
WO 2018232237A1 · 2018 [cited by applicant]