Autonomous vehicle operation based on passenger-count

1. A system for operating an autonomous vehicle, said system comprising:

a passenger-detector operable to determine a passenger-count of passengers present in a host-vehicle;

a controller-circuit in communication with the passenger-detector and vehicle-controls of the host-vehicle, said controller-circuit configured to operate the host-vehicle in an autonomous-mode and in accordance with a parameter, wherein the parameter is set to an empty-value when passenger-count is equal to zero, and the parameter is set to an occupied-value different from the empty-value when the passenger count is greater than zero,

wherein the host-vehicle is configured so a passenger can sit or stand while the host-vehicle is moving, the passenger-detector is operable to determine that the passenger is sitting or standing, and the controller-circuit is configured to set the parameter to a first value in response to a determination that all passengers are sitting, and a second-value different from the first-value in response to a determination that at least one passenger is standing, and

wherein the passenger-detector is operable to determine when at least one passenger is standing and is not gripping a hand-hold, and the parameter is set to a third-value different from the first-value and the second-value in response to a determination that the at least one passenger is standing and is not gripping a hand-hold.

2. The system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the parameter is an acceleration-rate of the host-vehicle, and the empty-value is greater than the occupied-value.

3. The system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the parameter is a cornering-speed of the host-vehicle, and the empty-value is greater than the occupied-value.

4. The system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the controller-circuit is configured to estimate a braking-distance of the host-vehicle in accordance with the passenger-count.

5. A controller-circuit for operating an autonomous vehicle, said controller-circuit comprising:

an input configured to communicate with a passenger-detector operable to determine a passenger-count of passengers present in a host-vehicle;

an output configured to communicate with vehicle-controls of the host-vehicle;

a processor in communication with the passenger-detector and vehicle-controls of the host-vehicle, said processor configured to operate the host-vehicle in an autonomous-mode and in accordance with a parameter, wherein the parameter is set to an empty-value when passenger-count is equal to zero, and the parameter is set to an occupied-value different from the empty-value when the passenger count is greater than zero,

wherein the host-vehicle is configured so a passenger can sit or stand while the host-vehicle is moving, the passenger-detector is operable to determine that the passenger is sitting or standing, and the controller-circuit is configured to set the parameter to a first value in response to a determination that all passengers are sitting, and a second-value different from the first-value in response to a determination that at least one passenger is standing, and

wherein the passenger-detector is operable to determine when the at least one passenger is standing and is not gripping a hand-hold, and the parameter is set to a third-value different from the first-value and the second-value in response to a determination that the at least one passenger is standing and is not gripping a hand-hold.

6. The controller-circuit in accordance with claim 5 , wherein the parameter is an acceleration-rate of the host-vehicle, and the empty-value is greater than the occupied-value.

7. The controller-circuit in accordance with claim 5 , wherein the parameter is a cornering-speed of the host-vehicle, and the empty-value is greater than the occupied-value.

8. The controller-circuit in accordance with claim 5 , wherein the processor is configured to estimate a braking-distance of the host-vehicle in accordance with the passenger-count.

9. A method for operating an autonomous vehicle, said method comprising:

determining, using a passenger-detector, a passenger-count of passengers present in a host-vehicle;

setting a parameter used for operating the host-vehicle in an autonomous-mode to an empty-value in response to a determination that the passenger-count is equal to zero, wherein the empty-value parameter is different from an occupied-value that is used in response to a determination that the passenger-count is the passenger count is greater than zero; and

operating, using a controller-circuit, the host-vehicle in the autonomous-mode and in accordance with the parameter,

wherein the host-vehicle is configured so a passenger can sit or stand while the host-vehicle is moving, said method includes determining, using the passenger-detector, that the passenger is sitting, setting the parameter to a first value in response to a determination that all passengers are sitting, and setting the parameter to a second-value different from the first-value in response to a determination that at least one passenger is standing, and

wherein the method further includes determining that at least one passenger is standing and is not gripping a hand-hold; and

setting the parameter to a third-value different from the first-value and the second-value in response to a determination that the at least one passenger is standing and is not gripping a hand-hold.

10. The method in accordance with claim 9 , wherein the method includes setting the parameter used for operating the host-vehicle in an autonomous-mode to the occupied-value in response to a determination that the passenger count is greater than zero.

11. The method in accordance with claim 9 , wherein the parameter is an acceleration-rate of the host-vehicle, and the empty-value is greater than the occupied-value.

12. The method in accordance with claim 9 , wherein the parameter is a cornering-speed of the host-vehicle, and the empty-value is greater than the occupied-value.

13. The method in accordance with claim 9 , wherein method includes estimating a braking-distance of the host-vehicle in accordance with the passenger-count.