Verification of vehicle operator awareness before transition from autonomous-mode to manual-mode

1. A system for operating a vehicle, said system comprising:

an object-detector used to detect one or more targets proximate to a host-vehicle, said host-vehicle operable in an autonomous-mode and a manual-mode;

an operator-monitor used to detect a gaze-direction of an operator of the host-vehicle; and

a controller-circuit in communication with the object-detector and the operator-monitor, said controller-circuit configured to determine a classification of each target detected by the object-detector, said classification includes a primary-target and an ignored-target, determine that a hand-over of operation of the host-vehicle from the autonomous-mode to the manual-mode is recommended, perform a verification that the operator has gazed at each primary-target more recently than a primary-time, and in response to the verification, execute the hand-over.

2. The system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the system includes an alert-device operable to indicate to the operator a direction toward one or more primary-targets that have not been gazed at more recently than the primary-time.

3. The system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the classification includes a secondary-target, and the verification includes that the operator has gazed at each secondary-target more recently than a secondary-time, said secondary-time greater than the primary-time.

4. The system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the system includes a digital-map that indicates a primary-target proximate to the host-vehicle.

5. The system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein verification includes that the operator has performed a visual-sweep around the host-vehicle more recently than a sweep-time.

6. A controller-circuit for operating a vehicle, said controller-circuit comprising:

a first-input configured to communicate with an object-detector used to detect one or more targets proximate to a host-vehicle, said host-vehicle operable in an autonomous-mode and a manual-mode;

a second-input configured to communicate with an operator-monitor used to detect a gaze-direction of an operator of the host-vehicle; and

a processor in communication with the object-detector and the operator-monitor, said processor configured to determine a classification of each target detected by the object-detector, said classification includes a primary-target and an ignored-target, determine that a hand-over of operation of the host-vehicle from the autonomous-mode to the manual-mode is recommended, perform a verification that the operator has gazed at each primary-target more recently than a primary-time, and in response to the verification, execute the hand-over.

7. The controller-circuit in accordance with claim 6 , wherein the controller-circuit includes

an output configured to communicate with an alert-device operable to indicate to the operator a direction toward one or more primary-targets that have not been gazed at more recently than the primary-time.

8. The controller-circuit in accordance with claim 6 , wherein the classification includes a secondary-target, and the verification includes that the operator has gazed at each secondary-target more recently than a secondary-time, said secondary-time greater than the primary-time.

9. The controller-circuit in accordance with claim 6 , wherein the controller-circuit includes a digital-map that indicates a primary-target proximate to the host-vehicle.

10. The controller-circuit in accordance with claim 6 , wherein verification includes that the operator has performed a visual-sweep around the host-vehicle more recently than a sweep-time.

11. A method for operating a vehicle, said method comprising:

detecting, with an object-detector, one or more targets proximate to a host-vehicle, said host-vehicle operable in an autonomous-mode and a manual-mode;

detecting, with an operator-monitor, a gaze-direction of an operator of the host-vehicle;

determining a classification of each target detected by the object-detector, said classification includes a primary-target and an ignored-target;

determining that a hand-over of operation of the host-vehicle from the autonomous-mode to the manual-mode is recommended;

performing a verification that the operator has gazed at each primary-target more recently than a primary-time; and

in response to the verification, executing the hand-over.

12. The method in accordance with claim 11 , wherein the method includes

operating an alert-device to indicate to the operator a direction toward one or more primary-targets that have not been gazed at more recently than the primary-time.

13. The method in accordance with claim 11 , wherein the classification includes a secondary-target, and performing the verification includes that the operator has gazed at each secondary-target more recently than a secondary-time, said secondary-time greater than the primary-time.

14. The method in accordance with claim 11 , wherein the method includes

accessing a digital-map that indicates a primary-target proximate to the host-vehicle.

15. The method in accordance with claim 11 , wherein the method includes

verifying that the operator has performed a visual-sweep around the host-vehicle more recently than a sweep-time.