Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Toyota Research Institute, Inc.

Heishiro Toyoda

Joshua E Domeyer

Hiroto Hamada

John-Michael McNew

Benjamin P Austin

Danil V Prokhorov

John K Lenneman

Toshihiro Hattori

Derek Stanley Caveney

Philip Joseph Babian

William Patrick Garrett

George M Evans

Rebecca L Kirschweng

Terumasa Endo

Takeshi Yoshida

Simon Ai Stent

A pedal touch anomaly notification system for a vehicle is provided. The system includes the vehicle itself, and at least one sensor configured to capture information about the position or orientation of the driver's foot relative to a control pedal of the vehicle. A processor uses the captured information, as well as a database containing baseline information and variance information about expected positions or orientations of the driver's foot relative to the control pedal. Based on the captured information, the processor determines the position or orientation of the foot of the driver relative to the control pedal, and compares the determined position or orientation to the baseline information and variance information. If the position or orientation fall outside the variance information, the processor generates a driver alert.

System for providing feedback based on pedal touching

Systems and methods for displaying dynamic closed-captioning content are disclosed. In one embodiment, a system includes a user monitoring device for monitoring one or more characteristics of at least one user viewing display content produced by a display device, one or more processors, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more instructions to receive user data from the user monitoring device that corresponds to the one or more characteristics of the at least one user, determine a comprehension state of the at least one user based at least in part on the user data, and adjust a closed-captioning state of closed-captioning of the display content based on the comprehension state.

Systems and methods for displaying dynamic closed-captioning content

A vehicular warning system control system can include a processor and a memory in communication with the processor. The memory can include a warning system control module having instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to detect, using sensor data having information about a gaze of each eye of a driver of a vehicle, an abnormality of a gaze of the driver. The instructions further cause the processor to modify, using the sensor data, a signal emitted by the vehicle when the abnormality is detected.

Vehicular warning system and method based on gaze abnormality

Systems, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to an improved approach to providing gratitude between consumers and workers. In one embodiment, a method includes acquiring from a camera within a manufacturing facility, source video of manufacturing of different stages of a product. The method includes identifying, from the source video, segments associated with the product. The method includes generating a combined video from the segments. The method includes providing the combined video to a consumer associated with the product.

Gratitude delivery for manufactured products

A computing system for a vehicle includes one or more processors for controlling operation of the computing system, and a memory for storing data and program instructions usable by the one or more processors. The one or more processors are configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to determine when the vehicle is currently in a user-selected predefined driving situation and, responsive to the determination, control operation of the vehicle to implement a vehicle response mode associated with the user-selected predefined driving situation. The vehicle response mode may include an initial control mode specifying one or more initial indicators of the vehicle response mode, and a conditional secondary control mode specifying one or more secondary indicators of the vehicle response mode. The one or more initial indicators and the one or more secondary indicators are configured to be perceivable by a person exterior of the vehicle.

Driver assistance system for autonomously indicating vehicle user intent in response to a predefined driving situation

Aspects of the disclosure provide a method for communicating motion intention of a vehicle to other road users. The method can include receiving a signal indicating a motion intention of the vehicle, and controlling a suspension system of the vehicle to create a vehicle posture according to the motion intention of the vehicle to show the motion intention of the vehicle to other road users.

Vehicle intent communication based on vehicle posture

System, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to engaging a driver of a vehicle about driving behaviors. In one embodiment, a method includes computing predicted controls according to at least a defined skill level of the driver. The predicted controls indicate how to control the vehicle to maintain the vehicle along a driving path on a roadway. The method includes, in response to receiving manual control inputs from the driver, generating control feedback to the driver about the manual control inputs based, at least in part, on a difference between the manual control inputs and the predicted controls.

Systems and methods for promoting driver engagement using active feedback

System, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to providing collaborative controls for a vehicle. In one embodiment, a method includes, in response to receiving manual inputs and autonomous inputs for controlling the vehicle, determining a difference between the manual inputs and the autonomous inputs. The method includes blending the manual inputs and the autonomous inputs together into the collaborative controls as a function of at least the difference, and feedback parameters to control the vehicle to proceed along a route. The method includes generating feedback according to at least the difference to adapt how the vehicle is controlled.

Systems and methods for providing collaborative control of a vehicle

Systems and methods for providing a notification of an upcoming acceleration to an occupant of a vehicle are disclosed herein. The vehicle includes a seat that is movable in one or more directions. The vehicle can identify a direction and magnitude of acceleration corresponding to an upcoming maneuver. The vehicle can also track one or more states of the occupant. The vehicle can generate control signals to move the seat based on the state of the occupant and the direction and magnitude of the acceleration for the upcoming maneuver.

Providing a notification to an occupant using a vehicle seat

System, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to inducing awareness in a driver about a surrounding environment of a vehicle using an augmented reality (AR) system within the vehicle. In one embodiment, a method includes identifying one or more potential hazards to the vehicle in the surrounding environment from sensor data collected from at least one sensor of the vehicle. The method includes rendering, within the AR system, a display scenario about the one or more potential hazards by displaying one or more graphical elements that correlate with locations of the one or more potential hazards in the surrounding environment.

Systems and methods for visualizing potential risks

System, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to inducing awareness in a driver about a surrounding environment of a primary vehicle. In one embodiment, a method includes, in response to detecting that a nearby vehicle is present within a defined range of the primary vehicle, generating a behavior characterization of the nearby vehicle according to at least sensor data from one or more sensors of the primary vehicle. The method includes indicating to the driver of the primary vehicle the behavior characterization of the nearby vehicle to inform the driver of how surrounding vehicles including the nearby vehicle are operating and to induce the driver to be engaged with the surrounding environment of the primary vehicle.

Systems and methods for motivating a driver according to behaviors of nearby vehicles

An autonomous vehicle can operate with respect to other vehicles at a multi-stop intersection. One or more other objects (e.g., vehicles) approaching the multi-stop intersection from a different direction than the autonomous vehicle can be detected. An arrival time of the autonomous vehicle and the detected one or more other objects at the multi-stop intersection can be determined. In response to determining that the arrival time of the autonomous vehicle and the detected one or more other objects at the multi-stop intersection is substantially the same, a driving maneuver for the autonomous vehicle can be determined. As an example, the driving maneuver can include stopping short of an originally intended stopping point and/or decelerating so that the arrival time of the autonomous vehicle is not substantially the same as the other objects at the multi-stop intersection. The autonomous vehicle can be caused to implement the determined driving maneuver.

Autonomous vehicle operation at multi-stop intersections

A vehicle subject to autonomous operation includes one or more autonomous support systems configured to support autonomous operation, a feedback system configured to provide feedback in an interior portion of the vehicle and a confidence appraisal system in communication with the one or more autonomous support systems and the feedback system. During autonomous operation, the confidence appraisal system monitors, based on operational statuses of the one or more autonomous support systems supporting the autonomous operation, confidence in the autonomous operation, and operates the feedback system to provide feedback in the interior portion of the vehicle. The feedback corresponds to the confidence in the autonomous operation, and varies with changes to the confidence in the autonomous operation, to continuously apprise a driver of the confidence in the autonomous operation.

Apprising a driver of confidence in operation of a vehicle

A vehicular haptic feedback system includes a haptic feedback controller configured to communicate with a vehicle. The haptic feedback controller including a plurality of haptic feedback actuators and processing circuitry configured to detect quality of operation information of the vehicle, a direction and an intensity of threat information corresponding to the vehicle, and a mode of operation of the vehicle. The haptic feedback controller is also configured to determine a desired direction of travel of the vehicle based on the quality of operation information, the direction and the intensity of threat information, and the mode of operation. The haptic feedback controller is further configured to provide haptic feedback corresponding to the quality of operation information, the direction and the intensity of threat information, the mode of operation and the desired direction of travel of the vehicle, via the plurality of haptic feedback actuators.

Vehicular haptic feedback system and method

A system for signaling road hazards and emergency actions to nearby road users comprising a vehicle, the vehicle having at least three wheels, a vehicle control circuitry, one or more sensors, and a vehicle system controller. The vehicle control circuitry monitors data from the one or more sensors, detects hazardous situations, and controls the vehicle system controller to control the vehicle, induce a dynamic vehicle behavior, and visually signal the vehicle is performing an emergency maneuver.

Growing community of inventors

Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Heishiro Toyoda