Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Indiana University

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

The Ohio State University

The University of Texas System

Toyota Technical Center, U.s.a., Inc.

Rini Sherony

Stanley Yung-Ping Chien

Hiroyuki Takahashi

Chi-Chih Chen

Tina Brunetti Sayer

Qiang Yi

Yaobin Chen

Miles J Johnson

Joshua E Domeyer

Kenneth O Stanley

John H Marcoux

Jun Lin

Risto P Miikkulainen

Yu Hiei

Nathaniel F Kohl

Jason Brink

Abir Saha

Paxton Steven Williams

Hideki Hada

Kristofer Kusano

Eliza Yingzi Du

Emery Charles Gulash

Kai Yang

Pingge Jiang

Domenic Belgiovane

Seeta Ram Pandey

Wensen Niu

An apparatus includes processing circuitry configured to determine an actual driving performance of a driver in a manual driving mode and a projected driving performance if the vehicle had been operated in an autonomous driving mode, compare the driving performance in the manual driving mode and the autonomous driving mode, and transmit a feedback to the driver based on the comparison. The processing circuitry can be further configured to determine a driver state of the driver in the manual driving mode, determine environmental driving condition of the vehicle, and establish a baseline behavior of the driver as a function of the driver state and the environmental driving condition.

Driver and vehicle monitoring feedback system for an autonomous vehicle

Surrogates for roadside objects, such as concrete curbs, can be used for vehicle testing. A surrogate for a concrete curb can substantially be similar in size and/or shape as the concrete curb that the surrogate is mimicking. The surrogate can be configured to exhibit substantially the same characteristics as their actual counterpart concrete curb when sensed by one or more vehicle sensors (e.g., cameras, radar sensors, and/or LIDAR sensors). Such surrogates can be used to test automated vehicles, one or more vehicle sensors, a vehicle sensor system, and/or one or more vehicle system (e.g., a road departure mitigation system). The surrogates can be configured to withstand being impacted by a test vehicle without being damaged and without damaging the test vehicle.

Surrogate for concrete curb

A feedback server includes a processing circuitry configured to determine an actual driving performance of a driver in a manual driving mode and a projected driving performance if the vehicle had been operated in an autonomous driving mode, compare the driving performance in the manual driving mode and the autonomous driving mode, and transmit a feedback to the driver based on the comparison. The processing circuitry can be further configured to determine a driver state of the driver in the manual driving mode, determine environmental driving condition of the vehicle, and establish a baseline behavior of the driver as a function of the driver state and the environmental driving condition.

Methods and systems are provided for providing training on a vehicle. The method includes acquiring, using processing circuitry, one or more alert modes associated with a vehicle. Further, the method includes controlling one or more alert devices as a function of a first alert mode. The first alert mode is selected from the one or more alert modes. The method includes outputting information to a user associated with the first alert mode via one or more output devices.

Systems and methodologies for providing training on warnings in a vehicle

System, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to selecting a route for a vehicle to travel. In one embodiment, the detection system generates a driving maneuver recommendation for a vehicle having a plurality of sensors configured to acquire information about an environment around the vehicle, the sensors including at least a camera to capture one or more images of a scene within the environment, by determining that at least a portion of each image in a set of images captured by the camera indicates an external display in the environment, tracking an object within the portion of each image in the set of images to determine a state of the object, the state including at least a trajectory estimate for the object, and determining a recommended driving maneuver based at least in part on the determined state of the object.

System and method for navigation with external display

Surrogates for roadside objects, such as metal guardrails, can be used for vehicle testing. A surrogate for a metal guardrail can have substantially the same size and/or shape as the metal guardrail that the surrogate is mimicking. The surrogate can be configured to exhibit substantially the same characteristics as their actual counterpart metal guardrail when sensed by one or more vehicle sensors (e.g., cameras, radar sensors, and/or LIDAR sensors). Such surrogates can be used to test autonomous vehicles, one or more vehicle sensors, a vehicle sensor system, and/or one or more vehicle system (e.g., a road departure mitigation system). The surrogates can be configured to withstand being crashed into by a test vehicle without being damaged and without damaging the test vehicle.

Surrogate for metal guardrail

Surrogates for roadside objects, such as concrete dividers, can be used for vehicle testing. A surrogate for a concrete divider can have substantially the same size and/or shape as the concrete divider that the surrogate is mimicking. The surrogate can be configured to exhibit substantially the same characteristics as their actual counterpart concrete divider when sensed by one or more vehicle sensors (e.g., cameras, radar sensors, and/or LIDAR sensors). Such surrogates can be used to test autonomous vehicles, one or more vehicle sensors, a vehicle sensor system, and/or one or more vehicle system (e.g., a road departure mitigation system). The surrogates can be configured to withstand being crashed into by a test vehicle without being damaged and without damaging the test vehicle.

Surrogate for concrete divider

Systems and methods are provided for providing supplementary alert information. The method includes monitoring, using processing circuitry, one or more systems in a vehicle to determine an alert mode when an alert is generated. The method further includes identifying, using the processing circuitry, supplementary alert information associated with the alert mode. The supplementary alert information includes an explanation of a trigger of the alert. The method further includes outputting the supplementary alert information to a user of the vehicle.

Systems and methodologies for providing supplementary information based on alerts in a vehicle

An assembly for changing at least one safety feature predefined setting associated with at least one vehicular active safety system includes a computer and a human-machine interface. The computer is configured to change the at least one safety feature predefined setting based on a driver choice. The at least one safety feature predefined setting is selected from the group consisting of a response type and a response timing. The human-machine interface includes an output and an input. The output is configured to provide a driver with a range of customizable settings for the at least one safety feature predefined setting. The input is configured to accept at least one customizable setting chosen by the driver such that the at least one safety feature predefined setting is changed to the at least one customizable setting.

Personalized active safety systems

A vehicle can be configured to operate relative to oncoming objects. The vehicle can sense to external environment of the vehicle. An oncoming object approaching the vehicle from an opposite direction can be detected. It can be determined whether the oncoming object intends to execute a left turn across the path of the vehicle. Such a determination can be performed in various ways. Responsive to determining that the oncoming object intends to execute a left turn across the path of the vehicle, a driving maneuver to avoid a collision with the oncoming object can be determined. The vehicle can be caused to implement the determined driving maneuver.

Detection of left turn across path/opposite direction oncoming objects

An apparatus for repetitive use in automotive testing includes a body. The body includes a torso and a pair of legs. Each leg includes an upper portion and a lower portion pivotably connected to each other. An upper drive pivotably drives the upper portion of each of the pair of legs about a first pivot point disposed on a bottom portion of the torso. A lower drive pivotably drives the upper portion with respect to a corresponding lower portion of the leg. The upper drive and lower drive working in concert to articulate the upper and lower portions of the leg to replicate a pedaling motion.

Bicycle apparatuses for use in automotive testing

An apparatus and device for repetitive use in automotive testing is provided. The apparatus includes a frame dimensioned in the same shape as a bicycle frame. The frame includes a first support beam and a plurality of second support beams. The apparatus further includes an elastic member elastically coupling each of the plurality of second support beams to the first support beam so as to allow the frame to separate when impacted and be easily reassembled for further testing. The device includes a disk having a first radar transparent layer opposite a second radar transparent layer and a reflective film disposed between the first radar transparent layer and the second radar transparent layer. The reflective film has a radar cross section pattern similar to that of an actual bicycle wheel when seen by automotive radar.

Apparatus and device for use in automotive testing

A method for operating an autonomous vehicle that includes guiding the autonomous vehicle along a planned path of travel. The autonomous vehicle may be brought to a stop along the planned path of travel, during which an operator of the vehicle may offer to allow another vehicle and/or person to pass in front of the stopped autonomous vehicle. The vehicle to which the offer is directed may transmit an acceptance signal in response to the offer signal indicating acceptance of the offer. The acceptance signal may be received by the autonomous vehicle, which may modify its planned path of travel in response to receiving the acceptance signal.

Autonomous vehicle advanced notification system and method of use

A method of operating a hands free access system for a vehicle includes authenticating a user of the vehicle, determining whether the authenticated user is burdened, and selectively opening a vehicle closure in response to the determination. A hands free access system for a vehicle includes a user recognition system operable to authenticate a user of the vehicle and a control system operable to determine whether the authenticated user is burdened and to operate the vehicle closure in response to the determination.

Hands free access system for a vehicle closure

A method/system for lane departure warning/assistance that warns the driver that the vehicle is about to leave a current lane and enter an adjacent lane. The driver is identified, and a corresponding profile is accessed. The driver's pupils may be measured and compared to pupil size baseline data stored in the accessed profile. If the difference in pupil size exceeds a pupil size baseline by more than a deviation level, the method/system may adjust a lane departure warning/assistance threshold of a lane departure detector that warns the driver each time the vehicle is getting too close to an adjacent lane, thus alerting the driver that the vehicle may drift into the next lane. Driving patterns, such as steering angles and braking force, may also be used to adjust the lane departure warning/assistance threshold and determine whether the driver may benefit from lane departure warning/assistance.

Lane departure warning/assistance method and system having a threshold adjusted based on driver impairment determination using pupil size and driving patterns

Growing community of inventors

Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Rini Sherony