The U.S. Patent Office Published a patent from Ford earlier in 2019 that covers a next generation hybrid steering wheel. The invention covers technology designed to ensure that a vehicle driving in full autonomous mode can be instructed to transfer control of the vehicle back to the owner of the car in a controlled manner so as to avoid an incident. If the autonomous vehicle market interests you then you might find the basics of Ford's invention interesting.
The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) has defined multiple levels of autonomous vehicle operation. At levels 0-2, a human driver monitors or controls the majority of the driving tasks, often with no help from the vehicle. At level 0 ("no automation"), a human driver is responsible for all vehicle operations. At level 1 ("driver assistance"), the vehicle sometimes assists with steering, acceleration, or braking, but the driver is still responsible for the vast majority of the vehicle control. At level 2 ("partial automation"), the vehicle can control steering, acceleration, and braking under certain circumstances without human interaction. At levels 3-5, the vehicle assumes more driving-related tasks.
At level 3 ("conditional automation"), the vehicle can handle steering, acceleration, and braking under certain circumstances, as well as monitoring of the driving environment. Level 3 requires the driver to intervene occasionally, however.
At level 4 ("high automation"), the vehicle can handle the same tasks as at level 3 but without relying on the driver to intervene in certain driving modes. At level 5 ("full automation"), the vehicle can handle almost all tasks without any driver intervention.
During Level 2 or 3 autonomous driving, a vehicle occupant is expected to maintain attention on the task of driving the vehicle while the vehicle performs many of the actions of the driving task and/or be prepared to take over operation of the vehicle.
During Level 4 autonomous driving, the vehicle may request that the driver intervene when entering particular environments, and during Level 5 autonomous driving, the driver may still request to take control of the vehicle.
Handing over control from the vehicle to the driver is a problem in semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicles that allow manual driving. If the vehicle is nonautonomous or operating nonautonomously, then the handover process does not arise because the driver is entirely or mostly maintains control of the vehicle.
Ford's steering wheel system invention covers a problem arising in control of semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicles and provides a solution that allows for enhanced control of such vehicles.
The steering system includes a steer-by-wire system, a steering wheel having an illuminated display of lights, and a computer programmed to communicate with the human driver using the lights. The steering system provides for informed handover from the computer to the human driver while minimizing driver distraction during autonomous driving.
A computer is programmed to, upon determining that a vehicle entered an autonomous-steering mode, deactivate a plurality of lights on a steering-wheel rim; and upon initiating a transition of the vehicle from the autonomous-steering mode to a manual-steering mode, illuminate at least one of the lights that is at a steering-wheel angle corresponding to a current steering angle of the vehicle.
The computer may be further programmed to, upon determining that the vehicle is in the autonomous-steering mode, instruct an actuator rotatably coupled to the steering-wheel rim to hold the steering-wheel rim stationary.
The computer may be further programmed to, upon receiving data indicating that hands of an occupant of the vehicle are grasping the steering-wheel rim, initiate the transition from the autonomous-steering mode to the manual-steering mode.
The data indicating that the hands of the occupant are grasping the steering-wheel rim may include data from a pressure sensor attached to the steering-wheel rim. The data indicating that the hands of the occupant are grasping the steering-wheel rim may include data from a capacitive sensor disposed on the steering-wheel rim. The data indicating that the hands of the occupant are grasping the steering-wheel rim may include data from a torque sensor coupled to the steering-wheel rim.
The data indicating that the hands of the occupant are grasping the steering-wheel rim may include data from a camera having a field of view encompassing the steering-wheel rim.
The computer may be further programmed to, upon receiving data indicating that a brake pedal is pressed, initiate the transition from the autonomous-steering mode to the manual-steering mode.
A method includes, upon determining that a vehicle entered an autonomous-steering mode, deactivating a plurality of lights on a steering-wheel rim; and upon initiating a transition of the vehicle from the autonomous-steering mode to a manual-steering mode, illuminating at least one of the lights that is at a steering-wheel angle corresponding to a current steering angle of the vehicle.
Ford originally filed for this patent back in July 2017.
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