US 12,296,859 B2
Vehicle controller and control method
Fraser Jardine, Warwickshire (GB); Daniel Woolliscroft, Warwickshire (GB); and Ruben Gomez Padin, Warwickshire (GB)
Assigned to JAGUAR LAND ROVER LIMITED, Coventry (GB)
Appl. No. 16/982,985
Filed by JAGUAR LAND ROVER LIMITED, Coventry (GB)
PCT Filed Feb. 22, 2019, PCT No. PCT/EP2019/054401
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 21, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/179717, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 26, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 1804651 (GB), filed on Mar. 23, 2018; application No. 1804652 (GB), filed on Mar. 23, 2018; application No. 1804653 (GB), filed on Mar. 23, 2018; application No. 1804654 (GB), filed on Mar. 23, 2018; application No. 1804655 (GB), filed on Mar. 23, 2018; application No. 1804657 (GB), filed on Mar. 23, 2018; application No. 1804658 (GB), filed on Mar. 23, 2018; application No. 1804659 (GB), filed on Mar. 23, 2018; application No. 1804661 (GB), filed on Mar. 23, 2018; and application No. 1804662 (GB), filed on Mar. 23, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0024097 A1, Jan. 28, 2021
Int. Cl. B60W 60/00 (2020.01); B60W 40/08 (2012.01); B60W 40/105 (2012.01); B60W 50/14 (2020.01)
CPC B60W 60/0051 (2020.02) [B60W 40/08 (2013.01); B60W 40/105 (2013.01); B60W 50/14 (2013.01); B60W 60/001 (2020.02); B60W 2520/10 (2013.01); B60W 2540/229 (2020.02); B60W 2555/20 (2020.02)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A controller, comprising:
input means for receiving one or more state signals each indicative of at least one selected from the group consisting of: a vehicle characteristic, a user characteristic and an environment characteristic;
output means for outputting an availability signal indicative of an availability of an autonomous driving mode of a host vehicle; and
control means arranged to control the output means to output the availability signal based at least in part on the one or more state signals, wherein the input means is arranged to receive a frequency signal indicative of a frequency of previous activation of the autonomous driving mode of the host vehicle, and wherein the control means is further arranged to control the output means to output the availability signal based at least in part on the frequency signal,
wherein the input means is further arranged to receive an initiation signal indicative of a user's request to initiate the autonomous driving mode in response to the availability signal and wherein the output means is further arranged to output a driving mode signal to cause the host vehicle to initiate the autonomous driving mode, wherein the control means is further arranged to control the output means to output the driving mode signal based at least in part on the initiation signal,
wherein the control means is further arranged to determine a transition phase of the autonomous driving mode, during which control of a vehicle movement of the host vehicle is transitioned away from the user to an autonomous driving control means, wherein at the end of the transition phase, the autonomous driving control means is arranged to autonomously control the vehicle movement, wherein a duration of the transition phase is determined based at least in part on the one or more state signals, and wherein during the transition phase, the autonomous driving control means begins to take control of the host vehicle but the host vehicle continues to respond to vehicle control inputs from the user, and, as the transition phase progresses, the host vehicle becomes less responsive to the vehicle control inputs from the user until the end of the transition phase where the autonomous driving control means fully controls the vehicle movement, and
wherein the output means is further arranged to output a progress signal indicative of a progress through the transition phase, wherein the control means is further arranged to control the output means to output the progress signal during the transition phase.