A vehicular driving assist system includes a camera disposed in a vehicle and at least viewing driver hand positions of hands of a driver present in the vehicle. The vehicular driving assist system determines driver hand positions via processing of image data captured by the camera. The vehicular driving assist system compares determined driver hand positions to a plurality of discrete driver hand positions, which includes (i) a plurality of discrete driver hand positions at a steering wheel of the vehicle, and (ii) a plurality of discrete driver hand positions at an interior portion of the vehicle and not at the steering wheel of the vehicle. The vehicular driving assist system, responsive to processing of image data captured by the camera and based at least in part on comparison of determined driver hand positions to the plurality of discrete driver hand positions, determines a level of attentiveness of the driver.

A control apparatus for controlling notification data presented to an occupant of a movable object having an automated driving function. The control apparatus includes a travel road specification unit configured to specify a road scheduled to be travelled by the movable object corresponding to a destination set for the movable object. The control apparatus includes a setting unit configured to set, according to the road scheduled to be travelled, a switching recommendation point for switching from automated drive to driver-led manual drive on the road scheduled to be travelled, and estimate a scheduled passing time instant at which the movable object passes the switching recommendation point. The control apparatus includes a notification plan generation unit configured to generate a notification plan for presenting predetermined notification data to the occupant of the movable object according to the switching recommendation point and the scheduled passing time instant.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a control system for a vehicle, the vehicle (800) being operable in an at least partly autonomous mode and a manual mode, the control system comprising input means (291, 292) for receiving a gaze signal (211) indicative of a direction of a gaze of an occupant of the vehicle (800), and a contact signal (212) indicative of physical contact between the occupant and a control of the vehicle, control means (250, 260, 270, 280, 290) configured to determine an estimate of the occupant's attention to a driving task in the at least partly autonomous mode in dependence on the gaze signal (211) and to determine when the occupant is at least partly obscured relative to the at least one imaging means (150, 220), wherein the control means (250, 260, 270, 280, 290) is configured to determine the estimate of the occupant's attention to the driving task in dependence on the contact signal when it is determined that the occupant is at least partly obscured.

Systems and methods for controlling an autonomous vehicle are provided. In one example embodiment, a computer-implemented method includes receiving data indicative of an operating mode of the vehicle, wherein the vehicle is configured to operate in a plurality of operating modes. The method includes determining one or more response characteristics of the vehicle based at least in part on the operating mode of the vehicle, each response characteristic indicating how the vehicle responds to a potential collision. The method includes controlling the vehicle based at least in part on the one or more response characteristics.

A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided for generating a transition variability index related to autonomous driving. In this regard, a first transition variability index is calculated. The first transition variability index is indicative of a first degree of variability in relation to transition of vehicles from respective autonomous levels while traveling proximate a first spatial reference point. Furthermore, a second transition variability index is generated. The second transition variability index is indicative of a second degree of variability in relation to transition of vehicles from respective autonomous levels while traveling along proximate a second spatial reference point. Updating of transition data associated with one of the first and second spatial reference points relative to another one of the first and second spatial reference points is then prioritized based on a comparison between the first transition variability index and the second transition variability index.

A drive mode switch control device acquires operation information. The drive mode switch control device switches a drive state among at least an autonomous drive state, a manual drive state, and a coordination drive state. The operation detection unit detects a first operation and a second operation based on the operation information when the drive state is not in the manual drive state. The second operation is the drive operation different from the first operation and input after the input of the first operation. The drive mode switch control device switches the drive state from the autonomous drive state to the coordination drive state based on a detection determination of the first operation. The drive mode switch control device switches the drive state from the coordination drive state to the manual drive state based on a detection determination of the first operation.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a control system for a vehicle, the vehicle (800) being operable in an at least partly autonomous mode and a manual mode, the control system comprising input means (291, 292) for receiving a gaze signal (211) indicative of a direction of a gaze of an occupant of the vehicle (800), and a contact signal (212) indicative of physical contact between the occupant and a control of the vehicle, control means (250, 260, 270, 280, 290) configured to determine an estimate of the occupant's attention to a driving task in the at least partly autonomous mode in dependence on the gaze signal (211) and to determine when the occupant is at least partly obscured relative to the at least one imaging means (150, 220), wherein the control means (250, 260, 270, 280, 290) is configured to determine the estimate of the occupant's attention to the driving task in dependence on the contact signal when it is determined that the occupant is at least partly obscured.

A vehicle speed/headway control function and a lane-keeping function are provided as driving assist functions to assist in a driving operation by a driver. A mode-switching controller is provided for switching between the modes. In the lane-keeping assist mode, it is assessed whether or not a traveling condition has been met that an actual vehicle speed of the host vehicle exceeds a speed limit of a roadway on which the host vehicle is traveling during lane-keeping travel in which “hands-off mode,” which allows the driver to remove their hands from the steering wheel, has been selected. The mode is switched from “hands-off mode” to “hands-on mode,” which has as a condition that the driver has their hands on the steering wheel, upon assessing that the traveling condition that the actual vehicle speed exceeds the speed limit has been met.

Disclosed is a control authority transfer apparatus of an autonomous vehicle, including a memory storing data on a plurality of users, and at least one processor setting driving operation priorities based on the data, wherein, in the state in which at least a part of autonomous driving control has failed, upon determining that a main user is in a state of being incapable of performing driving operation, the processor selects a first sub-user among a plurality of sub-users as a driving operation user according to the driving operation priorities, and selects a first device matching the first sub-user as a driving operation device.

A vehicle control apparatus for controlling a vehicle based on peripheral information of the vehicle, the apparatus comprising: a control unit configured to control steering and acceleration/deceleration of the vehicle in a first state in which holding of a steering apparatus of the vehicle by a driver is required or a second state in which holding of the steering apparatus is not required, wherein the control unit transitions a state of the vehicle from the second state to the first state, if input of an intervention operation for acceleration/deceleration by the driver is detected in a case of executing course change of the vehicle, when the vehicle is traveling in the second state.