US-12617434-B2 - Unintentional control re-engagement prevention

Abstract

Systems, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to preventing accidentally or unintentionally re-engaging a vehicle control system after recently dis-engaging the vehicle control system. In one embodiment, a method includes, in response to a vehicle control system being disengaged, activating a lockout period, and preventing the vehicle control system from re-engaging during the lockout period.

Inventors

• Yiting LIU
• Hirofumi Yamamoto
• Chen Bao

Assignees

• TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20230823

Claims (18)

1. 1 . A method comprising: in response to a vehicle control system being disengaged, activating a lockout period, the lockout period including a plurality of phases, the plurality of phases including at least a first phase and a second phase; preventing the vehicle control system from re-engaging when the lockout period is in the first phase; and preventing a portion of the vehicle control system from re-engaging when the lockout period is in the second phase.
2. 2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising: detecting that the vehicle control system is being disengaged using a sensor.
3. 3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the lockout period is based on a characteristic of the vehicle control system.
4. 4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the lockout period is based on an environmental condition of a vehicle, the vehicle including the vehicle control system.
5. 5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the lockout period is based on a risk level.
6. 6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the lockout period is based on a user preference.
7. 7 . A system comprising: a processor; and a memory storing machine-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: in response to a vehicle control system being disengaged, activate a lockout period, the lockout period including a plurality of phases, the plurality of phases including at least a first phase and a second phase; preventing the vehicle control system from re-engaging when the lockout period is in the first phase; and prevent a portion of the vehicle control system from re-engaging when the lockout period is in the second phase.
8. 8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the machine-readable instructions further include instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to: detect that the vehicle control system is being disengaged using a sensor.
9. 9 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the lockout period is based on a characteristic of the vehicle control system.
10. 10 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the lockout period is based on an environmental condition of a vehicle, the vehicle including the vehicle control system.
11. 11 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the lockout period is based on a risk level.
12. 12 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the lockout period is based on a user preference.
13. 13 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium including instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to: in response to a vehicle control system being disengaged, activate a lockout period, the lockout period including a plurality of phases, the plurality of phases including at least a first phase and a second phase; prevent the vehicle control system from re-engaging when the lockout period is in the first phase; and prevent a portion of the vehicle control system from re-engaging when the lockout period is in the second phase.
14. 14 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the instructions further include instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to: detect that the vehicle control system is being disengaged using a sensor.
15. 15 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the lockout period is based on a characteristic of the vehicle control system.
16. 16 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the lockout period is based on an environmental condition of a vehicle, the vehicle including the vehicle control system.
17. 17 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the lockout period is based on a risk level.
18. 18 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the lockout period is based on a user preference.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The subject matter described herein relates, in general, to systems and methods for preventing a vehicle control system being unintentionally re-engaged after recently being disengaged. BACKGROUND The background description provided is to present the context of the disclosure generally. Work of the inventor, to the extent it may be described in this background section, and aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present technology. Some vehicles are equipped with one or more vehicle control systems such as a lane keeping assist system and an adaptive cruise control system. These vehicle control systems can be unintentionally or accidentally re-engaged after being recently disengaged, which may lead to a miscommunication between a vehicle operator and the vehicle. SUMMARY This section generally summarizes the disclosure and is not a comprehensive explanation of its full scope or all its features. In one embodiment, a method for preventing unintentionally re-engaging a vehicle control system after recently dis-engaging the vehicle control system is disclosed. The method includes, in response to a vehicle control system being disengaged, activating a lockout period, and preventing the vehicle control system from re-engaging during the lockout period. In another embodiment, a system for preventing unintentionally re-engaging a vehicle control system after recently dis-engaging the vehicle control system is disclosed. The system includes a processor and a memory in communication with the processor. The memory stores machine-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to, in response to a vehicle control system being disengaged, activate a lockout period and prevent the vehicle control system from re-engaging during the lockout period. In another embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium for preventing unintentionally re-engaging a vehicle control system after recently dis-engaging the vehicle control system and including instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform one or more functions, is disclosed. The instructions include instructions to, in response to a vehicle control system being disengaged, activate a lockout period and prevent the vehicle control system from re-engaging during the lockout period. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate various systems, methods, and other embodiments of the disclosure. It will be appreciated that the illustrated element boundaries (e.g., boxes, groups of boxes, or other shapes) in the figures represent one embodiment of the boundaries. In some embodiments, one element may be designed as multiple elements or multiple elements may be designed as one element. In some embodiments, an element shown as an internal component of another element may be implemented as an external component and vice versa. Furthermore, elements may not be drawn to scale. FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a vehicle incorporating an unintentional control re-engagement prevention system. FIG. 2 is a more detailed block diagram of the unintentional control re-engagement prevention system of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an example of a method for preventing unintentionally re-engaging a vehicle control system after recently dis-engaging the vehicle control system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with preventing a vehicle control system being unintentionally re-engaged after recently being disengaged, are disclosed. A vehicle can be controlled using various vehicle control systems such as a lane keeping assist system, a lane tracing assist system, an autonomous vehicle control system, an autopilot system, and/or an adaptive cruise control system. A vehicle control system that is engaged or activated is actively controlling a portion of a vehicle, while a vehicle control system that is disengaged or deactivated does not control any portion of the vehicle. Vehicle control systems can be activated or deactivated in multiple ways. As an example, a vehicle operator may activate and/or deactivate the vehicle control system(s) using vehicle systems such as a braking system, a throttle system, or a steering system. As another example, a vehicle operator may activate and/or deactivate the vehicle control system(s) using a toggle switch, a touch screen, a depressible button, a slide switch or any other suitable input mechanism. Vehicle control systems that can be re-engaged or disengaged using one button may be inadvertently re-engaged after being disengaged if, as an example, the vehicle operator depresses the button multiple times in quick succession. As another example, in a case with the activation button and the deactivation button are close to each other,