Method and device for assisting an autonomous-drive vehicle driver, in particular when resuming manual control

A method for assisting a driver of a vehicle capable of being driven in a traffic lane in a manual manner and an automated manner by means of a steering wheel, said method comprising:

• determining an optimum trajectory of said vehicle when said vehicle is being driven in said automated manner and an actual current trajectory of said vehicle in said traffic lane,
• determining a value of a parameter (vp) representative of an amount of then current manual intervention of said driver on said steering wheel, and
• said displaying said determined optimum trajectory and actual current trajectory on a display medium with an aspect based on the determined value of the parameter (vp);
• wherein, said aspect is a level of transparency determined as a function of said determined value of the parameter (vp);
• wherein a maximum level of transparency is used when said determined value of the parameter (vp) represents current exclusive manual intervention of said driver on said steering wheel without automated driving, and a minimum level of transparency is used when said determined value of the parameter (vp) represents exclusively an automated driving without any manual intervention of said driver on said steering wheel;
• wherein when said determined value of the parameter (vp) represents a then current exclusive manual intervention of said driver on said steering wheel without automated driving, said level of transparency is progressively increased from a first maximum value, corresponding to a partial invisibility of said determined optimum trajectory and actual current trajectory, up to a second maximum value, corresponding to a total invisibility of said determined optimum trajectory and actual current trajectory.

A device for assisting a driver of a vehicle able to be driven in a traffic lane in an automated manner or in a manual manner, by means of a steering wheel, said device comprising calculation means able to determine an optimum trajectory of said vehicle in the case of automated driving and an actual current trajectory of said vehicle in said traffic lane, wherein said calculation means is also able to determine a value of a parameter (vp) representative of an amount of current manual intervention of said driver on said steering wheel, and to display on a display medium (EA) said determined optimum trajectory and actual current trajectory with an aspect, said value of said aspect being determined as a function of value of the parameter (vp);

• wherein, said aspect is a level of transparency determined as a function of said determined value of the parameter (vp);
• wherein a maximum level of transparency is used when said determined value of the parameter (vp) represents current exclusive manual intervention of said driver on said steering wheel without automated driving, and a minimum level of transparency is used when said determined value of the parameter (vp) represents exclusively an automated driving without any manual intervention of said driver on said steering wheel;
• and
• wherein said maximum level of transparency corresponds to total invisibility of said determined optimum trajectory and actual current trajectory;
• or
• wherein when said determined value of the parameter (vp) represents a then current exclusive manual intervention of said driver on said steering wheel without automated driving, said level of transparency is progressively increased from a first maximum value, corresponding to a partial invisibility of said determined optimum trajectory and actual current trajectory, up to a second maximum value, corresponding to a total invisibility of said determined optimum trajectory and actual current trajectory.