Safety control system for vehicles based on driver health

• US 10,081,317 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2017
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ACT-IP LLC
• Original Assignee: ACT-IP LLC
• Inventors: Naboulsi, Moudamad Ahmad
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby, Richard M
• Application Number:
  US15/657,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20170320452A1
• Time in Patent Office: 428 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/195 Blocking or enabling display functions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/29 Instruments characterised by the way in which information is handled, e.g. showing information on plural displays or prioritising information according to driving conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0264 for control means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/023 for transmission of signals between vehicle parts or subsystems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0232 for measuring vehicle parameters and indicating critical, abnormal or dangerous conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/001 Vehicle control means, e.g. steering-wheel or column
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0227 Cooperation and interconnection of the input arrangement with other functional units of a computer G06F3/023 - G06F3/037 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6075 adapted for handsfree use in a vehicle H04M1/6058 takes precedence; arrangements for holding telephones in a vehicle B60R11/0241
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6083 by interfacing with the vehicle audio system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724631 by limiting the access to the user interface, e.g. locking a touch-screen or a keypad

Abstract

According to one aspect of one embodiment of the present invention, a safety control system for using applications in vehicles, includes, a communication device having at least one of an input accessible from within the vehicle and an output communicated within the vehicle, at least one sensor operable to sense at least one condition related to vehicle operation, and data about distraction features of a running application, to and a controller communicated with the sensor and the communication device to selectively suppress at least one of said input and said output in response to a sensed parameter of said at least one condition being outside of a threshold. When an input is suppressed, the driver is prevented from accessing or inputting information into the communication device. When an output is suppressed, communication between the device and the driver of a vehicle is suppressed to, among other things, avoid distracting the driver during certain driving situations or conditions relating to the driver, vehicle and/or environment.

Claims

1. A safety system for driving to assess driver physiological status with at least one vehicle sensor capturing at least one driver vehicle activity, the safety system comprising:

a controller in communication with the sensor in real time, the sensor configured to sense information;

a memory medium in communication with the controller for storing and retrieving the information from the sensor;

a historical data previously collected about driver driving profile and stored in the memory and having a threshold limit; and

a communication device managed by the controller to communicate driver analyzed status,

wherein at least one algorithm analyzes the information from the sensor in real time and asses the information based on the threshold limit to determine whether an instantaneous vehicle dynamic condition of the vehicle falls outside of the threshold limit and activates the communication device to indicate a threshold status is out of the threshold limit.

2. The safety system of claim 1 wherein the sensor senses vehicle direction changes by detecting at least one of steering wheel angle or body roll, and the at least one algorithm determines at least one of a frequency with which, and a proportion of overall steering direction changes during which, the instantaneous detection of lack of direction changes is outside the threshold limit, and signals the controller to communicate an indication of driver fatigue.

3. The safety system of claim 1 wherein the sensor senses vehicle direction changes by detecting at least one of steering wheel angle or body roll and the at least one algorithm determines at least one of a magnitude with which, and a proportion of overall steering direction changes during which, the instantaneous direction changes or steering over correction is outside the threshold limit, and signals the controller to communicate an indication of driver distraction.

4. The safety system of claim 1 wherein the sensor is a tire pressure monitor and the information is tire pressure.

5. The safety system of claim 1 further comprising a maintenance monitor and a lack of maintenance relating to vehicle dynamic being outside of the threshold is used in assessing whether the instantaneous vehicle dynamic condition of the vehicle falls outside of the threshold limit.

6. The safety system of claim 1 further comprising an outside vehicle environment monitor and at least one temperature, rain, snow, ice, relating to outside vehicle environment is used in assessing whether the instantaneous vehicle dynamic condition of the vehicle falls outside of the threshold limit.

7. The safety system of claim 1 further comprising a traction control monitor and at least one traction control signal is used in assessing whether the instantaneous vehicle dynamic condition of the vehicle falls outside of the threshold limit.

8. The safety system of claim 1 further comprising a vehicle speed monitor and a vehicle speed is used in assessing whether the instantaneous vehicle dynamic condition of the vehicle falls outside of the threshold limit.

9. The safety system of claim 1 further comprising an electronic stability monitor and a vehicle electronic stability signal is used in assessing whether the instantaneous vehicle dynamic condition of the vehicle falls outside of the threshold limit.

10. The safety system of claim 1 further comprising a vehicle load monitor and a vehicle load change signal is used in assessing whether the instantaneous vehicle dynamic condition of the vehicle falls outside of the threshold limit.

11. The safety system of claim 1 wherein the driver driving profile in the system memory is transportable to other vehicles via portable memory medium or shared via LAN, WAN or Internet server to other vehicles driven by the driver.

12. The safety system of claim 1 wherein the communication device communicates driver status at least in one of Data, Verbal, Audible, Visual or Tactile output inside the vehicle or to a remote location wirelessly via LAN, WAN or Internet.

13. A safety system for driving to assess driver physiological status with at least one sensor capturing at least one driver steering activity, the safety system comprising:

a portable telematic controller with built in sensor attached to the steering wheel of the vehicle;

a memory medium built in with the portable controller for storing and retrieving information from the sensor;

a historical data previously collected about driver steering profile and stored in the memory and comprising at least one historical threshold;

a communication device managed by the controller to communicate driver analyzed status; and

an at least one application to analyze received information from the sensor in real time and assess the information based on the historical threshold to determine whether an instantaneous steering dynamic of the vehicle falls outside of the historical threshold and activates the communication device to indicate threshold status is out of the historical threshold.

14. A safety system for vehicles to detect changes in vehicle safety due to driver physiological condition while operating the vehicle, the safety system comprising:

at least one sensor to detect at least one driver physiological condition;

a controller in communication with the sensor in real time;

a memory medium in communication with the controller for storing and retrieving information from the sensor;

a historical data previously collected about driver health conditions and stored in the memory and that includes at least one driver normal threshold;

a communication device managed by the controller to communicate driver analyzed status; and

at least one algorithm analyzing the received information from the sensor in real time and assessing the information based on the driver normal threshold to determine whether an instantaneous driver physical condition falls outside of a driver normal threshold and activating the communication device to issue at least one signal to a vehicle controller to effect one vehicle operation to reduce the risk of an accident and sending an external signal detectable by other vehicles or a wireless signal delivered to an emergency service when the instantaneous driver physical condition falls outside the driver normal threshold.

15. The safety system of claim 14 wherein the at least one sensor is disposed on the steering wheel and detects at least one of heart rate, hand temperature, sweat, gripping strength, at least one hand position, twisting action, pressing action, or alcohol deposited by the dermal skin onto the sensor.

16. The safety system of claim 14 wherein the sensor is a camera that can optically detect changes in facial emission using at least one of a thermal, infrared or color camera, to sense a least one of change in body temperature, changes in flushed facial appearance, changes in breath color due to alcohol contents, or breathing frequency as a way to detect changes in driver physical conditions from the driver normal threshold.