Apparatus and method for controlling vehicle based on degree of fatigue

• US 10,160,456 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2017
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Inventors: Jun, Sung Hwan
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc-Coleman, Marthe Y
• Application Number:
  US15/804,808
• Publication Number:
  US 20180297603A1
• Time in Patent Office: 414 Days
• Field of Search: 701 23, 701 44, 701 41, 340576, 340575, 180272
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02405 Determining heart rate variability
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/18 for vehicle drivers or machine operators
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/347 Detecting the frequency distribution of signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/352 Detecting R peaks, e.g. for synchronising diagnostic apparatus; Estimating R-R interval
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/389 Electromyography [EMG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6893 Cars
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7267 involving training the classification device
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/02 responsive to conditions relating to the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0827 due to sleepiness
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0872 Driver physiology
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/221 Physiology, e.g. weight, heartbeat, health or special needs
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/229 Attention level, e.g. attentive to driving, reading or sleeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/26 Incapacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/802 Longitudinal distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0605 : Throttle position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2754/30 : Longitudinal distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/14 : Adaptive cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 : related to drivers or passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/085 : Changing the parameters of the control units, e.g. changing limit values, working points by control input
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 : Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 : Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/70 : for mining of medical data, e.g. analysing previous cases of other patients

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for controlling a vehicle based on a degree of fatigue of a driver is provided. The apparatus includes: a fatigue degree learning device configured to learn a degree of initial fatigue of the driver based on biometric information of the driver received from a sensor; a fatigue degree monitoring device configured to, when learning the degree of initial fatigue of the driver is completed and driving of a vehicle is started, monitor the degree of fatigue of the driver by receiving the biometric information of the driver from the sensor, and output a control signal corresponding to the degree of fatigue of the driver, and a driving controller configured to control the driving of the vehicle based on the control signal.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling a vehicle based on a degree of fatigue of a driver, the apparatus comprising:

a fatigue degree learning device configured to learn a degree of initial fatigue of the driver based on a heart rate variability (HRV) of the driver received from a sensor after a vehicle ignition is switched on;

a fatigue degree monitoring device that when learning the degree of initial fatigue of the driver is completed and driving of a vehicle is started, is configured to;

monitor the degree of current fatigue of the driver based on the HRV of the driver received from the sensor during the driving of the vehicle;

identify an increment state of the degree of fatigue by comparing the degree of current fatigue of the driver and the degree of initial fatigue of the driver; and

output a control signal corresponding to the increment state of the degree of fatigue of the driver; and

a driving controller configured to control the driving of the vehicle based on the control signal,

wherein the fatigue degree learning device is configured to analyze a first HRV based on a frequency range during a learning period, and learn the degree of initial fatigue of the driver by first log values for a low frequency (LF) and a high frequency (HF) of the first HRV, and

wherein the fatigue degree monitoring device is configured to analyze a second HRV based on the frequency range during a monitoring period, and detect the degree of current fatigue by second log values for a LF and a HF of the second HRV.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fatigue degree learning device is configured to learn the degree of initial fatigue of the driver based on the HRV of the driver received during the learning period for the degree of initial fatigue of the driver.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fatigue degree monitoring device is configured to identify the increment of the degree of fatigue of the driver based on reduction ratios of the second log values for the LF and the HF with reference to the first log values for the LF and the HF.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the fatigue degree monitoring device is configured to:

output a first control signal corresponding to a first degree of fatigue when it is identified that the second log values for the LF and the HF decrease by not less than a first reference value and less than a second reference value; and

output a second control signal corresponding to a second degree of fatigue when it is identified that the second log values for the LF and the HF decrease by not less than the second reference value.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the driving controller is configured to output a warning alarm based on the first control signal.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the driving controller is configured to control a vehicle-to-vehicle distance of the vehicle based on the second control signal.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the driving controller is configured to interrupt a data of an accelerator position sensor of the vehicle from being transferred to a throttle valve when a distance between the vehicle and a preceding vehicle is less than a preset distance.

8. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the driving controller is configured to activate a lane departure warning system (LDWS) and a lane keeping assist system (LKAS) based on the second control signal.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the driving controller is configured to check a setting of a smart cruise control (SCC) system of the vehicle when the fatigue degree monitoring device outputs the control signal.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the driving controller is configured to:

control the driving of the vehicle based on the control signal when the SCC system is set to be off; and

output a warning alarm based on the control signal when the SCC system is set to be on.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the biometric information comprises at least one of an electrocardiogram (ECG), an electroencephalogram (EEG), or an electromyograph (EMG).

12. A method for controlling a vehicle based on a degree of fatigue of a driver, the method comprising:

learning a degree of initial fatigue of the driver based on a heart rate variability (HRV) of the driver received from a sensor after a vehicle ignition is switched on;

when learning the degree of initial fatigue of the driver is completed, monitoring the degree of current fatigue of the driver based on the HRV of the driver received from the sensor during driving of the vehicle;

identifying an increment state of the degree of fatigue by comparing the degree of current fatigue of the driver and the degree of initial fatigue of the driver;

outputting a control signal corresponding to the increment state of the degree of fatigue of the driver; and

controlling the driving of the vehicle based on the control signal,

wherein learning the degree of initial fatigue of the driver comprises;

analyzing a first HRV based on a frequency range during a learning period; and

learning the degree of initial fatigue of the driver by first log values for a low frequency (LF) and a high frequency (HF) of the first HRV, and wherein monitoring the degree of current fatigue of the driver comprises;

analyzing a second HRV based on the frequency range during a monitoring period; and

detecting the degree of current fatigue by second log values for a LF and a HF of the second HRV.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein identifying the increment state of the degree of fatigue comprises:

identifying the increment of the degree of fatigue of the driver based on reduction ratios of the second log values with reference to the first log values.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein outputting the control signal comprises:

when it is identified that the second log values for the LF and the HF decrease by not less than a first reference value and less than a second reference value, outputting a first control signal by determining that the degree of fatigue reaches a first degree of fatigue; and

when it is identified that the second log values for the LF and the HF decrease by not less than a second reference value, outputting a second control signal by determining that the degree of fatigue reaches a second degree of fatigue.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the control of the driving of the vehicle comprises:

outputting a warning alarm based on the first control signal.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the control of the driving of the vehicle comprises:

controlling a vehicle-to-vehicle distance of the vehicle based on the second control signal; and

activating a lane departure warning system (LDWS) and a lane keeping assist system (LKAS) of the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the control of the driving of the vehicle comprises:

checking a setting of a smart cruise control (SCC) system of the vehicle;

when the SCC system is set to be off, controlling the driving of the vehicle based on the control signal; and

when the SCC system is set to be on, outputting a warning alarm based on the control signal.