Camera in vehicle reports identity of driver

• US 10,204,261 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2016
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HALEY IP LLC (Pueblo Nuevo LLC)
• Original Assignee: Jeffrey T. Haley
• Inventors: Haley, Jeffrey T
• Primary Examiner(s): Villecco, John
• Application Number:
  US15/094,672
• Publication Number:
  US 20160224827A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/02 responsive to conditions relating to the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8006 for monitoring and displaying scenes of vehicle interior, e.g. for monitoring passengers or cargo
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0809 Driver authorisation; Driver identity check
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0818 Inactivity or incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/22 Strain gauge
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/40 Photo, light or radio wave sensitive means, e.g. infrared sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/085 Power
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/125 Lateral acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/043 Identity of occupants
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/60 Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18163 Lane change; Overtaking manoeuvres
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/12 Limiting control by the driver depending on vehicle state, e.g. interlocking means for the control input for preventing unsafe operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/593 Recognising seat occupancy
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 : Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/10 : Recognition assisted with metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 : Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/18 : Eye characteristics, e.g. of the iris
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 : communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/06 : in graphical form
• 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: H04N 23/11 : for generating image signals from visible and infrared light wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 : provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/74 : by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A device in an automobile includes a camera that takes images of drivers while they are driving. It detects and reports identity of the driver with automated image processing. It also reports how much the car is driven, by whom, when, where, carrying what load, at what speed compared to the speed limit, with what pattern of hard breaking or hard cornering, whether the driver looked into the blind spot before changing lanes, and whether the driver allowed their phone to enter a restricted state while driving. The device may be built in or retrofit. The retrofit device can detect if it is depowered or removed from the vehicle and report this to the insurance company, rental company, parents, and employers.

Claims

1. A system for use in a vehicle, comprising:

(a) a camera adapted for installation in a vehicle aimed at a location to capture images of a driver'"'"'s face;

(b) coupled to the camera, a circuit that includes an image processor that processes image data to generate processed facial identifying data to identify human faces and, upon determining an identity of a human face, instructs a mobile telephone to enter a restricted mode;

(c) coupled to the circuit, a radio communications link with an antenna adapted for communications to a wide area radio network;

(d) wherein the circuit reports to a server across the wide area radio network the processed facial identifying data regarding identity of a driver and reports that it instructed the mobile telephone to enter a restricted mode.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein, if an attempt to identify the human face by facial recognition fails, the circuit begins a process to add new facial image data to a memory as a newly identified driver.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein, by image analysis, the circuit determines a direction that eyes in the face are looking.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the circuit communicates via Bluetooth or WiFi to a mobile telephone in the vehicle which telephone acts as a first link in the wide area radio network.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a crypto-authentication circuit that authenticates the system to a remote server.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the circuit also reports to the server across the wide area radio network one or more of:

how much the car is driven, by whom, when, where, carrying what load, estimated number of passengers, at what speed compared to a speed limit, with what pattern of hard breaking or hard cornering, whether a head of the driver turned as if to look into a blind spot before changing lanes, whether the driver allowed their phone to enter a restricted state while driving, and if the captured images do not include characteristics of a face while the vehicle is moving.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the circuit also provides to the network across the wide area radio network one or more of:

current images captured by the camera or current sounds captured by a microphone coupled to the circuit.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the microphone coupled to the circuit is a microphone in a nearby mobile telephone.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the circuit is built into a computer that also serves other purposes of the vehicle.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising an infra-red light emitter mounted near the camera aimed to direct infra-red light onto the field of view of the camera.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the camera captures images in infra-red light as well as visible light.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the image processor includes a circuit that adjusts at least one of brightness of emissions of infra-red light, sensitivity of capture of infra-red images, and sensitivity of capture of visible light images to optimize utility of the captured images.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the circuit instructs the nearby mobile telephone via one of WiFi or Bluetooth radio communication.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the circuit that includes an image processor compares the processed facial identifying data to data records of previously identified faces to find a match.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein a central server, not in the vehicle compares the processed facial identifying data to data records of previously identified faces to find a match.

16. A system for use in a vehicle, comprising:

(a) a camera adapted for installation in a vehicle aimed at a location to capture images of a driver'"'"'s face;

(b) coupled to the camera, a circuit that includes an image processor that processes image data to generate processed facial identifying data to identify human faces and, upon determining an identity of a human face, instructs a mobile telephone to enter a restricted mode;

(c) coupled to the circuit, a radio communications link with an antenna adapted for communications to a wide area radio network;

(d) wherein the circuit reports to a server across the wide area radio network the processed facial identifying data regarding identity of a driver and, if the mobile telephone does not respond that it has entered the restricted mode, reports to the server across the wide area radio network that the mobile telephone has not responded that it has entered the restricted mode.

17. A system for use in a vehicle, comprising:

(a) a camera adapted for installation in a vehicle aimed at a location to capture images of a driver'"'"'s face;

(b) coupled to the camera, a circuit that includes an image processor that processes image data to generate processed facial identifying data to identify human faces;

(c) coupled to the circuit, a radio communications link with an antenna adapted for communications to a wide area radio network;

(d) wherein the circuit reports to a server across the wide area radio network the processed facial identifying data regarding identity of a driver and issues auditory reports or visual reports or both to the driver of the vehicle when it reports to the server that the driver was exceeding a speed limit by more than a threshold.