Methods of operating a motor vehicle

• US 10,217,298 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2017
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Stefan, Frederic, Chevalier, Alain Marie Roger, Bitsanis, Evangelos, Marbaix, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Calvin
• Application Number:
  US15/498,092
• Publication Number:
  US 20170316625A1
• Time in Patent Office: 671 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/22 Motor vehicles operators, e.g. drivers, pilots, captains
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/112 for measuring diameter of pupils
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 for determining or recording eye movement
• 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 5/0531 Measuring skin impedance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/165 Evaluating the state of mind, e.g. depression, anxiety
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/18 for vehicle drivers or machine operators
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6893 Cars
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/749 Voice-controlled interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/00 Machine learning
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/04 Inference or reasoning models
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0841 Registering performance data recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/16 Control of vehicles or other craft simulators G09B9/02
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/167 Control of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/02 of the type wherein the student is expected to construct an answer to the question which is presented or wherein the machine gives an answer to the question presented by a student
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/10 : wherein a set of answers is common to a plurality of questions

Abstract

A method of operating a motor vehicle includes detecting at least one motor vehicle driver response, producing a perception model based on the detected motor vehicle driver response, and analyzing the perception model to at avoid least one motor vehicle driver response by adjusting a parameter of the motor vehicle. Analysis of the perception model can also be carried out to predict a motor vehicle driver response, in particular during the generation of new control software for the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method of operating a motor vehicle comprising:

detecting a negative driver response to a vehicle state parameter;

producing a perception model correlating the negative driver response with the vehicle state parameter;

analyzing the perception model; and

adjusting a parameter of a motor vehicle function to avoid future occurrences of driving situations that, based on the analysis of the perception model, would cause a second negative driver response.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

detecting motor vehicle sensor values; and

assigning the motor vehicle sensor values to the driver response for use in the production of the perception model.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein producing the perception model further takes into account at least one motor vehicle driver input.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the perception model is configured to predict a motor vehicle driver response.

5. A system for adjusting vehicle functions comprising:

a vehicle having a plurality of sensors configured to detect, during operation of the vehicle, values indicating a driver response, a vehicle driving state, and a vehicle response, and the vehicle further having control software configured to control operation of a plurality of vehicle systems;

a classifying module configured to classify the values indicative of a driver response as at least one of a positive response and a negative response, and to assign the driving state values and vehicle response values to at least one of the respective positive and negative response classifications; and

an optimizing module configured to produce a driver perception model from the classified data, to use the driver perception model to simulate driver responses during future vehicle operation, and to cause adjustments to the control software necessary to avoid further driver negative responses.

6. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein data indicative of the driver response includes pupil size, vocal pitch, heart rate, breathing rate, body movement, eye movement and skin resistance of a driver.

7. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein data indicative of the driving state includes vehicle state parameters and vehicle sensor values.

8. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein data indicative of the vehicle response observation includes analysis of vehicle behavior to detect patterns by cluster formation.

9. The system as claimed in claim 5 further comprising an interface connected to the input module, wherein a driver provides the direct input to the input module via the interface.