Method and system for adjusting a safety margin threshold of a driver support function

• US 10,304,327 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2017
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volvo Car Corporation (AB Volvo)
• Original Assignee: Volvo Car Corporation (AB Volvo)
• Inventors: Landfors, Per, Backhouse, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Sweeney, Brian P
• Application Number:
  US15/608,458
• Publication Number:
  US 20170365165A1
• Time in Patent Office: 728 Days
• Field of Search: 701 49
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0088 Adaptive recalibration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/30 Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/40 Coefficient of friction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/801 Lateral distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• 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 30/095 Predicting travel path or likelihood of collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 Lane keeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/14 Adaptive cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/012 from other sources than vehicle or roadside beacons, e.g. mobile networks
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/167 Control of land vehicles

Abstract

A method for adjusting a safety margin threshold of one or more driver support functions of a vehicle, to be suitable for a driving zone in which the vehicle is—or is to be—positioned comprises determining a geographical position of the vehicle, determining a driving zone associated with the vehicle position, which driving zone is selected from one or more pre-defined geographical driving zones, deriving previous statistical driving behaviour data indicative of one or more statistical driving style safety indicators associated with the driving zone, and adjusting a safety margin threshold of at least a first driver support function of the vehicle, based on the one or more statistical driving style safety indicators. The disclosure also relates to a driver support threshold adapting system in accordance with the foregoing, and a vehicle at least partly comprising such a driver support threshold adapting system.

Claims

1. A method performed by a driver support threshold adapting system for adjusting a safety margin threshold of one or more driver support functions of a vehicle, to be suitable for a driving zone in which said vehicle is, or is to be, positioned, said method comprising:

determining a geographical position of said vehicle;

determining a driving zone associated with said vehicle position, said driving zone being selected from one or more pre-defined geographical driving zones;

deriving previous statistical driving behaviour data indicative of one or more statistical driving style safety indicators associated with said driving zone,

wherein said previous statistical driving behaviour data comprises;

driving behaviour data associated with at least one other vehicle and/or associated with at least one other vehicle driver, from one or more previous occasions when said at least one other vehicle and/or said at least one other vehicle driver was positioned within said driving zone,

said previous statistical driving behaviour data then being indicative of one or more statistical driving style safety indicators reflecting how safely said at least one other vehicle was driven, and/or how safely said at least one other vehicle driver drove, within said driving zone on said one or more previous occasions; and

adjusting a safety margin threshold of at least a first driver support function of said vehicle, based on said one or more statistical driving style safety indicators.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said deriving previous statistical driving behaviour data comprises deriving said statistical driving behaviour data from one or more clouds comprising driving behaviour data of vehicles and/or drivers thereof.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said previous statistical driving behaviour data comprises:

driving behaviour data associated with said vehicle, from one or more previous occasions when said vehicle drove within said driving zone; and

/or

driving behaviour data associated with a driver of said vehicle, from one or more previous occasions when said driver drove within said driving zone,

said previous statistical driving behaviour data then being indicative of one or more statistical driving style safety indicators reflecting how safely said vehicle was driven, and/or how safely said vehicle driver drove, within said driving zone on said one or more previous occasions.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said previous statistical driving behaviour data is based on one or more of:

a vehicle acceleration level with respect to road friction information;

a vehicle speed in relation to a current speed limit;

a distance to another vehicle ahead;

a vehicle lateral lane position;

a vehicle lane keeping;

an issuing of one or more vehicle collision warnings;

a vehicle driver distraction level; and

/or a vehicle driver drowsiness level.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first driver support function is selected from the group consisting of:

Adaptive Cruise Control, Distance Alert, Forward Collision Warning, City Safety, Blind Spot Information, and Lane Keeping Aid, or an equivalent or successor thereof.

6. The method according to claims 1, wherein said one or more statistical driving style safety indicators are represented by a statistical average driving style safety indicator.

7. A driver support threshold adapting system adapted for adjusting a safety margin threshold of one or more driver support functions of a vehicle, to be suitable for a driving zone in which said vehicle is, or is to be, positioned, said driver support threshold adapting system comprising:

a position determining unit adapted for determining a geographical position of said vehicle;

a driving zone determining unit adapted for determining a driving zone associated with said vehicle position, said driving zone being selected from one or more pre-defined geographical driving zones;

a statistical data deriving unit adapted for deriving previous statistical driving behaviour data indicative of one or more statistical driving style safety indicators associated with said driving zone,

wherein said previous statistical driving behaviour data comprises;

driving behaviour data associated with at least one other vehicle and/or associated with at least one other vehicle driver, from one or more previous occasions when said at least one other vehicle and/or said at least one other vehicle driver was positioned within said driving zone,

said previous statistical driving behaviour data then being indicative of one or more statistical driving style safety indicators reflecting how safely said at least one other vehicle was driven, and/or how safely said at least one other vehicle driver drove, within said driving zone on said one or more previous occasions; and

a threshold adjusting unit adapted for adjusting a safety margin threshold of at least a first driver support function of said vehicle, based on said one or more statistical driving style safety indicators.

8. The driver support threshold adapting system according to claim 7, wherein said statistical data deriving unit is adapted for deriving said statistical driving behaviour data from one or more clouds comprising driving behaviour data of vehicles and/or drivers thereof.

9. The driver support threshold adapting system according to claim 7, wherein said previous statistical driving behaviour data comprises:

driving behaviour data associated with said vehicle, from one or more previous occasions when said vehicle drove within said driving zone; and

/or

driving behaviour data associated with a driver of said vehicle, from one or more previous occasions when said driver drove within said driving zone,

said previous statistical driving behaviour data then being indicative of one or more statistical driving style safety indicators reflecting how safely said vehicle was driven, and/or how safely said vehicle driver drove, within said driving zone on said one or more previous occasions.

10. The driver support threshold adapting system according to claim 7, wherein said previous statistical driving behaviour data is based on one or more of:

a vehicle acceleration level with respect to road friction information;

a vehicle speed in relation to a current speed limit;

a distance to another vehicle ahead;

a vehicle lateral lane position;

a vehicle lane keeping;

an issuing of one or more vehicle collision warnings;

a vehicle driver distraction level; and

/or

a vehicle driver drowsiness level.

11. The driver support threshold adapting system according to claim 7, wherein said first driver support function is selected from the group consisting of:

Adaptive Cruise Control, Distance Alert, Forward Collision Warning, City Safety, Blind Spot Information, and Lane Keeping Aid, or an equivalent or successor thereof.

12. The driver support threshold adapting system according to claim 7, wherein said one or more statistical driving style safety indicators are represented by a statistical average driving style safety indicator.

13. A vehicle comprising the driver support threshold adapting system according to claim 7, said vehicle supporting at least a first driver support function.