Apparatuses, systems and methods for generation and transmission of vehicle operation mode data

• US 10,558,874 B1
• Filed: 09/27/2017
• Issued: 02/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Original Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Inventors: Chan, Aaron Scott, Sanchez, Kenneth J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Jon
• Application Number:
  US15/717,312
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/64 Three-dimensional objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/103 Static body considered as a whole, e.g. static pedestrian or occupant recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/107 Static hand or arm
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/67 by interactive indications to the user

Abstract

Apparatuses, systems and methods are provided for generating and transmitting data representative of a vehicle operation mode. More particularly, apparatuses, systems and methods are provided for generating data representative of a vehicle operation mode based on vehicle interior image data.

Claims

1. A device for generating and transmitting vehicle operation mode data, the device comprising:

a vehicle interior data receiving module stored on a memory that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to receive vehicle interior data from at least one vehicle interior sensor, wherein the vehicle interior data is representative of a vehicle operation mode;

a previously classified vehicle interior data receiving module stored on the memory that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to receive previously classified vehicle interior data, wherein the previously classified vehicle interior data is representative of known vehicle operation modes and rotated and scaled postures that are normalized for a range of different drivers;

a vehicle operation mode data generation module stored on the memory that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to generate vehicle operation mode data based on a comparison of the vehicle interior data with the previously classified vehicle interior data; and

a vehicle operation mode data transmission module stored on a memory that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to transmit the vehicle operation mode data to at least one individual other than the vehicle operator.

2. The device as in claim 1, wherein the at least one vehicle interior sensor is selected from:

at least one digital image sensor, at least one ultra-sonic sensor, at least one radar-sensor, at least one infrared light sensor, or at least one laser light sensor.

3. The device as in claim 1, further comprising:

a previously classified vehicle interior data image feature extraction module stored on the memory that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to extract image features from the previously classified vehicle interior data, wherein the extracted image features from the previously classified vehicle interior data are representative of known vehicle operation modes, wherein execution of the vehicle operations mode determination module causes the processor to determine a vehicle operation mode based on a comparison of the vehicle interior data with the image features extracted from the previously classified vehicle interior data.

4. The device as in claim 1, wherein the vehicle interior data is representative of a three-dimensional representation of at least one occupant within the vehicle interior.

5. The device as in claim 1, further comprising:

a vehicle interior data feature extraction module stored on the memory that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to extract image features from the vehicle interior data, wherein the image features extracted from the vehicle interior data are representative of a vehicle operation mode, wherein execution of the vehicle operation mode determination module causes the processor to determine a vehicle operation mode based on a comparison of the image features extracted from the vehicle interior data with the previously classified vehicle interior data.

6. The device as in claim 1, wherein the current image data includes images and/or extracted image features that are representative of a vehicle occupant using a cellular telephone, a vehicle occupant looking out a vehicle side window, a vehicle occupant adjusting a vehicle radio, a vehicle occupant adjusting a vehicle heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, two vehicle occupants talking with one-another, a vehicle occupant reading a book or magazine, a vehicle occupant putting on makeup, or a vehicle occupant looking at themselves in a mirror.

7. The device as in claim 1, wherein the previously classified image data includes images and/or extracted image features that have previously been classified as being representative of a vehicle occupant using a cellular telephone, a vehicle occupant looking out a vehicle side window, a vehicle occupant adjusting a vehicle radio, a vehicle occupant adjusting a vehicle heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, two vehicle occupants talking with one-another, a vehicle occupant reading a book or magazine, a vehicle occupant putting on makeup, or a vehicle occupant looking at themselves in a mirror.

8. A computer-implemented method for generating and transmitting vehicle operation mode data, the method comprising:

receiving, at a processor, vehicle interior data from at least one vehicle interior sensor in response to the processor executing a vehicle interior data receiving module, wherein the vehicle interior data is representative of a vehicle operation mode;

receiving, at the processor, previously classified vehicle interior data in response to the processor executing a previously classified vehicle interior data receiving module, wherein the previously classified vehicle interior data is representative of known vehicle operation modes and rotated and scaled postures that are normalized for a range of different drivers;

generating, using the processor, vehicle operation mode data based on a comparison of the vehicle interior data with the previously classified vehicle interior data in response to the processor executing a vehicle operation mode data generation module; and

transmitting, using the processor, the vehicle operation mode data to at least one individual other than the vehicle operator in response to the processor executing a vehicle operation mode data transmission module.

9. The method as in claim 8, wherein the at least one vehicle interior sensor is selected from:

at least one digital image sensor, at least one ultra-sonic sensor, at least one radar-sensor, at least one infrared light sensor, or at least one laser light sensor.

10. The method as in claim 8, further comprising:

extracting, using the processor, image features from previously classified vehicle interior data, wherein the extracted image features from the previously classified vehicle interior data are representative of known vehicle operation modes, wherein execution of the vehicle operation mode determination module causes the processor to determine a vehicle operation mode based on a comparison of the vehicle interior data with the image features extracted from the previously classified vehicle interior data.

11. The method as in claim 8, wherein the vehicle interior data is representative of a three-dimensional representation of at least one occupant within the vehicle interior.

12. The method as in claim 8, further comprising:

extracting, using the processor, image features from the vehicle interior data, wherein the image features extracted from the vehicle interior data are representative of a vehicle operation mode, wherein execution of the vehicle operation mode determination module causes the processor to determine a vehicle operation mode based on a comparison of the image features extracted from the vehicle interior data with the previously classified vehicle interior data.

13. The method as in claim 8, wherein the current image data includes images and/or extracted image features that are representative of vehicle occupant locations/orientations, cellular telephone locations/orientations, vehicle occupant eye locations/orientations, vehicle occupant head location/orientation, vehicle occupant hand location/orientation, a vehicle occupant torso location/orientation, a seat belt location, or a vehicle seat location/orientation.

14. The method as in claim 8, wherein the previously classified image data includes images and/or extracted image features that have previously been classified as being representative of known vehicle occupant locations/orientations, known cellular telephone locations/orientations, known vehicle occupant eye locations/orientations, known vehicle occupant head location/orientation, known vehicle occupant hand location/orientation, a known vehicle occupant torso location/orientation, a known seat belt location, or a known vehicle seat location/orientation.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to generate and transmit vehicle operation mode data, the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:

a vehicle interior data receiving module that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to receive vehicle interior data from at least one vehicle interior sensor, wherein the vehicle interior data is representative of a vehicle operation mode;

a previously classified vehicle interior data receiving module that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to receive previously classified vehicle interior data, wherein the previously classified vehicle interior data is representative of known vehicle operation modes and rotated and scaled postures that are normalized for a range of different drivers;

a vehicle operation mode data generation module that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to generate vehicle operation mode data based on a comparison of the vehicle interior data with the previously classified vehicle interior data; and

a vehicle operation mode data transmission module that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to transmit the vehicle operation mode data to at least one individual other than the vehicle operator.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in claim 15, further comprising:

a previously classified vehicle interior data image feature extraction module that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to extract image features from the previously classified vehicle interior data, wherein the extracted image features from the previously classified vehicle interior data are representative of known vehicle operation modes, wherein execution of the vehicle operation mode determination module causes the processor to determine at least one vehicle occupant posture based on a comparison of the vehicle interior data with the image features extracted from the previously classified vehicle interior data.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in claim 15, further comprising:

a vehicle interior data feature extraction module that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to extract image features from the vehicle interior data, wherein the image features extracted from the vehicle interior data are representative of a vehicle operation mode, wherein execution of the vehicle operation mode determination module causes the processor to determine a vehicle operation mode based on a comparison of the image features extracted from the vehicle interior data with the previously classified vehicle interior data.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in claim 15, wherein the current image data includes images and/or extracted image features that are representative of a vehicle occupant using a cellular telephone, a vehicle occupant looking out a vehicle side window, a vehicle occupant adjusting a vehicle radio, a vehicle occupant adjusting a vehicle heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, two vehicle occupants talking with one-another, a vehicle occupant reading a book or magazine, a vehicle occupant putting on makeup, or a vehicle occupant looking at themselves in a mirror, vehicle occupant locations/orientations, cellular telephone locations/orientations, vehicle occupant eye locations/orientations, vehicle occupant head location/orientation, vehicle occupant hand location/orientation, a vehicle occupant torso location/orientation, a seat belt location, or a vehicle seat location/orientation.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in claim 15, wherein the previously classified image data includes images and/or extracted image features that have previously been classified as being representative of a vehicle occupant using a cellular telephone, a vehicle occupant looking out a vehicle side window, a vehicle occupant adjusting a vehicle radio, a vehicle occupant adjusting a vehicle heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, two vehicle occupants talking with one-another, a vehicle occupant reading a book or magazine, a vehicle occupant putting on makeup, a vehicle occupant looking at themselves in a mirror, known vehicle occupant locations/orientations, known cellular telephone locations/orientations, known vehicle occupant eye locations/orientations, known vehicle occupant head location/orientation, known vehicle occupant hand location/orientation, a known vehicle occupant torso location/orientation, a known seat belt location, or a known vehicle seat location/orientation.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in claim 15, wherein the previously classified image data is representative of a three-dimensional representation of at least one occupant within the vehicle interior.