Vehicle situation alert system with eye gaze controlled alert signal generation

• US 20040150514A1
• Filed: 02/05/2003
• Published: 08/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aptiv Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Inventors: Widmann, Glenn R., Witt, Gerald J., Smith, Matthew R., Newman, Timothy J., Zhang, Harry, Scharenbroch, Gregory K.
• Granted Patent: US 6,859,144 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/435
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9315 Monitoring blind spots
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9322 using additional data, e.g. driver condition, road state or weather data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A system responds to detection of a vehicle situation by comparing a sensed eye gaze direction of the vehicle operator with data stored in memory. The stored data defines a first predetermined vehicle operator eye gaze direction indicating a high probability of operator desire that an alert signal be given and a second predetermined vehicle operator eye gaze direction indicating a low probability of operator desire that an alert signal be given. On the basis of the comparison, a first or second alert action is selected and an alert apparatus controlled accordingly. For example, the alternative alert actions may include (1) generating an alert signal versus not generating the alert signal, (2) generating an alert signal in a first manner versus generating an alert signal in a second manner, or (3) selecting a first value versus selecting a second value for a parameter in a mathematical control algorithm to determine when or whether to generate an alert signal.

Claims

1. A vehicle situation alert system comprising:

a vehicle situation detector;

a vehicle operator eye gaze direction detector;

memory apparatus storing data defining a first vehicle operator eye gaze direction indicating a high probability of operator desire for alert of a predetermined vehicle situation and a second vehicle operator eye gaze direction indicating a low probability of operator desire for alert of the predetermined vehicle situation;

an alert apparatus; and

a control apparatus responsive to the vehicle situation detector, the vehicle operator eye gaze direction detector and the memory apparatus to select a first alert action in response to detection of the predetermined vehicle situation and the first vehicle operator eye gaze direction and alternatively to select a second alert action in response to detection of the predetermined vehicle situation and the second vehicle operator eye gaze direction, the control apparatus being thereafter effective to control the alert apparatus in accordance with the selected one of the first alert action and the second alert action.

2. A vehicle situation alert system according to claim 1 wherein the first alert action is generation of an alert signal of the predetermined vehicle situation and the second alert action is no generation of the alert signal of the predetermined vehicle situation.

3. A vehicle situation alert system according to claim 2 wherein the vehicle situation detector is an external object detector and the predetermined vehicle situation is detection of an external object in or adjacent a projected path of the vehicle.

4. A vehicle situation alert system according to claim 3 wherein the external object detector is directed to an area to one side of the vehicle, the first operator eye gaze direction is toward a vehicle mounted mirror providing a view of at least a portion of the area to one side of the vehicle and the second operator eye gaze direction is to the front of the vehicle.

5. A vehicle situation alert system according to claim 4 wherein the one side of the vehicle is the driver side of the vehicle and the vehicle mounted mirror is disposed on the driver side of the vehicle.

6. A vehicle situation alert system according to claim 5 wherein the alert apparatus comprises a display in the vehicle mounted mirror.

7. The vehicle situation alert system of claim 4 wherein the one side of the vehicle is the passenger side of the vehicle and the vehicle mounted mirror is disposed on the passenger side of the vehicle.

8. A vehicle situation alert system according to claim 7 wherein the alert apparatus comprises a display in the vehicle mounted mirror.

9. A vehicle situation alert system according to claim 3 wherein the external object detector is directed to an area in a projected path of the vehicle, the second operator eye gaze direction is toward the area in a projected path of the vehicle and the first predetermined operator eye gaze direction is a direction other than toward the area in a projected path of the vehicle.

10. A vehicle situation alert system according to claim 9 wherein the first operator eye gaze direction is toward an instrument panel of the vehicle.

11. A vehicle situation alert system according to claim 9 wherein the first operator eye gaze direction is toward a vehicle mounted mirror on a side of the vehicle.

12. A vehicle situation alert system according to claim 9 wherein the first operator eye gaze direction comprises eyes closed.

13. A vehicle situation alert system according to claim 1 wherein the first alert action is generation of an alert of the predetermined vehicle situation in a first manner and the second action of the alert signal generating apparatus is a generation of an alert of the predetermined vehicle situation in a second manner different from the first manner.

14. A vehicle situation alert system according to claim 13 wherein the vehicle situation detector is an external object detector effective to discriminate an external object in or adjacent a projected path of the vehicle.

15. A vehicle situation alert system according to claim 14 wherein the external object detector is directed to an area to one side of the vehicle, the first operator eye gaze direction is toward a vehicle mounted mirror providing a view of at least a portion of the area to one side of the vehicle and the second operator eye gaze direction is toward the front of the vehicle.

16. A vehicle situation alert system according to claim 15 wherein the one side of the vehicle is the driver side of the vehicle and the vehicle mounted mirror is disposed on the driver side of the vehicle.

17. A vehicle situation alert system according to claim 16 wherein the alert apparatus comprises a display in the vehicle mounted mirror.

18. The vehicle situation alert system of claim 15 wherein the one side of the vehicle is the passenger side of the vehicle and the vehicle mounted mirror is disposed on the passenger side of the vehicle.

19. A vehicle situation alert system according to claim 18 wherein the alert apparatus comprises a display in the vehicle mounted mirror.

20. A vehicle situation alert system according to claim 14 wherein the external object detector is directed to an area in a projected path of the vehicle, the second operator eye gaze direction is toward the area in a projected path of the vehicle and the first operator eye gaze direction is a direction other than toward the area in a projected path of the vehicle.

21. A vehicle situation alert system according to claim 20 wherein the first operator eye gaze direction is toward an instrument panel of the vehicle.

22. A vehicle situation alert system according to claim 20 wherein the first operator eye gaze direction is toward a vehicle mounted mirror on a side of the vehicle.

23. A vehicle situation alert system according to claim 20 wherein the first predetermined operator eye gaze direction comprises eyes closed.

24. A vehicle situation alert system according to claim 13 wherein the first manner comprises an audible alert and the second manner comprises a visual alert.

25. A vehicle situation alert system according to claim 1 wherein the vehicle situation detector is an external object detector and the predetermined vehicle situation is detection of an external object forward and in a projected path of the vehicle.

26. A vehicle situation alert system according to claim 25 further comprising means for determining a detected value of a parameter indicating a quantified imminence of collision between the vehicle and the object based on detected motions of the vehicle and the object and providing an alert value of the parameter, one of the detected value of the parameter and the alert value of the parameter being based in part on a delay time, wherein the first alert action is an assignment of a first delay time, the second alert action is assignment of a second delay time different from the first delay time, the control further directing the alert apparatus to generate an alert signal or to not generate the alert signal depending on a comparison of the detected value of the parameter and the alert value of the parameter.

27. A control for a vehicle alert apparatus comprising:

inputs adapted to receive an input vehicle situation signal and an input detected vehicle operator eye gaze direction signal;

memory apparatus storing data defining a first vehicle operator eye gaze direction indicating a high probability of operator desire for alert of a predetermined vehicle situation and data defining a second vehicle operator eye gaze direction indicating a low probability of operator desire for alert of the predetermined vehicle situation;

apparatus effective upon receipt of the input vehicle situation signal to select a first alert action if the input vehicle operator eye gaze direction signal matches the stored data defining a first vehicle operator eye gaze direction and alternatively select a second alert action if the input vehicle operator eye gaze direction signal matches the data defining a second vehicle operator eye gaze direction; and

apparatus providing-an output control signal for the alert apparatus in accordance with the selected one of the first alert action and the second alert action.

28. A method of controlling a vehicle alert apparatus comprising:

receiving an input vehicle situation signal and an input detected vehicle operator eye gaze direction signal;

storing data defining a first vehicle operator eye gaze direction indicating a high probability of operator desire for alert of a predetermined vehicle situation and data defining a second vehicle operator eye gaze direction indicating a low probability of operator desire for alert of the predetermined vehicle situation;

upon receipt of the input vehicle situation signal, selecting a first alert action if the input vehicle operator eye gaze direction signal matches the stored data defining a first vehicle operator eye gaze direction, and alternatively selecting a second alert action if the input vehicle operator eye gaze direction signal matches the data defining a second vehicle operator eye gaze direction; and

providing an output control signal to the alert apparatus in accordance with the selected one of the first alert action and the second alert action.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the output control signal in accordance with the first alert action directs the alert apparatus to generate an alert signal to a vehicle operator and the output control signal in accordance with the second alert action does not direct the alert apparatus to generate the alert signal.

30. The method of claim 28 wherein the input vehicle situation signal indicates a detected object in a projected path of the vehicle, the method further comprising the step of:

determining a detected value of a parameter indicating a quantified imminence of collision between the vehicle and the object based on detected motions of the vehicle and the object;

determining an alert value of the parameter, one of the detected value of the parameter and the alert value of the parameter being based in part on a delay time, wherein the first alert action comprises providing a first delay time and the second alert action comprises providing a second delay time different from the first delay time;

comparing the detected value of the parameter with the alert value of the parameter, and

determining the output signal to direct the alert apparatus to generate an alert signal or not to direct the alert apparatus to generate the alert signal depending on the comparison.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the parameter is a range between the vehicle and the object and the delay time includes an anticipated operator reaction time.

32. The method of claim 30 wherein the parameter is a time duration to collision between the vehicle and the object and the delay time includes an anticipated operator reaction time.