Driver scoring system with lane changing detection and warning system
First Claim
1. A system for scoring and alerting driver behavior by counting deviations between marked lanes on a road surface comprising:
- a vehicle driven by a driver above a first speed, wherein the vehicle is flanked by the marked lanes;
a first sensor unit mounted to a first lateral side of the vehicle and a second sensor unit mounted to a second lateral side of the vehicle, wherein the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit have a vertical line of sight to the road surface;
a controller in communicative connection with the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit;
wherein the controller comprises a display screen, a set of buttons, a set of LEDs, and an audio device;
the controller further comprises a processor connected to a data storage;
a set of programmed instructions running on the processor, for calculating an event score, a total score, an average score, and a scoring trend of the driver;
wherein at least one of the audio device and the display screen provides an alert to the driver if the total score exceeds a preset threshold; and
,wherein the display screen displays at least one of the event score, the total score, the average score, and the scoring trend.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention disclosed provides a driver monitoring and scoring system that detects and alerts the driver of erratic movements in order to redirect the attention of the driver so the driver can correct the poor driving. The system has the capability to record the instances of driving behavior and report them either immediately via a wireless network or from stored memory. The invention also displays a scoring system where the driver loses points for erratic driving and gains points for problem free driving. The system can maintain a list of high scores sorted by driver such that the driver can strive for higher scores resulting in better driving habits. The system can be used in the vehicle of the general public or in specific cases such as monitoring of drunk driving repeat offenders or in commercial vehicles such as school buses and public transportation.
147 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A system for scoring and alerting driver behavior by counting deviations between marked lanes on a road surface comprising:
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a vehicle driven by a driver above a first speed, wherein the vehicle is flanked by the marked lanes; a first sensor unit mounted to a first lateral side of the vehicle and a second sensor unit mounted to a second lateral side of the vehicle, wherein the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit have a vertical line of sight to the road surface; a controller in communicative connection with the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit;
wherein the controller comprises a display screen, a set of buttons, a set of LEDs, and an audio device;the controller further comprises a processor connected to a data storage; a set of programmed instructions running on the processor, for calculating an event score, a total score, an average score, and a scoring trend of the driver; wherein at least one of the audio device and the display screen provides an alert to the driver if the total score exceeds a preset threshold; and
,wherein the display screen displays at least one of the event score, the total score, the average score, and the scoring trend. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A driver scoring and lane changing detection system comprising:
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a first sensor unit and a second sensor unit mounted on a vehicle, where the vehicle has an interior and travels at a first speed; an interface unit connected to the first sensor unit and connected to the second sensor unit, where the interface unit is mounted in the interior; the interface unit further comprises a controller and a display screen; the interface unit receiving signals from the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit when the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit detect a lane change; and
,the interface unit displaying a score when calculated by the controller. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method for scoring and reporting driver performance comprising the steps of:
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providing a set of sensor units mounted to a vehicle, where the vehicle has a driver and the vehicle travels on a road surface having marked lanes; providing a processing unit connected to the set of sensor units and mounted to the vehicle within reach of the driver, wherein the processing unit comprises a display screen connected to a controller and a data storage connected to the controller; powering on the processing unit and powering on the vehicle; accelerating the vehicle to a minimum speed; receiving signals from the set of sensor units; processing the signals and determining impact on scoring driver performance; adjusting a driver performance score up or down based on the signals received; presenting the driver performance score on the display screen; stopping the vehicle; calculating a total score and an average score from the driver performance score; saving the total score and the average score in the data storage; and
,reporting driver performance by scrolling through the saved total scores and the saved average scores presented on the display screen. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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21. A method for scoring and reporting driver performance comprising the steps of:
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providing a set of sensor units mounted to a vehicle, where the vehicle has a driver and the vehicle travels on a road surface having marked lanes; providing a processing unit connected to the set of sensor units and mounted to the vehicle within reach of the driver, wherein the processing unit comprises a display screen connected to a controller and a data storage connected to the controller; powering on the processing unit and powering on the vehicle; accelerating the vehicle to a minimum speed; incrementing a series interval number stored in the data storage; selecting and initializing a user table; setting a scoring interval counter; initializing an event table; setting an event interval counter; setting a scoring interval time to a preset value; receiving signals from the set of sensor units for a preset event interval duration; determining if signals received during the event interval duration create an event; determining the number of events occurring during the event interval duration; calculating a driver performance score based on the presence or omission of events during the event interval duration; updating the user table; and
,reporting the driver performance score the display screen. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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Specification