METHOD FOR WAKENING UP A DRIVER OF A MOTOR VEHICLE

• US 20120154156A1
• Filed: 08/16/2010
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Svenska Utvecilkings Entrprenoren Susen AB
• Original Assignee: Venska Utvecklings Entreprenoren Susen AB
• Inventors: Kuntzel, Klas
• Granted Patent: US 9,129,508 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/575
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms

Abstract

Disclosed is a method and system to avoid traffic accident by waking up, without false alarm, a sleeping or completely inactive motor vehicle driver. The method and the system utilizes simultaneously at least four different specified detections with so arranged thresholds for wake-up alarm, that the driver after waking up without false alarm has the possibility to avoid an impending traffic accident by evasive maneuver and other vehicle control.

Claims

1. Method to wake up a sleeping vehicle driver with a wake-up alarm, the release of which is controlled by threshold values for from at least two different detection systems, of which a first detection system is brought to detect driver inactivity and at least another detection system is brought to detect the vehicle'"'"'s movement relative to the actual lane and/or objects near the vehicle, wherein for an alarm to be brought to be released one of two requirements are to be fulfilled, where a first requirement is that a predetermined first shorter period of time for driver inactivity is crossed as well as a predetermined threshold value for the vehicle'"'"'s movement is crossed and where a second requirement is that only a predetermined longer period of time, which is longer than said shorter period of time, for driver inactivity is crossed.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein said detection system for the vehicle'"'"'s said movement includes at least a second detection system, which is brought to detect the vehicle'"'"'s lateral departure from actual driving lane, a third detection system which is brought to detect relative speed and the distance to an object in the vehicle'"'"'s travelling direction and a fourth detection system, which is brought to detect relative speed and the distance to objects, which are present perpendicularly to the vehicle'"'"'s travelling direction and in that the wake-up alarm is brought to be released when the first detection system detects that said predetermined first shorter period of time for driver inactivity is crossed as well as at least any of the third and fourth detection systems exceeds a predetermined threshold value for respective detection system.

3. Method according to claim 1 wherein alarm inhibition is brought to occur when the first detection system has not detected that a predetermined longer period of time for driver inactivity is crossed, as long as none of said second, third and fourth detection systems has reached its respective threshold value.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein said shorter period of time is less than 2 seconds and that said upper threshold value exceeds 4 seconds.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein the alarm is brought to be generated by a device arranged to imitate sound and/or vibrations, which appear at the vehicle'"'"'s passage over road rumble strips and with sufficient amplitude to wake up the driver.

6. Method according to claim 1, wherein the alarm is brought to be generated by a device, which generates vibrations in the vehicle'"'"'s steering wheel.

7. Method according to claim 2 wherein alarm inhibition is brought to occur when the first detection system has not detected that a predetermined longer period of time for driver inactivity is crossed, as long as none of said second, third and fourth detection systems has reached its respective threshold value.

8. Method according to claim 2, wherein said shorter period of time is less than 2 seconds and that said upper threshold value exceeds 4 seconds.

9. Method according to claim 3, wherein said shorter period of time is less than 2 seconds and that said upper threshold value exceeds 4 seconds.

10. Method according to claim 2, wherein the alarm is brought to be generated by a device arranged to imitate sound and/or vibrations, which appear at the vehicle'"'"'s passage over road rumble strips and with sufficient amplitude to wake up the driver.

11. Method according to claim 3, wherein the alarm is brought to be generated by a device arranged to imitate sound and/or vibrations, which appear at the vehicle'"'"'s passage over road rumble strips and with sufficient amplitude to wake up the driver.

12. Method according to claim 4, wherein the alarm is brought to be generated by a device arranged to imitate sound and/or vibrations, which appear at the vehicle'"'"'s passage over road rumble strips and with sufficient amplitude to wake up the driver.

13. Method according to claim 2, wherein the alarm is brought to be generated by a device, which generates vibrations in the vehicle'"'"'s steering wheel.

14. Method according to claim 3, wherein the alarm is brought to be generated by a device, which generates vibrations in the vehicle'"'"'s steering wheel.

15. Method according to claim 4, wherein the alarm is brought to be generated by a device, which generates vibrations in the vehicle'"'"'s steering wheel.

16. Method according to claim 7, wherein said shorter period of time is less than 2 seconds and that said upper threshold value exceeds 4 seconds.

17. Method according to claim 7, wherein the alarm is brought to be generated by a device arranged to imitate sound and/or vibrations, which appear at the vehicle'"'"'s passage over road rumble strips and with sufficient amplitude to wake up the driver.

18. Method according to claim 8, wherein the alarm is brought to be generated by a device arranged to imitate sound and/or vibrations, which appear at the vehicle'"'"'s passage over road rumble strips and with sufficient amplitude to wake up the driver.

19. Method according to claim 9, wherein the alarm is brought to be generated by a device arranged to imitate sound and/or vibrations, which appear at the vehicle'"'"'s passage over road rumble strips and with sufficient amplitude to wake up the driver.

20. Method according to claim 7, wherein the alarm is brought to be generated by a device, which generates vibrations in the vehicle'"'"'s steering wheel.