METHODS AND SYSTEMS GENERATING DRIVER WORKLOAD DATA

• US 20150160020A1
• Filed: 07/01/2013
• Published: 06/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TomTom Navigation B.V (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: TomTom International BV (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Alders, Michel, van Hemert, Jasper-Michiel
• Granted Patent: US 9,329,046 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0533 Measuring galvanic skin response
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/18 for vehicle drivers or machine operators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3641 Personalized guidance, e.g. limited guidance on previously travelled routes

Abstract

A method of determining data indicative of an individual driver workload is disclosed. The method involves obtaining a generic driver workload parameter, the generic driver workload data being based on data indicative of the behaviour of multiple drivers when performing a manoeuvre at a node or traversing a set of one or more segments of an electronic map. An individual modifier representative of the behaviour of an individual driver is generated and used to determine an individual driver workload parameter indicative of the workload of the individual driver when performing the manoeuvre at a node or traversing the one or more segments of an electronic map based on the generic driver workload data for performing the manoeuvre at the node or traversing the one or more segments of the electronic map.

Claims

1. A method of determining data indicative of an individual driver workload, the method comprising:

obtaining generic driver workload data, the generic driver workload data being representative of a generic driver workload when performing a manoeuvre at a node or traversing a set of one or more segments of an electronic map;

generating an individual modifier representative of the behaviour of an individual driver; and

using the individual modifier to determine individual driver workload data indicative of the workload of the individual driver when performing the manoeuvre at the node or traversing the one or more segments of the electronic map based on the generic driver workload data for the manoeuvre at the node or the traversal of the one or more segments.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the generic driver workload data is a generic driver workload parameter, and the individual driver workload data is an individual driver workload parameter.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the generic driver workload data is based upon data indicative of the behaviour of multiple drivers when performing the manoeuvre and/or traversing the one or more segments.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the generic driver workload data forms part of a generic driver workload profile comprising data indicative of a generic workload of drivers when performing each of plurality of different manoeuvres at a node or nodes and/or traversing a plurality of sets of one or more segments of the electronic map, wherein the generic driver workload data for a given manoeuvre and/or traversal of a set of one or more segments is associated with electronic map data indicative of the manoeuvre or the set of one or more segments.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the individual modifier comprises generating the individual modifier using data representative of the real-time or historic behaviour of the individual driver, or combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising obtaining the data representative of the behaviour of the individual driver, wherein the data collected automatically during driving by the individual driver.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the individual modifier is generated using data indicative of any one of the acceleration, deceleration, curve aggression factor, speed or braking of the driver.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the manoeuvre at the node or traversal of a set of one or more segments of an electronic map is a first manoeuvre at a node or traversal of a set of one or more segments of an electronic map, and the method further comprises obtaining data indicative of an individual driver workload for at least one further manoeuvre at a node and/or the traversal of at least one further set of one or more segments of the electronic map, wherein the method comprises determining the individual driver workload data based on generic driver workload data for the at least one further manoeuvre at a node and/or the traversal of at least one further set of one or more segments of the electronic map using the individual modifier generated in relation to determining the individual driver workload data in respect of the first manoeuvre at a node or traversal of a set of one or more segments of an electronic map.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first manoeuvre at the node or traversal of a set of one or more segments of an electronic map and the at least one further manoeuvre at a node and/or the traversal of at least one further set of one or more segments of the electronic map share one or more common attributes by reference to the behaviour of the individual driver or wherein the first manoeuvre at a node or traversal of a set of one or more segments of an electronic map and the at least one further manoeuvre at a node and/or the traversal of at least one further set of one or more segments of the electronic map are associated with a given predetermined route.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the manoeuvre at the node or the traversal of the set of one or more segments of an electronic map forms part of a first predetermined route, and the method further comprises obtaining data indicative of an individual driver workload for at least one further manoeuvre at a node and/or the traversal of at least one further set of one or more segments of an electronic map which do not form part of the first predetermined route, wherein the method comprises generating a further individual modifier for use in determining the individual driver workload data based on generic driver workload data for the at least one further manoeuvre at a node and/or the traversal of at least one further set of one or more segments of the electronic map using the individual modifier, and using the further individual modifier to determine the individual driver workload data based on the generic driver workload data.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the individual driver workload parameter is a function of the individual modifier and the generic driver workload data for the manoeuvre at the node or the traversal of the one or more segments.

12. The method of claim 1, comprising storing individual driver workload data in association with electronic map data indicative of the manoeuvre or set of one or more segments to which it relates and/or storing the individual modifier.

13. The method of claim 1, comprising using individual driver workload data obtained in respect of different manoeuvres at a node or nodes and/or the traversal of different sets of segments of the electronic map to provide an individual driver workload profile indicative of the workload of the individual driver when performing each of a plurality of different manoeuvres at a node or nodes and/or traversing a plurality of sets of one or more segments of the electronic map.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the individual modifier is specific to a set of one or more environmental and/or temporal conditions.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising using the individual workload data to control the operation of an in-vehicle system, optionally an ADAS or navigation system.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform a method according to claim 1.

16-17. -17. (canceled)

19. A system for determining data indicative of an individual driver workload, the system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory comprising instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to;

obtain generic driver workload data, the generic driver workload data being representative of a generic driver workload when performing a manoeuvre at a node or traversing a set of one or more segments of an electronic map;

generate an individual modifier representative of the behaviour of an individual driver; and

use the individual modifier to determine individual driver workload data indicative of the workload of the individual driver when performing the manoeuvre at the node or traversing the one or more segments of the electronic map based on the generic driver workload data for the manoeuvre at the node or the traversal of the one or more segments.