METHOD, DEVICE AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR MANAGING DRIVER SAFETY, METHOD FOR MANAGING USER SAFETY AND METHOD FOR DEFINING A ROUTE

• US 20160055764A1
• Filed: 02/04/2014
• Published: 02/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Jyvaskyan Yliopisto
• Original Assignee: Jyvaskyan Yliopisto
• Inventors: Kujala, Tuomo, Tokkonen, Timo
• Application Number:
  US14/888,489
• Publication Number:
  US 20160055764A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/066 actuating a signalling device B60K28/063 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/043 Identity of occupants
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 related to drivers or passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3641 Personalized guidance, e.g. limited guidance on previously travelled routes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/18 Eye characteristics, e.g. of the iris
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/167 Control of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F

Abstract

An enhancement for managing driver safety is presented. Using for example driver related information and/or information relating to circumstances surrounding a vehicle is stored in a driver mentoring application. The driver mentoring application executes visual demand algorithm using information relating at least to the driver and/or the surrounding circumstances. An application for tracking visual attention of the driver is launched and visual attention information is provided to the driver mentoring application. If the application detects that the visual attention is directed to something else than navigating the vehicle a timer is started to measure the time. Using a value received from the visual demand algorithm the driver mentoring application defines a threshold time for an intervention. If the measured time meets the defined threshold time mentoring is given to the driver to allocate more visual attention to navigating the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for managing driver safety, comprising the steps of:

receiving at the driver mentoring application situation information about circumstances surrounding a vehicle, wherein the situation information about circumstances surrounding the vehicle include map information;

executing at the driver mentoring application a visual demand algorithm for determining a visual demand value for at least one specific driving situation using the situation information;

executing an application for tracking visual attention of the driver;

receiving at the driver mentoring application information about the visual attention of the driver and measuring time when said visual attention is allocated to something else than navigating the vehicle;

defining at the driver mentoring application a threshold time for an intervention using the visual demand value for at least one specific driving situation from the visual demand algorithm; and

based on the determination that the measured time meets the threshold time for intervention, the driver is given mentoring by the driver mentoring application to allocate more visual attention to navigating the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein situation information about the vehicle is received at the driver mentoring application and used in the visual demand algorithm.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein situation information about the circumstances inside the vehicle is received at the driver mentoring application and used in the visual demand algorithm.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the situation information about circumstances surrounding the vehicle include weather information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the situation information about circumstances surrounding the vehicle include traffic information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the situation information about circumstances surrounding the vehicle include camera information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the situation information includes visual data received from a remote source.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the mentoring is a signal to which senses are responsive.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein in case when the driver mentoring application does not receive enough situation information about circumstances surrounding the vehicle and/or information about the visual attention allocation of the driver an alternative signal to which senses are responsive is used to give mentoring to the driver.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising steps of:

storing driver specific information in a driver mentoring application; and

executing at the driver mentoring application a visual demand algorithm for determining a visual demand value for at least one specific driving situation using the situation information.

10-15. -15. (canceled)

16. A method of using a driver mentoring device, comprising:

receiving at the driver mentoring application situation information about circumstances surrounding a vehicle, wherein the situation information about circumstances surrounding the vehicle include map information;

executing at the driver mentoring application a visual demand algorithm for determining a visual demand value for at least one specific driving situation using the situation information;

executing an application for tracking visual attention of the driver;

receiving at the driver mentoring application information about the visual attention of the driver and measuring time when said visual attention is allocated to something else than navigating the vehicle;

defining at the driver mentoring application a threshold time for an intervention using the visual demand value for at least one specific driving situation from the visual demand algorithm; and

based on the determination that the measured time meets the intervention time giving the driver mentoring by the driver mentoring application to allocate more visual attention to navigating the vehicle.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises providing a mobile phone.

19. A method for a computer program product that is readable by a computer and encoding instructions for executing the method, the method comprising of:

receiving at the driver mentoring application situation information about circumstances surrounding a vehicle, wherein the situation information about circumstances surrounding the vehicle include map information;

executing at the driver mentoring application a visual demand algorithm for determining a visual demand value for at least one specific driving situation using the situation information;

executing an application for tracking visual attention of the driver;

receiving at the driver mentoring application information about the visual attention of the driver and measuring time when said visual attention is allocated to something else than navigating the vehicle;

defining at the driver mentoring application a threshold time for an intervention using the visual demand value for at least one specific driving situation from the visual demand algorithm; and

based on the determination that the measured time meets the threshold time for intervention, the driver is given mentoring by the driver mentoring application to allocate more visual attention to navigating the vehicle.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising steps of:

storing driver specific information in a driver mentoring application;

executing at the driver mentoring application the visual demand algorithm for determining the visual demand value for at least one specific driving situation using the driver specific information.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein situation information about the vehicle is received at the driver mentoring application and used in the visual demand algorithm.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein situation information about the circumstances inside the vehicle is received at the driver mentoring application and used in the visual demand algorithm.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the situation information about circumstances surrounding the vehicle includes weather information.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the situation information about circumstances surrounding the vehicle includes traffic information.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the situation information about circumstances surrounding the vehicle includes camera information.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein the mentoring is a signal to which senses are responsive.