DISTRACTED DRIVER PREVENTION SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20160101784A1
• Filed: 10/13/2014
• Published: 04/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Olson, Brian, Rados, Steven R., Hughes, Kent W., Sanjeev, Kumar, Polehn, Donna L., Chiang, David, Krishnaswamy, Nithya
• Granted Patent: US 9,796,391 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/195 Blocking or enabling display functions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/56 using mobile devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/741 Instruments adapted for user detection
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/29 Instruments characterised by the way in which information is handled, e.g. showing information on plural displays or prioritising information according to driving conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/65 Instruments specially adapted for specific vehicle types or users, e.g. for left- or right-hand drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/654 the user being the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/80 Arrangements for controlling instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 related to drivers or passengers

Abstract

A user device may be used to prevent a user from driving a vehicle while distracted by the user device. The user device may create a user profile, determine whether the user is driving, and collect usage data while the user is driving. The user profile may include information regarding the driver'"'"'s propensity to be distracted while driving and the usage data may include information on whether the user is actually distracted by the user device. The user device may determine whether the driver is distracted based on the user profile and the usage data, and may respond in one or more ways, such as by alerting the driver with an audio signal, disabling a feature of the user device, logging instances of user distraction with a diagnostics device, activating a braking system of the vehicle, warning nearby drivers about the driver being distracted, and more.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

collecting, by a user device, usage data corresponding to a user driving a vehicle, the usage data comprising information indicative of whether the user is distracted by the user device while driving the vehicle;

analyzing, by the user device, the usage data to determine whether the driver is distracted by the user device by comparing the usage data to a distraction threshold; and

responding, by the user device, to the analyzing of the usage data by disabling a feature of the user device to prevent the user from being distracted by the user device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the usage data comprises at least one of:

information communicated between the user device and a network to which the user device is connected,

information communicated between the user device and the user of the user device, or

at least one internal process performed by the user device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the usage data comprises an orientation of the user device in conjunction with image data collected by the user device of the user looking at a display of the user device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the orientation of the user device is determined by the user device based on information from an accelerometer of the user device and at least one of:

information from a front-side camera, or

information from a back-side camera of the user device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the user is driving the vehicle by determining whether the user is located in a driver'"'"'s seat of the vehicle and determining whether the vehicle is moving.

6. The method of claim 5, where the determining of whether the user is located in the driver'"'"'s seat of the vehicle comprises collecting image data indicative of whether the driver is located in the driver'"'"'s seat of the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the image data comprises at least one of:

a seat belt of the vehicle,

a steering wheel of the vehicle;

a feature of a driver console of the vehicle,

a gear shifter of the vehicle,

a center console of the vehicle

a glove compartment of the vehicle,

a rearview mirror of the vehicle,

a back seat of the vehicle,

a front seat of the vehicle,

a window of the vehicle, or

a location of another passenger within the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining of whether the user is located in a driver'"'"'s seat of the vehicle by communicating with a diagnostics device of the vehicle to determine a distance between the user device and the diagnostics device.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein determining that the vehicle is moving for purposes of distraction prevention even when the vehicle is stopped at a traffic light or in a traffic jam.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a user profile based on the profile information received from the user and profile information received from an application server, the profile information from the application server comprising profile information corresponding to at least one user that is analogous to the user,

wherein the responding to the analyzing of the usage data is based on the user profile.

11. The method of claim 1, where the analyzing of the usage data to determine whether the driver is distracted by the user device comprises determining whether the usage data exceeds a distraction threshold within a pre-selected time interval.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

defining the distraction threshold based on at least one of;

a user profile associated with the user of the user device,

whether the user has a propensity for being distracted by the user device while driving,

whether the user is driving at a time, for a duration, or along a route where the user has been distracted by the user device previously,

whether the user is driving at a time, for a duration, or along a route where an analogous user has been distracted by another user device previously,

what type of media is being played in the vehicle,

an orientation of the user device,

whether the user device has recently communicated, with a network, a type of information associated with the user being distracted by the user device previously,

whether the user device has recently received, from the network, a type of information associated with the user being distracted by the user device previously,

whether the user device has recently communicated, to the user, a type of information associated with the user being distracted by the user device previously, and

whether the user device has recently received, from the user, a type of information associated with the user being distracted by the user device previously; and

using the distraction threshold in determining, based on the usage data, whether the driver is distracted by the user device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the responding to the analyzing of the usage data further comprises at least one of:

communicating usage data to a diagnostics device of the vehicle,

communicating an instance of distraction to the diagnostics device of the vehicle,

producing an audio signal to notify the user to not use the user device while driving,

requesting the vehicle to activate a braking system of the vehicle,

requesting the vehicle to turn off an engine of the vehicle,

requesting the vehicle to activate an automated driving feature of the vehicle,

warning drivers of other vehicles that the user is distracted by the user device,

contacting a guardian of the user about the driving being distracted by the user device,

contacting an employer of the user about the driving being distracted by the user device, or

contacting local law enforcement about the user being distracted by the user device.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling the disabled feature of the user device upon determining that the user is no longer driving the vehicle.

15. A system, comprising:

a user device, comprising;

a non-transitory memory device storing;

a plurality of processor-executable instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the processor-executable instructions, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions causes the processor to;

collect usage data corresponding to a user driving a vehicle, the usage data comprising information indicative of whether the user is distracted by the user device while driving the vehicle,

analyze the usage data to determine whether the driver is distracted by the user device by comparing the usage data to a distraction threshold, and

respond to the analyzing of the usage data by disabling a feature of the user device to prevent the user from being distracted by the user device while driving.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions causes the processor to:

define the distraction threshold based on at least one of;

a user profile associated with the user of the user device,

whether the user has a propensity for being distracted by the user device while driving,

whether the user is driving at a time, for a duration, or along a route where the user has been distracted by the user device previously,

whether the user is driving at a time, for a duration, or along a route where an analogous user has been distracted by another user device previously,

what type of media is being played in the vehicle,

an orientation of the user device,

whether the user device has recently communicated, with a network, a type of information associated with the user being distracted by the user device previously,

whether the user device has recently received, from the network, a type of information associated with the user being distracted by the user device previously,

whether the user device has recently communicated, to the user, a type of information associated with the user being distracted by the user device previously, and

whether the user device has recently received, from the user, a type of information associated with the user being distracted by the user device previously; and

use the distraction threshold to determine, based on the usage data, whether the driver is distracted by the user device.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions, to respond to the analysis of the usage data, causes the processor to:

communicate usage data to a diagnostics device of the vehicle,

communicate an instance of distraction to the diagnostics device of the vehicle,

produce an audio signal to notify the user to not use the user device while driving,

request the vehicle to activate a braking system of the vehicle,

request the vehicle to turn off an engine of the vehicle,

request the vehicle to activate an automated driving feature of the vehicle,

warn drivers of other vehicles that the user is distracted by the user device while driving,

contact a guardian of the user about the driving while being distracted by the user device,

contact an employer of the user about the driving while being distracted by the user device, or

contact local law enforcement about the user being distracted by the user device.

18. A computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

a plurality of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors associated with a device, cause the one or more processors to;

generate a user profile, the user profile comprising instructions for a user device to prevent a user from driving a vehicle while distracted by the user device,

collect usage data corresponding to the user driving the vehicle, the usage data comprising information indicative of whether the user is distracted by the user device while driving the vehicle,

analyze the usage data to determine whether the driver is distracted by the user device by comparing the usage data to a distraction threshold,

respond to the analyzing of the usage data by disabling a feature of the user device, in accordance with the instructions of the user profile, to prevent the user from being distracted by the user device while driving,

monitor movements of the user device after disabling the feature of the user device, and

enable the disabled feature of the user device upon determining that the user is no longer driving the vehicle, based on the monitored movements of the user device.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the plurality of instructions cause the one or more processors to:

define the distraction threshold based on at least one of;

a user profile associated with the user of the user device,

whether the user has a propensity for being distracted by the user device while driving,

whether the user is driving at a time, for a duration, or along a route where the user has been distracted by the user device previously,

whether the user is driving at a time, for a duration, or along a route where an analogous user has been distracted by another user device previously,

what type of media is being played in the vehicle,

an orientation of the user device,

whether the user device has recently communicated, with a network, a type of information associated with the user being distracted by the user device previously,

whether the user device has recently received, from the network, a type of information associated with the user being distracted by the user device previously,

whether the user device has recently communicated, to the user, a type of information associated with the user being distracted by the user device previously, and

whether the user device has recently received, from the user, a type of information associated with the user being distracted by the user device previously.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the plurality of instructions to respond to the analysis of the usage data, cause the one or more processors to:

communicate usage data to a diagnostics device of the vehicle,

communicate an instance of distraction to the diagnostics device of the vehicle,

produce an audio signal to notify the user to not use the user device while driving,

request the vehicle to activate a braking system of the vehicle,

request with the vehicle to turn off an engine of the vehicle,

request the vehicle to activate an automated driving feature of the vehicle,

warn drivers of other vehicles that the user is distracted by the user device while driving,

contact a guardian of the user about the driving while being distracted by the user device,

contact an employer of the user about the driving while being distracted by the user device, or

contact local law enforcement about the user being distracted by the user device.