Apparatus and Method for Disabling a Driver Facing Camera in a Driver Monitoring System

• US 20160301842A1
• Filed: 04/09/2015
• Published: 10/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC (Estate of Heinz Hermann Thiele)
• Original Assignee: Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC (Estate of Heinz Hermann Thiele)
• Inventors: Intagliata, Jon D
• Granted Patent: US 9,924,085 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/404 triggering from stand-by mode to operation mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30196 Human being; Person
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30268 Vehicle interior
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/20 Analysis of motion motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

Various examples of a driver monitoring apparatus and a method of disabling a driver facing camera are disclosed. A driver monitoring controller receives video images of a driver and transmits control messages to a driver facing camera. The driver monitoring controller receives a signal indicating that the driver desires to disable the driver facing camera. The driver monitoring controller receives messages indicating a vehicle state. The control logic of the driver monitoring controller disables the driver facing camera by transmitting a control message to disable the driver facing camera in response to a control input indicating the driver desires to disable the driver facing camera and a vehicle state message indicating a vehicle state does not meet a predetermined condition. The control logic of the driver monitoring controller enables the camera automatically in response to a vehicle state message indicating the vehicle state meets the predetermined condition.

Claims

1. A driver monitoring controller comprising:

A camera communications port for receiving video images of a driver and transmitting control messages to an associated driver facing camera;

A control input for receiving a signal indicating that the driver desires to disable the driver facing camera;

a vehicle communications port for receiving messages indicating a vehicle state; and

control logic in communication with the camera communications port, the control input and the vehicle communications port, wherein the control logic disables the driver facing camera by transmitting a control message to disable the driver facing camera at the camera communications port in response to a control input indicating the driver desires to disable the driver facing camera and a vehicle state message indicating a vehicle state does not meet a predetermined condition; and

wherein the control logic enables the camera automatically in response to a vehicle state message indicating the vehicle state meets the predetermined condition.

2. The driver monitoring controller as in claim 1, wherein the vehicle state message is received from an associated safety system controller.

3. The driver monitoring controller as in claim 2, wherein the driver monitoring controller is integrated with the associated safety system controller.

4. The driver monitoring controller as in claim 1, wherein the driver monitoring controller is integrated with the associated driver facing camera.

5. The driver monitoring controller as in claim 1, wherein the vehicle state predetermined condition is at least one of a vehicle speed exceeding a minimum speed, a detection of a forward object, and the vehicle being outside a lane of travel.

6. The driver monitoring controller as in claim 1, wherein the control logic is further capable of transmitting messages indicating the driver facing camera state to the vehicle communications port.

7. The driver monitoring controller as in claim 1, wherein the control logic transmits a control message to enable the driver facing camera automatically within one hundred milliseconds of receiving the vehicle state message indicating the vehicle state meets a predetermined condition.

8. The driver monitoring apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the control logic is further capable of recording the operating state of the camera.

9. A method of monitoring a driver of a vehicle comprising:

enabling a camera for receiving images of a driver;

receiving a control input indicating the driver desires to disable the camera;

disabling the camera in response to a control input and a message indicating a vehicle state does not meet a predetermined condition; and

re-enabling the camera automatically in response to a message indicating the vehicle state meets the predetermined condition.

10. The method as in claim 9, wherein re-enabling the camera automatically occurs in response to the predetermined condition being at least one of a speed exceeding a minimum speed, a detection of a forward object, and the vehicle out of a lane of travel.

11. The method as in claim 9, further comprising indicating the state of the camera.

12. The method as in claim 9, further comprising re-enabling the camera automatically within one hundred milliseconds from receiving the message.

13. A system for monitoring a driver comprising:

a camera for capturing images of a driver of a vehicle;

a manual switch associated with the camera for disabling the camera; and

a driver monitoring controller in communication with the camera;

wherein the camera is disabled in response to the switch and remains disabled until enabled automatically by the driver monitoring controller in response to a signal indicating a vehicle state meets a predetermined condition.

14. The system as in claim 13, further comprising a vehicle safety system for transmitting the signal indicating the vehicle state meets a predetermined condition.

15. The system as in claim 14, wherein the driver monitoring controller and the vehicle safety system are integrated.

16. The system as in claim 13, wherein the camera and the driver monitoring controller are integrated.

17. The system as in claim 13, further comprising a display for receiving a signal indicating the state of the camera from the driver monitoring controller.

18. The system as in claim 13, wherein the driver monitoring controller records the operating state of the camera.

19. The system as in claim 13, wherein the manual switch is integrated with the camera.

20. The system as in claim 13, wherein the indicator of the state of the camera is integrated with the camera

21. The system as in claim 13, wherein the predetermined condition is at least one of the vehicle speed exceeding a minimum speed, a detection of a forward object, and the vehicle out of the lane of travel.

22. A driver monitoring controller for a vehicle comprising:

A camera communications port for receiving video images of a driver and transmitting control messages to a driver facing camera;

a vehicle communications port for receiving messages indicating a vehicle state; and

control logic in communication with the camera communications port and the vehicle communications port, wherein the control logic disables the driver facing camera by transmitting a control message to disable the driver facing camera at the camera communications port in response to a message indicating the vehicle is stationary and the time period of the vehicle being stationary is greater than a predetermined time period; and

wherein the control logic enables the camera automatically in response to a vehicle state message indicating the vehicle state meets the predetermined condition.

23. The driver monitoring controller as in claim 22, wherein the predetermined time period is about 15 minutes.

24. The driver monitoring controller as in claim 22, wherein the predetermined condition is at least one of the vehicle speed exceeding a minimum speed, a detection of a forward object, and the vehicle out of the lane of travel.