METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ENHANCING DRIVER SITUATIONAL AWARENESS

• US 20170076597A1
• Filed: 09/14/2015
• Published: 03/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Corp.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: CHAN, JESSE, BEATTIE, JAMES G. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 9,704,398 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0809 Driver authorisation; Driver identity check
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/089 Driver voice
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/105 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/305 by remotely controlling device operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/00 Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/59 inside of a vehicle, e.g. relating to seat occupancy, driver state or inner lighting conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0967 Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 : where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 : Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 : for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 : for in-vehicle communication

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, determining, by a system comprising a processor, a driver profile according to a driver identity for a driver of a vehicle, selecting a driver-specific enforcement scenario for the vehicle according to the driver profile and traffic enforcement information that is associated with a vehicle location, and presenting an in-vehicle alert to convey the driver-specific enforcement scenario to the driver. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A communication device comprising:

a memory to store executable instructions; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the memory, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the executable instructions, performs operations comprising;

determining a driver identity for a driver of a vehicle;

retrieving a driver profile according to the driver identity;

determining a vehicle location;

accessing, from a network, traffic enforcement information that is associated with the vehicle location;

selecting a driver-specific enforcement scenario from the traffic enforcement information for the vehicle location according to the driver profile;

generating a notification corresponding to the driver-specific enforcement scenario; and

presenting an in-vehicle alert to convey the notification to the driver.

2. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise receiving a vehicle operating parameter from the vehicle, and wherein the driver-specific enforcement scenario is further selected according to the vehicle operating parameter.

3. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise detecting an event along a path being driven by the vehicle according to the vehicle location, wherein the driver-specific enforcement scenario is further selected according to the event.

4. The communication device of claim 3, wherein the event comprises a sobriety checkpoint.

5. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the traffic enforcement information comprises information that is collected from a social media service.

6. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the traffic enforcement information comprises traffic citation data that is correlated to one of driver demographic data, type of vehicle, state of vehicle registration, or any combination thereof.

7. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the traffic enforcement information comprises traffic citation data that is correlated to law enforcement demographic data, court traffic fine data, or any combination thereof.

8. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

sensing biometric information from the driver at the vehicle; and

comparing the biometric information to identifying information to determine the driver identity for the driver.

9. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the traffic enforcement information is correlated to law enforcement personnel and wherein the traffic enforcement information comprises on-duty information that is associated with the law enforcement personnel.

10. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

capturing monitoring information at the vehicle via one of a camera, a microphone, or a combination thereof; and

transmitting the monitoring information to the network, wherein the monitoring information is included with the traffic enforcement information that is associated with the vehicle location.

11. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise determining operator license information from the driver profile, wherein the specific enforcement scenario is selected according to the operator license information.

12. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

selecting a vehicle operating parameter to receive from the vehicle according to the operator license information;

receiving the vehicle operating parameter from the vehicle;

determining that the vehicle operating parameter exceeds a threshold value; and

transmitting a message to a second communication device responsive to determining that the vehicle operating parameter exceed the threshold.

13. The communication device of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise controlling a vehicle function responsive to determining that the vehicle operating parameter exceeds the threshold.

14. A machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

sensing biometric information from a driver of a vehicle;

comparing the biometric information to identifying information to determine a driver identity for the driver;

retrieving a driver profile according to the driver identity;

accessing, from a network, traffic enforcement information that is associated with a vehicle location;

selecting a driver-specific enforcement scenario for the traffic enforcement information for the vehicle location according to the driver profile; and

presenting an in-vehicle alert to convey information associated with the driver-specific enforcement scenario to the driver.

15. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the sensing of the biometric information comprises capturing a visual image of the driver and wherein the visual image is compared to a known image of the driver to determine the driver identity.

16. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the sensing of the biometric information comprises capturing fingerprint information at the vehicle and wherein the fingerprint information is compared to a known fingerprint of the driver to determine the driver identity.

17. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise determining operator license information from the driver profile, wherein the specific enforcement scenario is selected according to the operator license information.

18. A method, comprising:

determining, by a system comprising a processor, a driver profile according to a driver identity for a driver of a vehicle;

selecting, by the system, a driver-specific enforcement scenario from traffic enforcement information according to the driver profile and a vehicle location for the vehicle; and

presenting, by the system, an in-vehicle alert to convey the driver-specific enforcement scenario to the driver.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the traffic enforcement information comprises traffic citation data that is correlated to one of driver demographic data, type of vehicle, state of vehicle registration, or any combination thereof.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the traffic enforcement information comprises traffic citation data that is correlated to law enforcement demographic data, court traffic fine data, or any combination thereof.