DISTRACTED DRIVER NOTIFICATION SYSTEM

• US 20180194282A1
• Filed: 01/11/2017
• Published: 07/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2017
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Wolterman, Michael J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,290,210 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0818 Inactivity or incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/801 Lateral distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/60 Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way
• 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 50/0097 Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• 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 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle

Abstract

A distracted driver notification system, a vehicle and a method of notifying a distracted driver. The system includes a communication system made up of one or both of an antenna and numerous sensors such that the communication system acquires data that is indicative of actual or expected vehicular movement in a traffic situation. The acquired data is conveyed to a computer for processing to determine if a traffic situation is present, as well as a change in status of such situation. The acquired or processed data may also be used to determine if a driver should be moving the vehicle in response to a change in the status of the traffic condition. A human-machine interface may include one or more of visual, haptic and audio configured to alert a distracted driver to start moving a vehicle that is equipped with the system, the alert based on a change in status of the traffic situation as acquired by the communication system and processed by the computer where such change is conducive to the movement of the vehicle, the system configured such that such alert is not provided when the vehicle is not in a traffic situation.

Claims

1. A distracted driver notification system comprising:

a communication system comprising at least one of an antenna and a plurality of sensors, the communication system configured to acquire data that provides indicia of actual or expected vehicular movement in a traffic situation;

a computer signally cooperative with the communication system to process data received therefrom, the computer configured to make a determination whether a driver is distracted by comparing a change in status of the traffic situation that is conducive to the movement of a vehicle that is equipped with the system with whether such vehicle is undertaking such movement; and

a human-machine interface responsive to the computer and configured to alert the distracted driver to start moving such vehicle, wherein such alert is not provided when the vehicle is not in a traffic situation or when the system determines that the driver is not distracted.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication system comprises both the antenna and a plurality of sensors at least one of which comprises a forward-looking sensor configured to detect a change in status of a traffic light such that when the traffic light changes from red to green, a first measure of the change in status of the traffic situation is achieved.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors further comprises a forward-looking sensor configured to detect a change in status of brake lights in at least one vehicle forward of the equipped vehicle such that when the brake light status changes from engaged to disengaged, a second measure of the change in status of the traffic situation is achieved.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors further comprises a forward-looking sensor configured to detect a distance between the equipped vehicle and at least one vehicle forward of the equipped vehicle such that when the distance is more than a threshold value, a third measure of the change in status of the traffic situation is achieved.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors further comprises a forward-looking sensor configured to detect a rate of separation between the equipped vehicle and at least one vehicle forward of the equipped vehicle such that when the rate of separation is more than a threshold value, a fourth measure of the change in status of the traffic situation is achieved.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein when the plurality of sensors is selected from the group consisting of optical sensors, acoustic sensors, lidar, radar, infrared and combinations thereof.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the change in status of the traffic situation as acquired by the plurality of sensors and processed by the computer is determined by a change in status of at least two of traffic control device, brake light status in at least one vehicle forward of the equipped vehicle, a distance between the equipped vehicle and at least one vehicle forward of the equipped vehicle and a rate of separation between the equipped vehicle and at least one vehicle forward of the equipped vehicle.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein navigational data acquired by the antenna and processed by the computer provides indicia that an equipped vehicle is not in a traffic situation.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the indicia that an equipped vehicle is not in a traffic situation comprises indicia that an equipped vehicle is in a parking lot.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the indicia that an equipped vehicle is not in a traffic situation comprises indicia that an equipped vehicle is in at least one of a driveway and a garage of a private residence.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the alert comprises at least one of an audible and visual alert conveyed to the driver after a computer-initiated delay.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein when the vehicle is not in a traffic situation, the system monitors the speed of the equipped vehicle but does not alert the driver.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the alert comprises at least one of an audible alarm and a visual alarm.

14. A vehicle comprising:

a platform comprising a wheeled chassis defining passenger compartment and an engine compartment comprising an engine disposed therein,

a control apparatus cooperative with the wheeled chassis and the engine in order to provide motive control; and

a distracted driver notification system comprising;

a communication system comprising at least one of an antenna and a plurality of sensors, the communication system configured to acquire data that provides indicia of actual or expected vehicular movement in a traffic situation;

a computer signally cooperative with the communication system to process data received therefrom, the computer configured to make a determination that a driver is distracted by comparing a change in status of the traffic situation that is conducive to the movement of the vehicle with whether the vehicle is undertaking such movement; and

a human-machine interface responsive to the computer and configured to alert the distracted driver to start moving the vehicle, wherein such alert is not provided when the vehicle is not in a traffic situation or when the system determines that the driver is not distracted.

15. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the alert comprises at least one of an audible, haptic and visual warning to the distracter driver.

16. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the communication system comprises both the antenna and a plurality of sensors such that the change in status of the traffic situation as acquired by the plurality of sensors and processed by the computer is determined by a change in status of at least two of traffic control device, brake light status in at least one vehicle forward of the equipped vehicle, a distance between the equipped vehicle and at least one vehicle forward of the equipped vehicle and a rate of separation between the equipped vehicle and at least one vehicle forward of the equipped vehicle.

17. A method of notifying a distracted driver, the method comprising:

acquiring data with a communication system comprising at least one of an antenna and a plurality of sensors, the data providing indicia of actual or expected movement of the vehicle in a traffic situation;

processing the data received from the communication system in a computer;

ascertaining with the computer whether the driver of the vehicle is distracted by comparing a change in status of the traffic situation that is conducive to the movement of the vehicle with whether the vehicle is undertaking such movement; and

if the system determines that the driver is distracted, alerting the distracted driver to start moving the vehicle, but not to alert the driver if either the vehicle is not in a traffic situation or the system determines that the driver is not distracted.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the computer is situated on-board the vehicle.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein to not to alert the driver if the vehicle is not in a traffic situation comprises using the computer to enter into a logic loop where movement of the vehicle is monitored.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein alerting the distracted driver comprises first starting a timer and then providing at least one of an audible, haptic and visual warning to the distracter driver once a threshold length of time corresponding to the timer has been attained.