Method and apparatus for vehicle operator performance assessment and improvement

• US 6,925,425 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2001
• Issued: 08/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Continental Autonomous Mobility US LLC (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Douros, Kenneth, Wheatley, David John, Nagel, Jens, Hurwitz, Joshua B., Remboski, Donald, Gardner, Judith Lee, Gardner, Robert Michael, Leivian, Robert H., Wood, Clifford A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsai, Carol S. W.
• Application Number:
  US09/977,173
• Publication Number:
  US 20020116156A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,390 Days
• Field of Search: 702/FOR.155, 702/FOR.163, 702FOR 170-171, 702/182, 702/183, 702/188, 180/168, 180/271, 180/272, 180/170, 180/171, 340/903, 340/431, 340/439, 340/436, 340/53, 340/540, 340/937, 340/459, 340/541, 340/426, 340/539, 340/425.5, 701/1, 701/29, 701/33, 701/34, 396/429
• US Class Current: 702/188
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/18 for vehicle drivers or machine operators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/052 characterised by provision for recording or measuring trainee's performance devices for psychotechnics, e.g. for vehicle drivers A61B5/16, A61B5/18

Abstract

A method of assessing vehicle operator performance includes the steps of receiving vehicle operating data (502); monitoring an interior portion of the vehicle and receiving operator activity data from the interior portion vehicle (504); receiving vehicle environment data from the environment external to the vehicle (506); monitoring the vehicle operator and receiving operator condition data (508); and determining an operator assessment value (510). The operator assessment value is based upon the vehicle operating data, the operator activity data, the environment data and the operator condition data and is indicative of vehicle operator performance.

Claims

1. An apparatus for assessing vehicle operator performance, the apparatus comprising:

a sensor fusion module, the sensor fusion module being coupled to a vehicle condition sensor, a vehicle exterior sensor, an operator condition sensor and an operator activity sensor respectively providing to the sensor fusion module vehicle condition data, vehicle environment data, operator condition data and operator activity data, the sensor fusion module operable to provide a master condition list based on the data received by the sensor fusion module; and

a response selector coupled to the sensor fusion module, the response selector being operable to determine an operator cognitive load based upon the master condition list and a current operating condition based upon the master condition list, and to assess an operator action in response to the current operating condition and operator cognitive load to provide an operator performance assessment value based upon the master condition list and the operator action.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vehicle condition data comprises at least one of:

vehicle speed, vehicle acceleration, throttle application, brake application, steering wheel input, throttle position, rate of change of throttle position, additional available throttle input, throttle applicator pressure, brake position, rate of change of brake position, additional available brake input, brake applicator pressure, steering wheel position, rate of change of the steering wheel position, operator pressure applied to the steering wheel and additional available steering input.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operator activity data comprises usage data relating to at least one of driving controls, telematics controls, occupant comfort controls, infotainment controls and communication controls.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operator condition data comprises data relating to at least one of fatigue, intoxication and distraction.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vehicle environment data comprises data relating to at least one of road condition, lane following, headway, traffic control and traffic condition.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operator performance assessment value comprises an inference value.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vehicle exterior sensor comprises at least one of radar, laser, video and sonar.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operator activity sensor comprises video.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the operator cognitive load comprises an operator cognitive load determined based upon driver stress, driver attention, or driver mental capacity.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the operator cognitive load comprises an operator cognitive load determined based upon driver stress, driver attention, and driver mental capacity.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the response selector module compares monitored driving behavior to known good driving behavior when determining the operator performance assessment value.