Hazard-prevention system for a vehicle

• US 7,072,753 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2002
• Issued: 07/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Daimler Chrysler Company LLC (Stellantis NV)
• Inventors: Hess, Markus, Mayer, Christian, Eberle, Walter, Paviot, Florent, Rothe, Siegfried, Hartlieb, Markus, Stiegler, Roland
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US10/470,201
• Publication Number:
  US 20040088095A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,624 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701/35, 701/45, 340/438, 340/439, 340/459, 340/460, 340/461, 340/464, 340/471, 340/472, 340/474
• US Class Current: 701/45
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/02 responsive to conditions relating to the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/066 actuating a signalling device B60K28/063 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0134 responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle , e.g. using radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01512 Passenger detection systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2220/02 Driver type; Driving style; Driver adaptive features
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/00 Input parameters relating to vehicle conditions or values, not covered by groups B60W2510/00 or B60W2520/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/043 Identity of occupants
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/225 Direction of gaze
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/229 Attention level, e.g. attentive to driving, reading or sleeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/30 Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4029 Pedestrians
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

The invention relates to a hazard-prevention system for a vehicle. The vehicle has devices for sensing driving state variables, for sensing ambient data and for sensing the driver'"'"'s activity, and a data processing device. The data processing device is provided for processing the sensed data and for actuating a safety device in accordance with a predefined control strategy. According to the invention, the vehicle has a device for identifying the driver, and the data processing device derives a driver load factor related specifically to the driver from the driving state variables, the ambient data and the data relating to the activity of the driver, and said driver load factor is used to adapt the control strategy.

Claims

1. A hazard-prevention system for a vehicle, comprising:

a device for sensing driving state variables;

a device for sensing ambient data;

a device for sensing a driver'"'"'s activity;

a device for identifying a particular driver; and

a data processing device for processing the sensed driving state variables, the sensed ambient data and the sensed driver'"'"'s activity, and actuating a safety device in accordance with a predetermined control strategy, the data processing device deriving a driver load factor related specifically to the particular driver, the driver load factor being derived from the sensed driving state variables, the sensed ambient data, and the sensed data relating to the driver'"'"'s activity; and

a device for adapting the control strategy, which utilizes the driver load factor related specifically to the particular driver for adapting the control strategy.

2. The hazard-prevention system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a device for storing a driver-related history containing data characteristic of the particular driver; and

wherein the data processing device additionally uses the driver-related history to derive the driver load factor related specifically to the particular driver.

3. The hazard-prevention system according to claim 1, wherein the safety device includes an information and warning system.

4. The hazard-prevention system according to claim 2, wherein the safety device includes an information and warning system.

5. The hazard-prevention system according to claim 1, wherein the safety device includes a system for controlling vehicle movement dynamics.

6. The hazard-prevention system according to claim 2, wherein the safety device includes a system for controlling vehicle movement dynamics.

7. The hazard-prevention system according to claim 1, wherein the safety device includes a vehicle occupant protection system which acts on movement of an occupant of the vehicle and is designed to lessen the consequences of accidents.

8. The hazard-prevention system according to claim 2, wherein the safety device includes a vehicle occupant protection system which acts on movement of an occupant of the vehicle and is designed to lessen the consequences of accidents.

9. A hazard-prevention system for a vehicle, comprising:

a driver identification device;

a processor coupling with the driver identification device, the processor deriving a driver load factor individually matched to a particular driver based on driving state variables, environmental data, and driver activity data; and

wherein the processor adapts a control strategy for actuating a safety device based on the derived individual driver load factor.

10. The hazard-prevention system according to claim 9, further comprising a memory storing data historically characteristic of the driver;

and

wherein the processor additionally uses the stored data to derive the individually matched driver load factor.

11. The hazard-prevention system according to claim 9, wherein the safety device comprises an information and warning system.

12. A method for adapting a control strategy for a safety device in a hazard-prevention system of a vehicle, the method comprising the acts of:

sensing driving state variables of the vehicle;

sensing environmental data related to the vehicle;

identifying a particular driver of the vehicle;

sensing the particular driver'"'"'s activity;

deriving a driver load factor individually matched to the particular driver from the driving state variables, the environmental data and, the driver'"'"'s activity; and

adapting the control strategy for actuating a said safety device based on the individually matched driver load factor.

13. A software product, comprising a computer readable medium having stored thereon program code segments that:

process driving state variables for a vehicle;

process environmental data related to the vehicle;

identify a particular driver of the vehicle;

process the particular driver'"'"'s activity;

derive a driver load factor related to the particular driver based on the processed driving state variables, environmental data and driver'"'"'s activity; and

adapt a predetermined control strategy for actuating a safety device utilizing the derived driver load factor.