Agent apparatus

• US 7,079,925 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2002
• Issued: 07/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushikikaisha Equos Research
• Original Assignee: Kabushikikaisha Equos Research
• Inventors: Kondo, Hiroaki, Matsuda, Manabu, Hirano, Tadashi, Adachi, Kazuhide, Hori, Koji, Kubota, Tomoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby, Richard M.
• Application Number:
  US10/482,021
• Publication Number:
  US 20040172172A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,392 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/51, 701/72, 701/117, 701/207, 701/208, 701/209, 701/210, 701/211, 701/213, 701/36, 340/996, 340/438, 340/457, 340/460, 340/461, 340/490, 340/504, 340/505, 340/573, 340/988, 340/436, 340/576, 340/439
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0231 Circuits relating to the driving or the functioning of the vehicle monitoring tyres B60C23/00; indicating overspeed B60K31/00; for dash boards B60K37/00, B60Q3/10; for indicating emergencies B60Q1/52; brake control systems B60T; registering or indicating the working of vehicles G07C5/00; measuring distance G01C, e.g. combinations of speed and distance G01C23/00; engine indicators G01L; measuring speed or acceleration G01P
• 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: G08G 1/123 indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, tramstransmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

Apparatus for collecting information pertaining to a driver of the vehicle includes a unit for determining if the current load on the driver is a “low-load” in terms of satisfaction of one or more specific conditions. Driver information is stored and supplemented by answers to question scenarios communicated to the driver only when a “low-load” state is determined. A question information storage unit contains various question scenarios correlated with different items of driver information and from which a question scenario, corresponding to driver information not yet obtained, is retrieved for output when a “low load” is determined.

Claims

1. A driver information collecting apparatus, for collecting information pertaining to the driver of a vehicle, comprising:

scenario execution request determining means for commanding initiation of a question scenario responsive to determination of a low load on the driver as satisfaction of one or more of the following conditions;

(a) a question scenario has not been executed within a past period of time;

(b) at least fifteen minutes or more has passed since the driver turned on the ignition;

(c) no conversation in the vehicle is detected;

(d) the vehicle is traveling on a straight road and its speed has not changed for a predetermined period of time; and

(e) the vehicle is waiting at a stoplight;

question output means for outputting the question scenario to obtain driver information responsive to an initiation command from said scenario execution request determining means; and

driver information storage means for storing driver information.

2. The driver information collecting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said scenario execution request determining means determines satisfaction of at least one of the following prohibiting conditions:

A. priority has been given to manual startup of a question scenario;

B. another question scenario is currently being executed;

C. another question scenario has been executed within a past predetermined period of time;

D. play of music within the vehicle is detected;

E. steering for a curve to the right or left is in progress;

F. rapid acceleration or deceleration is in progress;

G. the driver is engaged in conversation with a passenger; and

H. the driver is operating a navigation apparatus, audio apparatus, air-conditioning control, shift lever, handbrake, wiper or direction indicator;

I. the driver is listening to music or a broadcast station;

J. the driver is receiving driving route guidance;

and prohibiting an initiation command when said satisfaction of at least one of said prohibiting conditions is determined.

3. The driver information collecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

question information storage for storing the question scenarios in correlation with items of driver information to be obtained; and

scenario drive means for reading out, from said question information storage, a question scenario correlated with an item of driver information not stored in said driver information storage means for output of the read question scenario.

4. The driver information collecting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said scenario drive means determines priorities of items of driver information not stored in said driver information storage means and reads out the question scenario correlated with the item of driver information of the highest priority.

5. The driver information collecting apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising an agent presented in the form of an artificial pseudo-living organism in the vehicle, wherein said question output means poses a question scenario through said agent represented by at least one of an image on a display screen and voice output.

6. The driver information collecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an agent presented in the form of an artificial pseudo-living organism in the vehicle, wherein said question output means poses a question scenario through said agent represented by at least one of an image on a display screen and voice output.

7. The driver information collecting apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an agent presented in the form of an artificial pseudo-living organism in the vehicle, wherein said question output means poses a question scenario through said agent represented by at least one of an image on a display screen and voice output.

8. The driver information collecting apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising an agent presented in the form of an artificial pseudo-living organism in the vehicle, wherein said question output means poses a question scenario through said agent represented by at least one of an image on a display screen and voice output.