System and method for reducing boredom while driving

• US 7,982,620 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2007
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Varri, Chenna K. R., Kalik, Steven F., Prokhorov, Danil V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg; George A
• Assistant Examiner(s): TUN, NAY L
• Application Number:
  US11/752,336
• Publication Number:
  US 20080291032A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,518 Days
• Field of Search: 340/576, 702/108, 353/103
• US Class Current: 340/576
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/785 on or in relation to the windshield or windows
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/066 actuating a signalling device B60K28/063 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0818 Inactivity or incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0827 due to sleepiness
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/22 Psychological state; Stress level or workload
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/221 Physiology, e.g. weight, heartbeat, health or special needs
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18172 Preventing, or responsive to skidding of wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/04 Monitoring the functioning of the control system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/08 Interaction between the driver and the control system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0015 Arrangements for entertainment or communications, e.g. radio, television
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/00155 Individual entertainment or communication system remote controls therefor, located in or connected to seat components, e.g. to seat back or arm rest
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention include systems and methods for reducing driver boredom for the driver of a vehicle particularly for vehicle environments such as straight roads and lack of traffic that are likely to induce boredom. An example system includes an electronic circuit such as a computer, a vehicle environment monitor, a driver interface, and a driver stimulation device such as a semitransparent display.

Claims

1. An apparatus for reducing driver boredom in a driver of a vehicle, the vehicle having a vehicle environment, the apparatus comprising:

a vehicle environment monitor, operable to provide environment data representative of the vehicle environment, the vehicle environment monitor including a traffic sensor operable to sense other vehicles in the vehicle environment;

an electronic circuit, receiving the environment data from the vehicle environment monitor, and operable to determine if there is a likelihood of driver boredom from the environment data,

an absence of other vehicles in the vehicle environment being indicative of the likelihood of driver boredom,

the environment data further including vehicle operation data, the electronic circuit being operable to determine the likelihood of driver boredom using the vehicle operation data,

substantially constant vehicle operation data over a predetermined time period being further indicative of the likelihood of driver boredom, the predetermined time period being at least thirty minutes,

said circuit generating a signal when there is the likelihood of driver boredom;

an interactive communication device, said device querying the driver as to whether the driver is bored upon receiving the signal from the electronic circuit;

said interactive device receiving a response from the driver regarding whether the driver is bored; and

a driver stimulation device, operable to provide psychological stimulation to the driver if the driver responds that the driver is bored.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the driver interface including a speech synthesizer and a microphone, the electronic circuit using a voice recognition algorithm to determine the response.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, the vehicle operation data being selected from a group consisting of throttle position data, steering input data, cruise control status, and brake operation data.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, the driver having a field of view, the driver stimulation device including a visual display within the field of view.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the visual display is semitransparent, the driver viewing the vehicle environment through the visual display.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the visual display is a projection display.

7. A process for reducing driver boredom of a driver of a vehicle, the vehicle having a vehicle environment, the process comprising:

monitoring the vehicle environment, including monitoring vehicle operation data;

determining if there is a likelihood of driver boredom from a lack of stimulation in the vehicle environment,

substantially constant vehicle operation data over a predetermined prolonged time period being indicative of the lack of stimulation in the vehicle environment;

querying the driver for a response as to whether the driver is bored or not bored, if the likelihood of driver boredom is determined;

receiving a response from the driver as to whether the driver is bored or not bored; and

providing psychological stimulation to the driver in accordance to the response from the driver that the driver is bored, so as to reduce the driver boredom.

8. The process of claim 7, wherein monitoring the vehicle environment includes detecting other vehicles in the vehicle environment,

an absence of other vehicles in the vehicle environment for a predetermined time period being indicative of the likelihood of driver boredom.

9. The process of claim 7, wherein psychological stimulation includes displaying images to the driver.

10. The process of claim 7, wherein the predetermined prolonged time period is at least 30 minutes.