System for preventing handheld device use while operating a vehicle

• US 8,547,214 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2010
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Basson, Sara H., Kanevsky, Dimitri, Nahamoo, David, Sainath, Tara N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieu, Julie
• Application Number:
  US12/814,429
• Publication Number:
  US 20110304446A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,208 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/438
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/063 preventing starting of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/043 Identity of occupants
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed

Abstract

Techniques for preventing a driver of a moving vehicle from using a handheld device while driving. An example system of the invention includes a plurality of biometric sensors configured to receive biometric data from the driver and a user of the handheld device. Contemporaneously with operation of the vehicle and the handheld device, the biometric data is analyzed in order to determine a match between the identity of the vehicle driver and the user of the handheld device. A controller is configured to selectively interrupt operation of the vehicle or handheld device upon detecting the match.

Claims

1. A method for preventing a vehicle driver from using a handheld device while operating a vehicle, the method comprising:

analyzing biometric data contemporaneously with operation of the vehicle and the handheld device using a computer processor to determine a match between the identity of the vehicle driver and a user of the handheld device; and

selectively interrupting operation of one of the vehicle and the handheld device upon detecting the match; and

wherein selectively interrupting operation of one of the vehicle and the handheld device includes allowing for communication with emergency responders via the handheld device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the biometric data includes a digital representation of at least one of fingerprints, voice pattern, facial image, retina images, heartbeat, body weight, and body temperature.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the biometric data from a first biometric sensor located on a steering wheel of the vehicle and a second biometric sensor located on the handheld device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the biometric data from the vehicle driver in computer readable memory; and

retrieving the vehicle driver'"'"'s biometric data from the computer readable memory in order to identify the driver when the biometric data is read by a biometric sensor on the handheld device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising recording the vehicle driver'"'"'s voice in the computer readable memory to later be compared with biometric data received from the handheld device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving vehicle movement data; and

wherein selectively interrupting operation of one of the vehicle and the handheld device is not performed when the vehicle is not moving.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively interrupting operation of one of the vehicle and the handheld device includes selectively disabling the vehicle if the handheld device cannot be disabled.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively interrupting operation of one of the vehicle and the handheld device includes issuing a warning to the vehicle driver to stop using the handheld device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving environmental data, the environmental data including at least one of weather conditions, road conditions, and traffic conditions;

receiving vehicle data, the vehicle data including at least one of vehicle speed, magnitude and frequency of steering wheel movement, magnitude and frequency of vehicle acceleration, magnitude and frequency of vehicle deceleration, daylight conditions, headlight usage, and windshield wiper usage; and

wherein selectively interrupting operation of one of the vehicle and the handheld device is dependent on the environmental data and the vehicle data.

10. A system for preventing a driver of a moving vehicle from using a handheld device while driving, the system comprising:

a plurality of biometric sensors configured to receive biometric data from the driver and a user of the handheld device;

a data analyzer configured to analyze, contemporaneously with operation of the vehicle and the handheld device, using a computer processor, the biometric data in order to determine a match between the identity of the vehicle driver and the user of the handheld device; and

a controller configured to selectively interrupt operation of one of the vehicle and the handheld device upon detecting the match; and

wherein the plurality of biometric sensors include a first biometric sensor located on the handheld device and a second biometric sensor located a steering wheel of the vehicle.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the plurality of biometric sensors are configured to detect at least one of fingerprints, voices, retina images, facial images, heartbeat, body weight, and body temperature.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

computer readable memory coupled to the computer processor; and

wherein the controller is further configured to store the biometric data from the driver in the computer readable memory and retrieve the driver'"'"'s biometric data from the computer readable memory when the biometric data is read by one of the plurality of biometric sensors on the handheld device.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

wherein the plurality of biometric sensors include a first pulse detector located on a steering wheel of the vehicle and a second pulse detector located on the handheld device; and

wherein the data analyzer is configured determine if a first received pulse from the first pulse detector is synchronized with a second received pulse from the second pulse detector.

14. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a vehicle movement sensor configured to receive vehicle movement data; and

wherein the controller is configured not to interrupt operation of one of the vehicle and the handheld device when the vehicle is not moving.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured not to interrupt operation of one of the vehicle and the handheld device when the user of the handheld device is communicating with emergency responders.

16. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

an environment receiver configured to receive environmental data, the environmental data including at least one of weather conditions, road conditions, daylight conditions, and traffic conditions;

at least one vehicle sensor configured to receive vehicle data, the vehicle data including at least one of vehicle speed, magnitude and frequency of steering wheel movement, magnitude and frequency of vehicle acceleration, magnitude and frequency of vehicle deceleration, headlight usage, and windshield wiper usage; and

wherein the controller is configured to selectively interrupting operation of one of the vehicle and the handheld device based upon the environmental data and the vehicle data.

17. A computer program product for preventing a vehicle driver from using a handheld device while operating a vehicle, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code configured to;

analyze biometric data contemporaneously with operation of the vehicle and the handheld device to determine a match between the identity of the vehicle driver and a user of the handheld device;

selectively interrupting operation of one of the vehicle and the handheld device upon detecting the match; and

selectively disable the vehicle if the handheld device cannot be selectively disabled.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising computer readable program code to receive the biometric data from a first biometric sensor located on a steering wheel of the vehicle and a second biometric sensor located on the handheld device.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising computer readable program code to:

store the biometric data from the vehicle driver in computer readable memory; and

retrieve the vehicle driver'"'"'s biometric data from the computer readable memory in order to identify the driver when the biometric data is read by a biometric sensor on the handheld device.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising computer readable program code to record the vehicle driver'"'"'s voice in the computer readable memory to later be compared with biometric data received from the handheld device.

21. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising computer readable program code to:

receive vehicle movement data; and

wherein interrupting operation of one of the vehicle and the handheld device is not performed when the vehicle is not moving.

22. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein selectively interrupting operation of one of the vehicle and the handheld device includes allowing for communication with emergency responders.