Systems and methods for scheduling driver interface tasks based on driver workload

• US 8,972,106 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2013
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Prakah-Asante, Kwaku O., Le, Jialiang, Rao, Manoharprasad K., Strumolo, Gary Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALHARBI, ADAM MOHAMED
• Application Number:
  US14/045,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20140039757A1
• Time in Patent Office: 515 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/22 Motor vehicles operators, e.g. drivers, pilots, captains
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0533 Measuring galvanic skin response
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/08 Detecting, measuring or recording devices for evaluating the respiratory organs A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1116 Determining posture transitions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/163 by tracking eye movement, gaze, or pupil change
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/18 for vehicle drivers or machine operators
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/06 responsive to incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0091 of control inputs
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/22 Psychological state; Stress level or workload
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/10 Interpretation of driver requests or demands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/00 Methods or arrangements for processing data by operating upon the order or content of the data handled logic circuits H03K19/00

Abstract

A vehicle'"'"'s dynamic handling state, driver inputs to the vehicle, driver physiological condition, etc. may be examined to determine one or more measures of driver workload. Driver interface tasks may then be delayed and/or prevented from executing based on the driver workload so as to not increase the driver workload. Alternatively, driver interface tasks may be schedule for execution based on the driver workload and caused to execute according to the schedule, for example, to minimize the impact the executing driver interface tasks have on driver workload.

Claims

1. A driver interface system for a vehicle comprising:

a system configured to generate tasks; and

a processor programmed to (i) monitor over time an activity level of a driver, (ii) determine a variability of the activity level relative to a mean value of the activity level for the driver according to a recursive computation of a determinant of a covariance of the activity level, (iii) determine a driver workload based on the variability, (iv) receive a plurality of driver interface tasks to be executed, and (v) selectively delay or prevent at least some of the plurality of driver interface tasks from being executed based on the driver workload.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to recursively calculate a variance of a unit dimensional signal to determine the variability of the activity level.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the activity level is based on driver heart-rate information.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the activity level is based on driver respiration information.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the activity level is based on driver galvanic skin response information.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the activity level is based on driver eye-gaze information.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the activity level is based on driver head pose information.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of driver interface tasks includes a priority type and wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to selectively delay or prevent at least some of the plurality of driver interface tasks from being executed further based on the priority type.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of driver interface tasks includes at least one of generating an audio output, generating a visual output, and generating a tactile output.

10. A method for managing interface tasks comprising:

determining a variability of a monitored driver activity level relative to a mean value of the driver activity level according to a recursive computation of a determinant of a covariance of the driver activity level;

receiving a plurality of interface tasks to be executed; and

selectively delaying or preventing at least some of the plurality of interface tasks from being executed based on the variability.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein determining the variability of the driver activity level includes recursively calculating a variance of a unit dimensional signal.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the driver activity level is based on driver heart-rate information.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the driver activity level is based on driver respiration information.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the driver activity level is based on driver eye-gaze information.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the driver activity level is based on driver head pose information.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein each of the plurality of interface tasks includes a priority type and wherein at least some of the plurality of interface tasks are selectively delayed or prevented from being executed further based on the priority type.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein the plurality of interface tasks includes generating a notification regarding an in-coming call and wherein selectively delaying or preventing at least some of the plurality of interface tasks from being executed based on the variability includes forwarding the in-coming call to a voice mail system.

18. The method of claim 10 wherein the plurality of interface tasks includes at least one of generating an audio output, generating a visual output, and generating a tactile output.