Method for operating a vehicle

• US 9,108,592 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2013
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Nordbruch, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US13/737,193
• Publication Number:
  US 20130179024A1
• Time in Patent Office: 951 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 701/41, 701/45, 701/93, 701/96, 701/23, 340/500, 340/463, 340466- 7, 340901-904, 340/576
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0266 for monitoring or limiting apparatus function
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/18 for vehicle drivers or machine operators
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4836 Diagnosis combined with treatment in closed-loop systems or methods A61B5/0036 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/06 responsive to incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons

Abstract

A method for operating a vehicle includes checking a state of health of the driver during operation of the vehicle, in particular when it is started, and starting a safety program for operating the vehicle when a predefined state of health is detected.

Claims

1. A method for operating a vehicle, comprising:

checking a state of health of a driver at least one of during operation of the vehicle and when the vehicle is started; and

starting a safety program for operating the vehicle when a predefined state of health is detected, wherein the safety program;

(i) includes starting at least one of an automatic driving function and automatic parking of the vehicle, (ii) includes one of limiting a function of the vehicle, limiting a maximum speed of the vehicle, and suppressing operation of the vehicle, and (iii) starts different functions, depending on the driver'"'"'s state of health.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the driver'"'"'s state of health is checked at predefined, regular time intervals during operation of the vehicle, and the safety program is started when the predefined state of health is detected.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the safety program includes an output of a warning signal.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of a reference value and a result of a previous check is taken into account for an evaluation of the state of health.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

saving a result of the checking of the state of health in a memory in the vehicle or in an external memory.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein a mobile memory in the vehicle is used as the memory.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein the reference value is obtained from an external database.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting corresponding information to at least one of other road users and other vehicles after detection of the predefined state of health.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

checking the state of health of the driver at least once during a running operation of the vehicle in addition to checking when the vehicle is started.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein the checking is triggered by a device external to the vehicle.

9. A system for checking on a state of health of a driver of a vehicle, wherein the system is configured to carry out a method, the method comprising:

checking the state of health of the driver at least one of during operation of the vehicle and when the vehicle is started; and

starting a safety program for operating the vehicle when a predefined state of health is detected, wherein the safety program;

(i) includes starting at least one of an automatic driving function and automatic parking of the vehicle, (ii) includes one of limiting a function of the vehicle, limiting a maximum speed of the vehicle, and suppressing operation of the vehicle, and (iii) starts different functions, depending on the driver'"'"'s state of health.

13. The system according to claim 9, the method further comprising:

checking the state of health of the driver at least once during a running operation of the vehicle in addition to checking when the vehicle is started.

17. The system according to claim 9, wherein the checking is triggered by a device external to the vehicle.

10. A mobile device, configured to keep at least one of data and a reference value ready, for checking a state of health of a driver of a vehicle at least one of during operation of the vehicle and when the vehicle is started, and to exchange the at least one of data and the reference value with a system of the vehicle, wherein the safety program:

(i) includes starting at least one of an automatic driving function and automatic parking of the vehicle, (ii) includes one of limiting a function of the vehicle, limiting a maximum speed of the vehicle, and suppressing operation of the vehicle, and (iii) starts different functions, depending on the driver'"'"'s state of health.

14. The mobile device according to claim 10, wherein the state of health of the driver of the vehicle is further checked at least once during a running operation of the vehicle in addition to checking when the vehicle is started.

18. The mobile device according to claim 10, wherein the checking is triggered by a device external to the vehicle.

11. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium having program code stored thereon, which, when executed by a computer, performs a method, the method comprising:

checking a state of health of a driver of a vehicle at least one of during operation of the vehicle and when the vehicle is started; and

starting a safety program for operating the vehicle when a predefined state of health is detected, wherein the safety program;

(i) includes starting at least one of an automatic driving function and automatic parking of the vehicle (ii) includes one of limiting a function of the vehicle, limiting a maximum speed of the vehicle, and suppressing operation of the vehicle, and (iii) starts different functions, depending on the driver'"'"'s state of health.

15. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium according to claim 11, the method further comprising:

checking the state of health of the driver at least once during a running operation of the vehicle in addition to checking when the vehicle is started.

16. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium according to claim 11, wherein the checking is triggered by a device external to the vehicle.