Method and apparatus for providing driver-customized vehicle service

• US 9,183,176 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2013
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Lee, Shin-Kyung, Lee, Jeong-Woo, Yun, Doo-Seop, Kwon, Oh-Cheon, Oh, Hyun-Seo
• Primary Examiner(s): Jabr, Fadey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Soofi, Yazan A
• Application Number:
  US13/844,989
• Publication Number:
  US 20130289798A1
• Time in Patent Office: 968 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 600/508, 600/483
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/12 executed aboard the object being navigated; Dead reckoning
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing a driver-customized service. The present invention is configured to collect bio-signal information of a driver from a first sensor, collect current health condition information of the driver based on data stored in a health information DB, collect environmental condition information of an interior of a vehicle from a second sensor, collect environmental condition information of an exterior of the vehicle from a third sensor, generate a driving index based on the pieces of information collected from the first to third sensors and the health information DB, and perform a vehicle control operation corresponding to the driving index. Accordingly, the present invention not only enables the accident risk of drivers to be decreased, but also allows the drivers to drive their vehicles, which were considered to be only transportation means, in a safer and more comfortable environment.

Claims

1. A method of providing a driver-customized service for a driver of a vehicle using a driver-customized vehicle control apparatus that includes first, second and third sensors and a health information database (DB), comprising:

collecting bio-signal information of the driver from the first sensor;

collecting current health condition information of the driver based on data stored in the health information DB;

collecting environmental condition information of an interior of the vehicle from the second sensor;

collecting environmental condition information of an exterior of the vehicle from the third sensor;

generating a driving index based on pieces of information collected from the first, second and third sensors and the health information DB, the driving index being a normalized value of multiple dimensions, each dimension corresponding to one of the bio-signal information of the driver, the health condition information of the driver, the interior environmental condition information of the vehicle and the exterior environmental condition information of the vehicle, the driving index including

a safe driving index that is a two-dimensional (2D) value with the two dimensions respectively corresponding to the bio-signal information of the driver and the exterior environmental condition information of the vehicle, the safe driving index being configured to be adjustable based on the current health condition information, and

a cleaning index that is a 2D value with the two dimensions respectively corresponding to the interior and exterior environmental condition information of the vehicle; and

performing a vehicle control operation, including at least one of notifying the driver or a third party and changing a driving mode of the vehicle, in accordance with the generated driving index.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the health information DB from an external system for providing health information, medical information of the driver stored in the external system over a network, and storing the medical information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the vehicle control operation comprises:

determining whether the generated driving index falls within a normal range; and

upon determining that the generated driving index is out of the normal range,

monitoring a condition of the driver in real time, and

performing the vehicle control operation upon detecting an emergency based on the monitored driver condition.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle control operation is an operation of sending a message or making a call to a preset contact number.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first sensor is mounted on a steering wheel of the vehicle and configured to collect the bio-information of the driver in real time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second sensor is an air cleanliness collection sensor for separately measuring cleanliness information of the interior of the vehicle for respective lower, middle, and upper parts of the interior of the vehicle.

7. An apparatus for providing a driver-customized service for a driver of a vehicle, comprising:

a first sensor for collecting bio-signal information of the driver;

a health information database (DB) for storing data about current health condition information of the driver;

a second sensor for collecting environmental condition information of an interior of the vehicle;

a third sensor for collecting environmental condition information of an exterior of the vehicle; and

a control unit for

collecting pieces of information required to generate a driving index from the first, second and third sensors and the health information DB, and generating the driving index, the driving index being a normalized value of multiple dimensions, each dimension corresponding to one of the bio-signal information of the driver, the health condition information of the driver, the interior environmental condition information of the vehicle and the exterior environmental condition information of the vehicle, the driving index including

a safe driving index that is a two-dimensional (2D) value with the two dimensions respectively corresponding to the bio-signal information of the driver and the exterior environmental condition information of the vehicle, the safe driving index being configured to be adjustable based on the current health condition information, and

a cleaning index that is a 2D value with the two dimensions respectively corresponding to the interior and exterior environmental condition information of the vehicle; and

performing a vehicle control operation corresponding to the generated driving index.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the health information DB receives medical information of the driver from an external system for providing health information over a network, and stores the medical information.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the control unit

is configured to determine whether the generated driving index falls within a normal range, and

is configured to, upon determining that the generated driving index is out of the normal range, monitor a condition of the driver in real time, and perform the vehicle control operation upon detecting an emergency from the monitored driver condition.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the vehicle control operation is an operation of changing a driving mode of the vehicle.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the vehicle control operation is an operation of sending a message or making a call to a preset contact number.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first sensor is mounted on a steering wheel of the vehicle and configured to collect the bio-information of the driver in real time.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the second sensor is an air cleanliness collection sensor for separately measuring cleanliness information of the interior of the vehicle for respective lower, middle, and upper parts of the interior of the vehicle.