Personalized vehicle driving suggestions

• US 9,211,891 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2013
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inrix Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Inrix Incorporated
• Inventors: Scofield, Christopher L., Sedlik, Scott Marshall
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby, Richard
• Application Number:
  US13/957,552
• Publication Number:
  US 20150035666A1
• Time in Patent Office: 865 Days
• Field of Search: 701/123
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/30 Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/003 Detecting or using driving style of a driver, e.g. for adapting shift schedules
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2063/426 with means for advising the driver for proper shift action, e.g. prompting the driver with allowable selection range of ratios
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station

Abstract

In many vehicular control contexts, a vehicle may monitor the vehicle input control from a driver to detect warning conditions that entail a warning to the user and/or an automatic mitigating action (e.g., detecting hard braking that causes brake lockup, and automatically activating anti-lock braking). Warning and mitigation techniques may address the instant driving conditions, but may not the user driving behavior that caused the condition (e.g., a driving style of the user that resulted in hard braking, such as excessive speed for current driving conditions). Presented herein are techniques for monitoring the user driving behavior of the user in various driving contexts, and presenting driving suggestions of alternative driving behaviors providing advantages over the current user driving behavior of the user. The presentation of the alternative driving behaviors to the user may facilitate changes in user driving behavior that improve the safety, efficiency, and/or comfort of the driving experience.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating a user driving a vehicle, the method involving a device having a processor and comprising:

executing on the processor instructions configured to;

at a first time point associated with a first instance of a driving context, monitor a vehicle control input of the vehicle by the user to identify a user driving behavior of the user in the driving context;

identify at least one alternative driving behavior providing an advantage over the user driving behavior of the user for operating the vehicle in the driving context;

identify a suggestion location that is associated with at least one alternate driving behavior; and

at a second time point that is associated with a second instance of the driving context and at the suggestion location, present to the user a driving suggestion of the alternative driving behavior in the driving context.

2. The method of claim 1, the user driving behavior selected from a user driving behavior set comprising:

a lane selection among at least two lanes of a causeway;

a vehicle speed in the driving context;

a vehicle acceleration in the driving context;

a vehicle turning rate in the driving context;

a vehicle gear selection in the driving context;

a vehicle signaling input in the driving context; and

a vehicle climate control in the driving context.

3. The method of claim 1, the advantage selected from an advantage set comprising:

a fuel economy promoting advantage;

an emissions reducing advantage;

a vehicle maintenance promoting advantage;

a travel time reducing advantage;

a driving safety promoting advantage;

a causeway hazard avoiding advantage; and

a smooth driving experience promoting advantage.

4. The method of claim 1, identifying the alternative driving behavior comprising:

sending the vehicle control input of the vehicle by the user to a driving behavior evaluating service; and

receiving from the driving behavior evaluating service at least one alternative driving behavior providing an advantage over the user driving behavior of the user for operating the vehicle in the driving context.

5. The method of claim 1:

the instructions further configured to, from an advantage set, receive from the user at least one selected advantage; and

identifying the alternative driving behavior further comprising;

identify at least one alternative driving behavior providing a selected advantage over the user driving behavior of the user for operating the vehicle in the driving context.

6. The method of claim 1, presenting the driving suggestion further comprising:

presenting suggestions to the user not exceeding a suggestion count threshold within a suggestion time period.

7. The method of claim 1, presenting the driving suggestion further comprising:

presenting the driving suggestion to the user only if a comparative advantage exceeds a comparative advantage threshold.

8. The method of claim 1:

the user driving behavior associated with a first advantage;

the alternative driving behavior associated with a second advantage; and

the instructions further configured to compare the first advantage and the second advantage of the alternative driving behavior to identify a comparative advantage; and

presenting the driving suggestion further comprising;

presenting the driving suggestion to the user only for a positive comparative advantage.

9. The method of claim 1:

the vehicle comprising a window through which the user views a driving region of the vehicle through a window; and

presenting the driving suggestion to the user further comprising;

displaying the driving suggestion on the window.

10. The method of claim 9:

the driving suggestion relating to an object viewable through the window; and

displaying the driving suggestion on the window further comprising;

positioning the driving suggestion on the window to visually indicate the object related to the driving suggestion.

11. The method of claim 1, presenting the driving suggestion to the user comprising:

presenting to the user the driving suggestion and an explanation of the advantage of the alternative driving behavior over the user driving behavior of the user.

12. The method of claim 1, the instructions further configured to, upon receiving from the user an acceptance of the driving suggestion, control the vehicle to implement the driving suggestion.

13. The method of claim 1:

presenting the alternative driving behavior further comprising;

presenting to the user with the driving suggestion an alternative driving behavior incentive; and

the instructions further configured to, upon detecting an acceptance of the driving suggestion by the user, confer the alternative driving behavior incentive to the user.

14. The method of claim 13, the instructions further configured to select the alternative driving behavior incentive proportional to a magnitude of the advantage of the alternative driving behavior.

15. The method of claim 1, the instructions further configured to, upon detecting a declinement by the user of the driving suggestion in the driving context, refrain from subsequently presenting the driving suggestion to the user in the driving context.

16. A system for facilitating a user driving a vehicle, the system involving a device having a processor and comprising:

a suggestion identifying component comprising instructions that, when executed on the processor, cause the device to;

monitor a vehicle control input of the vehicle by the user to identify, at a first time point, a user driving behavior of the user in a driving context; and

identify at least one alternative driving behavior providing an advantage over the user driving behavior of the user for operating the vehicle in the driving context; and

identify a suggestion location that is associated with the at least one alternate driving behavior; and

a suggestion presenting component comprising instructions that, when executed on the processor, cause the device to present to the user, at a second time point that is associated with an impending second instance of the driving context and when the user is at the suggestion location, a driving suggestion of the alternative driving behavior in the driving context.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the suggestion presenting component presents to the user, with the driving suggestion, an explanation of the advantage of the alternative driving behavior over the user driving behavior of the user.

17. A method of facilitating users driving vehicles, the method involving a device having a processor and comprising:

executing on the processor instructions configured to;

at a first time point associated with a first instance of a driving context, receive from respective vehicles at least one vehicle control input of the vehicle to identify a user driving behavior of the user in the driving context;

identify, for respective driving contexts, at least one alternative driving behavior providing an advantage for vehicles operating in the driving context;

identify a suggestion location that is associated with at least one alternate driving behavior; and

at a second time point that is associated with an impending second instance of the driving context, instruct at least one vehicle operated by a user in the driving context and located at the suggestion location, of a user driving behavior that is less advantageous than the alternative driving behavior to present to the user a driving suggestion of the alternative driving behavior.

18. The method of claim 17, identifying the alternative driving behavior for a driving context comprising:

for respective vehicles, evaluating the vehicle control input received from the vehicle to determine vehicle result in the driving context;

among the vehicle results in the driving context, identify an advantage of the alternative driving behavior relative to the vehicle control input; and

identifying an alternative driving behavior associated with the advantage.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein:

presenting the alternative driving behavior further comprises;

presenting to the user with the driving suggestion an alternative driving behavior incentive; and

the instructions are further configured to, upon detecting an acceptance of the driving suggestion by the user, confer the alternative driving behavior incentive to the user.