Environment-based function lock system for a vehicle

• US 9,248,842 B1
• Filed: 07/14/2014
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Gunaratne, Pujitha
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US14/330,121
• Publication Number:
  US 20160009294A1
• Time in Patent Office: 568 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0232 for measuring vehicle parameters and indicating critical, abnormal or dangerous conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/10 including control of change-speed gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/408 Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/52 Radar, Lidar
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0604 Throttle position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/06 Direction of travel
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/043 Identity of occupants
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/30 Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/40 Altitude
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/55 using telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/14 Adaptive cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/12 : Limiting control by the driver depending on vehicle state, e.g. interlocking means for the control input for preventing unsafe operation
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 : Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 : Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0967 : Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096708 : where the received information might be used to generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 : where the received information generates an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096758 : where no selection takes place on the transmitted or the received information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 : where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 : where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 : where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 : where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096866 : where the complete route is shown to the driver
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 : having a display in the form of a map
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0091 : for monitoring atmospheric conditions radar or analogous systems specially adapted for meteorological use G01S13/95; meteorology G01W

Abstract

A computing device and methods for restricting driver interactions with vehicle functions based on a challenging driving environment are disclosed. One example method for restricting driver interactions with vehicle functions based on a challenging driving environment includes identifying a challenging driving environment based at least in part on information regarding a driving condition; and preventing a driver from accessing one or more vehicle functions based on the challenging driving environment exists. Example implementations include identifying a challenging driving environment based on information received from on-vehicle sensors and/or external communication links; identifying a driver'"'"'s skill level; and selectively blocking vehicle functionality, selectively presenting information to a driver, and selecting available driver interactions based on the driving environment.

Claims

1. A computing device for a vehicle, comprising:

one or more processors for controlling the operations of the computing device; and

a memory for storing data and program instructions used by the one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to;

identify an attention factor associated with at least one vehicle function;

identify a challenging driving environment, the identification being;

(1) based at least in part on information regarding a driving condition, and (2) with respect to the at least one vehicle function, based at least in part on the attention factor; and

selectively prevent a driver from accessing one or more vehicle functions based on the challenging driving environment.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the driving condition is associated with at least one of:

vehicle speed, vehicle direction, vehicle acceleration, vehicle altitude, vehicle location, environmental temperature, environmental barometric pressure, environmental weather conditions, traffic conditions, and road conditions.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors receives the information regarding the driving condition from one or more sensors associated with the vehicle.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors receives the information regarding the driving condition from a remote source in electronic communication with a communications interface associated with the vehicle.

5. The computing device of claim 4, wherein the remote source is a remote server.

6. The computing device of claim 4, wherein the remote source is another vehicle or a traffic infrastructure network.

7. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive information regarding the driver'"'"'s skill level;

and

wherein the identification of the challenging driving environment is based at least in part on the driver'"'"'s skill level.

8. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

alert the driver regarding the challenging driving environment;

wherein the alert is based at least in part on the driver'"'"'s skill level.

9. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

alert the driver regarding the challenging driving environment.

10. A computer-implemented method for a vehicle, comprising:

identifying an attention factor associated with at least one vehicle function;

identifying a challenging driving environment, the identification being;

(1) based at least in part on information regarding a driving condition, and (2) with respect to the at least one vehicle function, based at least in part on the attention factor; and

selectively preventing a driver from accessing one or more vehicle functions based on the challenging driving environment.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the driving condition is associated with at least one of:

vehicle speed, vehicle direction, vehicle acceleration, vehicle altitude, vehicle location, environmental temperature, environmental barometric pressure, environmental weather conditions, traffic conditions, and road conditions.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the information regarding the driving condition is received from one or more sensors associated with the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the information regarding the driving condition is received from a remote source via a communications interface associated with the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving an indication of the driver'"'"'s skill level;

wherein the identification of the challenging driving environment is based at least in part on the driver'"'"'s skill level.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

alerting the driver regarding the challenging driving environment;

wherein the alert is based at least in part on the driver'"'"'s skill level.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

alerting the driver to the existence of the challenging driving environment.

17. A system, comprising:

one or more sensors associated with a vehicle; and

a computing device in communication with the one or more sensors, the computing device comprising one or more processors for controlling the operations of the computing device and a memory for storing data and program instructions used by the one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to;

identify an attention factor associated with at least one vehicle function;

identify a challenging driving environment, the identification being;

(1) based at least in part on information received from the one or more sensors regarding a driving condition, and (2) with respect to the at least one vehicle function, based at least in part on the attention factor; and

selectively prevent a driver from accessing one or more vehicle functions based on the challenging driving environment.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute instructions stored in memory to:

alert the driver regarding the challenging driving environment by automatically switching an interactive display to a display screen related to the challenging driving environment.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the challenging driving environment is a traffic condition, and the interactive display is switched to display navigation information.

20. The system according to claim 18, wherein the challenging driving environment is a weather condition, and the interactive display is switched to display weather information.