System and method for responding to driver behavior

• US 9,296,382 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Fung, Kin C., Dick, Timothy J.
• Primary Examiner(s): MULLEN, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US13/843,249
• Publication Number:
  US 20130245886A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,110 Days
• Field of Search: 340/576, 340/575, 340/426.11, 340/426.19, 340/426.25, 340/426.32, 340/439, 340/429, 340/435, 340/457.1, 340/471, 701/1, 701/51, 701/70, 600/300, 600/301
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1103 Detecting eye twinkling
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14553 specially adapted for cerebral tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/18 for vehicle drivers or machine operators
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/06 responsive to incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/066 actuating a signalling device B60K28/063 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/03 Brake assistants
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/08 Lane monitoring; Lane Keeping Systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/12 Pre-actuation of braking systems without significant braking effect; Optimizing brake performance by reduction of play between brake pads and brake disc
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2220/02 Driver type; Driving style; Driver adaptive features
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/172 Determining control parameters used in the regulation, e.g. by calculations involving measured or detected parameters B60T8/17551 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/04 including control of propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/22 including control of suspension systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/30 including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0827 due to sleepiness
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/22 Psychological state; Stress level or workload
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/221 : Physiology, e.g. weight, heartbeat, health or special needs
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/229 : Attention level, e.g. attentive to driving, reading or sleeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/26 : Incapacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/30 : Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/40 : Coefficient of friction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/202 : Steering torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/30 : Auxiliary equipments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2754/10 : Spatial relation or speed relative to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2754/30 : Longitudinal distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2900/00 : Indexing codes relating to the purpose of, or problem solved of road vehicle drive control systems not otherwise provided for in groups B60W30/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/02 : Control of vehicle driving stability
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/08 : Active safety systems predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision or attempting to minimise its consequences
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 : Lane keeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 : Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 : related to drivers or passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 : Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/087 : where the control system corrects or modifies a request from the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 : Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/007 : adjustable by the driver, e.g. sport mode
• 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: 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: G08B 21/06 : indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 : for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 : Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

Methods of assessing driver behavior include monitoring vehicle systems and driver monitoring systems to accommodate for a driver'"'"'s slow reaction time, attention lapse and/or alertness. When it is determined that a driver is drowsy, for example, the response system may modify the operation of one or more vehicle systems. The systems that may be modified include: visual devices, audio devices, tactile devices, antilock brake systems, automatic brake prefill systems, brake assist systems, auto cruise control systems, electronic stability control systems, collision warning systems, lane keep assist systems, blind spot indicator systems, electronic pretensioning systems and climate control systems.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a vehicle system in a motor vehicle, comprising:

receiving monitoring information from a monitoring system, the monitoring information including information from the vehicle system and information about a state of a driver;

determining a body state index for the driver using the monitoring information, the body state index characterizing drowsiness of the driver, the monitoring information including information from the vehicle system and information about the state of the driver;

changing a control parameter of the vehicle system as a function of the body state index, wherein the control parameter is used to determine if a function of the vehicle system should be activated;

determining a control coefficient using the body state index, wherein the control coefficient varies as a function of the body state index, wherein determining the control parameter further includes using the control coefficient; and

modifying control of the vehicle system using the control parameter.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control parameter is an activation threshold and determining the activation threshold further includes determining an initial threshold using the monitoring information and modifying the initial threshold using the control coefficient.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the vehicle system is a blind spot indicator system and the activation threshold is a zone threshold for determining when an object has entered into a blind spot monitoring zone.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein determining the zone threshold further includes modifying the zone threshold in proportion to the control coefficient.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein operating the blind spot indicator system further includes modifying the blind spot monitoring zone using the zone threshold.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the vehicle system is an electronic stability control system.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the control coefficient is associated with a predetermined stability error.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein operating the electronic stability control system using the activation threshold further includes comparing the stability error to the activation threshold and modifying the electronic stability control system using the comparison.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the vehicle system is a low speed follow system and modifying control of the low speed follow system further includes setting the status of the low speed follow system using the control parameter.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein if the status of the low speed follow system is set to OFF using the control parameter, modifying control of the low speed follow system further includes increasing a headway distance with a preceding vehicle until the low speed follow system is OFF.

11. A system for controlling a vehicle system in a motor vehicle, comprising:

a monitoring system including one or more sensors, the sensors detecting monitoring information about a state of a driver, the monitoring system providing the monitoring information to a response system, the response system for determining a body state index for the driver using the monitoring information, the body state index characterizing drowsiness of the driver; and

a calculation unit for determining a control parameter based on the body state index and a control coefficient determined using the body state index, wherein the control parameter is determined directly from the body state index and the control coefficient, and wherein the response system modifies the operation of the vehicle system using the control parameter to activate a function of the vehicle system.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the control coefficient varies as a function of the body state index.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the calculation unit determines the control parameter using the control coefficient and the monitoring information.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the control parameter is an activation threshold and the response system further determines an initial threshold using the monitoring information.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the response system further modifies the initial threshold using the monitoring information and the control coefficient.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the vehicle system is a blind spot indicator system and the activation threshold is a zone threshold for determining when an object has entered into a blind spot monitoring zone.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the response system further sets the zone threshold by modifying the zone threshold in proportion to the control coefficient.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the response system modifies the operation of the blind spot indicator system by modifying the blind spot monitoring zone based on the zone threshold.

19. The system according to claim 15, wherein the vehicle system is an electronic stability control system.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein the control coefficient is associated with a predetermined stability error.

21. The system according to claim 20, wherein the response system modifies the operation of the electronic stability control system using the activation threshold by comparing the stability error to the activation threshold and modifying the electronic stability control system to increase stability based on the comparison.

22. The system according to claim 14, wherein the vehicle system is a low speed follow system and the response system modifies the operation of the low speed follow system by setting the status of the low speed follow system.

23. The system according to claim 22, wherein if the status of the low speed follow system is set to OFF using the control parameter, the response system increases a headway distance with a preceding vehicle of the low speed follow system until the low speed follow system is OFF.

24. A method of controlling a vehicle system in a motor vehicle, comprising:

receiving monitoring information from a monitoring system, the monitoring information including information about the vehicle system and a state of a driver;

determining a body state index for the driver using the monitoring information, the body state index characterizing drowsiness of the driver, wherein the monitoring information includes information about the vehicle system and the state of the driver;

modifying a control parameter of the vehicle system based on the body state index and an initial threshold, wherein the control parameter is an activation threshold of a function of the vehicle system and the initial threshold is determined according to the monitoring information, wherein modifying the control parameter further includes modifying the control parameter from the initial threshold as a function of the body state index; and

modifying control of the vehicle system using the control parameter.

25. The method according to claim 24, further including determining a control coefficient using the body state index, wherein the control coefficient varies as a function of the body state index.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein modifying the control parameter further includes using the control coefficient.

27. The method according to claim 25, wherein the control parameter includes modifying the control parameter in relationship to the initial threshold based on the control coefficient.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein modifying the control parameter further includes increasing or decreasing the control parameter from the initial threshold in proportion to the control coefficient.