System and method for responding to driver behavior

• US 9,505,402 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2014
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• 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:
  US14/315,726
• Publication Number:
  US 20140309881A1
• Time in Patent Office: 887 Days
• Field of Search: 340/576, 340/426.11, 340/439, 701/51, 701/70, 701/1, 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 one or more vehicle systems in a motor vehicle, comprising:

receiving monitoring information from a monitoring system, wherein the monitoring information is a degree of eye movement of a driver and a degree of head movement of the driver;

determining a body state index for the driver using the monitoring information;

determining a control coefficient, wherein the control coefficient varies as a function of the body state index;

modifying a control parameter of the one or more vehicle systems based on the body state index, control coefficient, and an initial threshold, wherein the control parameter is used to control a level of operation of a function of the one or more vehicle systems, 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 function of the one or more vehicle systems by modifying the level of operation of the function based on the control parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more vehicle systems is a visual device for providing interior lighting in the motor vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the visual device is one or more cabin lights.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the level of operation of the function is a brightness level and modifying control of the function of the one or more vehicle systems by modifying the level of operation of the function includes modifying the brightness level of the visual device based on the control parameter.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the modifying control of the function of the one or more vehicle systems by modifying the brightness level of the visual device further includes modifying the brightness level in proportion to the control parameter.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the control parameter is an activation threshold for a visual device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the control parameter is a brightness threshold for a visual device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more vehicle systems is a tactile device including a vehicle seat.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein modifying the the level of operation of the function of the one or more vehicle systems includes modifying a level of rigidity of the vehicle seat based on the control parameter.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more vehicle systems is a plurality of visual devices for providing interior lighting.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein modifying the level of operation of the function of the one or more vehicle systems includes modifying a level of operation of a function of each of the plurality of visual devices based on the control parameter.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the degree of eye movement and the degree of head movement are relative to a reference location of the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring information is received from a proximity sensor disposed in a headrest of the motor vehicle.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring information is received from an optical sensing device to provide the degree of eye movement or the degree of head movement relative to a reference location of the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring information is received from a thermal sensing device to provide the degree of eye movement or the degree of head movement relative to a reference location of the vehicle.

16. A method of controlling one or more vehicle systems in a motor vehicle, comprising:

receiving monitoring information from a monitoring system including a degree of head movement of a driver relative to a reference location in the vehicle;

determining a body state index for the driver using the monitoring information and the degree of head movement of the driver relative to the reference location in the vehicle;

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

determining a control parameter based on the body state index and the control coefficient; and

operating the vehicle system using the control parameter.

17. The method of claim 16, 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.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the vehicle system is a visual device for providing interior lighting and the control parameter is a system status for turning the visual device ON or OFF.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the vehicle system is a visual device for providing interior lighting and the control parameter is a system status for adjusting the brightness of the visual device.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the monitoring information further includes eye movement information of the driver.

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

a monitoring system for providing monitoring information to a response system, the response system for determining a body state index for a driver using the monitoring information;

the response system for determining a visual device control coefficient, wherein the control coefficient varies as a function of the body state index; and

a calculation unit for determining a control parameter based on the visual device control coefficient, wherein the control parameter is a level of control that controls operation of a feature of a visual device, wherein the feature is an operating parameter of the visual device, and wherein the response system modifies the feature of the visual device using the control parameter.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the monitoring system includes a proximity sensor disposed in a headrest of the motor vehicle to receive head movement information.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the monitoring system includes an optical sensing device to provide eye movement information or head movement information.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the monitoring system includes a thermal sensing device to provide eye movement information or head movement information.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the control parameter is an activation threshold and the response system further determines an initial threshold using the monitoring information.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the response system further modifies the initial threshold using the monitoring information and the control coefficient.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the visual device provides interior lighting and the control parameter is a level of control that controls the operation of a system status of the visual device, wherein the system status is an ON or OFF operating parameter of the visual device for turning the visual device ON or OFF.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the visual device provides interior lighting and the control parameter is a level of control that controls the operation of a system status of the visual device, wherein the system status is a brightness operating parameter of the visual device for adjusting the brightness of the visual device.