Method for calculating a response time

• US 9,558,414 B1
• Filed: 07/28/2015
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Schmidt, Gerald, Schramm, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stroud, James E
• Application Number:
  US14/811,414
• Publication Number:
  US 20170032200A1
• Time in Patent Office: 553 Days
• Field of Search: 701/23
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0818 Inactivity or incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/221 Physiology, e.g. weight, heartbeat, health or special needs
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 related to drivers or passengers
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms

Abstract

A method for calculating a response time is described. The response time is required in order to direct the attention of a vehicle'"'"'s driver at the traffic on the road. The driver is monitored by sensors and a state of attentiveness of the driver is ascertained. The state of attentiveness is used to calculate a value, to which an anticipated response time is assigned. Further a method for operating a motor vehicle, a computer program product and a correspondingly equipped motor vehicle are described.

Claims

1. A method for calculating a response time required to direct the attention of a driver of a vehicle at a situation on the road, the vehicle including at least one computing unit, the method comprising:

monitoring the driver with at least one sensor to determine at least one driver characteristic data;

communicating the at least one driver characteristic data from the at least one sensor to the computing unit;

ascertaining within the computing unit a state of attentiveness of the driver based on the at least one driver characteristic data;

calculating within the computing unit at least one value based on the state of attentiveness; and

assigning a response time to the driver based on the at least one valve.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein monitoring of the driver is carried out at a regular interval.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein monitoring of the driver is continuously carried out over at an interval.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the driver characteristic is selected from the group consisting of a tiredness state, a direction of attention and a gesture state.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the driver characteristic comprises the tiredness state determined from one or more of the following:

the driver'"'"'s eyes, the position of the driver'"'"'s head and the angle of the driver'"'"'s head.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the driver characteristic comprises the gesture state determined by from an accumulated hand-arm travel of the driver.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the state of attentiveness includes a plurality of classifications, each having a value assigned thereto, and wherein several aspects of the state of attentiveness are ascertained and a value is determined for each aspect.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein a response time is assigned to the one or more values in a table, wherein the response time in the table is determined by way of the value.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising accounting for at least one vehicle aspect when assigning the response time.

10. A method for operating a motor vehicle, wherein the method is carried out according to claim 1.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the motor vehicle drives in an autonomous manner.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising ascertaining a traffic situation, and signaling a take-over request to the driver as result of the method according to claim 1.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising adapting the take-over request to match the state of attentiveness of the driver in terms of time and quality.

14. A computer program product with a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having commands embedded therein which when executed on a computing unit cause

monitoring of a driver of a vehicle with at least one sensor to determine at least one driver characteristic data;

communicating the at least one driver characteristic data from the at least one sensor to the computing unit within the vehicle;

ascertaining within the computing unit a state of attentiveness of the driver based on the at least one driver characteristic data;

calculating within the computing unit at least one value based on the state of attentiveness; and

assigning a response time to the driver based on the at least one value.

15. A motor vehicle comprising a sensor array monitoring the attentiveness of a driver of the vehicle, wherein the motor vehicle, and a storage medium operably coupled with a computer program product executable on a computing unit within the vehicle to cause,

monitoring of the driver of the vehicle with the sensor array to determine at least one driver characteristic data;

communicating the at least one driver characteristic data from the sensor array to the computing unit;

ascertaining within the computing unit a state of attentiveness of the driver based on the at least one driver characteristic data;

calculating within the computing unit at least one value based on the state of attentiveness; and

assigning a response time to the driver based on the at least one value.

16. The motor vehicle according to claim 15, wherein the sensor array includes at least one sensor selected from the group consisting of a camera, a stereo camera, an ultrasound sensor, an infrared sensor or a combination thereof.