Systems and methods for driver improvement

• US 9,613,466 B1
• Filed: 10/07/2013
• Issued: 04/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brian Lee Bullock
• Original Assignee: Brian Lee Bullock
• Inventors: Bullock, Brian Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Mawari, Redhwan k
• Application Number:
  US14/047,980
• Time in Patent Office: 1,275 Days
• Field of Search: 701101, 701 23, 701400, 701300
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01068 between different sensors and airbag control unit
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0132 responsive to vehicle motion parameters , e.g. to vehicle longitudinal or transversal deceleration or speed value
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• 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: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/00 Registering or indicating the working of vehicles

Abstract

Disclosed are systems and methods for driver performance assessment and improvement. The systems and methods may be: active for warning purposes only; passive for monitoring purposes only; and active and passive. Any of the foregoing system and methods may be cooperative as well.

Claims

1. A driver improvement method comprising:

one of inputting via a global positioning satellite (GPS) enabled computer and pre-installing onto the GPS enabled computer information on vehicle configuration and load parameters;

automatically, via the GPS enabled computer, locating the vehicle and determining its direction of travel and speed once driving is underway;

automatically, via the GPS enabled computer, selecting a road segment that the vehicle is traversing from a linked map data base that contains accurate three dimensional characterizations of road centerlines, curve radii and slopes;

automatically, via the GPS enabled computer, calculating a recommended safe speed (RSS) or selecting the RSS from a data base that has been created by previously calculating the RSS that the vehicle can use to transit a next road segment from the information on vehicle configuration and load parameters along with the curve radii and slopes; and

automatically, via the GPS enabled computer, providing the RSS to a driver in the form of an alert.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting a road segment that the vehicle is traversing comprises selecting a road segment that the vehicle is traversing from a linked map data base that contains accurate three dimensional characterizations of road centerlines, curve radii and slopes, and pre-calculated RSSs for various vehicle types, loads and trailer configurations.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising automatically, via the GPS enabled computer, predicting the path of the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the GPS enabled computer is an on-board GPS enabled computer.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the GPS enabled computer is one of a factory installed navigation system, a factory installed GPS tracking system, an after-market stand-alone GPS navigation system, an after-market stand-alone GPS tracking system, a smartphone, and a tablet computer.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

automatically, via the GPS enabled computer, recording actual measurements of lateral accelerations for each road segment and comparing the actual measurements to predicted lateral accelerations;

automatically, via the GPS enabled computer, estimating calculating bank angles by a difference between the measured lateral accelerations and the predicted lateral accelerations; and

automatically, via the GPS enabled computer, adding the bank angles to the database to improve subsequent forecasts of RSS.