Method, measuring device and control unit for adaptation of vehicle convoy control

• US 9,721,474 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2013
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Scania CV AB (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Scania CV AB (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Eskilson, Anders
• Primary Examiner(s): KLEINMAN, LAIL A
• Application Number:
  US14/430,722
• Publication Number:
  US 20150243172A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,412 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0533 Measuring galvanic skin response
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14546 for measuring analytes not otherwise provided for, e.g. ions, cytochromes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/163 by tracking eye movement, gaze, or pupil change
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/18 for vehicle drivers or machine operators
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4266 sweat secretion
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0872 Driver physiology
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/22 Psychological state; Stress level or workload
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 related to drivers or passengers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/22 Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

A method (400), control device (240) and measuring unit (230) for adapting a control algorithm having at least one driver-dependent parameter, which control algorithm governs the control of a vehicle convoy (200) in which at least a first vehicle 220A with a first driver (210A) and a second vehicle 220B with a second driver (210B) are included. The method includes measurement (401) of at least one physical characteristic of the first driver (210A), determination (402) of the stress level of the driver based on the performed measurement (401), and adaptation (403) of the control algorithm to the determined (402) stress level of the driver.

Claims

1. A method for governing control of a vehicle convoy, the convoy comprising at least a first vehicle with a first driver and a second vehicle with a second driver, the method for governing including:

measuring at least one physical characteristic of the first driver indicative of or related to stress of the first driver;

determining automatically, by a data processor circuit, a stress level of the first driver based on the measured characteristic of the first driver;

adjusting automatically, by the data processor circuit, the control algorithm based on the determined stress level of the first driver, and the control algorithm for the vehicle convoy sending an indication of a stress alarm to other drivers, including the second driver, of vehicles in the vehicle convoy when the determined stress level of the first driver exceeds a respective selected limit value for the stress level; and

controlling automatically, by the data processor circuit, the vehicle convoy according to the adjusted control algorithm.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the measured physical characteristic of the first driver comprises at least one of:

systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, pulse, cardiac minute volume, vascular resistance, respiratory volume, respiratory rate, body temperature, skin temperature, blood adrenalin level, blood cortisol level, blood noradrenalin level, transpiration volume, amount of hand sweat exuded, electrical conductivity of the skin, eye movement, dilated nostrils, muscular tension, body movement, speech volume, voice strength and pupil size.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the measured physical characteristic of the first driver comprises at least one of a level change and a level change per unit of time in at least one measured physical characteristic of the first driver.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining of the stress level of the first driver based on the measuring of at the least one physical characteristic comprises a comparison between the measured value and a respective limit value of the characteristic.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting of the control algorithm comprises reducing a value of the physical characteristic of the first driver proportionally to the determined stress level of the first driver.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the adjusting of the control algorithm comprises mapping the determined stress level of the first driver against a corresponding reduced vehicle-controlling parameter value and inputting the reduced vehicle-controlling parameter value into the control algorithm.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting of the control algorithm comprises inserting a time filter, so that a length of a time delay in adjusting the control algorithm is proportional to the determined stress level of the first driver.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the measuring of the at least one physical characteristic of the first driver is performed by a measuring device configured to be connectable to a body part of the first driver.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising when the first driver is the first driver of a lead vehicle of the vehicle convoy and is determined to have a stress level which exceeds the limit value:

transferring control of the vehicle convoy to another driver in the vehicle convoy.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control algorithm for the vehicle convoy is configured to trigger an emergency stop of the vehicle convoy when the determined stress level of the first driver exceeds the limit value.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control algorithm for the vehicle convoy is configured to increase a distance between the vehicles in the vehicle convoy when the determined stress level of the first driver exceeds the limit value.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

sending information about measurement results for each individual driver of each vehicle in the vehicle convoy to at least one of a control system governing the control of the vehicle convoy and an external data storage unit in order to enable health analyses of the drivers in the vehicle convoy.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control algorithm is adjusted by at least one of:

a vehicle-controlling driver-dependent parameter comprising at least one of the following;

inclination of a gas pedal, inclination of a shift pedal, inclination of a brake pedal, change in inclination of the gas pedal, change in inclination of the shift pedal, change in inclination of the brake pedal, change in inclination of the gas pedal per unit of time, change in inclination of the shift pedal per unit of time, change in inclination of the brake pedal per unit of time, steering wheel deflection, and rate of change of steering wheel deflection; and

a driver-independent parameter selected from at least one of the following;

vehicle type, inclination of the vehicle, vehicle weight, comfort level, and engine rpm.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium incorporating a program of instructions configured to a control, when executed by a processor circuit, a vehicle according to the method of claim 1.

25. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control algorithm of the vehicle convoy affects and guides decisions regarding at least one of maneuvering, velocity regulation, gear shifting and vehicle spacing of the vehicle convoy.

26. The method according to claim 1, further comprising activating a starter interlock on the first vehicle when the measured physical characteristic of the first driver differs by a selected threshold value from a normal measure of the physical characteristic for the first driver.

15. A control unit for governing the control of a vehicle convoy comprising at least a first vehicle with a first driver and a second vehicle with a second driver the control unit configured to execute an adaptable control algorithm, the control unit comprising:

a communication module configured to receive a measurement result from a measurement of at least one physical characteristic of the first driver;

a processor circuit configured to determine, automatically, a stress level of the first driver based on the measurement, and also configured to adapt the control algorithm to the determined stress level of the first driver and send an indication of a stress alarm to other drivers of vehicles in the vehicle convoy when the determined stress level of the first driver exceeds a limit value; and

the processor circuit configured to control, automatically, the vehicle convoy according to the adapted control algorithm.

16. The control unit according to claim 15, wherein the measured physical characteristic of the first driver comprises at least one of:

systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, pulse, cardiac minute volume, vascular resistance, respiratory volume, respiratory rate, body temperature, skin temperature, blood adrenalin level, blood cortisol level, blood noradrenalin level, transpiration volume, amount of hand sweat exuded, electrical conductivity of the skin, eye movement, dilated nostrils, muscular tension, body movement, speech volume, voice strength and pupil size.

17. The control unit according to claim 15, wherein the measured physical characteristic of the first driver comprises at least one of a level change and a level change per unit of time, in at least one measured physical characteristic of the first driver.

18. The control unit according to claim 15, wherein the processor circuit is configured to determine the stress level of the first driver based on a comparison between the measured value and the limit value.

19. The control unit according to claim 15, wherein the processor circuit is configured to reduce or adjust a driver-dependent parameter value in proportion to the determined stress level of the first driver.

20. The control unit according to claim 15, wherein the processor circuit is configured to map the determined stress level of the first driver against a corresponding reduced parameter value and insert the reduced parameter value into the control algorithm.

21. The control unit according to claim 15, wherein the processor circuit is configured to insert a time filter, configured so that a length of a time delay in sending a stress measurement is proportional to the determined stress level of the first driver.

22. A system for governing a vehicle convoy, the convoy comprising at least a first vehicle with a first driver and a second vehicle with a second driver,

the system comprising:

a measuring device comprising a detector configured for measuring at least one physical characteristic indicative of or related to stress of the first driver;

a communication module configured to communicate a value of the measured physical characteristic to a control unit;

the control unit configured to determine, automatically, a stress level of the first driver based on the performed measurement, and to adapt the control algorithm to the determined stress level of the first driver and further to send an indication of a stress alarm to other drivers of vehicles in the vehicle convoy when the determined stress level of the first driver exceeds a limit value; and

the control unit configured controlling automatically the vehicle convoy according to the adapted control algorithm.

23. A vehicle comprising a system according to claim 22.

24. A vehicle convoy comprising at least two of the vehicles according to claim 23.