Coordinated vehicle response system and method for driver behavior

• US 9,873,437 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2015
• Issued: 01/23/2018
• 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): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): LI, CE LI
• Application Number:
  US14/878,295
• Publication Number:
  US 20160031479A1
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0257 Proximity sensors
• 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 5/1114 Tracking parts of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1122 of movement trajectories
• 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: A61B 5/6893 Cars
• 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 2040/0827 due to sleepiness
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0071 Controller overrides driver automatically
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/22 Psychological state; Stress level or workload
• 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 2552/53 : Road markings, e.g. lane marker or crosswalk
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 : Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4041 : Position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/802 : Longitudinal distance
• 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 50/12 : Limiting control by the driver depending on vehicle state, e.g. interlocking means for the control input for preventing unsafe operation
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/025 : Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation B62D1/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/00 : Arrangements for automatically controlling steering depending on driving conditions sensed and responded to, e.g. control circuits means for initiating a change in direction B62D1/00; steering valves B62D5/06; combined with means for inclining the vehicle body or wheels on bends B62D9/00
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/001 : the torque NOT being among the input parameters
• 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: 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
• 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 slow reaction time, attention lapse and/or alertness of a driver. 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 response system can modify the control of two or more systems simultaneously in response to driver behavior.

Claims

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

receiving monitoring information from a response system, the monitoring information including information about a rotation direction of a head of a driver with respect to the driver and the vehicle;

determining a body state index based on the monitoring information;

detecting a first hazard based on information received from a blind spot monitoring system;

detecting a second hazard based on the first hazard and information received from a lane keep assist system; and

controlling an electronic power steering system based on the body state index, the second hazard and the rotation direction of the head of the driver.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein detecting the first hazard further includes detecting a target vehicle in a blind spot monitoring zone of the vehicle based on the information received from the blind spot monitoring system.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein detecting the second hazard further includes detecting a lane deviation and a trajectory of the vehicle towards the lane deviation based on information received from the lane keep assist system, wherein the trajectory is toward the target vehicle in the blind spot monitoring zone.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein controlling the electronic power steering system includes controlling a counter torque of the electronic power steering in an opposing direction of the lane deviation and at a level based on the rotation direction of the head of the driver relative to a direction of the lane deviation.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein controlling the electronic power steering system includes controlling the counter torque at a level as a function of the rotation direction of the head relative to the direction of the lane deviation.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the counter torque increases as a relative distance increases between the rotation direction of the head and the direction of the lane deviation.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein controlling the electronic power steering system includes overriding control of the counter torque in response to information from a third vehicle system indicating a third hazard does not exist.

8. A method of controlling vehicle systems in a motor vehicle, comprising:

detecting a first hazard based on information received from a blind spot monitoring system;

detecting a second hazard based on the first hazard and information received from a lane keep assist system;

determining a body state index based on a rotation direction of a head of a driver, a degree of the rotation direction, and the second hazard, wherein the rotation direction is received as monitoring information from a response system; and

controlling an electronic power steering system based on the body state index and the second hazard.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein detecting the first hazard further includes detecting a target vehicle in a blind spot monitoring zone of the vehicle based on the information received from the blind spot monitoring system.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein detecting the second hazard further includes receiving a trajectory of the vehicle towards a lane deviation based on the information received from the lane keep assist system and determining if a direction of the trajectory is toward the target vehicle in the blind spot monitoring zone.

11. The method according claim 10, wherein determining the body state index further includes determining the degree of the rotation direction relative to the direction of the trajectory.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the body state index increases as the degree of the rotation increases.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein determining the body state index further includes determining the degree of the rotation direction relative to a direction of a lane deviation received from the lane keep assist system.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the body state index is increased as a function of the degree of the rotation direction.

15. A method of controlling vehicle systems in a motor vehicle, comprising:

receiving monitoring information from a response system, the monitoring information including information about a rotation direction of a head of a driver with respect to the driver and the vehicle;

determining a body state index based on the monitoring information;

detecting a first hazard based on information from a blind spot monitoring system;

upon detecting the first hazard, detecting a second hazard based on the information from the blind spot monitoring system and information from a lane keep assist system; and

upon detecting the second hazard, modifying control of an electronic power steering system based on the body state index and the information from the lane keep assist system.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the second hazard includes a lane deviation wherein a direction of the lane deviation is towards a target vehicle in a blind spot monitoring zone based on the information from the blind spot monitoring system and the information from the lane keep assist system.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein modifying control of the electronic power steering system further includes modifying a control type of the electronic power steering system as a function of the rotation direction of the head of the driver relative to the direction of the lane deviation.

18. The method according to claim 15, further including checking for a third hazard, the third hazard based on information from a third vehicle system.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein modifying the electronic power steering system further includes overriding control of the electronic power steering system in response to determining the third hazard does not exist.

20. The method according to claim 15, wherein the rotation direction of the head with respect to the driver and the vehicle includes a rotation direction towards the left with respect to a forward direction of the vehicle, a rotation direction towards the right with respect to the forward direction of the vehicle, a rotation direction towards the back with respect to the forward direction of the vehicle and a rotation direction forward with respect to the forward direction of the vehicle.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein modifying the electronic power steering system further includes modifying a control type of the electronic power steering system as a function of the rotation direction and information from the lane keep assist system.