Apparatus and method for disabling a driver facing camera in a driver monitoring system

• US 9,924,085 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2015
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC (Estate of Heinz Hermann Thiele)
• Original Assignee: Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC (Estate of Heinz Hermann Thiele)
• Inventors: Intagliata, Jon D
• Primary Examiner(s): Anyikire, Chikaodili E
• Application Number:
  US14/682,154
• Publication Number:
  US 20160301842A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/404 triggering from stand-by mode to operation mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30196 Human being; Person
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30268 Vehicle interior
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/20 Analysis of motion motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

Various examples of a driver monitoring apparatus and a method of disabling a driver facing camera are disclosed. A driver monitoring controller receives video images of a driver and transmits control messages to a driver facing camera. The driver monitoring controller receives a signal indicating that the driver desires to disable the driver facing camera. The driver monitoring controller receives messages indicating a vehicle state. The control logic of the driver monitoring controller disables the driver facing camera by transmitting a control message to disable the driver facing camera in response to a control input indicating the driver desires to disable the driver facing camera and a vehicle state message indicating a vehicle state does not meet a predetermined condition. The control logic of the driver monitoring controller enables the camera automatically in response to a vehicle state message indicating the vehicle state meets the predetermined condition.

Claims

1. A driver monitoring controller for a vehicle comprising:

A camera communications port for receiving video images of a driver and transmitting control messages to a driver facing camera;

a vehicle communications port for receiving messages indicating a vehicle state; and

control logic in communication with the camera communications port and the vehicle communications port, wherein the control logic disables the driver facing camera by transmitting a control message to disable the driver facing camera at the camera communications port in response to a message indicating the vehicle is stationary and the time period of the vehicle being stationary is greater than a predetermined time period wherein the predetermined time period is about 15 minutes; and

wherein the control logic enables the camera automatically in response to a vehicle state message indicating the vehicle state meets the predetermined condition.

2. The driver monitoring controller as in claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition is at least one of the vehicle speed exceeding a minimum speed, a detection of a forward object, and the vehicle out of the lane of travel.