Occupant alertness-based navigation

• US 9,937,792 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2016
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Nania, Adrian
• Primary Examiner(s): Soofi, Yazan A
• Application Number:
  US15/209,344
• Publication Number:
  US 20180015825A1
• Time in Patent Office: 636 Days
• Field of Search: 701 45
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/066 actuating a signalling device B60K28/063 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 5/005 automatically actuated
• 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: G01C 21/3605 Destination input or retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0476 Cameras to detect unsafe condition, e.g. video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for occupant alertness-based navigation. An example vehicle includes a camera and an occupant monitor. The example camera is affixed to a rear-view mirror of the vehicle to detect drowsiness events associated with a driver. The example occupant monitor is to, in response to detecting, with the camera, a first drowsiness event, provide feedback to a driver. Additionally, the example occupant monitor is to, in response to detecting a second drowsiness event after the first, select an accommodation in the geographic vicinity of the vehicle, and set a navigation system to navigate to the selected accommodation.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a camera affixed to a rear-view mirror to detect drowsiness events; and

an occupant monitor to;

in response to detecting, with the camera, a first drowsiness event, provide feedback to a driver; and

in response to detecting a second drowsiness event after the first;

select an accommodation in a geographic vicinity of the vehicle; and

automatically set a navigation system to navigate to the selected accommodation.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the occupant monitor is to, in response to detecting the second drowsiness event after the first, prompt the driver, via an infotainment head unit, to reserve a room at the selected accommodation.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the occupant monitor is to select the accommodation based on at least one of a distance between a location of the vehicle and a location of the accommodation, preferences specified by the driver during a registration process, availability of rooms at the accommodation, or a price of the rooms at the accommodation.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the occupant monitor is to, in response to detecting a third drowsiness event after the second, automatically reserve a room at the selected accommodation.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the feedback is at least one of an audio, visual, or haptic alert.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the camera includes integrated facial-feature recognition with infrared thermal imaging.

19. The vehicle of claim 4, including after automatically reserve a room at the selected accommodation, provide the feedback to the driver until the vehicle reaches the selected accommodation, the feedback being at least one of an audio, visual, or haptic alert.

20. The vehicle of claim 19, including increasing an intensity of the feedback after automatically reserve the room at the selected accommodation.

7. A method of mitigating drowsiness of a driver of a vehicle comprising:

monitoring, with a camera affixed to a rear-view mirror, the driver to detect drowsiness events; and

in response to detecting a first drowsiness event, providing, via a processor, feedback to the driver; and

in response to detecting a second drowsiness event after the first during;

selecting an accommodation in a geographic vicinity of the vehicle; and

automatically setting a navigation system to navigate to the selected accommodation.

8. The method of claim 7, including in response to detecting the second drowsiness event after the first, prompting the driver, via an infotainment head unit, to reserve a room at the selected accommodation.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein selecting the accommodation is based on at least one of a distance between a location of the vehicle and a location of the accommodation, preferences specified by the driver during a registration process, availability of rooms at the accommodation, or a price of the rooms at the accommodation.

10. The method of claim 7, including in response to detecting a third drowsiness event after the second, automatically reserving, with the processor, a room at the selected accommodation.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the feedback is at least one of an audio, visual, or haptic alert.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the camera includes integrated facial-feature recognition with infrared thermal imaging.

13. A tangible computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a vehicle to:

monitor, with a camera affixed to a rear-view mirror, a driver to detect drowsiness events; and

in response to detecting a first drowsiness event, provide feedback to the driver; and

in response to detecting a second drowsiness event after the first;

select an accommodation in a geographic vicinity of the vehicle; and

automatically set a navigation system to navigate to the selected accommodation.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the vehicle to, in response to detecting the second drowsiness event after the first, prompt the driver, via an infotainment head unit, to reserve a room at the selected accommodation.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the accommodation is selected based on at least one of a distance between a location of the vehicle and a location of the accommodation, preferences specified by the driver during a registration process, availability of rooms at the accommodation, or a price of the rooms at the accommodation.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the vehicle to, in response to detecting a third drowsiness event after the second, automatically reserve a room at the selected accommodation.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the feedback is at least one of an audio, visual, or haptic alert.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the camera includes integrated facial-feature recognition with infrared thermal imaging.