Distracted driving prevention

• US 9,949,098 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2015
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Archer, Adam G., Badwal, Herman S., Bobbitt, Robin Y., Lee-Shanok, Christopher M., Retchless, Robert, Taylor, Christopher N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Magloire, Vladimir
• Assistant Examiner(s): BRASWELL, DONALD H.B.
• Application Number:
  US14/926,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20170127255A1
• Time in Patent Office: 901 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/30 Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]

Abstract

A method and system enabling an initiator based process for preventing distracted driving is provided. The method includes continuously retrieving by a mobile device from a plurality of sensing devices, sensor data. The sensor data is analyzed and based on the analysis it is determined that a user of the mobile device is currently operating a vehicle. A message is generated indicating that the user is currently operating the vehicle. The message is transmitted to and stored by a server.

Claims

1. A distracted driving prevention method comprising:

continuously retrieving, by a computer processor of a mobile device from a plurality of sensing devices, sensor data;

analyzing, by said computer processor, said sensor data;

periodically requesting, by said computer processor via an accelerometer and a gyroscope of said mobile device, a current location of a user;

comparing, by said processor, each said current location to prior detected locations of said user;

first determining, by said processor based on results of said comparing, a movement type, a direction, and a speed associated with said user within a vehicle;

periodically measuring, by said processor, an intensity of a signal strength of said mobile device with respect to a plurality of wireless access points;

second determining, by said processor based on results of said periodically measuring, multiple positions of said user within said vehicle;

third determining, by said computer processor based on results of said analyzing, said first determining and said second determining, that said user of said mobile device is currently operating said vehicle;

generating, by said computer processor in response to said first determining, said second determining, and said third determining, a message indicating that said user is currently operating said vehicle;

transmitting, by said computer processor to a server, said message; and

storing within said server, by said computer processor, said message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of sensing devices are located in said vehicle or in said mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

additionally analyzing, by said computer processor, said sensor data;

additionally determining, by said computer processor based on results of said additionally analyzing, a status change indicating that said user is not currently operating said vehicle;

generating, by said computer processor in response to said additionally determining, an additional message indicating that said user is not currently operating said vehicle;

transmitting, by said computer processor to said server, said additional message; and

storing within said server, by said computer processor, said additional message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said message additionally indicates that said user should not be contacted during said operating said vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said message additionally indicates that said mobile device comprises driver assisted technology and that said user may be contacted, via said mobile device, during said operating said vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said mobile device comprises a device selected from the group consisting of a cellular phone, a headset based cellular phone, and a text to speech based cellular phone.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, by said mobile device to said server, communication data indicating each communication and associated time with respect to each cellular phone tower located on a route traveled during said operating said vehicle, wherein said communication data is used to determine disabled communications with respect to said mobile device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of sensing devices comprise a device selected from the group consisting of a GPS sensor, a motion sensor, an audio sensor, an infrared sensor, and a gear detection sensor.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said message is only visible to specified groups consisting of:

contacts of said user, all publically available contact groups, specified inclusion contact groups, and specified exclusion groups.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing at least one support service for at least one of creating, integrating, hosting, maintaining, and deploying computer-readable code in the computing system, said code being executed by the computer processor to implement;

said continuously retrieving, said analyzing, said determining, said generating, said transmitting, and said storing.

11. An initiator based distracted driving prevention method comprising:

receiving, by a computer processor of a mobile device belonging to an initiating user, a selection of a recipient;

transmitting to a server, by said computer processor in response to said selection, a request associated with initiating communications, via said mobile device, with said recipient;

receiving, by said computer processor from said server in response to said request, a message indicating that said recipient is currently operating a vehicle above a predetermined speed, said message generated by an additional mobile device belonging to said recipient based on an analysis process of sensor data retrieved from a plurality of sensing devices, wherein said analysis process comprises;

periodically requesting, via an accelerometer and a gyroscope of said additional mobile device, a current location of said recipient;

comparing, by said processor, each said current location to prior detected locations of said recipient;

second determining, based on results of said comparing, a movement type, a direction, and a speed associated with said recipient within said vehicle;

periodically measuring an intensity of a signal strength of said mobile device with respect to a plurality of wireless access points; and

third determining, based on results of said periodically measuring, multiple positions of said recipient within said vehicle;

presenting, by said computer processor to said initiating user via said mobile device, said message;

receiving, by said computer processor from said initiating user in response to said message, a command; and

executing, by said computer processor in response to said command, a communication process associated with said recipient.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said communication process comprises:

generating communication data, wherein the communication data comprises data selected from the group consisting of voice data and text data; and

transmitting said communication data to said additional mobile device.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said communication process comprises:

transmitting a status change notification request to said server, wherein said status change notification request is associated with generating a notification indicating a recipient status change with respect to said recipient currently operating said vehicle, and wherein said status change notification request is stored within said server;

receiving from said server, a status change message associated with said notification, wherein said status change message indicates that said user is not currently operating said vehicle;

presenting said status change message to said initiating user via said mobile device;

generating communication data, wherein the communication data comprises data selected from the group consisting of voice data and text data; and

automatically transmitting said communication data to said additional mobile device.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein said communication process comprises:

generating communication data;

storing said communication data within a queue;

transmitting a status change notification request to said server, wherein said status change notification request is associated with generating a notification indicating a recipient status change with respect to said recipient currently operating said vehicle, and wherein said status change notification request is stored within said server;

receiving from said server, a status change message associated with said notification, wherein said status change message indicates that said user is not currently operating said vehicle;

presenting said status change message to said initiating user via said mobile device; and

automatically transmitting from said queue, said communication data to said additional mobile device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said queue in located within said server.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said queue in located within said mobile device.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein said communication process further comprises:

modifying said communication data before said transmitting.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein said communication process further comprises:

authorizing automatic transmission of said communication data in response to detecting said status change message.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein said communication process comprises:

determining, by said computer processor, that said additional mobile device belonging to said recipient is operating in a hands free mode; and

enabling, by said computer processor to said additional mobile device belonging to said recipient, a telephone call to said additional mobile device belonging to said recipient.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein said communication process comprises:

determining, by said computer processor, that said additional mobile device belonging to said recipient is operating in a hands free mode; and

transmitting, by said computer processor to said additional mobile device belonging to said recipient, an audio based version of said text data.

21. The method of claim 11, further comprising

determining, by said computer processor, that said recipient has stopped said vehicle for a time period exceeding a predetermined threshold time;

analyzing, by said computer processor, traffic pattern data, traffic light based data, or mapping data in combination with a GPS position; and

determining, by said computer processor in response results of said analyzing, that said recipient is currently operating said vehicle.

22. A computer program product, comprising a computer readable hardware storage device storing a computer readable program code, said computer readable program code comprising an algorithm that when executed by a computer processor of a mobile device implements a distracted driving prevention method, said method comprising:

continuously retrieving, by said computer from a plurality of sensing devices;

sensor data;

analyzing, by said computer processor, said sensor data;

periodically requesting, by said computer processor via an accelerometer and a gyroscope of said mobile device, a current location of a user;

comparing, by said processor, each said current location to prior detected locations of said user;

first determining, by said processor based on results of said comparing, a movement type, a direction, and a speed associated with said user within a vehicle;

periodically measuring, by said processor, an intensity of a signal strength of said mobile device with respect to a plurality of wireless access points;

second determining, by said processor based on results of said periodically measuring, multiple positions of said user within said vehicle;

third determining, by said computer processor based on results of said analyzing, said first determining and said second determining, that said user of said mobile device is currently operating said vehicle;

generating, by said computer processor in response to said first determining, said second determining, and third determining, a message indicating that said user is currently operating said vehicle;

transmitting, by said computer processor to a server, said message;

and storing within said server, by said computer processor, said message.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein said plurality of sensing devices are located in said vehicle or in said mobile device.

24. A computer program product, comprising a computer readable hardware storage device storing a computer readable program code, said computer readable program code comprising an algorithm that when executed by a computer processor of a mobile device belonging to an initiating user implements initiator based distracted driving prevention method, said method comprising:

receiving, by said computer processor, a selection of a recipient;

transmitting to a server, by said computer processor in response to said selection, a request associated with initiating communications, via said mobile device, with said recipient;

receiving, by said computer processor from said server in response to said request, a message indicating that said recipient is currently operating a vehicle above a predetermined speed, said message generated by an additional mobile device belonging to said recipient based on an analysis process of sensor data retrieved from a plurality of sensing devices, wherein said analysis process comprises;

periodically requesting, via an accelerometer and a gyroscope of said additional mobile device, a current location of said recipient;

comparing, by said processor, each said current location to prior detected locations of said recipient;

second determining, based on results of said comparing, a movement type, a direction, and a speed associated with said recipient within said vehicle;

periodically measuring an intensity of a signal strength of said mobile device with respect to a plurality of wireless access points; and

third determining, based on results of said periodically measuring, multiple positions of said recipient within said vehicle;

presenting, by said computer processor to said initiating user via said mobile device, said message;

receiving, by said computer processor from said initiating user in response to said message, a command; and

executing, by said computer processor in response to said command, a communication process associated with said recipient.

25. A mobile device comprising a computer processor coupled to a computer-readable memory unit, said memory unit comprising instructions that when executed by the computer processor implements a distracted driving prevention method comprising:

continuously retrieving, by said computer from a plurality of sensing devices, sensor data;

analyzing, by said computer processor, said sensor data;

periodically requesting, by said computer processor via an accelerometer and a gyroscope of said mobile device, a current location of a user;

comparing, by said processor, each said current location to prior detected locations of said user;

first determining, by said processor based on results of said comparing, a movement type, a direction, and a speed associated with Said user within a vehicle;

periodically measuring, by said processor, an intensity of a signal strength of said mobile device with respect to a plurality of wireless access points;

second determining, by said processor based on results of said periodically measuring, multiple positions of said user within said vehicle;

third determining, by said computer processor based on results of said analyzing, said first determining and said second determining, that said user of said mobile device is currently operating said vehicle;

generating, by said computer processor in response to said first determining, said second determining, and said determining, a message indicating that said user is currently operating said vehicle;

transmitting, by said computer processor to a server, said message;

and storing within said server, by said computer processor, said message.