Onboard system for mitigating distraction risk

• US 9,993,191 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2015
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thunder Power New Energy Vehicle Development Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Thunder Power New Energy Vehicle Development Company Limited
• Inventors: Lian, Po-Han
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, ABBY YEE
• Application Number:
  US14/981,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20170181684A1
• Time in Patent Office: 896 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 for determining or recording eye movement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0077 Devices for viewing the surface of the body, e.g. camera, magnifying lens
• 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 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/18 for vehicle drivers or machine operators
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7282 Event detection, e.g. detecting unique waveforms indicative of a medical condition A61B5/4094, A61B5/4818, A61B5/349, A61B5/0823 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/55 Remote control arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/569 Vehicle controlling mobile device functions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/573 Mobile devices controlling vehicle functions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/586 Wired data transfers
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/589 Wireless data transfers
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/5899 Internet
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/592 Data transfer involving external databases
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/06 responsive to incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/65 Instruments specially adapted for specific vehicle types or users, e.g. for left- or right-hand drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/654 the user being the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/80 Arrangements for controlling instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/85 Arrangements for transferring vehicle- or driver-related data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0095 : Automatic control mode change
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/22 : Psychological state; Stress level or workload
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/221 : Physiology, e.g. weight, heartbeat, health or special needs
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/26 : Incapacity
• 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

Abstract

Described herein is an onboard vehicle system capable of determining that a driver of a vehicle is distracted and implementing one or more distraction settings to mitigate unsafe driving conditions. In some embodiments, the onboard vehicle system includes one or more input sensors configured to gather input related to a driver, one or more component adjusters configured to adjust attributes of a vehicle component, and a processor device configured to receive input from the one or more input sensors, determine whether the driver is distracted, and activate the one or more component adjusters. In some embodiments, the onboard vehicle system may be in communication with a service provider computer configured to maintain a user account for a driver along with a driver distraction profile.

Claims

1. An onboard vehicle apparatus operatively connected to a service provider computer configured to store profiles of drivers, the on-board vehicle apparatus comprising:

one or more input sensors;

one or more component adjusters communicatively coupled to one or more components of a vehicle, wherein the one or more component adjusters include a brake force adjuster attached to a master cylinder of a braking system of the vehicle and a throttle adjuster attached to a throttle system of the vehicle; and

a processor device configured to;

receive a profile of a driver of the vehicle, wherein the profile of the driver includes indication information indicating the driver is distracted when a condition of the driver is detected;

transmit the profile of the driver to a service provider computer for updating a corresponding profile of the driver stored at the service provider computer;

receive input from the one or more input sensors, the input related to the condition of the driver;

transmit the sensor input to the service provider computer via an on-board antenna for determining whether the driver is distracted based on the profile of the driver stored at the service provider computer;

receive a determination from the service provider computer via the antenna that the driver is determined to be distracted based on the sensor input and the profile of the driver; and

in response to receiving the determination by the service provider computer that the driver is distracted, send signals to the brake force adjuster and the throttle adjuster, the signals instructing the brake force adjuster to cause an increased brake sensitivity of the braking system by increasing a hydraulic pressure of the braking system of the vehicle and instructing the throttle adjuster to cause a decreased gas pedal sensitivity by decreasing an output of the throttle system.

2. The onboard vehicle apparatus of claim 1, wherein the indication information indicates that the driver is distracted if the driver is detected to use only one hand to control a steering wheel of the vehicle.

3. The onboard vehicle apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more input sensors is configured to capture input associated with an operator of the onboard vehicle apparatus.

4. The onboard vehicle apparatus of claim 3, wherein the one or more input sensors includes at least one of a pressure sensor, a heartrate sensor, a thermometer, a sweat sensor, a camera device configured to capture facial expressions, and eye-tracking cameras configured to track eye movements.

5. A method for detecting whether a driver of a vehicle is distracted, the method being implemented by a processor on-board the vehicle, the method comprising:

receive a profile of a driver of the vehicle, wherein the profile of the driver includes indication information indicating the driver is distracted when a condition of the driver is detected;

transmit the profile of the driver to a service provider computer for updating a corresponding profile of the driver stored at the service provider computer;

receiving, from one or more input sensors, input related to a driver of a vehicle;

transmit the sensor input to the service provider computer via an on-board antenna for determining whether the driver is distracted based on the profile of the driver stored at the service provider computer;

receiving a determination from the service provider computer via the antenna that the driver is determined to be distracted based on the sensor input and the profile of the driver;

in response to receiving the determination that the driver is likely distracted, send signals to a brake force adjuster and a throttle adjustor of the vehicle, the signals instructing the brake force adjuster to cause an increased brake sensitivity of a braking system of the vehicle by increasing a hydraulic pressure of the braking system and instructing the throttle adjustor to cause a decreased gas pedal sensitivity by decreasing an output of a throttle system of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving additional input related to the driver;

determining, based at least in part on the additional input, that the driver is no longer distracted; and

in response to determining that the driver is no longer distracted, send a signal to the brake force adjuster to resume a normal brake sensitivity of the brake system.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more input sensors includes at least a heart rate sensor.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more input sensors includes at least a pressure sensor mounted on a steering wheel of the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the determination that the driver is distracted is made based on the input related to the driver exceeding a threshold value.

10. The method of claim 5, further comprising identifying a distraction profile associated with the driver of the vehicle, wherein the determination that the driver is likely distracted is made based at least in part on the distraction profile.

11. A vehicle onboard system, comprising:

one or more input sensors;

a processor device; and

a memory including instructions that, when executed with the processor device, cause the system to, at least;

receive a profile of a driver of a vehicle, wherein the profile of the driver includes indication information indicating the driver is distracted when a condition of the driver is detected;

transmit the profile of the driver to a service provider computer for updating a corresponding profile of the driver stored at the service provider computer;

capture, via the one or more input sensors, input information related to the condition of the driver;

transmit the sensor input to the service provider computer via an on-board antenna for determining whether the driver is distracted based on the profile of the driver stored at the service provider computer;

receive a determination from the service provider computer via the antenna that the driver is determined to be distracted based on the sensor input including values outside of an acceptable range as indicated by the profile of the driver; and

in response to the determination that the driver is exhibiting distracted driving behavior, send signals to a brake force adjuster and a throttle adjuster of the vehicle, the signals instructing the brake force adjuster to cause an increased brake sensitivity of the braking system by increasing a hydraulic pressure of the braking system of the vehicle and instructing the throttle adjuster of the vehicle to cause a decreased gas pedal sensitivity by decreasing an output of a throttle system of the vehicle.

12. The vehicle onboard system of claim 11, wherein the acceptable range is specific to the driver.

13. The vehicle onboard system of claim 12, wherein the acceptable range is provided to the processor device by a service provider computer.

14. The vehicle onboard system of claim 11, wherein the acceptable range is calculated from an average input collected over a period of time.