Apparatuses, systems and methods for determining distracted drivers associated with vehicle driving routes

• US 10,407,079 B1
• Filed: 11/27/2017
• Issued: 09/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Original Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Inventors: Chan, Aaron Scott, Sanchez, Kenneth J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Jack K
• Application Number:
  US15/822,869
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• Field of Search: 340439
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/302 combining image information with GPS information or vehicle data, e.g. vehicle speed, gyro, steering angle data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0872 Driver physiology
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/229 Attention level, e.g. attentive to driving, reading or sleeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/30 Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/34 Smoothing or thinning of the pattern; Morphological operations; Skeletonisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

Apparatuses, systems and methods are provided for determining vehicle driver distractions. More particularly, apparatuses, systems and methods are provided for determining distracted drivers associated with vehicle driving routes based on postures of vehicle occupants.

Claims

1. A device for determining distracted drivers associated with vehicle driving routes, the device comprising:

a vehicle interior data receiving module stored on a memory that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to receive vehicle interior data from at least one vehicle interior sensor, wherein the vehicle interior data is representative of distractions of at least one vehicle occupant, wherein at least one distraction of the at least one vehicle occupant is associated with a range of movement of the at least one vehicle occupant, and wherein the range of movement is representative of a skeletal diagram of the at least one vehicle occupant;

a vehicle location data receiving module stored on the memory that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to receive vehicle location data from at least one vehicle location sensor, wherein the vehicle location data is representative of a vehicle location;

a vehicle driving route distraction data generation module stored on the memory that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to generate vehicle driving route distraction data based on the vehicle interior data and the vehicle location data, wherein the vehicle driving route distraction data is representative of vehicle driving routes that include at least one distracted driver; and

a vehicle driving route distraction data transmission module stored on the memory that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to transmit the vehicle driving route distraction data to a remote computing device.

2. The device as in claim 1, wherein the at least one vehicle interior sensor is selected from:

at least one digital image sensor, at least one ultra-sonic sensor, at least one radar-sensor, at least one infrared light sensor, or at least one laser light sensor.

3. The device as in claim 1, wherein the vehicle location sensor is selected from:

at least one global positioning sensor (GPS) sensor, at least one all source positioning and navigation (ASPN) sensor, or at least one global navigation satellite system (GLONASS) sensor.

4. The device as in claim 1, wherein the vehicle interior data is representative of a three-dimensional representation of at least one occupant within the vehicle interior, and wherein the range of movement is representative of a posture that the at least one vehicle occupant was orientated for a longest period of time within an associated drive time.

5. The device as in claim 1, further comprising:

a previously classified vehicle interior data receiving module stored on the memory that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to receive previously classified vehicle interior data, wherein the previously classified vehicle interior data is representative of circumstances associated with vehicle occupant distractions; and

a vehicle occupant distraction data generation module stored on the memory that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to generate vehicle occupant distraction data based on a comparison of the vehicle interior data with the previously classified vehicle interior data, and wherein the vehicle driving route distraction data is further based on the vehicle occupant distraction data.

6. The device as in claim 1, wherein the current image data includes images and/or extracted image features that are representative of a vehicle occupant using a cellular telephone, a vehicle occupant looking out a vehicle side window, a vehicle occupant adjusting a vehicle radio, a vehicle occupant adjusting a vehicle heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, two vehicle occupants talking with one-another, a vehicle occupant reading a book or magazine, a vehicle occupant putting on makeup, or a vehicle occupant looking at themselves in a mirror.

7. The device as in claim 1, wherein the previously classified image data includes images and/or extracted image features that have previously been classified as being representative of a vehicle occupant using a cellular telephone, a vehicle occupant looking out a vehicle side window, a vehicle occupant adjusting a vehicle radio, a vehicle occupant adjusting a vehicle heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, two vehicle occupants talking with one-another, a vehicle occupant reading a book or magazine, a vehicle occupant putting on makeup, or a vehicle occupant looking at themselves in a mirror.

8. A computer-implemented method for determining distracted drivers associated with vehicle driving routes, the method comprising:

receiving, at a processor or a computing device, vehicle interior data from at least one vehicle interior sensor, wherein the vehicle interior data is representative of distractions of at least one vehicle occupant, wherein at least one of the distractions of the at least one vehicle occupant is associated with a range of movement of the at least one vehicle occupant, and wherein the range of movement is representative of a posture that the at least one vehicle occupant was orientated for a longest period of time within an associated drive time;

receiving, at the processor or the computing device, vehicle location data from at least one vehicle location sensor, wherein the vehicle location data is representative of a vehicle location;

generating, using the processor of the computing device, vehicle driving route distraction data based on the vehicle interior data and the vehicle location data, wherein the vehicle driving route distraction data is representative of vehicle driving routes that include distractions; and

transmitting, using the processor of the computing device, the vehicle driving route distraction data to a remote computing device.

9. The method as in claim 8, wherein the at least one vehicle interior sensor is selected from:

at least one digital image sensor, at least one ultra-sonic sensor, at least one radar-sensor, at least one infrared light sensor, or at least one laser light sensor.

10. The method as in claim 8, wherein the vehicle location sensor is selected from:

at least one global positioning sensor (GPS) sensor, at least one all source positioning and navigation (ASPN) sensor, or at least one global navigation satellite system (GLONASS) sensor.

11. The method as in claim 8, wherein the vehicle interior data is representative of a three-dimensional representation of at least one occupant within the vehicle interior.

12. The method as in claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, at the processor of the computing device, previously classified vehicle interior data, wherein the previously classified vehicle interior data is representative of circumstances associated with vehicle occupant distractions; and

generating, using the processor of the computing device, vehicle occupant distraction data based on a comparison of the vehicle interior data with the previously classified vehicle interior data, and wherein the vehicle driving route distraction data is further based on the vehicle occupant distraction data.

13. The method as in claim 8, wherein the current image data includes images and/or extracted image features that are representative of vehicle occupant locations/orientations, cellular telephone locations/orientations, vehicle occupant eye locations/orientations, vehicle occupant head location/orientation, vehicle occupant hand location/orientation, a vehicle occupant torso location/orientation, a seat belt location, or a vehicle seat location/orientation.

14. The method as in claim 8, wherein the previously classified image data includes images and/or extracted image features that have previously been classified as being representative of known vehicle occupant locations/orientations, known cellular telephone locations/orientations, known vehicle occupant eye locations/orientations, known vehicle occupant head location/orientation, known vehicle occupant hand location/orientation, a known vehicle occupant torso location/orientation, a known seat belt location, or a known vehicle seat location/orientation.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to determine distracted drivers associated with vehicle driving routes, the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:

a vehicle interior data receiving module that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to receive vehicle interior data from at least one vehicle interior sensor, wherein the vehicle interior data is representative of distractions of at least one vehicle occupant, wherein at least one distraction of the at least one vehicle occupant is associated with a range of movement of the at least one vehicle occupant;

a vehicle location data receiving module that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to receive vehicle location data from at least one vehicle location sensor, wherein the vehicle location data is representative of a vehicle location;

a vehicle driving route distraction data generation module that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to generate vehicle driving route distraction data based on the vehicle interior data and the vehicle location data, wherein the vehicle driving route distraction data is representative of vehicle driving routes that include a distracted driver; and

a vehicle driving route distraction data transmission module that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to transmit the vehicle driving route distraction data to a remote computing device.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in claim 15, further comprising:

a previously classified vehicle interior data receiving module that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to receive previously classified vehicle interior data, wherein the previously classified vehicle interior data is representative of circumstances associated with vehicle occupant distractions; and

a vehicle occupant distraction data generation module that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to generate vehicle occupant distraction data based on a comparison of the vehicle interior data with the previously classified vehicle interior data, and wherein the vehicle driving route distraction data is further based on the vehicle occupant distraction data.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in claim 15, wherein the vehicle interior data is representative of a three-dimensional representation of at least one occupant within the vehicle interior, and wherein the range of movement is representative of a skeletal diagram of the at least one vehicle occupant.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in claim 15, wherein the current image data includes images and/or extracted image features that are representative of a vehicle occupant using a cellular telephone, a vehicle occupant looking out a vehicle side window, a vehicle occupant adjusting a vehicle radio, a vehicle occupant adjusting a vehicle heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, two vehicle occupants talking with one-another, a vehicle occupant reading a book or magazine, a vehicle occupant putting on makeup, or a vehicle occupant looking at themselves in a mirror, vehicle occupant locations/orientations, cellular telephone locations/orientations, vehicle occupant eye locations/orientations, vehicle occupant head location/orientation, vehicle occupant hand location/orientation, a vehicle occupant torso location/orientation, a seat belt location, or a vehicle seat location/orientation.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in claim 15, wherein the previously classified image data includes images and/or extracted image features that have previously been classified as being representative of a vehicle occupant using a cellular telephone, a vehicle occupant looking out a vehicle side window, a vehicle occupant adjusting a vehicle radio, a vehicle occupant adjusting a vehicle heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, two vehicle occupants talking with one-another, a vehicle occupant reading a book or magazine, a vehicle occupant putting on makeup, a vehicle occupant looking at themselves in a mirror, known vehicle occupant locations/orientations, known cellular telephone locations/orientations, known vehicle occupant eye locations/orientations, known vehicle occupant head location/orientation, known vehicle occupant hand location/orientation, a known vehicle occupant torso location/orientation, a known seat belt location, or a known vehicle seat location/orientation.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in claim 15, wherein the previously classified image data is representative of a three-dimensional representation of at least one occupant within the vehicle interior.