Systems and methods for detecting and reducing distracted driving

• US 10,654,414 B1
• Filed: 07/11/2019
• Issued: 05/19/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Original Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Inventors: Csabi, Rachel, Flachsbart, Matthew T., Krishnaswamy, Pooja, Griswold-Steiner, Nils, Santana, Luis Eduardo, Billman, Bradly Jay
• Primary Examiner(s): Blount, Eric
• Application Number:
  US16/509,125
• Time in Patent Office: 313 Days
• Field of Search: 340576
• 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: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes

Abstract

A method includes receiving, with one or more processors, biometric information of a first user. The method also includes determining, with the one or more processors, whether there is an indication that the first user is distracted based on the biometric information. The method further includes receiving, with the one or more processors, vehicle speed information. The method also includes determining, with the one or more processors, whether there is an indication that the first user is driving based on the vehicle speed information. The method further includes in response to determining that the first user is distracted and that the first user is driving, instructing, with the one or more processors, a mobile device associated with the first user to contact a second user or a call center.

Claims

1. A system that detects and reduces distracted driving comprising:

a mobile electronic device communicatively coupled to a biometric sensor and a vehicle speed sensor, wherein the biometric sensor is configured to detect biometric information of a driver in a vehicle, wherein the vehicle speed sensor is configured to detect vehicle speed information of the vehicle, and wherein the mobile electronic device comprises one or more processors configured to;

determine that the driver is distracted based at least in part on the biometric information;

determine that the driver is driving the vehicle based at least in part on the vehicle speed information; and

in response to determining that the driver is distracted and driving, send an indication that the driver is distracted to a member of a social media network of the driver via a social media network software application.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the biometric information of the driver is a measure of one or more pupils of the driver.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors is configured to determine that the driver is distracted in response to performing pupil size analysis on one or more pupils of the driver.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the biometric information of the driver comprises pulse information of the driver, and wherein the one or more processors is configured to determine that the driver is distracted in response to determining that the pulse information is not within a threshold range of a normal pulse of the driver.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the biometric information of the driver comprises oxygen level information of the driver, and wherein the one or more processors is configured to determine that the driver is distracted in response to determining that the oxygen level information is not within a threshold range of a normal oxygen level of the driver.

6. A method that detects and reduces distracted driving comprising:

receiving, with one or more processors, biometric information of a user in a vehicle;

determining, with the one or more processors, that the user is distracted based at least in part on the biometric information;

receiving, with the one or more processors, vehicle speed information of the vehicle;

receiving, with the one or more processors, a location of the user;

determining, with the one or more processors, that the user is driving the vehicle based at least in part on the vehicle speed information; and

in response to determining that the user is distracted and that the user is driving, instructing, with the one or more processors, a mobile device associated with the user to send the location of the user and an indication that the user is distracted and driving to a computing device via a software application that is stored on the mobile device and the computing device, wherein the software application is an insurance company application.

7. The method of claim 6, comprising contacting, with the one or more processors, a call center of an insurance company associated with the insurance company application via the insurance company application.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein determining, with the one or more processors, that the user is driving comprises requesting that the user indicate whether the user is driving the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein determining, with the one or more processors, that the user is driving comprises determining a distance between the mobile device and a sensor of the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the biometric information of the user comprises eye position or eye movement information of the user, and wherein determining, with the one or more processors, that the user is distracted is based at least in part on analysis of the eye position or eye movement information.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the biometric information of the user comprises head position or head movement information of the user, and wherein determining, with the one or more processors, that the user is distracted is based at least in part on analysis of the head position or head movement information.

17. The method of claim 6, wherein determining, with the one or more processors, that the user is distracted comprises:

applying a weight to the biometric information; and

accumulating the weight with additional weights.

12. One or more tangible, non-transitory, machine-readable media comprising instructions that detect and reduce distracted driving, wherein the instructions are configured to cause a processor of a mobile device to:

receive biometric information of a user in a first vehicle;

determine that the user is distracted based at least in part on the biometric information;

receive vehicle speed information of the first vehicle;

determine that the user is driving the first vehicle based at least in part on the vehicle speed information;

determine that a second vehicle is within a threshold distance from the first vehicle; and

in response to determining that the user is distracted, the user is driving, and the second vehicle is within the threshold distance from the first vehicle, send an indication to one or more speakers disposed in a second vehicle that the user is distracted.

13. The one or more tangible, non-transitory, machine-readable media of claim 12, wherein the second vehicle comprises the one or more speakers.

14. The one or more tangible, non-transitory, machine-readable media of claim 12, wherein a second mobile device is disposed in the second vehicle, wherein the second mobile device comprises the one or more speakers.

15. The one or more tangible, non-transitory, machine-readable media of claim 12, wherein the instructions configured to cause the processor to determine that the second vehicle is within the threshold distance from the first vehicle comprise instructions for receiving nearby vehicle information from one or more proximity sensors of the first vehicle.

16. The one or more tangible, non-transitory, machine-readable media of claim 12, wherein the instructions configured to cause the processor to determine that the second vehicle is within the threshold distance from the first vehicle comprise instructions for communicating with a second mobile device or a communication device of the second vehicle.