Systems and methods for detecting and assessing distracted drivers

• US 10,667,088 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2019
• Issued: 05/26/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cambridge Mobile Telematics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Truemotion, Inc.
• Inventors: Cordova, Brad, Finegold, Rafi, Shiebler, Dan, Farrell, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Zewdu, Meless N
• Application Number:
  US16/598,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20200045505A1
• Time in Patent Office: 229 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0818 Inactivity or incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• 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 50/12 Limiting control by the driver depending on vehicle state, e.g. interlocking means for the control input for preventing unsafe operation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/00 Satellite radio beacon positioning systems; Determining position, velocity or attitude using signals transmitted by such systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/00 Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers subscriber services or facilities provided at exchanges H04M3/00; prepayment telephone coin boxes H04M17/00; current supply arrangements H04M19/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/00 Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Methods and devices for identifying a driver of a vehicle are provided. Embodiments collect vehicle and driving data using a mobile device of a user. The collected data may be used to estimate whether a user of the mobile device is a driver or a passenger in a vehicle. Data collected using the mobile device may be analyzed to determine when the user is engaging in distracted driving behavior.

Claims

1. A method for identifying a driver of a vehicle, the method comprising:

operating one or more sensors of a mobile device in the vehicle during a drive;

determining, by a processor of the mobile device, gravitational acceleration movements of the mobile device based on measurements obtained from the one or more sensors;

correlating, by the processor, the gravitational acceleration movements to orientations of the mobile device;

classifying, by the processor, the orientations of the mobile device as driver orientations and passenger orientations;

determining, by the processor, a first time duration that the mobile device is oriented in the driver orientations and a second time duration that the mobile device is oriented in the passenger orientations;

performing, by the processor, a comparison of the first time duration to the second time duration; and

classifying, by the processor, a user of the mobile device as a driver or a passenger based on the comparison.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein correlating the gravitational acceleration movements to the orientations of the mobile device comprises:

determining the gravitational acceleration of the mobile device in x, y and z directions; and

correlating a facing direction of an interface of the mobile device to the directions of the gravitational acceleration.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprises an accelerometer, and wherein:

determining the gravitational acceleration movements comprises operating the accelerometer to obtain accelerometer measurements; and

determining, by the processor, the gravitational acceleration movements of the mobile device in x, y and z directions from the accelerometer measurements.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the driver orientations are determined by the gravitational acceleration movements of the mobile device in the x, y and z directions as orientations of an interface of the mobile device tilted towards a driver side of the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the passenger orientations are determined by the gravitational acceleration movements of the mobile device in the x, y and z directions as orientations of an interface of the mobile device tilted towards a passenger side of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising classifying the user as the driver when the first time duration is greater than or equal to the second time duration.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising classifying the user as the passenger when the first time duration is less than the second time duration.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

determining the first time duration comprises determining a total amount of time an interface of the mobile device is oriented such that the interface is tilted towards a driver side of the vehicle during the drive; and

determining the second time duration comprises determining a total amount of time the interface of the mobile device is in orientations other than tilted towards the driver side of the vehicle during the drive.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein classifying the user is performed after the drive is completed.

10. A mobile device, comprising:

one or more sensors configured to measure movements of the mobile device;

a processor communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors, the processor configured to;

operate the one or more sensors of the mobile device in a vehicle during a drive;

determine gravitational acceleration movements of the mobile device based on measurements obtained from the one or more sensors;

correlate the gravitational acceleration movements to orientations of the mobile device;

classify the orientations of the mobile device as driver orientations and passenger orientations;

determine a first time duration that the mobile device is oriented in the driver orientations and a second time duration that the mobile device is oriented in the passenger orientations;

perform a comparison of the first time duration to the second time duration; and

classify a user of the mobile device as a driver or a passenger based on the comparison.

11. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to correlate the gravitational acceleration movements to the orientations of the mobile device by:

determining the gravitational acceleration of the mobile device in x, y and z directions; and

correlating a facing direction of an interface of the mobile device to the directions of the gravitational acceleration.

12. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the one or more sensors comprises an accelerometer, and wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine the gravitational acceleration movements by operating the accelerometer to obtain accelerometer measurements; and

determine the gravitational acceleration movements of the mobile device in x, y and z directions from the accelerometer measurements.

13. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to determine orientations of an interface of the mobile device tilted towards a driver side of the vehicle as the driver orientations based on the gravitational acceleration movements of the mobile device in the x, y and z directions.

14. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to determine orientations of an interface of the mobile device tilted towards a passenger side of the vehicle as the passenger orientations based on the gravitational acceleration movements of the mobile device in the x, y and z directions.

15. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to classify the user as the driver when the first time duration is greater than or equal to the second time duration.

16. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to classify the user as the passenger when the first time duration is less than the second time duration.

17. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine the first time duration by determining a total amount of time an interface of the mobile device is oriented such that the interface is tilted towards a driver side of the vehicle during the drive; and

determine the second time duration by determining a total amount of time the interface of the mobile device is in orientations other than tilted towards the driver side of the vehicle during the drive.

18. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to classify the user after the drive is completed.