System and method to determine responsiveness of a driver of a vehicle to feedback regarding driving behaviors

• US 10,793,160 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2018
• Issued: 10/06/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SmartDrive Systems, Inc. (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: SmartDrive Systems, Inc. (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Palmer, Jason, Freitas, Mark, Deninger, Daniel A., Forney, David, Sljivar, Slaven, Vaidya, Alekh, Griswold, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Holmes, Michael B
• Application Number:
  US16/138,666
• Publication Number:
  US 20190023276A1
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: 706 11
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 9/00 Reinforcements or ply arrangement of pneumatic tyres inserts having reinforcing means B60C5/08; bead structure, e.g. turnup or overlap construction, B60C15/00
• 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: B60W 2040/0818 Inactivity or incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/30 Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 related to drivers or passengers
• 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: B60W 50/16 Tactile feedback to the driver, e.g. vibration or force feedback to the driver on the steering wheel or the accelerator pedal

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a system and method for determining responsiveness of a driver of a vehicle to feedback regarding driving behaviors. The system may include a sensor configured to generate output signals conveying first driving behavior information, which may characterize operation of the vehicle by the driver. The system may include one or more processors configured to obtain the first driving behavior information. The one or more processors may effectuate provision of feedback defined by feedback information based on the first driving behavior. The sensor may be configured to output signals conveying second driving behavior information, which may characterize operation of the vehicle by the driver during and/or subsequent to the provision of the feedback. The one or more processors may be configured to obtain the second driving behavior information and assess responsiveness of the driver to the feedback based on the second driving behavior information.

Claims

1. A system configured to determine responsiveness of a driver of a vehicle to being prompted regarding driving behaviors, the system comprising:

one or more processors configured by machine-readable instructions to;

obtain, by the one or more processors, first driving behavior information that reflects an occurrence of a specific driving behavior by the driver, wherein the specific driving behavior characterizes operation of the vehicle by the driver;

prompt, by the one or more processors, the driver to curb future occurrences of the specific driving behavior;

obtain, by the one or more processors, second driving behavior information that characterizes operation of the vehicle by the driver subsequent to the occurrence of the specific driving behavior; and

assess, by the one or more processors, responsiveness of the driver to being prompted, wherein assessment of the responsiveness is based on the second driving behavior information, wherein the assessment of the responsiveness of the driver includes a determination whether the driver has curbed the specific driving behavior subsequent to the occurrence of the specific driving behavior, and wherein the determination is based on whether one or more additional occurrences of the specific driving behavior are included in the second driving behavior information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

obtain feedback information correlating to the specific driving behavior,

wherein prompting the driver is accomplished by providing feedback to the driver in the vehicle, wherein the feedback is defined by the feedback information.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor configured to generate output signals conveying one or more of the first driving behavior information and/or the second driving behavior information.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the sensor includes one or more of an image sensor, an audio sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, a wheel speed sensor, a proximity sensor, a pressure sensor, a seat belt sensor, an accelerometer, a tilt sensor, an inclination sensor, an angular rate sensor, a gyroscope, a geolocation sensor, a magnetometer, a radar detector, a radar sensor, a vibration sensor, a light detection sensor, an ECM sensor, a physiological sensor, a tachograph, and/or a user input device.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to effectuate provision of the feedback to the driver by operating one or more different feedback generators, wherein the one or more different feedback generators include a display, a speaker, and/or a haptic generator.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to generate a driver responsiveness rating, the driver responsiveness rating characterizing whether the driver has curbed the specific driving behavior and which individual feedback generator of the one or more different feedback generators has been most effective in curbing the specific driving behavior by the driver.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first driving behavior information and the second driving behavior information include one or more of visual information, audio information, motion information, acceleration information, location information, spatial information, orientation information, tilt information, inclination/declination information, vibration information, time information, vehicle status information, and/or driver status information.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

effectuate storage of driver responsiveness information, the driver responsiveness information including one or more of the first driving behavior information, the second driving behavior information, and/or information relating to the responsiveness of the driver to the feedback; and

effectuate retrieval of previously stored driver responsiveness information.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to select one or more of a display, a speaker, and/or a haptic generator to effectuate the provision of the feedback to the driver, wherein such selection is based on the previously stored driver responsiveness information.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors comprise a first processor located on or in the vehicle and a second processor remotely located from the vehicle.

11. A method to determine responsiveness of a driver of a vehicle to being prompted regarding driving behaviors, the method comprising:

obtaining first driving behavior information that reflects an occurrence of a specific driving behavior by the driver, wherein the specific driving behavior characterizes operation of the vehicle by the driver;

prompting the driver to curb future occurrences of the specific driving behavior;

obtaining second driving behavior information that characterizes operation of the vehicle by the driver subsequent to the occurrence of the specific driving behavior; and

assessing responsiveness of the driver to being prompted, wherein assessment of the responsiveness is based on the second driving behavior information, wherein the assessment of the responsiveness of the driver includes a determination whether the driver has curbed the specific driving behavior subsequent to the occurrence of the specific driving behavior, and wherein the determination is based on whether one or more additional occurrences of the specific driving behavior are included in the second driving behavior information.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

obtaining feedback information correlating to the specific driving behavior, wherein prompting the driver is accomplished by providing feedback to the driver in the vehicle, wherein the feedback is defined by the feedback information.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein output signals conveying one or more of the first driving behavior information and/or the second driving behavior information are generated by a sensor.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the sensor includes one or more of an image sensor, an audio sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, a wheel speed sensor, a proximity sensor, a pressure sensor, a seat belt sensor, an accelerometer, a tilt sensor, an inclination sensor, an angular rate sensor, a gyroscope, a geolocation sensor, a magnetometer, a radar detector, a radar sensor, a vibration sensor, a light detection sensor, an ECM sensor, a physiological sensor, a tachograph, and/or a user input device.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating a driver responsiveness rating, the driver responsiveness rating characterizing whether the driver has curbed the specific driving behavior subsequent to the occurrence of the specific driving behavior.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the first driving behavior information and the second driving behavior information include one or more of visual information, audio information, motion information, acceleration information, location information, spatial information, orientation information, tilt information, inclination/declination information, vibration information, time information, vehicle status information, and/or driver status information.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising effectuating storage of driver responsiveness information, the driver responsiveness information including one or more of the first driving behavior information, the second driving behavior information, and/or information relating to the responsiveness of the driver to the feedback.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein assessing the responsiveness of the driver to the feedback takes into account the stored driver responsiveness information.