Coordinated vehicle response system and method for driver behavior

• US 9,292,471 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Fung, Kin C., Dick, Timothy J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): LI, CE LI
• Application Number:
  US13/843,194
• Publication Number:
  US 20130226408A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/36, 701/41, 701/45, 701/48, 701/51, 701/70, 340/426.1, 340/426.11, 340/426.19, 340/426.25, 340/426.32, 340/575, 340/576, 340/439, 340/35, 340/457.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0257 Proximity sensors
• 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 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1103 Detecting eye twinkling
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1114 Tracking parts of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1122 of movement trajectories
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14553 specially adapted for cerebral tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/18 for vehicle drivers or machine operators
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6893 Cars
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/06 responsive to incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/066 actuating a signalling device B60K28/063 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/03 Brake assistants
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/08 Lane monitoring; Lane Keeping Systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/12 Pre-actuation of braking systems without significant braking effect; Optimizing brake performance by reduction of play between brake pads and brake disc
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2220/02 Driver type; Driving style; Driver adaptive features
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/172 Determining control parameters used in the regulation, e.g. by calculations involving measured or detected parameters B60T8/17551 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0827 due to sleepiness
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0071 Controller overrides driver automatically
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/22 Psychological state; Stress level or workload
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/229 : Attention level, e.g. attentive to driving, reading or sleeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/26 : Incapacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/53 : Road markings, e.g. lane marker or crosswalk
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 : Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4041 : Position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/802 : Longitudinal distance
• 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 50/12 : Limiting control by the driver depending on vehicle state, e.g. interlocking means for the control input for preventing unsafe operation
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/025 : Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation B62D1/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/00 : Arrangements for automatically controlling steering depending on driving conditions sensed and responded to, e.g. control circuits means for initiating a change in direction B62D1/00; steering valves B62D5/06; combined with means for inclining the vehicle body or wheels on bends B62D9/00
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/001 : the torque NOT being among the input parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/007 : adjustable by the driver, e.g. sport mode
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 : Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 : Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 : Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 : indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 : for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 : Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

Methods of assessing driver behavior include monitoring vehicle systems and driver monitoring systems to accommodate for a slow reaction time, attention lapse and/or alertness of a driver. When it is determined that a driver is drowsy, for example, the response system may modify the operation of one or more vehicle systems. The response system can modify the control of two or more systems simultaneously in response to driver behavior.

Claims

1. A method of controlling vehicle systems in a motor vehicle, comprising:

receiving operating information at a first vehicle system from one or more vehicle systems;

determining at the first vehicle system a level of drowsiness based on monitoring information received from one or more monitoring devices;

detecting a hazard based on the operating information from the first vehicle system;

modifying control of the first vehicle system based on the level of drowsiness and the hazard;

selecting a second vehicle system that is different from the first vehicle system;

communicating the level of drowsiness and information about the hazard from the first vehicle system directly to the second vehicle system; and

modifying the control of the second vehicle system based on the level of drowsiness and the hazard.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first vehicle system is connected to an electronic control unit and where the second vehicle system is connected to the electronic control unit.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first vehicle system communicates with the second vehicle system through a network.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control of the second vehicle system is coordinated with the control of the first vehicle system.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first vehicle system is a blind spot indicator system and wherein the second vehicle system is an electronic power steering system.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the electronic power steering system is controlled to help prevent a driver from turning a steering wheel of the motor vehicle when the blind spot indicator system detects the hazard and when the blind spot indicator system determines the driver is drowsy based on the level of drowsiness.

7. A method of controlling vehicle systems in a motor vehicle, comprising:

operating a first vehicle system, the operation of the first vehicle system comprising;

determining a first level of drowsiness associated with a driver of the motor vehicle based on monitoring information received from one or more monitoring devices;

detecting a hazard based on operating information from the first vehicle system;

modifying control of the first vehicle system based on the level of drowsiness and the hazard;

submitting information related to the hazard to a second vehicle system;

operating the second vehicle system, the operation of the second vehicle comprising;

determining a second level of drowsiness based on monitoring information received from one or more monitoring devices;

receiving the information related to the hazard from the first vehicle system;

checking for the hazard; and

modifying the control of the second vehicle system based on the second level of drowsiness and the hazard.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the first level of drowsiness and the second level of drowsiness are a body state index having at least two values.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the submitted information includes instructions for the second vehicle system to check for potential hazards.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the modified control of the second vehicle system is coordinated with the modified control of the first vehicle system.

11. A motor vehicle, comprising:

a first vehicle system and a second vehicle system in communication with the first vehicle system;

the first vehicle system being capable of detecting at least one hazard and the first vehicle system being configured to determine a level of drowsiness for a driver;

the second vehicle system being capable of detecting at least one hazard and the second vehicle system being configured to determine the level of drowsiness for the driver;

wherein the operation of the first vehicle system can be modified according to the level of drowsiness and wherein the operation of the second vehicle system can be modified according to the level of drowsiness; and

wherein the second vehicle system is configured to check for at least one hazard when the first vehicle system detects at least one hazard,

wherein the second vehicle system checks for at least one hazard in response to information sent by the first vehicle system.

12. The motor vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the first vehicle system is connected to an electronic control unit and the second vehicle system is connected to the electronic control unit and wherein second vehicle system checks for at least one hazard in response to instructions from the electronic control unit.

13. The motor vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the motor vehicle includes three or more vehicle systems.

14. The motor vehicle according to claim 13, wherein the three or more vehicle systems check for hazards in response to instructions from an electronic control unit.

15. The motor vehicle according to claim 13, wherein the three or more vehicle systems are connected to one another using a network.

16. The motor vehicle according to claim 13, wherein the second vehicle system and a third vehicle system check for hazards in response to instructions from the first vehicle system.