Automobile driver improved response times using priming

• US 9,566,980 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2015
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Riviere-Cazaux, Lionel
• Primary Examiner(s): Do, Truc M
• Assistant Examiner(s): WHITTINGTON, JESS G
• Application Number:
  US14/639,222
• Publication Number:
  US 20160257305A1
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/14 responsive to accident or emergency, e.g. deceleration, tilt of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/30 including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/18 Braking system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/30 Auxiliary equipments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/167 Control of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/042 providing simulation in a real vehicle G09B9/052, G09B9/058 take precedence

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices of the various embodiments enable masked priming stimuli to be provided to machine operators in advance of audible warnings issued by a safety warning system of a manned machine system when an emergency is imminent. In the various embodiments, the safety warning system of the manned machine system may output a masked priming stimulus in response to the machine operator performing a target action to teach a machine operator to take the target action associated with an emergency.

Claims

1. A method for warning a machine operator of a manned machine system that an emergency is imminent, comprising:

determining, by a processor of a safety warning system of the manned machine system, whether a machine condition is at or below a potential emergency threshold;

determining, by the processor of the safety warning system, whether a target action of the manned machine system is performed by the machine operator in response to determining that the machine condition is at or below the potential emergency threshold;

outputting, by the safety warning system, a masked priming audio stimulus associated with the target action of the manned machine system in response to determining that the target action of the manned machine system is performed by the machine operator while the machine condition is at or below the potential emergency threshold, wherein the masked priming audio stimulus is injected into an audible audio stream output in the manned machine system;

determining, by the processor of the safety warning system, whether the machine condition is above the potential emergency threshold;

outputting, by the safety warning system, the masked priming audio stimulus associated with the target action of the manned machine system in response to determining that the machine condition is above the potential emergency threshold;

determining, by the processor of the safety warning system, whether the machine condition is at or above an emergency threshold; and

outputting, by the safety warning system, an overt danger audio warning associated with the emergency in response to determining that the machine condition is at or above the emergency threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting the overt danger audio warning associated with the emergency comprises injecting an overt danger audio signal into the audible audio stream being output in the manned machine system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the masked priming audio stimulus signal is an audio tone of 500 Hz that is played for a duration of 10 ms to 100 ms at 65 db.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the manned machine system is a car.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the audible audio stream is based at least in part on audio data of a mobile computing device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the target action is applying a brake and the emergency is an imminent crash.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the audio data is a voice call.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein outputting, by the safety warning system, the masked priming audio stimulus associated with the target action of the manned machine system in response to determining that the target action of the manned machine system is performed by the machine operator while the machine condition is at or below the potential emergency threshold comprises determining, by the processor, whether to output the masked priming audio stimulus based on a percentage value that indicates a number of times to output the masked priming audio stimulus relative to a number of times that the target action of the manned machine system is performed by the machine operator while the machine condition is at or below the potential emergency threshold.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the percentage value is a range of percentage values between 25 and 75 percent.

10. A safety warning system for a manned machine system, comprising:

a processor configured with processor executable instructions to perform operations comprising;

determining whether a machine condition is at or below a potential emergency threshold;

determining whether a target action of the manned machine system is performed by a machine operator of the manned machine system in response to determining that the machine condition is at or below the potential emergency threshold;

outputting a masked priming audio stimulus associated with the target action of the manned machine system in response to determining that the target action of the manned machine system is performed by the machine operator while the machine condition is at or below the potential emergency threshold, wherein the masked priming audio stimulus is injected into an audible audio stream output in the manned machine system;

determining whether the machine condition is above the potential emergency threshold;

outputting the masked priming audio stimulus associated with the target action of the manned machine system in response to determining that the machine condition is above the potential emergency threshold;

determining whether the machine condition is at or above an emergency threshold; and

outputting an overt danger audio warning associated with the emergency in response to determining that the machine condition is at or above the emergency threshold.

11. The safety warning system of claim 10, wherein the masked priming audio stimulus signal is an audio tone of 500 Hz that is played for a duration of 10 ms to 100 ms at 65 db.

12. The safety warning system of claim 11, wherein:

the manned machine system is a car; and

the audible audio stream is based at least in part on audio data of a mobile computing device.

13. The safety warning system of claim 12, wherein the target action is applying a brake and the emergency is an imminent crash.

14. The safety warning system of claim 12, wherein the audio data is a voice call.

15. A non-transitory processor readable medium having stored thereon processor executable instructions configured to cause a processor of a safety warning system for a manned machine system to perform operations comprising:

determining whether a machine condition is at or below a potential emergency threshold;

determining whether a target action of the manned machine system is performed by a machine operator of the manned machine system in response to determining that the machine condition is at or below the potential emergency threshold;

outputting a masked priming audio stimulus associated with the target action of the manned machine system in response to determining that the target action of the manned machine system is performed by the machine operator while the machine condition is at or below the potential emergency threshold, wherein the masked priming audio stimulus is injected into an audible audio stream output in the manned machine system;

determining whether the machine condition is above the potential emergency threshold;

outputting the masked priming audio stimulus associated with the target action of the manned machine system in response to determining that the machine condition is above the potential emergency threshold;

determining whether the machine condition is at or above an emergency threshold; and

outputting an overt danger audio warning associated with the emergency in response to determining that the machine condition is at or above the emergency threshold.

16. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 15, wherein the stored processor executable instructions are configured to cause a processor of a safety warning system for a manned machine system to perform operations such that the masked priming audio stimulus signal is an audio tone of 500 Hz that is played for a duration of 10 ms to 100 ms at 65 db.

17. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 15, wherein the stored processor executable instructions are configured to cause a processor of a safety warning system for a manned machine system to perform operations such that:

the manned machine system is a car;

the audible audio stream is based at least in part on a voice call of a mobile computing device; and

the target action is applying a brake and the emergency is an imminent crash.