Wake-up alerts for sleeping vehicle occupants

• US 9,725,036 B1
• Filed: 06/28/2016
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Tarte, Christopher T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Heinle, Courtney
• Application Number:
  US15/195,779
• Time in Patent Office: 406 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00357 Air-conditioning arrangements specially adapted for particular vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00742 by detection of the vehicle occupants' presence; by detection of conditions relating to the body of occupants, e.g. using radiant heat detectors
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/066 actuating a signalling device B60K28/063 takes precedence
• 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 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/22 Psychological state; Stress level or workload
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 related to drivers or passengers
• 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

A vehicle can be configured to attempt to awaken a sleeping occupant when certain wake-up events have occurred. It can be determined whether a wake-up event has occurred. In one or more arrangements, the wake-up event can relate to the refueling of the vehicle (e.g., fuel level or recharge level). Sensor data relating to a vehicle occupant can be acquired. Based on the acquired sensor data, it can be determined whether the vehicle occupant is sleeping. Responsive to determining that the vehicle occupant is sleeping, the vehicle can cause a wake-up alert to be presented within the vehicle. The wake-up alert can be a visual, audial, and/or haptic wake-up alert.

Claims

1. A method of alerting a sleeping occupant of a vehicle, the method comprising:

determining, using one or more processors, whether a wake-up event has occurred, the wake-up event being related to refueling of the vehicle;

responsive to determining that the wake-up event has occurred, acquiring, using one or more sensors, data relating to a vehicle occupant;

determining, using one or more processors, whether the vehicle occupant is sleeping based on the acquired data relating to the vehicle occupant; and

if it is determined that both the wake-up event has occurred and the vehicle occupant is sleeping, causing, using one or more processors, an occupant wake-up alert to be presented within the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the occupant wake-up alert is a haptic occupant wake-up alert.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein causing the occupant wake-up alert to be presented within the vehicle includes causing the haptic occupant wake-up alert to be presented by vibrating at least a portion of a vehicle seat used by the vehicle occupant.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the occupant wake-up alert is an audial occupant wake-up alert.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein causing the occupant wake-up alert to be presented within the vehicle includes at least one of:

activating a vehicle radio, or

increasing a volume of the vehicle radio to a predetermined output volume.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the occupant wake-up alert is a visual occupant wake-up alert.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein causing the occupant wake-up alert to be presented within the vehicle includes causing light energy to be emitted from a wake-up light within the vehicle, and wherein the light energy is directed toward a face of the vehicle occupant.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the occupant wake-up alert to be presented within the vehicle includes:

activating a vehicle climate control system to at least one of a predetermined output level or a predetermined temperature level.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the wake-up event is a vehicle charge level being below a predetermined threshold charge level.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the wake-up event is a vehicle fuel level being below a predetermined threshold fuel level.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the acquired data relating to a vehicle occupant includes a detected heartrate of the vehicle occupant, a seatbelt condition of the vehicle occupant, a head position of the vehicle occupant, an eye condition of the vehicle occupant, or a face condition of a vehicle occupant.

21. The method of claim 1, further including operating the vehicle in an autonomous operational mode, and

wherein causing, using the one or more processors, the occupant wake-up alert to be presented within the vehicle includes causing, using the one or more processers, the occupant wake-up alert to be presented within the vehicle while the vehicle operates in the autonomous operational mode.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if it is determined that the wake-up event has not occurred or that the vehicle occupant is not sleeping, an occupant wake-up alert is not presented within the vehicle.

12. A sleeping occupant alert system for a vehicle being operated in an autonomous operational mode, the system comprising:

one or more sensors configured to acquire data relating to a vehicle occupant;

a processor operatively connected to the one or more sensors, the processor being programmed to initiate executable operations comprising;

determining whether a wake-up event has occurred, the wake-up event being related to refueling of the vehicle;

determining whether a vehicle occupant is sleeping based on the data relating to the vehicle occupant acquired by the one or more sensors; and

responsive to determining that both the wake-up event has occurred and the vehicle occupant is sleeping, causing an occupant wake-up alert to be presented within the vehicle.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the occupant wake-up alert is a haptic occupant wake-up alert.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the haptic occupant wake-up alert is provided by a vehicle seat used by the vehicle occupant.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the occupant wake-up alert is an audial occupant wake-up alert, and wherein causing the occupant wake-up alert to be presented within the vehicle includes at least one of:

activating a vehicle radio, or

increasing a volume of the vehicle radio to a predetermined output volume.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the occupant wake-up alert is a visual occupant wake-up alert, and wherein causing the occupant wake-up alert to be presented within the vehicle includes emitting light energy directly toward a face of the vehicle occupant.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein causing the occupant wake-up alert to be presented within the vehicle includes:

activating a climate control system to at least one of a predetermined output level or a predetermined temperature level.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the wake-up event is a vehicle charge level being below a predetermined threshold charge level.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the wake-up event is a vehicle fuel level being below a predetermined threshold fuel level.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the data relating to a vehicle occupant includes a detected heartrate of the vehicle occupant, a seatbelt condition of the vehicle occupant, a head position of the vehicle occupant, an eye condition of the vehicle occupant, or a face condition of a vehicle occupant.