Driver rest recommendation

• US 9,789,878 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2015
• Issued: 10/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Kiho, Lee, Hyeoncheol, Lee, Jaehee
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Adnan, Muhammad
• Application Number:
  US14/690,716
• Publication Number:
  US 20160046294A1
• Time in Patent Office: 911 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/18 for vehicle drivers or machine operators
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4812 Detecting sleep stages or cycles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/06 responsive to incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0818 Inactivity or incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0827 due to sleepiness
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/221 Physiology, e.g. weight, heartbeat, health or special needs
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• 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: G06F 2203/011 Emotion or mood input determined on the basis of sensed human body parameters such as pulse, heart rate or beat, temperature of skin, facial expressions, iris, voice pitch, brain activity patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms

Abstract

Methods and systems for monitoring a driver of a vehicle using a driver state monitoring (DSM) system. The DSM system includes a sensing unit that senses biological information of a user of a vehicle. The DSM system also includes a controller that determines a drowsy state of the user based on the sensed biological information. The controller also determines a current condition of traffic and outputs information recommending rest for the user based on the determined drowsy state of the user and the determined current condition of traffic. The controller monitors the traffic and determines a rest state of the user, and outputs an alarm based on monitoring the traffic and the determined rest state of the user.

Claims

1. A driver state monitoring (DSM) system comprising:

a sensing unit configured to sense biological information of a user of a vehicle; and

a controller configured to;

determine a drowsy state of the user based on the sensed biological information;

determine a traffic condition to a destination;

output information recommending rest for the user based on the determined drowsy state of the user and the determined traffic condition to the destination;

monitor the traffic condition to the destination and a rest state of the user based on the user stopping the vehicle in accordance with the information recommending rest;

generate a time at which to output an alarm based on monitoring the traffic condition to the destination and the rest state of the user; and

output the alarm at the generated time.

2. The DSM system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to determine a driving time to the destination, and wherein providing output information recommending rest for the user is based on the driving time and the traffic condition to the destination.

3. The DSM system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

detect that the user is in the rest state;

determine an updated traffic condition; and

change the time at which the alarm is to be output based on the updated traffic condition.

4. The DSM system of claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to, based on analyzing the updated traffic condition, change the time at which to output the alarm based on determining that the updated traffic condition has improved above a predetermined level.

5. The DSM system of claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to:

re-sense the biological information of the user based on determining that the traffic condition has changed as a result of analyzing the updated traffic condition; and

determine the time at which to output the alarm further based on the re-sensed biological information.

6. The DSM system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

re-sense the biological information of the user based on the output of the alarm; and

output updated information recommending rest for the user based on a result of re-sensing the biological information of the user.

7. The DSM system of claim 6, wherein the updated information recommending rest for the user further comprises information associated with an updated drowsy state of the user determined based on the re-sensed biological information of the user.

8. The DSM system of claim 1, wherein the biological information is associated with a heartbeat spectrum of the user, and the controller is further configured to classify the rest state of the user as any one of a plurality of sleep stages based on a result of analyzing the heartbeat spectrum.

9. The DSM system of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the time at which to output the alarm based on the classified sleep stage.

10. The DSM system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to, based on the information recommending rest for the user, change an environment inside the vehicle according to preset vehicle environment setting information,

wherein the preset vehicle environment setting information is preset to induce the user to sleep, and is associated with at least one of illumination, aroma, or ventilation inside the vehicle.

11. The DSM system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine a first arrival time to the destination based on the traffic condition;

determine a second traffic condition to the destination;

determine a second arrival time to the destination based on the second traffic condition to the destination; and

generate the information recommending rest for the user based on comparing the first arrival time with the second arrival time.

12. The DSM system of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine an estimated driving time to the destination based on the user resting until the time at which to output the alarm; and

determine the information recommending rest based on the estimated driving time.

13. The DSM system of claim 1, further comprising a wearable device that is configured to be linked with the vehicle, and

wherein the controller is further configured to output the information recommending rest for the user on at least one of a display unit of the wearable device or an information display device provided in the vehicle.

14. The DSM system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to output the alarm by outputting at least one of image information, an audible sound, or a vibration.

15. The DSM system of claim 11, wherein the second traffic condition to the destination has less traffic congestion than the traffic condition to the destination.

16. The DSM system of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine the traffic condition to the destination at a plurality of times while the vehicle is being driven to the destination; and

determine the second arrival time to the destination based on determining the traffic condition to the destination at the plurality of times.

17. The DSM system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to, based on determining that the user is in a sleep state, determine the time at which to output the alarm further based on a time specified in a preset schedule and based on a driving time to the destination.

18. The DSM system of claim 17, wherein the controller is further configured to, based on determining that the user is in a sleep state:

determine whether the user is able to arrive at the destination by the time specified in the preset schedule according to the traffic condition to the destination;

determine contact information associated with the preset schedule; and

transmit a message using the contact information.

19. The DSM system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to determine a time for outputting the alarm based on a preset light sleep time.

20. A control method of a driver state monitoring (DSM) system, the method comprising:

sensing biological information of a user of a vehicle, and determining a drowsy state of the user based on the sensed biological information;

determining a traffic condition to a destination;

outputting information recommending rest for the user based on the determined drowsy state of the user and the traffic condition to the destination;

monitoring the traffic condition to the destination and a rest state of the user based on the user stopping the vehicle to take a rest in accordance with the information recommending rest;

generating a time at which to output an alarm based on monitoring the traffic condition to the destination and the rest state of the user; and

outputting the alarm at the generated time.