System and method for responding to driver behavior

• US 9,855,945 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2015
• Issued: 01/02/2018
• 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): MULLEN, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US14/977,787
• Publication Number:
  US 20160152233A1
• Time in Patent Office: 742 Days
• Field of Search: 340576, 340575, 340439, 701 1, 701 36, 701 45, 701 51, 701 70
• 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 5/14553 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: 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 10/04 including control of propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/22 including control of suspension systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/30 including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0827 due to sleepiness
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/22 Psychological state; Stress level or workload
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/221 : Physiology, e.g. weight, heartbeat, health or special needs
• 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 2540/30 : Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/40 : Coefficient of friction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/202 : Steering torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/30 : Auxiliary equipments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2754/10 : Spatial relation or speed relative to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2754/30 : Longitudinal distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2900/00 : Indexing codes relating to the purpose of, or problem solved of road vehicle drive control systems not otherwise provided for in groups B60W30/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/02 : Control of vehicle driving stability
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/08 : Active safety systems predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision or attempting to minimise its consequences
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 : Lane keeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 : Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• 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 50/087 : where the control system corrects or modifies a request from the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 : Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• 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: 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 driver'"'"'s slow reaction time, attention lapse and/or alertness. 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 systems that may be modified include: visual devices, audio devices, tactile devices, antilock brake systems, automatic brake prefill systems, brake assist systems, auto cruise control systems, electronic stability control systems, collision warning systems, lane keep assist systems, blind spot indicator systems, electronic pretensioning systems and climate control systems.

Claims

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

receiving monitoring information from a monitoring system, wherein the monitoring information is information about a driver;

determining a body state index for the driver using the monitoring information;

calculating a value of a control parameter based on a factor dependent on the body state index, wherein the control parameter defines control of a function of the vehicle system; and

modifying control of the vehicle system using the value of the control parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the value of the control parameter further includes calculating the value of the control parameter based on a difference between an initial value of the control parameter and the factor dependent on the body state index.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the value of the control parameter further includes modifying an initial value of the control parameter based on the factor dependent on the body state index.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle system is a blind spot monitoring system and the value of the control parameter is a size of a warning area of the blind spot monitoring system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle system is a power steering system and the value of the control parameter is an amount of steering assistance applied by the power steering system.

6. The method of claim 1, further including comparing vehicle information received from the monitoring system to the value of the control parameter and modifying control of the vehicle system based on the comparison.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the vehicle system is an electronic stability control system, the vehicle information is a steering yaw rate, and the value of the control parameter is a threshold error in the steering yaw rate, wherein the steering yaw rate is compared to the threshold error, and wherein the electronic stability control system is modified based on the comparison.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying control of the vehicle system further includes using the value of the control parameter so the vehicle system is controlled at a level corresponding to the value of the control parameter.

9. The method of claim 1, further including calculating the factor dependent on the body state index as a function of the body state index.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein calculating the value of the control parameter further includes calculating the value of the control parameter based on the factor dependent on the body state index.

11. The method of claim 1, further including calculating a value of a second control parameter based on the factor dependent on the body state index, wherein the control parameter and the second control parameter are used to control the same vehicle system.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the vehicle system is an automatic cruise control system, the value of the control parameter is an auto cruise control status used to control activation of the automatic cruise control system and the value of the second control parameter is a distance setting used to control a headway distance of the automatic cruise control system.

13. A system for controlling a vehicle system in a motor vehicle, comprising:

a monitoring system including one or more sensors that detect monitoring information, wherein the monitoring information is information about a state of a driver, wherein the monitoring system provides the monitoring information to a response system, and the response system determines a body state index of the driver using the monitoring information; and

a calculating unit for modifying a control parameter of the vehicle system based on the body state index, wherein the control parameter is a value that defines an operation of the vehicle system, and wherein the response system controls the vehicle system using the control parameter.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the vehicle system is an electronic stability control system and the control parameter is a threshold error in a steering yaw rate.

15. A method of controlling a vehicle system in a motor vehicle, comprising:

receiving monitoring information from a monitoring system, the monitoring information including vehicle information from the vehicle system and information about a state of a driver;

calculating a body state index for the driver using the monitoring information, wherein the monitoring information includes the vehicle information and the information about the state of the driver;

modifying a control parameter of the vehicle system based on the body state index, wherein the control parameter is a parameter of the vehicle system; and

modifying control of the vehicle system using the control parameter.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the vehicle system is an automatic cruise control system and the control parameter is a predetermined percentage used to control a cruising speed of the motor vehicle, and wherein the cruising speed of the motor vehicle is modified using the control parameter.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the vehicle system is a blind spot monitoring system and the control parameter is a size of a warning area of the blind spot monitoring system.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the vehicle system is a power steering system and the control parameter is an amount of steering assistance applied by the power steering system.