Vehicle occupant position determination

• US 9,860,708 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2014
• Issued: 01/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chavez, Lisa M., Childress, Rhonda L., Kumhyr, David B., Spisak, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hagos, Eyob
• Application Number:
  US14/189,028
• Publication Number:
  US 20150241565A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,407 Days
• Field of Search: 702150
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]

Abstract

A method and system for determining a driver is provided. The method includes receiving and analyzing GPS data identifying locations of GPS enabled devices of a plurality of users. A group of users are determined to be located within a specified proximity to each other based on the analysis. The group of users are determined, based on an altitude, velocity, and a vector of the group of users, to be located within a vehicle. A position and role for each user with respect to the vehicle is determined. Selected functions of each GPS enabled device are controlled based on each role.

Claims

1. A device identification and modification method comprising:

receiving, via a computer processor of a computing system by a cache of said computing system from a plurality of GPS enabled devices of a plurality of users, GPS data identifying locations of said GPS enabled devices, where said computing system comprises an integrated computer within a vehicle;

initiating, by said processor, direct communications between said computer processor and said GPS enabled devices;

receiving, by said processor, digital identification input;

inserting, by said processor into said cache, said digital identification input;

identifying, by said processor based on said digital identification input, each GPS enabled device of said GPS enabled devices;

refreshing, by said processor based on said digital identification input within said cache, said GPS data resulting in updated GPS data identifying updated locations of said GPS enabled devices;

analyzing, by said computer processor, said updated GPS data within said cache;

determining, by said computer processor based on results of said analyzing and locations of said GPS enabled devices, a group of users of said plurality of users located within a specified proximity to each other user of said group of users;

determining, by said computer processor based on an altitude, velocity, and a vector of said GPS enabled devices of said group of users, that said group of users is located within said vehicle;

determining, by said computer processor based on said results of said analyzing and locations of said GPS enabled devices, a position of each user of said group of users with respect to said vehicle;

determining, by said computer processor based on each said position, roles for said group of users with respect to said vehicle;

modifying, by said computer processor based said roles, selected control functions of each said GPS enabled device of said GPS enabled devices; and

disabling, by said processor, said GPS enabled devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a first role of said roles is associated with a first user of said users, wherein said first role indicates that said first user is a driver of said vehicle, wherein said first user is associated with a first GPS enabled device of said GPS enabled devices, and wherein said controlling said functions comprises disabling said first GPS device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a first user is associated with a first GPS enabled device of said GPS enabled devices, and wherein said method further comprises:

determining, by said computer processor based on said results of said analyzing and each said position, a speed and direction of travel for each user of said group of users; and

identifying, by said computer processor based on said speed and direction of travel, said first user as a driver of said vehicle, wherein said controlling said functions comprises disabling said selected functions of said first GPS device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said determining that said group of users is located within said specified proximity is further based on said speed and direction of travel for said each user.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by said computer processor based on a number of users in said group of users and each said position of each said user, a size of said vehicle.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining, by said computer processor based on said number of users in said group of users, each said position of each said user, and said size of said vehicle, a vehicle type of said vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said GPS data comprises GPS coordinates.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a first role of said roles is associated with a first user of said users, wherein said first role indicates that said first user is a driver of said vehicle, wherein said first user is associated with a first GPS enabled device of said GPS enabled devices, and wherein said controlling said functions comprises modifying user control functions of said first GPS device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing at least one support service for at least one of creating, integrating, hosting, maintaining, and deploying computer-readable code in the computing system, said code being executed by the computer processor to implement said receiving, said analyzing, said determining said group of users, said determining that said group of user is located in said vehicle, said determining said position, said determining said roles, and said controlling.

10. A computing system comprising a computer processor coupled to a computer-readable memory unit, said memory unit comprising instructions that when executed by the computer processor implements a device identification and modification method comprising:

receiving, via said computer processor by a cache of said computing system from a plurality of GPS enabled devices of a plurality of users, GPS data identifying locations of said GPS enabled devices, where said computing system comprises an integrated computer within a vehicle;

initiating, by said processor, direct communications between said computer processor and said GPS enabled devices;

receiving, by said processor, digital identification input;

inserting, by said processor into said cache, said digital identification input;

identifying, by said processor based on said digital identification input, each GPS enabled device of said GPS enabled devices;

refreshing, by said processor based on said digital identification input within said cache, said GPS data resulting in updated GPS data identifying updated locations of said GPS enabled devices;

analyzing, by said computer processor, said updated GPS data within said cache;

determining, by said computer processor based on results of said analyzing and locations of said GPS enabled devices, a group of users of said plurality of users located within a specified proximity to each other user of said group of users;

determining, by said computer processor based on an altitude, velocity, and a vector of said GPS enabled devices of said group of users, that said group of users is located within said vehicle;

determining, by said computer processor based on said results of said analyzing and locations of said GPS enabled devices, a position of each user of said group of users with respect to said vehicle;

determining, by said computer processor based on each said position, roles for said group of users with respect to said vehicle;

modifying, by said computer processor based said roles, selected control functions of each said GPS enabled device of said GPS enabled devices; and

disabling, by said processor, said GPS enabled devices.

11. The computing system of claim 10, wherein a first role of said roles is associated with a first user of said users, wherein said first role indicates that said first user is a driver of said vehicle, wherein said first user is associated with a first GPS enabled device of said GPS enabled devices, and wherein said controlling said functions comprises disabling said first GPS device.

12. The computing system of claim 10, wherein a first user is associated with a first GPS enabled device of said GPS enabled devices, and wherein said method further comprises:

determining, by said computer processor based on said results of said analyzing and each said position, a speed and direction of travel for each user of said group of users; and

identifying, by said computer processor based on said speed and direction of travel, said first user as a driver of said vehicle, wherein said controlling said functions comprises disabling said selected functions of said first GPS device.

13. The computing system of claim 12, wherein said determining that said group of users is located within said specified proximity is further based on said speed and direction of travel for said each user.

14. The computing system of claim 10, wherein said method further comprises:

determining, by said computer processor based on a number of users in said group of users and each said position of each said user, a size of said vehicle.

15. The computing system of claim 14, wherein said method further comprises:

determining, by said computer processor based on said number of users in said group of users, each said position of each said user, and said size of said vehicle, a vehicle type of said vehicle.

16. The computing system of claim 10, wherein said GPS data comprises GPS coordinates.

17. The computing system of claim 10, wherein a first role of said roles is associated with a first user of said users, wherein said first role indicates that said first user is a driver of said vehicle, wherein said first user is associated with a first GPS enabled device of said GPS enabled devices, and wherein said controlling said functions comprises modifying user control functions of said first GPS device.

18. A computer program product, comprising a computer readable hardware storage device storing a computer readable program code, said computer readable program code comprising an algorithm that when executed by a computer processor of a computer system implements a device identification and modification method, said method comprising:

receiving, via said computer processor by a cache of said computing system from a plurality of GPS enabled devices of a plurality of users, GPS data identifying locations of said GPS enabled devices, where said computing system comprises an integrated computer within a vehicle;

initiating, by said processor, direct communications between said computer processor and said GPS enabled devices;

receiving, by said processor, digital identification input;

inserting, by said processor into said cache, said digital identification input;

identifying, by said processor based on said digital identification input, each GPS enabled device of said GPS enabled devices;

refreshing, by said processor based on said digital identification input within said cache, said GPS data resulting in updated GPS data identifying updated locations of said GPS enabled devices;

analyzing, by said computer processor, said updated GPS data within said cache;

determining, by said computer processor based on results of said analyzing and locations of said GPS enabled devices, a group of users of said plurality of users located within a specified proximity to each other user of said group of users;

determining, by said computer processor based on an altitude, velocity, and a vector of said GPS enabled devices of said group of users, that said group of users is located within said vehicle;

determining, by said computer processor based on said results of said analyzing and locations of said GPS enabled devices, a position of each user of said group of users with respect to said vehicle;

determining, by said computer processor based on each said position, roles for said group of users with respect to said vehicle;

modifying, by said computer processor based said roles, selected control functions of each said GPS enabled device of said GPS enabled devices; and

disabling, by said processor, said GPS enabled devices.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein a first role of said roles is associated with a first user of said users, wherein said first role indicates that said first user is a driver of said vehicle, wherein said first user is associated with a first GPS enabled device of said GPS enabled devices, and wherein said controlling said functions comprises disabling said first GPS device.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein a first user is associated with a first GPS enabled device of said GPS enabled devices, and wherein said method further comprises:

determining, by said computer processor based on said results of said analyzing and each said position, a speed and direction of travel for each user of said group of users; and

identifying, by said computer processor based on said speed and direction of travel, said first user as a driver of said vehicle, wherein said controlling said functions comprises disabling said selected functions of said first GPS device.