Vehicle condition detection and warning system

• US 9,975,549 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2016
• Issued: 05/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thunder Power New Energy Vehicle Development Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Thunder Power New Energy Vehicle Development Company Limited
• Inventors: Dai, Yu-Ting
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Application Number:
  US15/215,151
• Publication Number:
  US 20170183002A1
• Time in Patent Office: 671 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 1/00 Tyres characterised by the chemical composition or the physical arrangement or mixture of the composition
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/00 Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor for lighting vehicle interior B60Q3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/03 Brake assistants
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/08 Lane monitoring; Lane Keeping Systems
• 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 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• 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 2540/30 Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0605 Throttle position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/18 Braking system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/30 Auxiliary equipments
• 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: B62D 15/025 Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation B62D1/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/0463 calculating assisting torque from the motor based on driver input
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/00 Arrangements for automatically controlling steering depending on driving conditions sensed and responded to, e.g. control circuits means for initiating a change in direction B62D1/00; steering valves B62D5/06; combined with means for inclining the vehicle body or wheels on bends B62D9/00
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/04 responsive only to forces disturbing the intended course of the vehicle, e.g. forces acting transversely to the direction of vehicle travel
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 : specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 : Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 : Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0825 : using optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/052 : with provision for determining speed or overspeed speed measuring in general G01P
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 : where the received information generates an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 : where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 : Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
• 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

Described herein is a vehicle system configured to identify and mitigate inappropriate driving behavior. In some embodiments, the vehicle system may receive input information from one or more input sensors. The vehicle system may identify driving behaviors related to a vehicle from the received input. The vehicle system may determine whether the driving behaviors are inappropriate in light of one or more conditions affecting the vehicle. Upon identifying inappropriate behavior, the vehicle system may generate a set of corrective actions capable of being executed to mitigate the inappropriate driving behavior.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from a processor device, input information associated with the processor device;

determining, based at least in part on the received input information, at least one vehicle behavior exhibited by the vehicle, the vehicle behavior comprising a driving pattern initiated by an operator of the vehicle in which the processor device is installed;

identifying a condition affecting the vehicle;

determining that a value associated with the at least one vehicle behavior exhibited by the vehicle deviates from at least one parameter associated with the condition affecting the vehicle;

determining a set of actions to be used to deter the at least one driving pattern exhibited by the vehicle, the set of actions comprising a chronologically ordered series of actions appropriate with respect to the identified condition; and

providing at least the first action in the series of actions to the processor device to be executed; and

upon determining that the first action was ineffective, cause at least a second action from the set of actions to be executed, the second action initiating an activation of a vehicle component to cause the vehicle behavior to cease, wherein the second action comprises increasing a brake sensitivity or decreasing a throttle sensitivity.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a processor device, location information associated with the processor device, wherein the condition affecting the vehicle is identified based at least in part on the location information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition affecting the vehicle is a weather condition.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition affecting the vehicle is a curvature of a road that the vehicle is traveling upon.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the driving pattern exhibited by the vehicle is determined by comparing the input information to predetermined driving pattern information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the at least one action to the processor device comprises providing computer executable instructions that, when executed, cause the at least one action to be initiated.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the input information is collected using at least one of an accelerometer, a camera, a microphone, a thermometer, a speedometer, a humidity sensor, a tire pressure gauge, or a pressure sensor.

8. A vehicle system, comprising:

a processor device; and

a memory including instructions that, when executed with the processor device, cause the system to, at least;

receive input information associated with the processor device;

determine, based at least in part on the received input information, at least one driving pattern exhibited by a vehicle in which the vehicle system is installed;

identify a condition affecting the vehicle;

determine that a value associated with the at least one driving pattern exhibited by the vehicle deviates from at least one parameter associated with the condition affecting the vehicle;

determine a series of actions to be used to deter the at least one driving pattern exhibited by the vehicle;

provide an indication of a first action of the series of actions to a driver of the vehicle; and

upon determining that the first action was ineffective, cause at least a second action from the series of actions to be executed, the second action initiating an activation of a vehicle component to cause the driving pattern to cease, wherein the second action comprises increasing a brake sensitivity or decreasing a throttle sensitivity.

9. The vehicle system of claim 8, wherein the at least one driving pattern is identified based at least in part on location information for the vehicle.

10. The vehicle system of claim 8, further comprising a display device, wherein providing an indication of the at least one action to a driver of the vehicle comprises displaying the indication on the display device.

11. The vehicle system of claim 8, wherein the processor device is in communication with a server external to the vehicle.

12. The vehicle system of claim 8, wherein the driving pattern exhibited by the vehicle comprises the vehicle traveling above a posted speed limit.

13. The vehicle system of claim 8, wherein the driving pattern exhibited by the vehicle comprises swerving of the vehicle.

14. The vehicle system of claim 8, wherein the action to stop the driving pattern comprises activating a braking system of the vehicle.

15. A vehicle apparatus, comprising:

one or more input sensors; and

a processor device configured to;

receive input information from the one or more input sensors;

determine, based at least in part on the received input information, at least one driving pattern exhibited by a vehicle in which the vehicle apparatus is installed;

identify a condition affecting the vehicle;

determine that a value associated with the at least one driving pattern exhibited by the vehicle deviates from at least one parameter associated with the condition affecting the vehicle;

determine at least one action to be used to deter the at least one driving pattern exhibited by the vehicle;

provide an indication of the at least one action to a driver of the vehicle; and

upon determining that the at least one action was ineffective, cause at least a second action to be executed, the second action initiating an activation of a vehicle component to cause the vehicle behavior to cease, wherein the second action comprises increasing a brake sensitivity and decreasing a throttle sensitivity.

16. The vehicle apparatus of claim 15, wherein the condition affecting the vehicle is identified based on a location of the vehicle, the vehicle being within a predetermined distance of a location of the condition.

17. The vehicle apparatus of claim 15, wherein the at least one driving pattern exhibited by the vehicle is determined to deviate from the at least one parameter based upon a range of acceptable values associated with at least one parameter.

18. The vehicle apparatus of claim 15, further comprising an antenna device configured to enable communication between the vehicle apparatus and a service provider computer.

19. The vehicle apparatus of claim 18, wherein the processor device is further configured to:

provide at least a portion of the input information to the service provider; and

receive an indication of the at least one driving pattern exhibited by the vehicle.

20. The vehicle apparatus of claim 15, wherein at least one action includes multiple actions determined to cease the vehicle behavior.