System and method for vehicle control integrating environmental conditions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10046618-B2
Application number	US-201414514460-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 15, 2014
Priority date	Oct 15, 2014
Publication date	Aug 14, 2018
Grant date	Aug 14, 2018

Abstract

A method for vehicle control integrating environmental conditions including receiving a current physiological parameter from a wearable device associated with a vehicle occupant, and upon receiving the current physiological parameter, determining a current position of the vehicle from a position determination device, wherein the current the current physiological parameter correlates with the current position of the vehicle. The method including determining a physiological overload level including querying a geodatabase with the current physiological parameter and the current position of the vehicle and controlling one or more vehicle systems of the vehicle based on the physiological overload level.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for vehicle control integrating environmental conditions, comprising:
receiving a current physiological parameter from a wearable device associated with a vehicle occupant in a vehicle;
detecting a physiological overload trigger by comparing the current physiological parameter to a predetermined threshold, wherein the physiological overload trigger is detected when the current physiological parameter exceeds the predetermined threshold;
determining a physiological overload trigger type of the physiological overload trigger based on the current physiological parameter, wherein the physiological overload trigger type is at least one of a cognitive overload trigger type, a physical overload trigger type, and a visual overload trigger type;
determining a current position of the vehicle from a position determination device, wherein the current position of the vehicle correlates with the onset of the physiological overload trigger;
querying a geodatabase for data associated with the current physiological parameter, the physiological overload trigger type, and the current position of the vehicle, wherein the data includes physiological parameters, vehicle parameters, and environmental parameters about a group of subjects;
determining a physiological overload level based on the data by aggregating the physiological parameters, the vehicle parameters, and the environmental parameters returned in response to querying the geodatabase;
selecting, based on the physiological overload level, one or more vehicle systems of the vehicle for controlling; and
controlling the selected one or more vehicle systems of the vehicle based on the physiological overload level to decrease the physiological overload level or to eliminate the physiological overload trigger.

2. The method of claim 1 , further including receiving at least one of a current vehicle parameter from the one or more vehicle systems and a current environmental parameter from the one or more vehicle systems.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the current vehicle parameter is a future destination from the one or more vehicle systems.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the selected one or more vehicle systems are controlled based on the physiological overload level and the future destination.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein querying the geodatabase for data further includes querying the geodatabase for data associated with at least one of a vehicle make and a vehicle model of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the geodatabase is generated during a collection mode, the collection mode including,
receiving a physiological parameter from the wearable device associated with the vehicle occupant;
detecting a physiological overload trigger based on the physiological parameter;
receiving a position of the vehicle from a position determination device, wherein the position of the vehicle correlates to the physiological parameter; and
storing the physiological parameter and the position of the vehicle in the geodatabase.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cognitive overload trigger type indicates the current physiological parameter associated with cognition of the vehicle occupant, the physical overload trigger type indicates the current physiological parameter associated with a physical body of the vehicle occupant, and the visual overload trigger type indicates the current physiological parameter is-associated with eyes of the vehicle occupant.

8. A method for vehicle control integrating environmental conditions, comprising:
receiving a current first physiological parameter from a first wearable device associated with a driver in a vehicle and a current second physiological parameter from a second wearable device associated with a vehicle occupant in the vehicle;
determining a current position of the vehicle and a future position of the vehicle from a position determination device;
querying a geodatabase with the current first physiological parameter, the current second physiological parameter, the current position of the vehicle and the future position of the vehicle;
determining a physiological overload level of the driver and a physiological overload level of the vehicle occupant based on data received in response to querying the geodatabase by comparing the current first physiological parameter and the current second physiological parameter with a predetermined physiological level;
selecting, based on the physiological overload level of the driver and the physiological overload level of the vehicle occupant, one or more vehicle systems of the vehicle for controlling; and
controlling the selected one or more vehicle systems of the vehicle based on the physiological overload level of the driver and the physiological overload level of the vehicle occupant to independently change a state of the driver and a state of the vehicle occupant.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the selected one or more vehicle systems of the vehicle are controlled prior to the vehicle reaching the future position of the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 8 , further including receiving at least one of a current vehicle parameter from the one or more vehicle systems and a current environmental parameter from the one or more vehicle systems.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein querying the geodatabase further includes querying the geodatabase with the current first physiological parameter, the current second physiological parameter, the current position of the vehicle, the current vehicle parameter and the current environmental parameter.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein determining the physiological overload level of the driver and the physiological overload level of the vehicle occupant includes aggregating the data received in response to querying the geodatabase.

13. A system for vehicle control integrating environmental conditions, comprising:
a wearable device associated with a vehicle occupant for sensing one or more parameters associated with the vehicle occupant;
a vehicle computing processor communicatively coupled to the wearable device, one or more vehicle systems of a vehicle, and a geodatabase;
an integration module of the processor that receives a current physiological parameter from the wearable device and a current position of the vehicle from a position determination device, wherein the integration module of the processor
detects a physiological overload trigger by comparing the current physiological parameter to a predetermined threshold, wherein the physiological overload trigger is detected when the current physiological parameter exceeds the predetermined threshold, and
determines a physiological overload trigger type of the physiological overload trigger based on the current physiological parameter, wherein the physiological overload trigger type is at least one of a cognitive overload trigger type, a physical overload trigger type, and a visual overload trigger type; and

a physiological overload module of the processor that queries the geodatabase for data associated with the current physiological parameter, the current position of the vehicle, and the physiological overload trigger type, wherein the physiological overload module of the processor determines a physiological overload level based on the data, wherein the processor selects, based on the physiological overload level, at least one of the one or more vehicle systems of the vehicle for controlling, and wherein the processor controls, based on the physiological overload level, the one or more vehicle systems of the vehicle that have been selected to decrease the physiological overload level

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kirsch David M
• Vashi Harinkumar
• Chen Bonnie

Classifications

• B60H1/00742 Primary

  by detection of the vehicle occupants' presence; by detection of conditions relating to the body of occupants, e.g. using radiant heat detectors · CPC title

• B60W2040/0872

  Driver physiology · CPC title

• B60W2540/22

  Psychological state; Stress level or workload · CPC title

• B60H1/00771

  the input being a vehicle position or surrounding, e.g. GPS-based position or tunnel · CPC title

• B60W40/08

  related to drivers or passengers · CPC title