Distracted driver prevention systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016101784-A1
Application number	US-201414512856-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 13, 2014
Priority date	Oct 13, 2014
Publication date	Apr 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A user device may be used to prevent a user from driving a vehicle while distracted by the user device. The user device may create a user profile, determine whether the user is driving, and collect usage data while the user is driving. The user profile may include information regarding the driver's propensity to be distracted while driving and the usage data may include information on whether the user is actually distracted by the user device. The user device may determine whether the driver is distracted based on the user profile and the usage data, and may respond in one or more ways, such as by alerting the driver with an audio signal, disabling a feature of the user device, logging instances of user distraction with a diagnostics device, activating a braking system of the vehicle, warning nearby drivers about the driver being distracted, and more.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method, comprising:
collecting, by a user device, usage data corresponding to a user driving a vehicle, the usage data comprising information indicative of whether the user is distracted by the user device while driving the vehicle; analyzing, by the user device, the usage data to determine whether the driver is distracted by the user device by comparing the usage data to a distraction threshold; and responding, by the user device, to the analyzing of the usage data by disabling a feature of the user device to prevent the user from being distracted by the user device.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the usage data comprises at least one of:
information communicated between the user device and a network to which the user device is connected, information communicated between the user device and the user of the user device, or at least one internal process performed by the user device.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the usage data comprises an orientation of the user device in conjunction with image data collected by the user device of the user looking at a display of the user device.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the orientation of the user device is determined by the user device based on information from an accelerometer of the user device and at least one of:
information from a front-side camera, or information from a back-side camera of the user device.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining whether the user is driving the vehicle by determining whether the user is located in a driver's seat of the vehicle and determining whether the vehicle is moving.

6 . The method of claim 5 , where the determining of whether the user is located in the driver's seat of the vehicle comprises collecting image data indicative of whether the driver is located in the driver's seat of the vehicle.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the image data comprises at least one of:
a seat belt of the vehicle, a steering wheel of the vehicle; a feature of a driver console of the vehicle, a gear shifter of the vehicle, a center console of the vehicle a glove compartment of the vehicle, a rearview mirror of the vehicle, a back seat of the vehicle, a front seat of the vehicle, a window of the vehicle, or a location of another passenger within the vehicle.

8 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
determining of whether the user is located in a driver's seat of the vehicle by communicating with a diagnostics device of the vehicle to determine a distance between the user device and the diagnostics device.

9 . The method of claim 5 , wherein determining that the vehicle is moving for purposes of distraction prevention even when the vehicle is stopped at a traffic light or in a traffic jam.

10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating a user profile based on the profile information received from the user and profile information received from an application server, the profile information from the application server comprising profile information corresponding to at least one user that is analogous to the user, wherein the responding to the analyzing of the usage data is based on the user profile.

11 . The method of claim 1 , where the analyzing of the usage data to determine whether the driver is distracted by the user device comprises determining whether the usage data exceeds a distraction threshold within a pre-selected time interval.

12 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
defining the distraction threshold based on at least one of:
a user profile associated with the user of the user device,
whether the user has a propensity for being distracted by the user device while driving,
whether the user is driving at a time, for a duration, or along a route where the user has been distracted by the user device previously,
whether the user is driving at a time, for a duration, or along a route where an analogous user has been distracted by another user device previously,
what type of media is being played in the vehicle,
an orientation of the user device,
whether the user device has recently communicated, with a network, a type of information associated with the user being distracted by the user device previously,
whether the user device has recently received, from the network, a type of information associated with the user being distracted by the user device previously,
whether the user device has recently communicated, to the user, a type of information associated with the user being distracted by the user device previously, and
whether the user device has recently received, from the user, a type of information associated with the user being distracted by the user device previously; and
using the distraction threshold in determining, based on the usage data, whether the driver is distracted by the user device.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the responding to the analyzing of the usage data further comprises at least one of:
communicating usage data to a diagnostics device of the vehicle, communicating an instance of distraction to the diagnostics device of the vehicle, producing an audio signal to notify the user to not use the user device while driving, requesting the vehicle to activate a braking system of the vehicle, requesting the vehicle to turn off an engine of the vehicle, requesting the vehicle to activate an automated driving feature of the vehicle, warning drivers of other vehicles that the user is distracted by the user device, contacting a guardian of the user about the driving being distracted by the user device, contacting an employer of the user about the driving being distracted by the user device, or contacting local law enforcement about the user being distracted by the user device.

14 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
enabling the disabled feature of the user device upon determining that the user is no longer driving the vehicle.

15 . A system, comprising:
a user device, comprising:
a non-transitory memory device storing:
a plurality of processor-executable instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the processor-executable instructions, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions causes the processor to:
collect usage data corresponding to a user driving a vehicle, the usage data comprising information indicative of whether the user is distracted by the user device while driving the vehicle,
analyze the usage data to determine whether the driver is distracted by the user device by comparing the usage data to a distraction threshold, and
respond to the analyzing of the usage data by disabling a feature of the user device to prevent the user from being distracted by the user device while driving.

16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein executing the processor-executable instructions causes the processor to:
define the distraction threshold based on at least one of:
a user profile associated with the user of the user device,
whether the user has a propensity for being distracted by the user device while driving,
whether the user is driving at a time, for a duration, or along a route where the user has been distracted by the user device previously,
whether the user is driving at a time, for a duration, or along a route where an analogous user has been distracted by another user device previously,
what type of media is being played in the vehicle,
an orientation of the user device,
whether the user device has recently communicated, with a network, a type of

Assignees

• Verizon Patent & Licensing Inc

Inventors

• Olson Brian
• Rados Steven R
• Hughes Kent W
• Sanjeev Kumar
• Polehn Donna L
• Chiang David
• Krishnaswamy Nithya

Classifications

• B60K35/25

  using haptic output · CPC title

• B60K35/28

  characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver · CPC title

• B60K35/26

  using acoustic output · CPC title

• B60K35/10

  Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor · CPC title

• B60W40/09 Primary

  Driving style or behaviour · CPC title