System and method for responding to driver behavior

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9505402-B2
Application number	US-201414315726-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 26, 2014
Priority date	Feb 18, 2011
Publication date	Nov 29, 2016
Grant date	Nov 29, 2016

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.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of controlling one or more vehicle systems in a motor vehicle, comprising:
receiving monitoring information from a monitoring system, wherein the monitoring information is a degree of eye movement of a driver and a degree of head movement of the driver;
determining a body state index for the driver using the monitoring information;
determining a control coefficient, wherein the control coefficient varies as a function of the body state index;
modifying a control parameter of the one or more vehicle systems based on the body state index, control coefficient, and an initial threshold, wherein the control parameter is used to control a level of operation of a function of the one or more vehicle systems, wherein modifying the control parameter further includes modifying the control parameter from the initial threshold as a function of the body state index; and
modifying control of the function of the one or more vehicle systems by modifying the level of operation of the function based on the control parameter.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more vehicle systems is a visual device for providing interior lighting in the motor vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the visual device is one or more cabin lights.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the level of operation of the function is a brightness level and modifying control of the function of the one or more vehicle systems by modifying the level of operation of the function includes modifying the brightness level of the visual device based on the control parameter.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the modifying control of the function of the one or more vehicle systems by modifying the brightness level of the visual device further includes modifying the brightness level in proportion to the control parameter.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the control parameter is an activation threshold for a visual device.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the control parameter is a brightness threshold for a visual device.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more vehicle systems is a tactile device including a vehicle seat.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein modifying the the level of operation of the function of the one or more vehicle systems includes modifying a level of rigidity of the vehicle seat based on the control parameter.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more vehicle systems is a plurality of visual devices for providing interior lighting.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein modifying the level of operation of the function of the one or more vehicle systems includes modifying a level of operation of a function of each of the plurality of visual devices based on the control parameter.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the degree of eye movement and the degree of head movement are relative to a reference location of the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the monitoring information is received from a proximity sensor disposed in a headrest of the motor vehicle.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the monitoring information is received from an optical sensing device to provide the degree of eye movement or the degree of head movement relative to a reference location of the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the monitoring information is received from a thermal sensing device to provide the degree of eye movement or the degree of head movement relative to a reference location of the vehicle.

16. A method of controlling one or more vehicle systems in a motor vehicle, comprising:
receiving monitoring information from a monitoring system including a degree of head movement of a driver relative to a reference location in the vehicle;
determining a body state index for the driver using the monitoring information and the degree of head movement of the driver relative to the reference location in the vehicle;
determining a control coefficient using the body state index, wherein the control coefficient varies as a function of the body state index;
determining a control parameter based on the body state index and the control coefficient; and
operating the vehicle system using the control parameter.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the control parameter is an activation threshold and determining the activation threshold further includes determining an initial threshold using the monitoring information and modifying the initial threshold using the control coefficient.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the vehicle system is a visual device for providing interior lighting and the control parameter is a system status for turning the visual device ON or OFF.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein the vehicle system is a visual device for providing interior lighting and the control parameter is a system status for adjusting the brightness of the visual device.

20. The method of claim 16 , wherein the monitoring information further includes eye movement information of the driver.

21. A system for controlling a vehicle system in a motor vehicle, comprising:
a monitoring system for providing monitoring information to a response system, the response system for determining a body state index for a driver using the monitoring information;
the response system for determining a visual device control coefficient, wherein the control coefficient varies as a function of the body state index; and
a calculation unit for determining a control parameter based on the visual device control coefficient, wherein the control parameter is a level of control that controls operation of a feature of a visual device, wherein the feature is an operating parameter of the visual device, and wherein the response system modifies the feature of the visual device using the control parameter.

22. The system of claim 21 , wherein the monitoring system includes a proximity sensor disposed in a headrest of the motor vehicle to receive head movement information.

23. The system of claim 21 , wherein the monitoring system includes an optical sensing device to provide eye movement information or head movement information.

24. The system of claim 21 , wherein the monitoring system includes a thermal sensing device to provide eye movement information or head movement information.

25. The system of claim 21 , wherein the control parameter is an activation threshold and the response system further determines an initial threshold using the monitoring information.

26. The system of claim 25 , wherein the response system further modifies the initial threshold using the monitoring information and the control coefficient.

27. The system of claim 26 , wherein the visual device provides interior lighting and the control parameter is a level of control that controls the operation of a system status of the visual device, wherein the system status is an ON or OFF operating parameter of the visual device for turning the visual device ON or OFF.

28. The system of claim 26 , wherein the visual device provides interior lighting and the control parameter is a level of control that controls the operation of a system status of the visual device, wherein the system status is a brightness operating parameter of the visual device for adjusting the brightness of the visual device.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Fung Kin C
• Dick Timothy J

Classifications

• B60W2540/221

  Physiology, e.g. weight, heartbeat, health or special needs · CPC title

• G01C21/3697

  Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level (G01C21/3679 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60T8/172

  Determining control parameters used in the regulation, e.g. by calculations involving measured or detected parameters {(B60T8/17551 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B60T2201/03

  Brake assistants · CPC title

• B60T2201/12

  Pre-actuation of braking systems without significant braking effect; Optimizing brake performance by reduction of play between brake pads and brake disc · CPC title