Techniques operate on a trigger to alert and awaken a driver that exhibits characteristics of sleeping, getting drowsy, or other dangerous driving condition.
As computing processing power grows and is used in automobiles to take over more and more conventional operator functions, drivers and passengers more and more rely on systems to automatically pilot the automobile by detecting proximity to another vehicle, and immovable objects, or the veering of the moving automobile from a given lane.
A puffer device comprises a puffer discharge port and a puffer discharge portion, that may be a tube-shaped portion, and that defines the puffer discharge port at a distal end of the puffer discharge portion. A puffer air receiver receives air from an air source at a receiving end and the puffer air receiver directs air from the air source into a proximate end of the puffer discharge portion. An air valve regulates air flow from the air source into the proximate end of the puffer discharge portion and a movable mount that permits, or facilitates, changeable orientation, which may change relative to a vehicle cabin or relative to a user's head orientation, of the puffer discharge port according to instructions included in a puffer trigger instruction signal. The air valve may be a butterfly valve, a gate valve, a globe valve or a sluice-gate type valve and may be operated by instructions included in a puffer trigger instruction signal. The movable mount may include a gimbal system, including a motorized gimbal system that, permits, and may be moved by motors of the motorized system, to change orientation of the puffer device in one or more dimensions, including one, two, or three dimension gimbal mounting systems. The movable mounting system may also include one or more extension arm(s) that can extend or retract the puffer device parallel to one or more of the rotation axes of the movable mounting system.
A computer device includes a processor that may be configured to receive a sensor signal from a sensor that detects one or more parameters associated with operating an automobile. The processor may process the sensor signal to determine from the one or more parameters that a danger condition has occurred. The processor of the computer device may generate a puffer trigger instruction signal based on the determination that the danger condition has occurred, or is likely to occur, and the processor may transmit the puffer trigger instruction signal to a puffer device. The puffer trigger instruction signal may include one or more orientation instructions to the movable mounting system for causing the puffer device to achieve a particular orientation and to discharge air according to discharge instructions.
As a preliminary matter, it will be readily understood by those persons skilled in the art that the present invention is susceptible of broad utility and application. Many methods, aspects, embodiments, and adaptations of the present invention other than those herein described, as well as many variations, modifications, and equivalent arrangements, will be apparent from, or reasonably suggested by, the substance or scope of the present invention.
Accordingly, while the present invention has been described herein in detail in relation to preferred embodiments and aspects, it is to be understood that this disclosure is only illustrative and exemplary of the present invention and is made merely for the purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure of the invention. The following disclosure is not intended nor is to be construed to limit the present invention or otherwise exclude any such other embodiments, adaptations, variations, modifications and equivalent arrangements, the present invention being limited only by the claims appended hereto and the equivalents thereof.
A sensor, such as a camera, capable or capturing still images as well as video content, or computer devices in communication therewith, may perform image recognition, or apply image processing techniques, to determine that a driver is falling asleep, that the driver is very inattentive, that the driver has totally fallen asleep, or that some other danger condition has occurred such as the vehicle veering out of a travel lane. If the sensor is not a camera and only provides parameter information; such as wearable sensors that detect motion or sensors that measures distance, temperature, or sound; instead of image recognition or image processing, the computer device may only determine that a driver's head has moved its general position relative to the sensor to determine that the driver has fallen asleep or is getting drowsy.
The computer device, that may be coupled to camera 102, or at least arranged to receive communication signals and messages that are generated by, or derived from the images captured by, the camera, generates a puffer trigger signal in response to a determination that an image, or images, captured by the camera, indicate that the driver is drowsy, or has fallen asleep. The computer device may be part of a vehicle computer system, such as an ECM, an entertainment head unit, a telematics control unit, or may be part of a user's smart phone or tablet device. Camera device 102 itself may include the computer device, or the equivalent of the computer device, that performs the image or facial recognition processing. Or, a computer device separate from the camera may perform the processing. Upon determining that images captured by the camera indicate that the driver has become drowsy, the computer processing device may generate the puffer trigger signal that is forwarded to puffer device 106.
As shown in
Air valve 116 may comprise an open/close valve, or may comprise a variable aperture that can change in response to the puff trigger signal such that the puff has a higher velocity when the aperture is small, or a lower velocity when the aperture is larger. The aperture may be located inside puffer device 106 behind the nozzle 108, which may have a fixed-size discharge port 118. Or, nozzle discharge port 118 may comprise a variable port size (i.e., a variable aperture), which may vary all the say from a zero radius (closed) to a predetermined maximum port radius (open). In an aspect shown in the figure, nozzle 108 may be a discharge tube having a varying cross sectional area, i.e., when the discharge tube is viewed in a side view, the discharge tube tapers toward discharge port 118 from a larger radius to a smaller radius. In another aspect, the slope of the taper, i.e., the change in radius with respect to the length of discharge tube 108, may be variable (i.e., tube 108 may shortened or lengthened along puffer device axis 120). In yet another aspect, discharge tube portion 108 of device 106 may be made from a flexible, or non-rigid, material such that the shape of discharge port 118 may vary to create a varying puff discharge quality in response to a port shape command included in the puff trigger signal.
The computer device may vary the puff trigger signal according to a response of the driver. For example, a first puff trigger signal may first instruct the puffer to direct a mild puff at the driver's head after a determination has been made that the driver is drowsy. If the facial, or image, recognition software processed by the computer device does not detect a predetermined head, or face, position of the driver indicating an alert driver after a first puff, a second puff trigger signal may instruct the puffer motorized mounting system to move the discharge port closer to the driver's head, or instruct the motorized mounting system to orient the discharge port at a particular portion of the driver's face for delivery of a second puff. In addition, the second puff signal may direct the puffer to configure the nozzle discharge and discharge port size such that the second puff is a stronger, or higher velocity, puff than the previous puff. In an aspect, the duration may be varied from the first puff to the second, and from the second to the third, and from the third to a forth, etc. In an aspect, the air source may deliver scented air, or a scent may be injected into the puffer device to scent the puff that may be discharged from discharge port 118.
Turning now to
Continuing with the description of
At step 325 the puffer may discharge a puff, or puffs, of air according to the puffer trigger instruction signal. For example, if a current iteration of step 325 is a first iteration since the generation of a puffer trigger instruction signal at step 317, then the puffer instruction signal may instruct the puffer to emit a low velocity, short puff of air at the drivers face or scalp area so as not to direct a high pressure blast of air at the drivers eyes. At step 330, the computer device determines whether the conditions that resulted in a determination at step 310 that the driver was drowsy or a determination at step 315 that the driver was operating the vehicle outside a set of predetermined boundaries still exist. If the determination is made at step 330 that one or more conditions that resulted in the generation of a puffer trigger instruction signal at step 317 no longer exist, then method 300 ends at step 335.
If, however, the computer device processor does not determine at step 330 that drowsy or erratic/out-of-bounds driving behavior has been corrected, the puffer trigger instruction signal generated at step 317 may have included instructions to orient the puffer for a subsequent puff at a different portion of the driver's body than during the first iteration of step 320, and may have included instructions to provide a higher velocity puff, or series of puffs/bursts of air, at a predetermined frequency, and at differing duration, or durations, with the same, or a potentially revised, orientation of the puffer. Alternatively, instead of a first puffer trigger information signal including instructions for orientation and puff characteristics for first, second, and subsequent iterations of steps 320, 325, and 330, after a first iteration of step 330 determines that the drowsy, erratic, or out-of-bounds driving has not been corrected, method 300 may return to step 317 for generation of a new/revised puffer trigger instruction signal that includes instructions for the next, and perhaps subsequent, iterations of steps 320, 325, and 330.
These and many other objects and advantages will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the foregoing specification when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. It is to be understood that the embodiments herein illustrated are examples only, and that the scope of the invention is to be defined solely by the claims when accorded a full range of equivalents. Disclosure of particular hardware is given for purposes of example. Some steps recited in the method claims below may be performed in a different order than presented in the claims and still be with the scope of the recited claims.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional patent application 62/367,208 entitled “Method and system to awaken a drowsy driver,” which was filed Jul. 27, 2016, and which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62367208 | Jul 2016 | US |