Patent Application
20060290520
This invention relates to a system for mitigating driver distraction and/or drowsiness.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that approximately 25% of the 6.4 million annual highway crashes, that is about 1.6 million annual highway crashes, are caused by driver distraction. NHTSA is sponsoring programs to reduce driver distraction related highway crashes. These programs involve developing monitors to determine when a driver is distracted. Once a determination has been made that the driver is distracted, it is then necessary to counter the distraction and refocus the driver's attention to driving the vehicle.
A system for mitigating driver distraction and/or drowsiness for a vehicle having a steering wheel and a windshield comprises an arm adapted for attachment to the vehicle so that the arm is juxtaposed an exterior surface of the windshield and so that the arm sweeps a portion of the exterior surface of the windshield in front of the steering wheel to provide a motion signal. The system includes a driver distraction and/or drowsiness monitor, and a control device responsive to the driver monitor, for operating the arm.
The system for mitigating driver distraction and/or drowsiness also preferably includes a visual signal on the arm, that preferably is intermittent, such as a flashing or flickering light, to accentuate the visual signal; the visual signal being visible from behind the steering wheel when the arm is attached to the vehicle to provide a visual signal to supplement the motion signal.
The arm is preferably a wiper arm that contacts the windshield so as to produce an auditory signal to supplement the motion signal and/or the visual signal of the arm.
The wiper arm may be part of a windshield wiper assembly wherein the visual signal is attached to a free end of an arm of the windshield wiper assembly or attached to a wiper blade sub-assembly of the windshield wiper assembly.
The visual signal is preferably provided by simultaneously or sequentially, intermittently energized LEDs which are highly visible and economical and yet compact and light weight to avoid or at least reduce any adverse effect on the wiping arm or the wiping operation of a windshield wiper assembly when the wiping arm is part of a windshield wiper assembly.
Referring now to
Arm 10 is adapted for attachment to a vehicle 11 having a steering wheel 12 and a windshield 14 so that arm 10 is juxtaposed an exterior surface of the windshield and so that arm 10 sweeps a portion of the exterior surface of windshield 14 in front of the steering wheel 12 to produce a motion signal for the driver seated behind the steering wheel.
Arm 10 includes a socket 16 at one end for attaching the arm 10 to a rotatable post 18 of the vehicle 11 as shown in
Arm 10 also preferably has a visual signal 24 that is visible through windshield 14 by the driver of the vehicle seated behind the steering wheel 12 as shown in
For economy, the arm 10 is preferably an integral part of a conventional windshield wiper assembly 26 comprising arm 10 and a wiper blade sub-assembly 30 as shown in
The system 6 of the invention for mitigating driver distraction and/or drowsiness preferably presents visual signal lights to distracted drivers in combination with the motion signal to re-orient their attention to the forward scene and the driving task. For the visual signal lights, a small number of LEDs 32, for example, two or three yellow or amber LEDs may be attached to the inner or top side of the metal portion of the windshield wiper arm 10. When driver distraction is detected, these LEDs may be turned on and off, in succession and simultaneously to create the effect of flickering or flashing near the forward road area. It has been demonstrated in the psychological literature that people automatically look in the direction of moving objects or in the direction of flashing or flickering lights. Consequently, the flashing or flickering, LEDs mounted on the moving wiper arm quickly re-orient drivers' attention back to the forward road and the driving task.
The windshield wiper assembly 26 or 126 may be turned on for a short period, for example one cycle, when a high level of distraction is detected. The windshield wiper operation provides an additional signal. The movement of the wiper blade as it sweeps the windshield produces an auditory signal as well as a motion signal—the mild sound produced by wiper blade as it brushes across the windshield. Thus the system of the invention can provide three distinct signals to a distracted driver and re-direct the driver's attention to the forward road and the driving task. The wiper motion also produces movement of the LEDs that are attached to the wiper, resulting in moving lights that enhance the effectiveness of the system 6 of the invention.
The preferred system has several advantages. First, it is inexpensive and easy to implement the interface with the driver since the only additional cost of the interface is a few LEDs and electrical wire connecting the LEDs and windshield wiper actuator to the driver distraction and/or drowsiness monitor and the monitor responsive control for the LEDs and the windshield wiper motor. Second, the interface can be very effective. The flashing or flickering LEDs, wiper movement, and wiper sound captures the attention of distracted drivers to re-orient their attention to the forward area and the driving task very quickly and very effectively. Third, the interface can be very well accepted by drivers. The small flickering or flashing LEDs, the wiper movement and wiper sound are mild rather than annoying. The flashing or flickering LEDs and wiper movement are activated only when the driver is distracted so that the interface itself does not create a distraction.
