# US 10,308,258 B2 · System and method for responding to driver state > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,308,258 B2 - Document ID: US10308258B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/720,489 - Filed: 2017-09-29 - Published: 2018-01-25 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2013-03-15 - Assignees: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Kin C. Fung; Timothy J. Dick - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10308258B2 ## CPC - G06V 10/82: using neural networks - B60R 25/25: using biometry - B60W 40/08: related to drivers or passengers - G06V 10/764: using classification, e.g. of video objects - G06V 20/597: {Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness} - G06V 40/45: {Detection of the body part being alive} - G06V 40/70: Multimodal biometrics, e.g. combining information from different biometric modalities - G07C 5/02: Registering or indicating driving, working, idle, or waiting time only (apparatus forming part of taximeters G07B13/00) - G07C 5/08: Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time - G07C 9/37: using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition - G16H 50/20: for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems - B60W 2540/22: Psychological state; Stress level or workload - B60W 2540/221: Physiology, e.g. weight, heartbeat, health or special needs - B60W 2540/223: Posture, e.g. hand, foot, or seat position, turned or inclined - B60W 2540/225: Direction of gaze - B60W 2540/229: Attention level, e.g. attentive to driving, reading or sleeping - G06F 2218/12: Classification; Matching - G06V 40/15: {Biometric patterns based on physiological signals, e.g. heartbeat, blood flow} - G07C 9/00309: {operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks} - G07C 9/00563: {using personal physical data of the operator, e.g. finger prints, retinal images, voicepatterns} - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT - G07C: TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE - G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A method for controlling vehicle systems includes receiving monitoring information from one or more monitoring systems and determining a plurality of driver states based on the monitoring information from the one or more monitoring systems. The method includes determining a combined driver state based on the plurality of driver states and modifying control of one or more vehicle systems based on the combined driver state. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of controlling a vehicle system in a vehicle, comprising: receiving monitoring information from one or more monitoring systems of the vehicle; determining a first driver state of a driver and a second driver state of the driver based on the monitoring information from the one or more monitoring systems, wherein the first driver state is a behavioral driver state of the driver and the second driver state is a physiological driver state of the driver; determining a combined driver state index by evaluating the first driver state and the second driver state together; modifying a system status of the vehicle system as a function of the combined driver state index to increase alertness of the driver; determining a third driver state of the driver based on the monitoring information from the one or more monitoring systems, wherein the third driver state is a vehicular sensed driver state; determining a change in the combined driver state index based on the third driver state; and modifying the vehicle system as a function of the third driver state. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first driver state is determined based on eye movement information received from the one or more monitoring systems, and the second driver state is determined based on heart rate information received from the one or more monitoring systems. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more monitoring systems includes a portable device associated with the driver, wherein the portable device stores user data about the driver tracked over time. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the second driver state is based on the user data about the driver tracked over time. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, including determining a vehicle state of the vehicle based on the monitoring information from the one or more monitoring systems, wherein the vehicle state is the system status of the vehicle system. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, including upon determining the driver is distracted based on the combined driver state index and upon determining the vehicle system is ON based on the system status, modifying the system status of the vehicle system as a function of the combined driver state index to increase alertness of the driver includes modifying the system status of the vehicle system to OFF. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein determining the change in the combined driver state index based on the third driver state includes determining an increase in alertness of the driver from the combined driver state index. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the third driver state is an information transfer rate between the driver and the vehicle. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein determining the change in the combined driver state index based on the third driver state includes determining an increase in alertness of the driver based on determining a high information transfer rate between the driver and the vehicle. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein upon determining the driver is alert based on the change in the combined driver state index, modifying the vehicle system as a function of the third driver state includes modifying the system status to ON. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein upon determining the driver is distracted based on the change in the combined driver state index, modifying the vehicle system as a function of the third driver state includes modifying the system status of the vehicle system to OFF for a period of time. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, determining a fourth driver state of the driver, wherein the fourth driver state is a physiological driver state of the driver, and the fourth driver state is based on stored monitoring information about the driver tracked over time received from a portable device of the driver. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, including determining the driver is alert based on the fourth driver state and modifying the system status of the vehicle system to ON. ### Claim 14 A method of controlling a vehicle system in a vehicle, comprising: receiving monitoring information from one or more monitoring systems of the vehicle; determining a first driver state of a driver and a second driver state of the driver based on the monitoring information from the one or more monitoring systems; determining a combined driver state index by evaluating the first driver state and the second driver state together; modifying a system status of the vehicle system as a function of the combined driver state index to increase attention of the driver; determining a third driver state of the driver based on the monitoring information from the one or more monitoring systems; determining a second combined driver state index based on the third driver state; and modifying the vehicle system by evaluating the combined driver state index and the second combined driver state index together. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the first driver state is a behavioral driver state based on behavioral information received from the one or more monitoring systems, the second driver state is a physiological driver state based on physiological information received from the one or more monitoring systems, and the third driver state is a vehicular sensed driver state based on vehicle information from the one or more monitoring systems. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, including identifying the driver based on the monitoring information from the one or more monitoring systems and receiving stored user data about the driver tracked over time from a wearable device associated with the driver. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the second driver state is based on the stored user data. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, including determining a vehicle state of the vehicle based on the monitoring information from the one or more monitoring systems, wherein the vehicle state is an auto control mode status indicating whether the vehicle is enabled for operating under automatic control. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, including upon determining the auto control mode status is ON and upon determining the combined driver state index indicates an inattentive driver, modifying the system status of the vehicle system as a function of the combined driver state index to increase attention of the driver includes modifying the system status to OFF. ### Claim 20 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein modifying the system status of the vehicle system as a function of the combined driver state index to increase attention of the driver includes modifying the system status of the vehicle system to increase active driving of the vehicle by the driver. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, wherein determining the third driver state of the driver is based on vehicle information from the one or more monitoring systems, wherein the vehicle information is an information transfer rate between the driver and the vehicle in response to the driver transmitting information to the vehicle during active driving of the vehicle by the driver. ### Claim 22 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein modifying the system status of the vehicle system as a function of the combined driver state index to increase attention of the driver includes modifying the system status of the vehicle system to increase manual control of the vehicle by the driver. ### Claim 23 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein modifying the system status of the vehicle system as a function of the combined driver state index to increase attention of the driver includes modifying the system status of the vehicle system to OFF, and upon determining an increase in attention based on evaluating the combined driver state index and the second driver state together, modifying the vehicle system includes reactivating the vehicle system. ### Claim 24 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, including determining a fourth driver state of the driver based on the monitoring information from the one or more monitoring systems, wherein the fourth driver state is a behavioral driver state, and the fourth driver state is determined based on eye movement information received from the one or more monitoring systems. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, wherein determining the second combined driver state index based on the third driver state includes determining the second combined driver state index based on the third driver state and the fourth driver state. ### Claim 26 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein modifying the vehicle system by evaluating the combined driver state index and the second combined driver state index together includes determining a change in the combined driver state index. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The method of claim 26, wherein determining the change in the combined driver state index includes determining an increase in attention of the driver by comparing the combined driver state index to the second combined driver state index. ### Claim 28 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, including upon determining the attention of the driver meets a predetermined level based evaluating the combined driver state index and the second combined driver state index together, modifying the vehicle includes modifying the system status of the vehicle system to ON. ### Claim 29 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, including upon determining the driver is distracted by evaluating the combined driver state index and the second combined driver state index together, modifying the vehicle system includes disabling the vehicle system for a period of time. ### Claim 30 A system for controlling a vehicle system in a vehicle, comprising: a monitoring system for receiving monitoring information; and an electronic control unit including a processor, wherein the processor: determines a first driver state of a driver and a second driver state of the driver based on the monitoring information from the monitoring system, wherein the first driver state is a behavioral driver state of the driver and the second driver state is a physiological driver state of the driver; determines a combined driver state index by evaluating the first driver state and the second driver state together; modifies a system status of the vehicle system based on the combined driver state index to improve alertness of the driver; determines a third driver state of the driver based on the monitoring information from the monitoring system, wherein the third driver state is a vehicular sensed driver state; determines a change in the combined driver state index based on the third driver state; and modifies the vehicle system as a function of the third driver state. ### Claim 31 (depends on 30) The system of claim 30, wherein the monitoring system includes a wearable device associated with the driver, and wherein the wearable device tracks and stores user data patterns about the driver over time. ### Claim 32 (depends on 31) The system of claim 31, wherein the processor determines the second driver state based on the user data patterns. ### Claim 33 (depends on 30) The system of claim 30, wherein the processor modifies the system status of the vehicle system as a function of the combined driver state index by setting the system status of the vehicle system to require an increase in active driving of the vehicle by the driver to improve alertness of the driver. ### Claim 34 (depends on 30) The system of claim 30, wherein the monitoring information indicates a flow of information from the driver to the vehicle, the processor calculates an information transfer rate based on the flow of information from the driver to the vehicle, and the processor determines the third driver state of the driver based on the information transfer rate. ### Claim 35 (depends on 30) The system of claim 30, wherein upon the processor determining the driver is alert based on the change in the combined driver state index, the processor modifies the system status of the vehicle system to ON. ### Claim 36 (depends on 30) The system of claim 30, wherein upon the processor determining the driver is distracted based on the change in the combined driver state index, the processor modifies the system status of the vehicle system to OFF for a period of time. ### Claim 37 (depends on 31) The system of claim 31, wherein the processor determines a fourth driver state of the driver, wherein the fourth driver state is a physiological driver state of the driver, and the fourth driver state is based on the user data patterns received from the wearable device. ### Claim 38 (depends on 37) The system of claim 37, wherein the processor determines the driver is alert based on the fourth driver state and the processor modifies the system status of the vehicle system to ON based on the fourth driver state.