Vehicle driving assist system with driver attentiveness assessment

A driving assist system for a vehicle, said driving assist system comprising:

• a driver monitoring system comprising at least one camera disposed in a vehicle and having a field of view that encompasses driver hand positions of a driver driving the vehicle, wherein said at least one camera captures image data;
• an electronic control unit (ECU) comprising a processor that processes image data captured by said camera to determine the driver hand positions of the driver while the driver is driving the vehicle;
• wherein said ECU, responsive to processing of image data captured by said camera and at least in part responsive to the determined driver hand positions, determines a level of attentiveness of the driver;
• wherein said driving assistance system of the vehicle operates to provide driving assistance of the vehicle responsive at least in part to the determined level of attentiveness of the driver;
• wherein a level of driving assistance provided by said driving assistance system is adapted responsive to the determined level of attentiveness of the driver;
• wherein the level of attentiveness of the driver is determined based at least in part on discrete driver hand positions, and wherein each driver hand position of a plurality of predefined discrete driver hand positions is assigned an attentiveness value;
• wherein the level of attentiveness of the driver is determined based at least in part on a combination of two attentiveness values of determined driver hand positions, and wherein the combination of two attentiveness values of determined driver hand positions comprises a combined attentiveness value between a 0 percent determined level of attentiveness of the driver and a 100 percent determined level of attentiveness of the driver;
• wherein each driver hand position of the plurality of predefined driver hand positions corresponds to a respective one of a right hand position of the driver or a left hand position of the driver;
• wherein at least some of the predefined discrete driver hand positions correspond to respective ones of (i) a plurality of discrete driver hand positions of the driver at a steering wheel of the vehicle, and (ii) a plurality of discrete driver hand positions of the driver at an interior portion of the vehicle and not at the steering wheel of the vehicle;
• and
• wherein, responsive to the determined level of attentiveness of the driver, said driving assistance system adapts the provided level of driving assistance.

A driving assist system for a vehicle, said driving assist system comprising:

• a driver monitoring system comprising a plurality of sensors disposed at a steering wheel of a vehicle and sensing driver hand positions of a driver driving the vehicle;
• an electronic control unit (ECU) comprising a processor that processes data sensed by said sensors to determine the driver hand positions of the driver at the steering wheel while the driver is driving the vehicle;
• wherein said ECU, responsive to processing of data sensed by said sensors and at least in part responsive to the determined driver hand positions at the steering wheel, determines a level of attentiveness of the driver;
• wherein said ECU determines the level of attentiveness of the driver based at least in part on a driver profile of the driver of the vehicle;
• wherein said driving assistance system of the vehicle operates to provide driving assistance of the vehicle responsive at least in part to the determined level of attentiveness of the driver;
• wherein a level of driving assistance provided by said driving assistance system is adapted responsive to the determined level of attentiveness of the driver;
• wherein the level of attentiveness of the driver is determined based at least in part on discrete driver hand positions, and wherein each driver hand position of a plurality of predefined discrete driver hand positions is assigned an attentiveness value;
• wherein the level of attentiveness of the driver is determined based at least in part on a combination of two attentiveness values of determined driver hand positions, and wherein the combination of two attentiveness values of determined driver hand positions comprises a combined attentiveness value between a 0 percent determined level of attentiveness of the driver and a 100 percent determined level of attentiveness of the driver;
• wherein each driver hand position of the plurality of predefined discrete driver hand positions corresponds to a respective one of a right hand position of the driver or a left hand position of the driver;
• wherein at least some of the predefined discrete driver hand positions correspond to respective ones of aa plurality of discrete driver hand positions of the driver at the steering wheel, and (ii) a plurality of discrete driver hand positions of the driver at an interior portion of the vehicle and not at the steering wheel of the vehicle;
• and
• wherein, responsive to the determined level of attentiveness of the driver, said driving assistance system adapts the provided level of driving assistance.