# US 12,179,788 B2 · System and method for assessing driver alertness based on a braking request and forward vehicle distance information > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,179,788 B2 - Document ID: US12179788B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/081,928 - Filed: 2022-12-15 - Published: 2024-06-20 - Granted: 2024-12-31 - Earliest claimed: 2022-12-15 - Assignees: Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC - Applicants: Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC - Inventors: Daniel S. Reifman - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12179788B2 ## CPC - B60W 50/16: Tactile feedback to the driver, e.g. vibration or force feedback to the driver on the steering wheel or the accelerator pedal - B60W 30/0956: {the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters} - B60W 40/08: related to drivers or passengers - B60W 50/10: Interpretation of driver requests or demands - B60W 50/14: Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention - B60W 2040/0827: {due to sleepiness} - B60W 2050/143: {Alarm means} - B60W 2050/146: {Display means} - B60W 2420/403: Image sensing, e.g. optical camera - B60W 2420/408: Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar - B60W 2540/18: Steering angle - B60W 2540/229: Attention level, e.g. attentive to driving, reading or sleeping - B60W 2554/80: Spatial relation or speed relative to objects - B60W 2556/45: External transmission of data to or from the vehicle - 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 ## Abstract Driver fatigue can increase a driver's reaction time and result in a collision. A system and method are provided for assessing driver alertness based on a braking request and forward vehicle distance information. Based on the assessed driver alertness, a warning can be issued to the driver to take a break from driving. In one embodiment, the system predicts a time when the driver should take a break based on a curve representing the driver's circadian rhythm. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors in a vehicle, cause the one or more processors to: receive information from a forward vehicle sensor in the vehicle indicating a distance to a forward vehicle; receive information from a brake actuator in the vehicle indicating a brake request; in response to receiving the information from the forward vehicle sensor and the brake actuator, calculate a time to impact the forward vehicle; detect an increase in driver fatigue using the calculated time to impact, wherein the increase in driver fatigue is detected by determining that the calculated time to impact is less than at least one previously-calculated time to impact; and in response to the detecting the increase in driver fatigue, cause a warning to be provided in the vehicle, wherein the warning indicates that a driver of the vehicle should take a break. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the warning indicates a future time when the driver of the vehicle should take the break. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the future time is interpolated based on a plurality of calculated times to impact and a curve representing a circadian rhythm. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the warning comprises a visual warning. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the warning comprises an audible warning. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the warning comprises a haptic warning. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the forward vehicle sensor comprises a radar. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the forward vehicle sensor comprises a laser. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the forward vehicle sensor comprises a camera. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the brake actuator comprises a foot brake module. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the time to impact is calculated in response to receiving steering wheel sensor data indicating that the vehicle is going straight. ### Claim 12 A method comprising: performing in one or more processors in a vehicle: calculating a plurality of times of impact, wherein each time of impact is based on a distance to a forward vehicle when a braking request is made, wherein the distance is received from a forward vehicle sensor in the vehicle and the braking request is received from a braking actuator in the vehicle; predicting a time of peak driver fatigue based on the plurality of values by: plotting the calculated plurality of times to impact against a sinusoidal curve representing a circadian rhythm; and interpolating a future time of peak driver fatigue; and at or before the predicted time of peak driver fatigue, providing a warning to a driver to avoid driving at the predicted time of peak driver fatigue. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the warning comprises a visual warning. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the forward vehicle sensor comprises one or more of the following: a radar, a laser, and a camera. ### Claim 15 A system comprising: means for calculating a plurality of times of impact, wherein each time of impact is based on a distance to a forward vehicle when a braking request is made, wherein the distance is received from a forward vehicle sensor in the vehicle and the braking request is received from a braking actuator in the vehicle; means for predicting a time of peak driver fatigue based on the plurality of values by: plotting the calculated plurality of times to impact against a sinusoidal curve representing a circadian rhythm; and interpolating a future time of peak driver fatigue; and means for, at or before the predicted time of peak driver fatigue, providing a warning to a driver to avoid driving at the predicted time of peak driver fatigue. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors in the vehicle, further cause the one or more processors to: determine whether the driver of the vehicle took the break by determining whether the vehicle was parked for an amount of time; and in response to determining that the driver of the vehicle did not take the break, send a report to an external entity indicating that the driver did not take the break. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising: determining whether the driver avoided driving at the predicted time of peak driver fatigue for a specified amount of time by detecting whether the vehicle was parked at the predicted time of peak driver fatigue for the specified amount of time; and sending a report to an external entity in response to determining that the driver of the vehicle did not avoid driving at the predicted time of peak driver fatigue for the specified amount of time. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the warning comprises an audible warning.