# US 2014/0191883 A1 · Adaptive driver assistance alerts functionality > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0191883 A1 - Document ID: US20140191883A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/147,962 - Filed: 2014-01-06 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-04 - Assignees: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. - Applicants: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. - Inventors: Zachary Joseph Bolton; Jeremy Jason McClain; Tejas Bhupendra Desai; Stephan Wetzel; Jorg Witthaus - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140191883A1 ## CPC - G08G 1/0962: having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages - B60Q 9/008: {for anti-collision purposes} - B60W 40/08: related to drivers or passengers - B60W 50/14: Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention - B60W 2050/143: {Alarm means} - B60W 2540/22: Psychological state; Stress level or workload - B60W 2540/221: Physiology, e.g. weight, heartbeat, health or special needs - B60W 2540/30: Driving style - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) - B60Q: ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL - 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 A driver assistance system for a vehicle includes a plurality of lights linearly arranged substantially around an interior perimeter of the vehicle. A controller is controllably coupled to the plurality of lights, such that the controller is operable to control the plurality of lights. A hazard detection system is communicatively coupled to the controller. The controller includes a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions for causing the controller to illuminate at least one of the plurality of lights corresponding to a location of a hazard detected by the hazard detection system ## Claims ### Claim 1 A driver assistance system for a vehicle comprising: a plurality of lights linearly arranged substantially around an interior perimeter of the vehicle; a controller controllably coupled to the plurality of lights, such that the controller is operable to control the plurality of lights; a hazard detection system communicatively coupled to the controller; the controller including a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions for causing the controller to illuminate at least one of the plurality of lights corresponding to a location of a hazard detected by the hazard detection system. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The driver assistance system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of lights comprises a plurality of adjacent rows of lights. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The driver assistance system of claim 1, wherein each light in the plurality of lights is an LED light. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The driver assistance system of claim 1, further comprising a driver analyzer mounted in an interior of the vehicle and operable to detect a direction of a driver's gaze, wherein the driver analyzer is communicatively coupled to the controller such that images detected by the driver analyzer are transmitted to the controller. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The driver assistance system of claim 4, wherein the driver analyzer is a camera. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The driver assistance system of claim 1, wherein the controller further comprises an infotainment system and wherein the plurality of lights are configured to display at least one of text and symbolic information received from the infotainment system. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The driver assistance system of claim 1, wherein a plurality of lights linearly arranged substantially around an interior perimeter of the vehicle are a ring of lights that circumscribes the interior of the vehicle. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The driver assistance system of claim 7, wherein the ring of lights comprises at least one break. ### Claim 9 A method for assisting a driver of a vehicle comprising the steps of: identifying a hazard using a hazard detection system; illuminating at least one light of a plurality of lights linearly arranged substantially around an interior perimeter of a vehicle in response to identifying the hazard, thereby indicating a location of the hazard to a driver, wherein the plurality of lights linearly arranged substantially around the interior perimeter of the vehicle at least substantially circumscribes the interior of the car. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the step of illuminating at least one light comprises illuminating a plurality of lights sequentially thereby directing the driver's attention toward the location of the hazard. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of determining a worst case position of a driver's gaze based on a location of the identified hazard. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein a first illuminated light in the plurality of lights is a light located at a worst case scenario gaze position, and wherein a final illuminated light in the plurality of lights is a light located in a position corresponding to the identified hazard zone. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of identifying a direction of the driver's gaze using a driver analyzer. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the step of illuminating at least one light comprises illuminating a plurality of lights sequentially, thereby directing the driver's attention toward the location of the hazard, and wherein the sequential illumination of lights begins with a light positioned in the driver's gaze and ends with illumination of a light in a location corresponding to the location of the hazard.