Combining driver and environment sensing for vehicular safety systems
AssigneeToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
InventorsMichael Robert James, Michael Edward Samples, Steven F. Kalik
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for assisting safe operation of a vehicle includes an environment sensor system detecting hazards within the vehicle environment, a driver monitor providing driver awareness data (such as a gaze track), and an attention-evaluation module identifying hazards as sufficiently or insufficiently sensed by the driver by comparing the hazard data and the gaze track. An alert signal relating to the unperceived hazards can be provided.
Claims17
An apparatus for assisting safe operation of a vehicle, the vehicle having a vehicle environment, the apparatus comprising:
- an environment sensor system, operable to detect hazards within the vehicle environment and to provide hazard data;
- a driver monitor, operable to provide driver awareness data, the driver awareness data including a gaze track;
- and
- an attention-evaluation module, identifying perceived hazards and unperceived hazards by comparing the hazard data and the gaze track,
- the attention-evaluation module providing an alert signal relating to the unperceived hazards,
- the attention-evaluation module including an electronic circuit having a processor,
- the processor operable to execute an algorithm comparing hazard location data with the gaze track,
- the algorithm including a model of driver memory, the model of driver memory including a minimum fixation time required for awareness, a memory retention time, and a memory capacity,
- the electronic circuit being operable to estimate driver awareness using the model of driver memory.
An apparatus for assisting safe operation of a vehicle, the vehicle having a vehicle environment, the apparatus comprising:
- an environment sensor system, operable to detect hazards within the vehicle environment and provide hazard data,
- hazard data including hazard location data,
- the hazards including other vehicles in the vehicle environment;
- a driver monitor, the driver monitor including a gaze tracker and providing gaze track data including a gaze track;
- an attention-evaluation module, operable to receive the hazard data and the gaze track data, and to identify unperceived hazards by comparing the hazard locations and the gaze track,
- the attention-evaluation module including an electronic circuit having a processor,
- the processor operable to execute an algorithm comparing hazard location data with the gaze track,
- the algorithm including a model of driver memory, the model of driver memory including a minimum fixation time required for awareness, a memory retention time, and a memory capacity,
- the electronic circuit being operable to estimate driver awareness using the model of driver memory;
- and
- a hazard alarm providing alerts to the driver relating to the unperceived hazards.
A method for assisting safe operation of a vehicle by a driver, the method comprising:
- monitoring the vehicle environment using environment sensors supported by the vehicle, so as to obtain hazard data;
- monitoring the driver, so as to obtain driver awareness data, the driver awareness data including gaze direction data;
- determining driver awareness from the driver awareness data, using a model of driver memory, the model of driver memory including a minimum fixation time required for awareness, a memory retention time, and a memory capacity;
- comparing the hazard data and the driver awareness so as to identify unperceived hazards,
- identification of unperceived hazards using an electronic circuit having a processor, the processor executing an algorithm comparing hazard location data with the gaze track,
- the algorithm including the model of driver awareness;
- and
- providing alerts to the driver relating to the unperceived hazards.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.