Driver safety manager
View Patent ↗A unified approach that permits the consideration of different issues and problems that affect driving safety. Particularly, there is proposed herein the creation of a driver safety manager (DSM). The driver safety manager embraces numerous different factors, multimodal data, processes, internal and external systems and the like associated with driving.
1. A system for ensuring driver safety in a vehicle, said system comprising:
an arrangement for communicating with a plurality of systems impacting driver safety;
said communicating arrangement being adapted to receive, from the plurality of systems impacting driver safety; information on current conditions relevant to driver safety;
an arrangement for evaluating whether driver safety is at risk, based on information received by said communicating arrangement; and
an arrangement for performing operations to ensure driver safety, responsive to said evaluating arrangement.
2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said evaluating arrangement is adapted to evaluate at least one of:
potential risk factors external to the driver; and
a current workload being borne by the driver.
3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said arrangement for performing operations is adapted to perform at least one of:
communicating risk factors related to the vehicle to locations external to the vehicle;
minimizing driver distraction;
recording and storing over time behavioral data and environmental data related to at least one of: the vehicle and one or more drivers associated with the vehicle.
4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said communicating arrangement is adapted to communicate with at least one of: systems internal to the vehicle and systems external to the vehicle.
5. The system according to claim 4 , wherein said communicating arrangement is adapted to communicate with systems associated with at least one other vehicle.
6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said system for ensuring driver safety comprises at least one of:
a computer system physically associated with the vehicle;
a computer system associated with a server external to the vehicle.
7. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said communicating arrangement is adapted to communicate with at least one of the following systems impacting driver safety:
an arrangement for assessing the position of the vehicle;
an arrangement for assessing the position of one or more other vehicles;
one or more driver safety management systems external to the vehicle;
at least one arrangement for assessing a driver's state;
at least one arrangement for assessing the state of a driver in another vehicle;
at least one arrangement for assessing a driver's behavior;
at least one arrangement for assessing the behavior of a driver in another vehicle;
at least one arrangement for assessing a driver's interactions with the vehicle;
at least one arrangement for assessing the interactions of other drivers with other vehicles;
at least one arrangement with which the driver normally interfaces;
profile data relating to the driver;
profile data relating to a driver with a similar driving history or similar driving habits;
profile data relating to a driver in another vehicle;
at least one arrangement for assessing vehicle workload; and
at least one arrangement assessing the workload of one or more other vehicles.
8. The system according to claim 7 , wherein said at least one arrangement for assessing a driver's state comprises at least one arrangement for assessing driver biometrics.
9. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said communicating arrangement is adapted to assess input from a workload representational surface which conveys an aggregate workload borne by both the driver and the vehicle.
10. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said arrangement for performing operations is adapted to perform at least one of:
suggesting specific actions io a driver;
warning a driver;
communicating information relating to driver safety to an external location; and
providing sensory stimulation to a driver.
11. The system according to claim 8 , wherein said arrangement for performing operations is responsive to direction from one or more individuals at one or more locations external to the vehicle.
12. A system for ensuring driver safety in a plurality of vehicles, said system comprising:
an arrangement in each vehicle for communicating with a plurality of systems impacting the safety of drivers in the plurality of vehicles;
said communicating arrangements being adapted to receive, from the plurality of systems impacting the safety of drivers, information on current conditions relevant to driver safety;
an arrangement for evaluating whether the safety of one or more drivers is at risk, based on information received by said communicating arrangements; and
an arrangement for performing operations to ensure driver safety, responsive to said evaluating arrangement.
13. A method of ensuring driver safety in a vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:
providing an arrangement for communicating with a plurality of systems impacting driver safety;
with the communicating arrangement, receiving, from the plurality of systems impacting driver safety, information on current conditions relevant to driver safety;
evaluating whether driver safety is at risk, based on information received by the communicating arrangement; and
performing operations to ensure driver safety, responsive to the evaluating arrangement.
14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein said evaluating step comprises evaluating at least one of:
potential risk factors external to the driver; and
a current workload being borne by the driver.
15. The method according to claim 13 , wherein said step of performing operations comprising at least one of:
communicating risk factors related to the vehicle to locations external to the vehicle;
minimizing driver distraction;
recording and storing over time behavioral data and environmental data related to at least one of: the vehicle and one or more drivers associated with the vehicle.
16. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the communicating arrangement is adapted to communicate with at least one of: systems internal to the vehicle and systems external to the vehicle.
17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the communicating arrangement is adapted to communicate with systems associated with at least one other vehicle.
18. The method according to claim 13 , wherein said step of ensuring driver safety comprises providing at least one of:
a computer system physically associated with the vehicle;
a computer system associated with a server external to the vehicle.
19. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the communicating arrangement is adapted to communicate with at least one of the following systems impacting driver safety:
an arrangement for assessing the position of the vehicle;
an arrangement for assessing the position of one or more other vehicles;
one or more driver safety management systems external to the vehicle;
at least one arrangement for assessing a driver's state;
at least one arrangement for assessing the state of a driver in another vehicle;
at least one arrangement for assessing a driver's behavior;
at least one arrangement for assessing the behavior of a driver in another vehicle;
at least one arrangement for assessing a driver's interactions with the vehicle;
at least one arrangement for assessing the interactions of other drivers with other vehicles;
at least one arrangement with which the driver normally interfaces;
profile data relating to the driver;
profile data relating to a driver with a similar driving history or similar driving habits;
profile data relating to a driver in another vehicle;
at least one arrangement for assessing vehicle workload; and
at least one arrangement assessing the workload of one or more other vehicles.
20. The method according to claim 19 , wherein the at least one arrangement for assessing a driver's state comprises at least one arrangement for assessing driver biometrics.
21. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the communicating arrangement is adapted to assess input from a workload representational surface which conveys an aggregate workload borne by both the driver and the vehicle.
22. The method according to claim 13 , wherein said step of performing operations comprises performing at least one of:
suggesting specific actions to a driver;
warning a driver;
communicating information relating to driver safety to an external location; and
providing sensory stimulation to a driver.
23. The method according to claim 20 , wherein said step of performing operations is responsive to direction from one or more individuals at one or more locations external to the vehicle.
24. A method of ensuring driver safety in a plurality of vehicles, said method comprising the steps of:
providing an arrangement in each vehicle for communicating with a plurality of systems impacting the safety of drivers in the plurality of vehicles;
with the communicating arrangements, receiving, from the plurality of systems impacting driver safety, information on current conditions relevant to driver safety;
evaluating whether the safety of one or more drivers is at risk, based on information received by the communicating arrangements; and
performing operations to ensure driver safety, responsive to the evaluating arrangement.
25. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps ensuring driver safety in a vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:
providing an arrangement for communicating with a plurality of systems impacting driver safety;
with the communicating arrangement, receiving, from the plurality of systems impacting driver safety, information on current conditions relevant to driver safety;
evaluating whether driver safety is at risk, based on information received by the communicating arrangement; and
performing operations to ensure driver safety, responsive to the evaluating arrangement.
26. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for ensuring driver safety in a plurality of vehicles, said method comprising the steps of:
providing an arrangement in each vehicle for communicating with a plurality of systems impacting the safety of drivers in the plurality of vehicles;
with the communicating arrangements, receiving, from the plurality of systems impacting driver safety, information, on current conditions relevant to driver safety;
evaluating whether the safety of one or more drivers is at risk, based on information received by the communicating arrangements; and
performing operations to ensure driver safety, responsive to the evaluating arrangement.