System and method for closed-loop driver attention management
View Patent ↗A method and system may manage the driver's attention while driving. The driver may be driving using an autonomous driving system or limited-ability autonomous driving system. A method may detect, by a sensor, characteristics of a driver; determine, based on the detected characteristics of the driver, whether the driver exercises sufficient supervisory control of the vehicle; and provide a series of one or more prompts, wherein each prompt's intrusiveness is related to the determination of whether the driver exercises sufficient supervisory control of the vehicle.
1. A method for monitoring awareness of a driver of an autonomously or semi-autonomously driven vehicle, the method comprising:
providing a control-indicator for indicating at least one of N predetermined levels of supervisory control required by the driver;
providing a driver-monitoring-system configured to monitor driver attentiveness;
providing one or more prompts responsively to detection of driver inattentiveness, the prompts implemented as instructions to perform specific acts; and
initiating a corrective action responsively to detection of non-performance of one or more of the specific acts;
wherein the specific acts are selected in accordance with the at least one indicated-level, as indicated by the control-indicator.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the corrective action is operative for at least one of: preventing acceleration of the vehicle, reducing velocity of the vehicle, and stopping the vehicle.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the providing of the one or more prompts is issued at a predetermined time interval.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are selected from the group consisting of visual image, textual message, audio message, and light flash.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the specific acts further requires the specific acts are selected from the group consisting of: specific verbal response, specific arm gesture, specific hand gesture, specific contact-interaction with at least one of the vehicle's systems, specific contact-interaction with at least one of the vehicle's secondary-systems, a turn of head towards a specific location, a gaze towards a specific location, and any combination thereof.
6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the light flash is implemented as a plurality of light pulses; the light pulses differ from each other in at least one characteristic selected from the group consisting of: color, frequency and time of illumination.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising emitting a plurality of light signals from a steering wheel, each of the light signals associated with the at least one indicated-level of supervisory control required by the driver; and wherein the light signals differ from each other in at least one characteristic selected from the group consisting of: color, frequency and time of illumination.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the N predetermined levels of supervisory control required by the driver comprising: road-monitoring, being interactive and taking-over.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one indicated-level of supervisory control is determined by the driver's response to a prompt.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the driver-monitoring-system comprises at least one sensor configured to verify performance of the specific acts.
11. A system for monitoring awareness of a driver of an autonomously or semi-autonomously driven vehicle, the system comprising:
a driver-monitoring-system configured to monitor driver attentiveness; and
a prompting-system configured to provide one or more prompts responsively to detection of driver inattentiveness, the prompts implemented as instructions to perform specific acts;
a control-indicator configured to indicate at least one of N predetermined levels of supervisory control required by the driver;
wherein the system is operative to initiate a corrective action responsively to detection of non-performance of one or more of the specific acts; and
wherein the specific acts are selected in accordance with the at least one indicated-level, as indicated by the control-indicator.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the corrective action is operative for at least one of: preventing acceleration of the vehicle, reducing velocity of the vehicle, and stopping the vehicle.
13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more prompts are issued at a predetermined time interval.
14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the instructions are selected from the group consisting of visual image, textual message, audio message, and light flash.
15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the specific acts are selected from the group consisting of: specific verbal response, specific arm gesture, specific hand gesture, specific contact-interaction with at least one of the vehicle's systems, specific contact-interaction with at least one of the vehicle's secondary-systems, a turn of head towards a specific location, a gaze towards a specific location, and any combination thereof.
16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the light flash is implemented as a plurality of light pulses; the light pulses differ from each other in at least one characteristic selected from the group consisting of: color, frequency and time of illumination.
17. The system of claim 11 , wherein a plurality of light signals is emitted from a steering wheel, each of the light signals associated with the at least one indicated-level of supervisory control required by the driver; and wherein the light signals differ from each other in at least one characteristic selected from the group consisting of: color, frequency and time of illumination.
18. The system of claim 11 , wherein the N predetermined levels of supervisory control required by the driver comprising: road-monitoring, being interactive and taking-over.
19. The system of claim 11 , wherein the at least indicated-level of supervisory control is determined by the driver's response to a prompt.
20. The system of claim 11 , wherein the driver-monitoring-system comprises at least one sensor configured to verify performance of the specific acts.