Arriver Software LLC

Rachel Gray Alexander

Shabin Mahadevan

Nicholas Frank Joo

Various embodiments of methods and systems for managing driver engagement may include evaluating a driving risk on a roadway proximate to the vehicle using historical roadway data, identifying an emotive expression of the driver using vehicle sensor data, obtaining historical data about driver reaction times for assuming full control of other vehicles and whether assuming full control of the other vehicles avoided an accident on the roadway, selecting a minimum level of driver engagement suitable for the roadway proximate to the vehicle based on the evaluated driving risk, the identified emotive expression of the driver, and whether historical driver fallback behavior avoided an accident on the roadway proximate to the vehicle, observing a driver behavior using one or more vehicle sensors, and taking an action in response to determining that the driver behavior does not meet the minimum level of driver engagement suitable for the roadway proximate to the vehicle.

Managing driver engagement

Embodiments include systems and methods that may include receiving situational information triggering a need to alert the driver and in response to the need to alert the driver presenting an alert to the driver based on driver state information selected based on a likelihood the driver will be more receptive to the alert modality than others of the plurality of alert modalities. The likelihood the driver will be receptive to the alert modality may be based on the received situational information, the received driver state information, and a historical behaviour record. The historical behaviour record may correlate the driver's reaction or the reaction of other drivers to previous alerts presented to the driver or other drivers with similar driver state information and similar situational information triggering presentation of previous alerts. The system may learn from the reaction of the driver and/or other drivers to better select suitable alert modalities.

Alert modality selection for alerting a driver

An apparatus comprises an interface and a control circuit. The interface may be configured to receive a plurality of sensor signals from a vehicle platform of a vehicle and present one or more control signals to the vehicle platform. The control circuit may be configured to (i) detect whether an attention state of a driver is in an attentive state or an inattentive state in response to one or more of the plurality of sensor signals from the vehicle platform during a first window having a first duration, (ii) assess whether the driver is sufficiently attentive by monitoring the one or more of the plurality of sensor signals from the vehicle platform and determining whether changes in the attention state of the driver during a second window having a second duration that is longer than the first duration exceeds a threshold, and (iii) when the threshold is exceeded, transition operation of the vehicle to the driver and safely discontinue an automation system function of the vehicle.

Growing community of inventors

Chicago, IL, United States of America

Rachel Gray Alexander