US-12623668-B2 - Distracted driving systems and methods for detection, alerting, and correction

US12623668B2US 12623668 B2US12623668 B2US 12623668B2US-12623668-B2

Abstract

A computer system is provided and is programmed to: (1) receive sensor data associated with a primary vehicle; (2) determine a current condition of a driver of the primary vehicle based upon the sensor data of the primary vehicle; (3) determine a threat level for the primary vehicle based upon the current condition of the driver of the primary vehicle and the sensor data of the primary vehicle; (4) activate at least one action in the primary vehicle based upon the threat level for the primary vehicle; and/or (5) electronically transmit the threat level of the primary vehicle to one or more additional vehicles.

Inventors

Craig Cope
Seth L. Corin
Megan Hucek

Assignees

STATE FARM MUTUAL AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE COMPANY

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20240515

Claims (20)

1 . A distracted driving monitoring (DDM) computer system for detecting, alerting, and correcting distracted driving, the DDM computer system comprising at least one processor in communication with at least one memory device, wherein the at least one processor is programmed to: receive sensor data associated with a primary vehicle; based upon the received sensor data, determine a current condition of a driver of the primary vehicle and a current condition of an environment in which the primary vehicle is being operated; determine a threat level for the primary vehicle based upon the determined current condition of the driver of the primary vehicle and the determined current condition of the environment in which the primary vehicle is being operated; select a notification time period from one or more notification time periods corresponding to the determined threat level; cause at least one action to be activated in the primary vehicle in accordance with the selected notification time period; and electronically transmit a notification corresponding to the determined threat level of the primary vehicle to one or more additional vehicles located within the environment in which the primary vehicle is being operated.
2 . The DDM computer system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more additional vehicles are configured to receive the notification and activate, based upon the received notification, at least one alert action to notify a driver of a corresponding vehicle of the one or more additional vehicles of the determined threat level of the primary vehicle.
3 . The DDM computer system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one action includes activating at least one autonomous and/or semi-autonomous system in the primary vehicle.
4 . The DDM computer system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one action is customized based upon the determined threat level and is configured to prompt the driver of the primary vehicle to direct attention to the operation of the primary vehicle.
5 . The DDM computer system of claim 1 , wherein the DDM computer system is a vehicle controller of the primary vehicle that is configured to: determine a threshold of one or more threat level thresholds that the determined threat level satisfies; and electronically transmit the notification corresponding to the determined threat level based upon the determined threshold.
6 . The DDM computer system of claim 1 , wherein the DDM computer system is a cloud-based system in communication with the primary vehicle having a vehicle controller.
7 . The DDM computer system of claim 1 , wherein the DDM computer system electronically transmits the notification corresponding to the determined threat level of the primary vehicle to the one or more additional vehicles via vehicle to vehicle (V2V) wireless communications.
8 . The DDM computer system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to transmit at least a portion of the sensor data to the one or more additional vehicles.
9 . The DDM computer system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to: evaluate the determined threat level during the operation of the primary vehicle; determine an updated threat level based upon one or more changes to the determined threat level; and electronically transmit an additional notification corresponding to the updated threat level to the one or more additional vehicles.
10 . The DDM computer system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor data includes internal data corresponding to one or more sensors located inside the primary vehicle.
11 . The DDM computer system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor data includes external data corresponding to one or more sensors located outside of the primary vehicle.
12 . The DDM computer system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to determine the one or more additional vehicles are positioned within a predetermined distance of the primary vehicle.
13 . The DDM computer system of claim 12 , wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to determine the predetermined distance of the primary vehicle relative to the other vehicles based upon the speed of the primary vehicle.
14 . A computer-based method for detecting, alerting, and correcting distracted driving, the computer-based method implemented on a distracted driving monitoring (DDM) computer device including at least one processor in communication with at least one memory device, the computer-based method comprising: receiving sensor data associated with a primary vehicle; determining, based upon the received sensor data, a current condition of a driver of the primary vehicle and a current condition of an environment in which the primary vehicle is being operated; determining a threat level for the primary vehicle based upon the determined current condition of the driver of the primary vehicle and the determined current condition of the environment in which the primary vehicle is being operated; selecting a notification time period from one or more notification time periods corresponding to the determined threat level; causing at least one action to be activated in the primary vehicle in accordance with the selected notification time period; and electronically transmitting a notification corresponding to the determined threat level of the primary vehicle to one or more additional vehicles located within the environment in which the primary vehicle is being operated.
15 . The computer-based method of claim 14 , wherein the one or more additional vehicles are configured to receive the notification and activate, based upon the received notification, at least one alert action to notify a driver of a corresponding vehicle of the one or more additional vehicles of the determined threat level of the primary vehicle.
16 . The computer-based method of claim 14 , wherein the at least one action includes activating at least one autonomous and/or semi-autonomous system in the primary vehicle.
17 . The computer-based method of claim 14 , wherein the at least one action is customized based upon the determined threat level and is configured to prompt the driver of the primary vehicle to direct attention to the operation of the primary vehicle.
18 . The computer-based method of claim 14 , wherein the computer device is a vehicle controller of the primary vehicle and the computer-based method further comprises: determining, via the vehicle controller, a threshold of one or more threat level thresholds that the determined threat level satisfies; and electronically transmitting, via the vehicle controller, the notification corresponding to the determined threat level based upon the determined threshold.
19 . The computer-based method of claim 14 , wherein the computer device is a cloud-based system in communication with the primary vehicle having a vehicle controller.
20 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for detecting, alerting, and correcting distracted driving, wherein when executed by a processor coupled to at least memory device, the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to: receive sensor data associated with a primary vehicle; based upon the received sensor data, determine a current condition of a driver of the primary vehicle and a current condition of an environment in which the primary vehicle is being operated; determine a threat level for the primary vehicle based upon determined the current condition of the driver of the primary vehicle and the determined current condition of the environment in which the primary vehicle is being operated; select a notification time period from one or more notification time periods corresponding to the determined threat level; cause at least one action to be activated in the primary vehicle in accordance with the selected notification time period; and electronically transmit a notification corresponding to the determined threat level of the primary vehicle to one or more additional vehicles located within the environment in which the primary vehicle is being operated.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/528,119, filed Jul. 21, 2023, the entire content and disclosure of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. FIELD OF USE The present disclosure relates to detecting distracted driving and, more particularly, to a network-based system and method for detecting distracted driving and, after detecting the distracted driving, one or more of alerting the driver in question and nearby drivers and/or auto-correcting the vehicle of the distracted driver or the vehicles of the nearby drivers. BACKGROUND Driving while engaging in another activity that takes the driver's attention away from driving (e.g., using a phone or “texting,” or eating or tuning the radio) is referred to as “distracted driving” and may result in a motor vehicle crash. In some jurisdictions, distracted driving may be illegal. Distracted driving is a major cause of crashes and fatalities on the road and impacts thousands of people each year. Distracted driving behaviors may include some form of hand activity that does not include controlling the steering wheel. Examples may include cell phone usage, eating, drinking, shaving, application of makeup or grooming, entering GPS system data, adjustment of audio or climate control systems, holding a pet, smoking behaviors such as reaching for and lighting a cigarette or activating a cigarette lighter, and/or reaching for a child. Current automobile vehicle distracted driving prevention systems may provide in-vehicle cameras or similar sensing devices which are operated in conjunction with facial recognition software and may be generally directed to and monitor a vehicle operator's eyes. Such facial recognition systems may detect if a driver appears to be tired, falling asleep, or that the driver's eyes are not directed to the road in front of the vehicle. Thus, while current automobile vehicle distracted driving alert systems may achieve their intended purpose, there is a need for a new and improved system and method for identifying distracted driving behavior and then taking actions to address the distracted driving. Conventional techniques may include additional ineffectiveness, inefficiencies, encumbrances, and other drawbacks as well. BRIEF SUMMARY The present embodiments may relate to systems and methods for detecting, alerting, and correcting distracted driving. The systems and methods described herein are configured to detect distracted driving, and, in response to that detection, taking action to address the distracted driving including alerting the distracted driver and/or nearby drivers/passengers or auto-correcting the vehicle of the distracted driver and/or the vehicles of the nearby drivers. A distracted driving monitoring system, as described herein, may include a distracted driving monitoring (“DDM”) computer device that is in communication with a mobile computer device associated with a user. The DDM computer device may be configured to a) receive sensor data associated with a primary vehicle; b) determine a current condition of a driver of the primary vehicle based upon the sensor data of the primary vehicle; c) determine a threat level for the primary vehicle based upon the current condition of the driver of the primary vehicle and the sensor data of the primary vehicle (e.g., speed, location, other vehicles in the area, etc.); d) activate at least one action in the primary vehicle based upon the threat level for the primary vehicle; and/or e) electronically transmit the threat level of the primary vehicle to one or more additional vehicles. The one or more additional vehicles may be configured to activate at least one alert action to notify a driver of the corresponding vehicle of the threat level of the primary vehicle. The at least one action may include activating at least one autonomous and/or semi-autonomous system in the primary vehicle. The at least one action may include notifying the driver of the primary vehicle to pay attention to the operation of the primary vehicle. The DDM computer device may be a vehicle controller of the primary vehicle and/or a cloud-based system in communication with the primary vehicle having a vehicle controller. The computer system may transmit the threat level of the primary vehicle to the one or more additional vehicles via vehicle to vehicle (V2V) wireless communications. The DDM computer device and/or computer system may be configured to transmit at least a portion of the sensor data to the one or more additional vehicles; and/or transmit an updated threat level to the one or more additional vehicles. The sensor data may include internal data from inside the primary vehicle and/or external data from outside of the primary vehicle. The DDM computer device and/or computer system may be configured to determine the one or more additional vehicles are positioned within a predetermined distance of the primar