32563 results about "Driver/operator" patented technology

The present invention, in accordance with various embodiments thereof, relates to a surgical device for at least one of cutting and stapling a section of tissue. The surgical device includes a housing including at least two drivers. The surgical device also includes an anvil mechanically attachable to the housing and moveable relative to the housing between an open position and a closed position. The first driver operates to move the anvil relative to the housing to an intermediate position between the open position and the closed position. The second driver operates to move at least a portion of the housing relative to the anvil between the intermediate position and the closed position.

A data logging device tracks the operation of a vehicle or driver actions. The device includes a storage device, which may be removable or portable, having a first memory portion that may be read from and may be written to in a vehicle and a second memory portion that may be read from and may be written to in the vehicle. The second memory portion may retain data attributes associated with the data stored in the first removable storage device. A processor reads data from an automotive bus that transfers data from vehicle sensors to other automotive components. The processor writes data to the first memory portion and the second memory portion that reflect a level of risk or safety. A communication device links the storage device to a network of computers. The communication device may be accessible through software that allows a user to access files related to a level of risk or safety and other software that may be related to those files.

An interior rearview mirror system includes a compass system and a display. The compass system is operable to display information indicative of a directional heading of the vehicle to a driver of the vehicle. The display comprises a plurality of ports formed in a reflective coating of a mirror reflective element and includes illumination sources positioned behind and generally aligned with corresponding ones of the ports. Each of the illumination sources may be energized to project illumination through a respective one of the ports such that the ports are backlit by the respective illumination sources, in order to convey the directional information to the driver of the vehicle. The system may include a microprocessor operable to control each illumination source via a respective wire connected between the microprocessor and each illumination source. The compass system may utilize a global positioning system for vehicle direction determination.

A navigation system for a vehicle includes a vehicle-based telematics system, a vehicle-based global positioning system and a control. The telematics system is operable to receive a user input from a driver of the vehicle and to download directional information from an external service provider to the control in response to the user input and an initial geographic position of the vehicle. The directional information comprises at least two instructions with each of the instructions being coded or associated with or linked to a respective geographic location. The control is operable to provide an output corresponding to each of the instructions in response to a current actual geographic position of the vehicle. The control is operable to provide each instruction only when the then current actual geographic position of the vehicle at least generally corresponds to the particular geographic location associated with the instruction.

An alert system for a vehicle includes a video display, an interior visual alert device disposed at an interior rearview mirror assembly, a driver side visual alert device disposed at a driver side exterior rearview mirror assembly and a passenger side visual alert device disposed at a passenger side exterior rearview mirror assembly. A control is operable to activate at least one of the alert devices in response to a detection of an object rearward of the vehicle. The alert devices are viewable by the driver of the vehicle when activated and are operable to guide or prompt the driver to check the images captured by a rearward facing camera and displayed in the vehicle cabin by the video display so that the driver can verify the nature and type of a potential hazard rearward of the vehicle.

A system and method tracks the movements of a driver or passenger in a vehicle (ground, water, air, or other) and controls devices in accordance with position, motion, and / or body or hand gestures or movements. According to one embodiment, an operator or passenger uses the invention to control comfort or entertainment features such the heater, air conditioner, lights, mirror positions or the radio / CD player using hand gestures. An alternative embodiment facilitates the automatic adjustment of car seating restraints based on head position. Yet another embodiment is used to determine when to fire an airbag (and at what velocity or orientation) based on the position of a person in a vehicle seat. The invention may also be used to control systems outside of the vehicle. The on-board sensor system would be used to track the driver or passenger, but when the algorithms produce a command for a desired response, that response (or just position and gesture information) could be transmitted via various methods (wireless, light, whatever) to other systems outside the vehicle to control devices located outside the vehicle. For example, this would allow a person to use gestures inside the car to interact with a kiosk located outside of the car.

A system and method for analyzing and evaluating the performance and attitude of a motor vehicle driver. A raw data stream from a set of vehicle sensors is filtered to eliminate extraneous noise, and then parsed to convert the stream into a string of driving event primitives. The string of driving events is then processed by a pattern-recognition system to derive a sequence of higher-level driving maneuvers. Driving maneuvers include such familiar procedures as lane changing, passing, and turn and brake. Driving events and maneuvers are quantified by parameters developed from the sensor data. The parameters and timing of the maneuvers can be analyzed to determine skill and attitude factors for evaluating the driver's abilities and safety ratings. The rendering of the data into common driving-related concepts allows more accurate and meaningful analysis and evaluation than is possible with ordinary statistical threshold-based analysis.

The monitored use of a vehicle provides accurate and reliable data that can be used to determine the insurable risk of a vehicle operator. What is disclosed is a system and method for monitoring vehicle operation and using the collected data to calculate a driver score. The driver score can then be applied to ascertain the risk of insuring a particular driver, as well as being used as a tool for defining or adjusting the terms of an insurance policy for an insured driver. The collection of data such as the times the vehicle is operated, the locations the vehicle is operated and the speeds or other characteristics of how the vehicle is operated can all be used to calculate the driver score. By installing a vehicle monitor within a vehicle and extracting this or similar data, more accurate and profitable insurance policies can be developed.

System and method for providing feedback to drivers. The system monitors selected vehicle parameters while a vehicle is being driven, and detects one or more vehicle operation violations by comparing the selected vehicle parameters to predetermined thresholds. A mentoring message is provided to the driver if the threshold is exceeded. If a vehicle operation violation has not been corrected within a preselected time period, then a violation report may be sent to a third party or a central server and / or a different mentoring message may be provided to the driver. Vehicle parameter data may be monitored from an on-board vehicle diagnostic system. The mentoring message may be an audible warning, such as a spoken message, or a visual warning, such as a text message. The selected vehicle parameters may be a vehicle speed, a vehicle acceleration, or a vehicle seatbelt use.

System and method for evaluating driver performance, comprising detecting operations of a vehicle using an on-board vehicle monitoring system, comparing the operations to predetermined criteria, identifying violations of the predetermined criteria, tracking violations that occur during an evaluation period, and, at the end of the evaluation period, calculating a grade associated with operation of the vehicle.

An interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle includes a casing, a reflective element and a display. The reflective element has a back surface and a front surface, with the front surface being directed toward and viewable by a driver of the vehicle. The display comprises a display element positioned within the casing. The display element is operable to project light onto a screen portion of the reflective element. The light is viewable as an image on the reflective element by a driver of the vehicle. The display element is separate and remote from the screen portion of the reflective element. Preferably, the display element and reflective elements are positioned generally along planes which are angled with respect to one another. The display may include a reflective optic which functions to redirect the projected light toward the screen portion of the reflective element.

This invention is a vehicle data recorder with the capability to continuously record and store selected data on both driver and vehicle performance that will include but not be limited to, miles driven, speed, acceleration / deceleration, brake activation, seatbelt usage, vehicle direction, steering anomalies, global position, impact forces and direction, transmission status, and alcohol usage. Specifically, this recorder will have extended data storage capacity, a drunk driver prevention smart ignition, real-time GPS data, low-power cell phone jamming, and internal wireless communication capabilities. It uses microprocessor controlled electronics to record, store, and transmit both driver and vehicle performance data in a date and time stamped file which can be utilized to establish personalized insurance rates, assess road tax and use fees, locate “Amber alert” victims or stolen vehicles, and with it's on scene access, provide critical mechanism of injury information to emergency responders.

Visual methods and systems are described for detecting alertness and vigilance of persons under conditions of fatigue, lack of sleep, and exposure to mind altering substances such as alcohol and drugs. In particular, the intention can have particular applications for truck drivers, bus drivers, train operators, pilots and watercraft controllers and stationary heavy equipment operators, and students and employees during either daytime or nighttime conditions. The invention robustly tracks a person's head and facial features with a single on-board camera with a fully automatic system, that can initialize automatically, and can reinitialize when it need's to and provide outputs in realtime. The system can classify rotation in all viewing direction, detects' eye / mouth occlusion, detects' eye blinking, and recovers the 3D(three dimensional) gaze of the eyes. In addition, the system is able to track both through occlusion like eye blinking and also through occlusion like rotation. Outputs can be visual and sound alarms to the driver directly. Additional outputs can slow down the vehicle cause and / or cause the vehicle to come to a full stop. Further outputs can send data on driver, operator, student and employee vigilance to remote locales as needed for alarms and initiating other actions.

Systems and methods are disclosed for computing various determinations at one or more mobile devices and / or central machines. In part, such determinations are computed based on analysis of one or more inputs originating at one or more sensors of one or more devices. Such determinations include determining an in-vehicle role, an in-vehicle location, a handheld state, and a vehicle class. Various transformations, modifications, and outputs can result from such determinations. Also disclosed are systems and methods for restricting operation of a mobile device, including restrictions that impede operation by a driver moreso than operation by a passenger. Also disclosed are systems and methods for orienting a coordinate system of a mobile device.

System and method for monitoring and mentoring driver behavior and vehicle operation and for categorizing or grading a driver's performance. The driver's classification or grade is used to determine or adjust insurance rates, premiums or coverages for the driver. The driver may receive discounted insurance rates for using monitoring and / or mentoring equipment in the vehicle. Insurance companies may use the driver classifications or grades to bid for coverage of groups of drivers having similar classifications or grades.

A system for alerting a user includes a first device for vehicle-to-pedestrian communication. The first device is operable by a pedestrian. The system further includes a vehicle operable by a driver including a second device for vehicle-to-pedestrian communication. The system is configured to provide an alert via at least one of the first device and second device to at least one of the driver and the pedestrian.

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.

In an en-route navigation system such as for a vehicle, an image of a cable is presented as a navigation object in a head-up display to indicate a route that the vehicle should follow. In particular embodiments the cable appears to an observer to be a real cable existing in the landscape and extending higher than the head of the observer as would, for example, a trolley cable. The cable is illustratively displayed volumetrically and with an optic flow that is consistent with the optic flow of the landscape when the vehicle is moving, thereby creating the impression that it is real. As a result, the cable can be displayed without any accompanying images that correlate points on the cable with locations in the landscape and yet nonetheless serve as a very useful tool for indicating to a driver the route over which the vehicle should go. The cable may be in any of a number of forms including a continuous line, a line with non-closely-spaced gaps, a line having non-closely-spaced segments that have a different luminance from the rest of the line or a string of closely-spaced objects.

A method of operating a general purpose handheld communication device to monitor traffic events is disclosed. The handheld communication device is detachably mountable on a vehicle and includes a motion sensor, a video imaging sensor, a data processor, data storage medium, and data communication module. The method includes acquiring motion data using the motion sensor; identifying a traffic event based on the motion data; acquiring visual data using the video imaging sensor; saving data that includes the acquired visual data and motion data on the data storage medium; and communicating the saved data using the communication module.

A vehicle information display system includes a head-up display for reflecting an image on a windshield of a vehicle and displaying the image so that a driver recognizes the image as a virtual image. Information is collected for being displayed by the head-up display. A circumstance of the vehicle, a circumstance of surrounding of the vehicle, or a circumstance of the driver is detected. The collected information is classified in accordance with a detection result. Then, display contents of the head-up display are controlled in accordance with a classification result.

An interactive navigation system includes a navigation processing unit, a current position sensor, a speaker, a microphone and a display. When it is preliminary inferred, based on receipt of a detection signal from the sensor, that a vehicle has probably been diverted from a drive route determined by the navigation processing unit, a machine voice question is produced through the speaker for confirmation of the inferred probability of diversion. A driver or user in the vehicle answers the question, which is input through the microphone and analyzed to be affirmative or negative, from which a final decision is made as to the vehicle diversion. In a preferred embodiment the question is spoken by a personified agent who appears on the display. The agent's activities are controlled by an agent processing unit. Communication between the agent and the user improves reliability and accuracy of inference of any vehicle condition which could not be determined perfectly by a sensor only.

This provides for controlling mobile device functions and features, along with systems incorporating these devices and methods. For example, it limits or disables the use of some of mobile device features which could cause distraction to the user, when the user is engaged in another activity. In an example, it enables other mobile device features based on occurrence of events related to the user or environment. Another example addresses controlling the mobile device features, such as SMS, while the user is in a vehicle or driving. Another example restricts the ability of the driver of a vehicle to text, while the vehicle is in motion, by automatically disabling the texting ability of mobile device within and around the perimeter of the driver's seat. Other variations, examples, improvements, detection mechanisms, models, techniques, calculations, verification mechanisms, and features are also described in details.

Vehicle including a seat in which an occupant sits during use of the vehicle and a monitoring system for monitoring the occupant in the seat. The monitoring system includes sets of electric field antennas, each including at least one antenna, a control unit connected to the antenna sets and including selectors coupled to the antennas. The selectors are controlled by the control unit to obtain signals from one or more antennas serving as receiving antennas and one or more antennas serving as sending antennas. The control unit determines which combination of sending antenna(s) and receiving antenna(s) provides a strongest signal in an expected heartbeat range and / or expected respiration range of the occupant and then monitors this combination for changes and / or deviations from a normal range of heartbeats and / or respiration.

The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for monitoring driving behavior and providing feedback to the driver. The systems evaluate driving behavior and relay feedback to the driver in a fashion that is customized to take into account individual characteristics and demographic characteristics of the driver.