METHOD IMPLEMENTED IN AN ELECTRONIC SYSTEM, VEHICLE DRIVING LOAD MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, COMPUTER PROGRAM AND INFORMATION STORAGE MEDIUM

Abstract

The invention relates to a method implemented in an electronic system equipping a vehicle. According to the invention, the method comprises the following steps: E31) acquisition of at least one item of information relating to at least one state of the vehicle or to at least one state of a journey to be traveled by the vehicle, E32) allocation of a driving load for the journey to be traveled as a function of the at least one item of information acquired during step E31. Figure for the abstract: Fig.1.

Description

Title of the invention: METHOD IMPLEMENTED IN AN ELECTRONIC SYSTEM, SYSTEM FOR MANAGING THE DRIVING LOAD OF A VEHICLE, COMPUTER PROGRAM AND INFORMATION STORAGE MEDIUM Technical field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to a method implemented in an electronic system equipping a vehicle.

[0002] It relates more particularly to a method for determining a driving load for a vehicle.

[0003] The invention finds a particularly advantageous application in driving a motor vehicle on long and / or difficult and / or changing journeys.

[0004] It also relates to a system for managing the driving load of a vehicle as well as a computer program and an information storage medium. Technological background

[0005] Currently produced vehicles, particularly automobiles, incorporate different types of sensors.

[0006] These sensors make it possible to obtain information on the interior and / or exterior environment of the vehicle (which are referred to for convenience as “interior sensors” and “exterior sensors” respectively).

[0007] The interior sensors include cameras for monitoring the position, posture, and behavior of the driver and other occupants of the vehicle, surface temperature sensors for locally adjusting the temperature of the passenger compartment, and detectors for detecting the presence of life within the vehicle. The interior sensors also include sensors evaluating the behavior of the vehicle, which behavior may be characterized by the speed and / or acceleration of the vehicle, the steering wheel angle, the activation of turn signals, the brake pressure, or the gear engaged in the vehicle's gearbox.

[0008] Exterior sensors include cameras directed towards the exterior of the vehicle and located at different locations in the vehicle. These cameras allow monitoring of the vehicle's surroundings in one or more directions. Exterior sensors also include laser sensors for detecting different types of objects (such as obstacles, traffic signs or other vehicles) in the vehicle environment.

[0009] The interior and exterior sensors make it possible to emit warning and / or alert signals to the driver of the vehicle when a danger or risk is detected by one or more sensors fitted to the vehicle.

[0010] In the known state of the art, all of the sensors equipping a vehicle are not or are rarely used to operate in concert, each piece of information captured by a sensor being processed independently. Consequently, the information transmitted by the sensors is not or rarely contextualized. The alerts issued are therefore not adapted to the driving context such as driving on a highway or in the city, the weather or the number of passengers in the vehicle. In addition, the recommendation transmitted to the driver of the vehicle is basic and consists, for example, of advising to take a break or to take the wheel again.

[0011] Also, and given the reliability of many sensors, there is a significant risk of false positives or false negatives when using these sensors. The alert issued in this case thus delivers false information to the driver of the vehicle.

[0012] Document US2016 / 267335 describes a method for determining the state of distraction of the driver of a vehicle. However, in this document, distraction only includes visual and manual distraction of the driver. In addition, distraction is determined by the use of a mobile phone, limiting the accuracy of the method employed.

[0013] There is therefore a need to address any type of state such as falling asleep, distraction, stress, emotions or the level of comfort felt from a system integrated into the vehicle and making it possible to understand changes in the environment in advance. Summary of the invention

[0014] The invention aims to propose a solution to these problems by contextualizing the data coming from all of the sensors of a vehicle based on the driving load at each section of a journey to be covered.

[0015] The invention relates more specifically to a method implemented in an electronic system equipping a vehicle comprising the acquisition of at least one item of information relating to at least one state of the vehicle or to at least one state of a journey to be traveled by the vehicle, the allocation of a driving load for the journey to be traveled as a function of the at least one item of information acquired.

[0016] The method of allocating a driving load makes it possible to adapt the driving load to the route traveled by the vehicle.

[0017] This driving load is used to contextualize the driver's state in order to determine whether the driver is in a state of sufficient availability to drive the vehicle. If necessary, countermeasures may be put in place for the driver of the vehicle.

[0018] By aggregating the information relating to at least one state of the vehicle and / or to at least one state of each section of the journey to be covered, the invention also makes it possible to consolidate the at least one piece of information acquired.

[0019] Other advantageous and non-limiting characteristics of the method according to the invention, taken individually or in all technically possible combinations, are the following: - the method further comprises the following steps: planning the route to be traveled by the vehicle, dividing the route to be traveled into at least one section, in which the planning step and the dividing step are carried out for each section of the route to be traveled. - the route to be covered is divided into at least two sections, - the driving load is dynamically recalculated each time at least one state of the vehicle and / or a state of the section traveled or to be traveled by the vehicle changes, - the driving load depends on the road topology of the section and / or the traffic present on the section and / or the vehicle speed and / or the vehicle acceleration and / or the degree of automation of the road and / or the degree of automation of the vehicle, - the method further includes the following steps: measurement of at least one piece of information relating to at least one state of the vehicle driver, classification by a level of each of at least one state of the driver, based on the at least one piece of measured information, association with each section of the journey of a level required for each of at least one state of the driver of the vehicle depending on the driving load. - the method further comprises a step of calculating a severity level for each state of the driver associated with each of the sections of the journey, - the severity level is dynamically recalculated at each change in the level of at least one state of the vehicle driver and / or at each change in the level of the driving load, - the method further comprises a step of calculating an urgency level for each of the at least one state of the driver of the vehicle, in which, for each state of the driver and for each section of the journey to be traveled, the urgency level is the information relating to the section, from which the level of the state of the driver must at least be equal to the required level, - the method further comprises a step of selecting at least one state of the driver prevailing over the other states of the driver. - the method further comprises a calculation step during which scores are calculated based on the state levels calculated during the classification step and / or the driving load determined during the allocation step and / or the required level determined during the association step. - the method further comprises a diagnostic step during which a diagnosis for each state of the driver of the vehicle is determined. The invention also provides a system for managing the driving load of a vehicle, comprising: - a planning unit configured to plan a route to be traveled by the vehicle and divide the route into at least one section, - a body detection device configured to measure the value of at least one state of the driver of the vehicle, - a road detection device configured to measure the value of at least one state of the section of road traveled, - a vehicle detection device configured to measure the value of at least one vehicle state, - a first calculation unit configured to determine a level for each of the at least one state of the driver measured by the body detection unit, - a second calculation unit configured to determine the driving load for each section based on at least one value measured by the vehicle detection device and / or the road detection device as well as a level required for each driver state associated with each of the sections of the journey to be covered from the determined driving load, wherein the driving load management system is configured to determine a severity level for each driver condition associated with each of the sections of the journey from the at least one level of each driver condition determined by the first calculation unit (30) and the at least one required level determined by the second calculation unit (32), in which, for each section of the journey and for each driver state, the severity level is a function of the difference between the level of each driver state and the level required for that state.

[0020] The invention also provides a computer program comprising one or more sequences of instructions which are accessible to a processor and which, when executed by said processor, cause said processor to implement a method according to one of the possible embodiments.

[0021] The invention also provides a non-transitory information storage medium, in which it stores one or more sequences of instructions accessible to a processor and which, when executed by said processor, cause said processor to implement a method according to one of the possible embodiments.

[0022] Of course, the various features, variants and embodiments of the invention may be combined with each other in various combinations provided that they are not incompatible or mutually exclusive. Brief description of the figures

[0023] The description which follows with reference to the appended drawings, given as non-limiting examples, will make it clear what the invention consists of and how it can be implemented.

[0024] In the attached drawings:

[0025] [Fig-1] is a functional diagram of a vehicle including a management system of the driving load of a vehicle according to an embodiment in accordance with the invention;

[0026] [Fig.2] is a summary diagram of the method implemented in an electronic system equipping a vehicle according to an embodiment in accordance with the invention;

[0027] [Fig.3] is a summary diagram of the method implemented in an electronic system equipping a vehicle according to another embodiment in accordance with the invention.

[0028] [Fig.4] is a summary diagram of the method implemented in an electronic system equipping a vehicle according to another embodiment in accordance with the invention.

[0029] [Fig.5] is a summary diagram of the method implemented in an electronic system equipping a vehicle according to another embodiment in accordance with the invention. Device

[0030] A driving load management system 10 of a vehicle is shown in [Fig.l] with its peripheral components. The driving load management system 10 is mounted on a vehicle. In addition to the driving load management system 10, the following elements are mounted on the vehicle: an electronic control unit (or ECU for "Electronic Control Unit" according to the commonly used English term, herein referred to as a control unit) 90, a storage unit 92, a communication unit 94 and a navigation system 96, a countermeasure device control unit 50 connected to a countermeasure device 52.

[0031] In addition to the various elements described above, numerous other devices can be integrated into the vehicle, such as, for example, acceleration, braking and obstacle detectors, although these elements are not shown in [Fig.l].

[0032] The control unit 90 makes it possible to control the control unit 50.

[0033] The control unit 90 also makes it possible to control the management system of the driving load 10 which determines a driving load for each state of the driver associated with each of the sections of the journey to be covered by the vehicle, based on data provided, for example, by one or more internal and external detectors of the driving load management system 10 as well as navigation data provided, for example, by the navigation system 96.

[0034] The control unit 50 controls the countermeasure device 52. The countermeasure device 52 allows the emission of signals perceptible by the driver of the vehicle, such as for example audible and / or visual signals.

[0035] The communication unit 94 allows remote communication with a server outside the vehicle, with other vehicles, etc. The communication unit 94 can receive information concerning the immediate environment of the vehicle and / or the route taken by the vehicle. The communication unit 94 is connected to the navigation system 96 to which it can communicate the information received.

[0036] In the embodiment considered, the driving load management system 10 comprises a body detection device 22 configured to measure the value of at least one state of the driver of the vehicle. The body detection device 22 is configured to detect the posture and position of the driver of the vehicle, the position and orientation of the head of the driver of the vehicle. The body detection device 22 comprises, for example, an RGB type camera. The body detection device 22 is also configured to detect the position of the driver's hands relative to the steering wheel of the vehicle, the number of hands of the driver in contact with the steering wheel of the vehicle and the duration of contact of the driver's hands with the steering wheel of the vehicle. The body detection device 22 comprises, for example, a capacitive sensor integrated into the steering wheel of the vehicle.The body detection device 22 also comprises an eye tracking device configured to detect and track the gaze of the driver of the vehicle. The eye tracking device comprises, for example, a driver vigilance detection camera (for example, forming part of a driver monitoring system, or "Driver Monitoring System" according to the commonly used English term). The eye tracking device makes it possible, for example, to measure in real time the orientation of the gaze of the driver of the vehicle. The eye tracking device measures, for example, the orientation of the driver's head and the orientation of the driver's eyes according to a vertical angle and a horizontal angle. The eye tracking device measures . also, for example, the time associated with each gaze orientation and / or the frequency of eye movements of the vehicle driver and / or the duration and / or frequency of closure of the vehicle driver's eyelids.

[0037] The driving load management system 10 also comprises a road detection device 24 configured to measure the value of at least one state of the road section traveled. The road detection device 24 comprises, for example, one or more front cameras for monitoring the frontal environment of the car. This camera is, for example, configured to operate in the near infrared spectral range. The road detection device 24 also comprises, for example, one or more cameras and / or one or more radars for monitoring the lateral environments of the car and / or one or more laser sensors for detecting objects around the car.

[0038] The driving load management system 10 also comprises a vehicle detection device 26 configured to measure the value of at least one state of the vehicle. The vehicle detection device comprises, for example, one or more detectors configured to measure the speed of the vehicle and / or the acceleration of the vehicle and / or the steering wheel angle and / or the use of the turn signals and / or the brake pressure and / or the gear engaged in the vehicle gearbox.

[0039] The driving load management system 10 also comprises a planning unit 40 configured to plan a route to be traveled by the vehicle and divide the route into at least one section.

[0040] The planning unit 40 plans a route to be traveled by the vehicle by determining a route from the location of the vehicle to the destination of the vehicle. The destination of the vehicle is provided by the driver of the vehicle to the planning unit 40. The location and route of the vehicle are determined and transmitted to the planning unit 40 by the navigation system 96 which is connected to the control unit 90.

[0041] The navigation system 96 comprises, for example, means for geolocating the motor vehicle (for example using GPS or GMS signals - according to the English acronym for "Global System for Mobile communication"). The location is characterized here by a latitude and a longitude.

[0042] The vehicle can also be located using lane identifiers known as “LinklD”. To explain how, we can first recall that in a navigation map, each portion of road (commonly called “Link”) has a unique identifier called “LinklD”. Each unique LinklD identifier is persistent across map updates and is not reused if the road is modified. We then understand that it is possible to locate the vehicle using not a latitude and a longitude, but rather using a unique LinkID identifier.

[0043] The driving load management system 10 also comprises a first computing unit 30 configured to determine a level for each of the at least one driver state measured by the body detection unit 22. For example, the "drowsiness" state may be characterized according to the following drowsiness levels: 1) extremely alert, 2) very alert, 3) alert, 4) somewhat alert, 5) neutral, 6) slight signs of drowsiness, 7) drowsy, no effort to stay awake, 8) severe drowsiness, difficulty staying awake, 9) severe drowsiness, great difficulty staying awake, 10) asleep.

[0044] The driving load management system 10 also comprises a second calculation unit 32 configured to determine the driving load for each of the sections of the journey determined by the planning unit 40, as a function of the at least one piece of information measured by the vehicle detection device 26 and / or the road detection device 24. The calculation unit 32 is also configured to determine a required level for each state of the driver associated with each of the sections of the journey to be traveled from the driving load determined by the calculation unit 32.

[0045] Determining the driving load and the required level for each driver state makes it possible to determine which state levels are permitted depending on the driving load. The classification of the required state is established based on decision tables. For example, for a “significant” driving load, the calculation unit 32 associates the “drowsiness” state with the required level: 3) alert. This means that only the levels 1) extremely alert, 2) very alert and 3) alert allow the driver of the vehicle to assume the “significant” driving load.

[0046] Determining the authorized state levels as a function of the driving load thus makes it possible to determine a safe driving zone for each section of the journey traveled or to be traveled. The higher the driving load, the smaller the safe driving zone.

[0047] The driving load is based, for example, on the road topology of the section and / or the traffic present on the section and / or the vehicle speed and / or the vehicle acceleration and / or the degree of automation of the road and / or the degree of automation of the vehicle.

[0048] In this embodiment considered, the driving load management system 10 is configured to dynamically recalculate at regular intervals and / or when approaching a new section the level of each state of the driver. By "approaching", it is understood that the vehicle is at a relatively short distance or time, for example, a distance less than or equal to 5 km, or a duration less than or equal to 5 minutes, from the start of the next section.

[0049] In this embodiment considered, the driving load management system 10 is configured to dynamically recalculate the driving load at regular intervals and / or when approaching a new section and / or at each change in the level of at least one state of the driver and / or at least one state of the vehicle and / or at least one state of the section traveled and / or of a section to be traveled by the vehicle.

[0050] In this embodiment considered, the driving load management system 10 comprises, for example, a calculation unit 28 controlled by the control unit 90, configured to determine a severity level for each state of the driver associated with each of the sections of the journey from the at least one required level determined by the first calculation unit 30 and from the at least one level of each state of the driver determined by the second calculation unit 32. For each section of the journey and for each state of the driver, the severity level is defined as being a function of the difference between the level of each state of the driver and the level required for the driver to assume the driving load for said state. Generally, the severity level relating to a state is obtained by comparing the level of this state and the level required for this state.Preferably, the severity level is the difference between the level of each driver condition and the level required for the driver to assume the driving load for said condition.

[0051] The severity level being calculated for each section of the journey, it is therefore calculated, for each state of the driver, a severity level for the section traveled by the vehicle and a severity level for each section to be traveled by the vehicle.

[0052] In this embodiment considered, the driving load management system 10 is configured, for each state of the driver, to dynamically recalculate at regular intervals and / or when approaching a new section and / or at each change in the level of the driving load and / or at each change in at least one state of the vehicle and / or a state of the section traveled and / or to be traveled by the vehicle and / or a state level of the driver of the vehicle, the severity level for the section traveled by the vehicle and / or the severity level of the next section to be traveled and / or the severity level of at least one other section to be traveled.

[0053] In another possible embodiment of the invention, the calculation unit 28 is also configured to determine an urgency level for each of the at least one state of the driver of the vehicle of each section. The urgency level is defined as being for each state of the driver and for each section of the route to be traveled, the information relating to the section from which the level of the state of the driver must at least be equal to the required level. Temporally, the urgency level corresponds to the planned start time of a road section. Alternatively, the urgency level is defined as being for each section of the route to be covered, the mileage of the route covered by the vehicle, from which the driver's condition level must at least be equal to the required level. Spatially, the emergency level corresponds to the start of a road section. By minimum level is meant the lowest driver load level allowing the driver to assume the driving load determined by the driving load management system 10. The schedule, and alternatively the position, can be determined by the planning unit 40 and / or the navigation system 96.

[0054] The driving load management system 10 is configured to dynamically recalculate the emergency level at regular intervals and / or at each change of at least one level of state of the driver of the vehicle and / or a state of the vehicle and / or a state of the section traveled and / or to be traveled by the vehicle.

[0055] In another possible embodiment of the invention, the computing unit 28 is also configured to select at least one driver state prevailing over the other driver states. This prevalence is, for example, based on the severity level and / or the urgency level of each driver state and / or a predetermined driver state. A prevailing state is, for example, prioritized over the other states when determining whether countermeasures intended to warn the driver of the vehicle must be implemented.

[0056] The driving load management system 10 is configured to dynamically recalculate the at least one state of the driver prevailing over the other states of the driver at each change of at least one state of the driver of the vehicle and / or a state of the vehicle and / or a state of the section traveled and / or to be traveled by the vehicle.

[0057] The calculation unit 28 is also configured to establish a diagnosis for each state of the driver of the vehicle. The diagnosis includes the state considered, the current state level of the driver, the required level, the severity, the urgency as well as the calculated scores.

[0058] The calculation unit 28 is also configured to establish scores based on the data provided by the calculation unit 30 and the calculation unit 32. These scores include, for example, the ability to drive and / or the risk taken in the driving task and / or the driving comfort. These scores are established from decision tables. For example, for a high level of “drowsiness” and a high level of “distraction”, a low “ability to drive” score is determined by the calculation unit 28.

[0059] If the severity level of at least one driver condition determined by the driving load management system 10 is outside an interval I (or I' for a prevailing condition), the control unit 90 commands the control unit of the device countermeasures 50 to generate a perceptible signal to the driver. Preferably, the interval I' of a prevailing state is less than the interval I of a non-prevailing state.

[0060] The perceptible signal emitted by the countermeasure device 52 comprises, for example, a recommendation to the driver of the vehicle determined according to the level of severity and / or urgency of the condition associated with the recommendation.

[0061] Advantageously, the recommendation is adapted to the driving context as taken into account by the determination by the calculation unit 28 of the severity level and / or the urgency level and / or the prevailing state.

[0062] In another possible embodiment of the invention, the calculation unit 30 is also configured to determine a spatio-temporal pattern of the gaze of the driver of the vehicle as a function of the data provided by the eye tracking device. The spatio-temporal pattern of the gaze corresponds to the monitoring of the evolution of the direction of the gaze of the driver of the vehicle as a function of time. The calculation unit 30 is also configured to correlate, by means of a correlation algorithm, the durations of the gaze of the driver in a portion of the driver's field of vision with information relating to the vehicle measured by the vehicle detection device 26. The information relating to the vehicle includes, for example, the speed of the vehicle and / or the steering angle of the steering wheel and / or the use of the turn signals and / or the brake pressure and / or the gear engaged in the gearbox of the vehicle.At the spatial level, this correlation takes into account the boundaries inside the vehicle and those of the environment outside the vehicle. This makes it possible to account for the gaze scanning strategy (or "visual-scanning" according to the commonly used Anglo-Saxon term) adopted by the driver when performing the driving task and a secondary task unrelated to the driving task. Through these boundaries, the algorithm has the capacity to understand a gaze scan of the external environment linked to intersections or to checking the traffic light or even the exterior mirrors and correlated to the steering wheel angle. Advantageously, this makes it possible to reduce the occurrence of false positives. At the temporal level, the gaze durations are, for example, correlated by means of a correlation algorithm, to the vehicle speed.The algorithm takes into account the correlation between vehicle speed and the driver's field of vision. As vehicle speed increases, the driver's field of vision narrows, and conversely, as vehicle speed decreases, the driver's field of vision widens. At higher speeds, the driver's ability to detect other road users is therefore reduced. As a result, the gaze duration allowed when performing a secondary visual or visuomanual task is reduced as vehicle speed increases. Advantageously, this allows the adaptation of the . level required for each state in the vehicle driving context.

[0063] In another possible embodiment of the invention - called "degraded mode" - the driving load is evaluated dynamically, without using the navigation system 96. According to this embodiment, the driving load is only evaluated for the section currently being traveled by the vehicle and for the next section to be traveled by the vehicle.

[0064] Certain elements of the system may be implemented in practice by at least one processor by which computer program instructions designed to implement the element concerned are executed. These instructions may be stored on a non-transitory information storage medium, in which it stores one or more sequences of instructions accessible to a processor and which, when executed by said processor, cause said processor to implement a method according to one of the possible embodiments. Certain elements of the system may, however, be implemented by a dedicated electronic circuit such as an application-specific integrated circuit. Process

[0065] The invention also relates to methods implemented in an electronic system equipping a vehicle. The driving load management system of a vehicle 10 can, for example, be advantageously used for implementing such methods.

[0066] A method implemented in an electronic system equipping a vehicle is shown in [Fig.2] and comprises: E31) acquisition of at least one item of information relating to at least one state of the vehicle or to at least one state of a journey to be covered by the vehicle, E32) allocation of a driving load for the journey to be covered based on at least one piece of information acquired during step E31.

[0067] A method implemented in an electronic system equipping a vehicle is shown in [Fig.3] and comprises: a planning step E21 of a route to be traveled by the vehicle, a step E22 of dividing the route to be traveled into at least two sections, a step E31 of acquiring at least one piece of information relating to at least one state of the vehicle and / or to at least one state of each section of the route to be traveled, a step E32 of allocating a driving load for each section based on at least one piece of information acquired during step E31.

[0068] During the evaluation step E1 1, the route to be covered by the driver's vehicle is identified. The identification of the route to be covered is, for example, carried out by using means for geolocating the vehicle (for example using GPS or GMS signals - according to the English acronym for "Global System for Mobile communications"). nication" - the location is here characterized by a latitude and longitude) and / or by using traffic lane identifiers known as "LinklD". The location is here characterized by a traffic lane identifier. The identification of the route to be taken is, for example, carried out by the planning unit 40.

[0069] During the step E22 of dividing the route to be traveled, the route is divided into at least one section. The dividing of the route is carried out, for example, by the planning unit 40, as a function of the weather data and / or the traffic density and / or the ambient brightness and / or the timetable and / or data provided by the navigation system 96 of the vehicle and / or a remote server connected to the navigation system 96 of the vehicle and / or the data storage unit 92 on which data relating to the route to be traveled are stored.

[0070] During the acquisition step E31, at least one piece of information relating to at least one state of the vehicle and / or to at least one state of each section of the journey to be traveled is acquired. This at least one piece of information is provided, for example, by the navigation system 96 of the vehicle and / or a remote server connected to the navigation system 96 of the vehicle and / or detection systems making it possible to obtain information on the interior and / or exterior environment of the vehicle, for example the road detection device 24 and / or the vehicle detection device 26.

[0071] During the allocation step E32, a driving load is allocated to each section as a function of the at least one piece of information acquired during the acquisition step E31. The driving load is determined, for example, by the second calculation unit 32, for example, as a function of the topology of the road of the section and / or the traffic present on the section and / or the speed of the vehicle and / or the acceleration of the vehicle and / or the degree of automation of the road and / or the degree of automation of the vehicle.

[0072] Advantageously, the driving load is thus determined more precisely and is adapted to the driving context of the vehicle.

[0073] Preferably, the driving load is dynamically recalculated at each change of at least one state of the vehicle and / or a state of the section traveled and / or to be traveled by the vehicle.

[0074] In another embodiment of the invention shown in [Fig.4], the method further comprises the following steps: a measurement step Eli of at least one piece of information relating to at least one state of the driver of the vehicle, a classification step E12 by a level of each of the at least one state of the driver, according to the at least one piece of information measured during step Eli, an association step E33 with each section of the journey of a level required for each of at least one state of the vehicle driver depending on the driving load.

[0075] During the measuring step E1 1, at least one piece of information relating to at least one state of the driver of the vehicle is measured, for example, with the body detection device 22. The at least one piece of information comprises, for example, the posture and / or the position of the driver of the vehicle and / or the position and / or the orientation of the head of the driver of the vehicle and / or the position of the driver's hands relative to the steering wheel of the vehicle and / or the number of hands of the driver in contact with the steering wheel of the vehicle and / or the duration of contact of the driver's hands with the steering wheel of the vehicle and / or the orientation of the driver's eyes at a vertical angle and a horizontal angle and / or the duration and / or the frequency of closure of the eyelids of the driver of the vehicle. The eye tracking device also measures, for example, the time associated with each orientation of the gaze and / or the frequency of the eye movements of the driver of the vehicle.

[0076] During the classification step E12, each of the at least one state of the driver is characterized by a level as a function of the at least one piece of information measured during the step E11, for example, with the first calculation unit 30. A high level of nervousness is determined, for example, from a regular change in the position of the driver's hands on the steering wheel of the vehicle and / or a high frequency of eye movements of the driver of the vehicle. For example, the state "drowsiness" can be characterized according to the following levels of drowsiness: 1) extremely alert, 2) very alert, 3) alert, 4) rather alert, 5) neutral, 6) slight signs of drowsiness, 7) drowsiness, no effort to stay awake, 8) severe drowsiness, difficulty staying awake 9) severe drowsiness, great difficulty staying awake. Advantageously, this classification of each state by a level makes it possible to obtain a precise diagnosis of the general state of the driver of the vehicle.

[0077] Preferably, the level of each state of the driver is recalculated dynamically at regular intervals and / or when approaching a new section.

[0078] During the association step E33, a required level for each of the at least one state of the driver of the vehicle is associated, for example by the second calculation unit 32, with each section of the journey as a function of the driving load determined in the classification step E32. The required level corresponds to the minimum level (or maximum depending on whether the state is respectively a “positive” or “negative” state) of the state of the driver that the latter must present to approach the driving load of the section of the journey in good conditions. A “positive” state includes, for example, alertness. A “negative” state includes, for example, falling asleep. The determination of the driving load and the required level for each state of the driver makes it possible to determine which are the authorized state levels as a function of the load. driving. The classification of the required state is established based on decision tables. For example, for a “significant” driving load, the required level for the “drowsiness” state is: 3) alert. This means that only the levels 1) extremely alert, 2) very alert and 3) alert allow the driver of the vehicle to assume the “significant” driving load. Advantageously, the association for each state of a state required from the driver of the vehicle makes it possible to obtain a general diagnosis of the driver’s ability to cope with the driving load specific to each section of the journey traveled and to be covered by the vehicle. Preferably, during the association step E33), a safe driving zone is determined for each state of the driver of the vehicle. The safe driving zone corresponds to all the levels authorized for the state considered.

[0079] Preferably, the level required for each section associated with each of the at least one state of the driver of the vehicle is recalculated dynamically at regular intervals and / or when approaching a new section and / or at each change in the level of at least one state of the driver and / or at least one state of the vehicle and / or at least one state of the section traveled and / or of a section to be traveled by the vehicle.

[0080] In another embodiment of the invention shown in [Fig.5], the method further comprises a step E4 of calculating a severity level, for example carried out by the calculation unit 28, for each state of the driver associated with each of the sections of the journey.

[0081] During the calculation step E4, for each section of the journey and for each state of the driver, the severity level is defined as being a function of the difference between the level of the at least one state of the driver of the vehicle determined in the classification step E12 and the associated required level determined during the association step E33.

[0082] The severity level being calculated for each section of the journey, it is therefore calculated, for each state, a severity level for the section traveled by the vehicle and a severity level for each section to be traveled by the vehicle.

[0083] Preferably, the severity level of the section traveled and / or to be traveled is recalculated dynamically at regular intervals and / or when approaching a new section and / or at each change of at least one state of the vehicle and / or a state of the section traveled and / or to be traveled by the vehicle and / or a state level of the driver of the vehicle.

[0084] Preferably, the calculation step E4 is followed by a calculation step E5 of an urgency level, for example carried out by the calculation unit 28, for each of the at least one state of the driver of the vehicle.

[0085] Preferably, the urgency level is recalculated dynamically at intervals regular and / or at each change of at least one level of status of the driver of the vehicle and / or a status of the vehicle and / or a status of the section traveled and / or to be traveled by the vehicle.

[0086] During the calculation step E5, for each state of the driver, the urgency level is for each state of the driver and for each section of the journey to be traveled, the information relating to the section from which the level of the state of the driver must at least be equal to the required level. Temporally, the urgency level corresponds to the planned start time of a road section. Alternatively, the urgency level is defined as being for each section of the journey to be traveled, the mileage of the journey traveled by the vehicle, from which the level of the state of the driver must at least be equal to the required level. Spatially, the urgency level corresponds to the start of a road section. By minimum level, it is understood the lowest level of driver stress allowing the driver to assume the driving load determined during step E32).

[0087] Preferably, the calculation step E5 is followed by a selection step E6, for example carried out by the calculation unit 28, of at least one state of the driver prevailing over the other states of the driver. This prevalence is, for example, based on the severity level and / or the urgency level of each state of the driver and / or a predetermined state of the driver. A prevailing state is, for example, a priority over the other states when determining whether countermeasures intended to warn the driver of the vehicle must be put in place.

[0088] Preferably, the selection step E6 is followed by a calculation step E62 (not shown in [Fig. 5]), for example carried out by the calculation unit 28, during which scores are calculated as a function of the state levels calculated during the classification step E12 and / or the driving load determined during the allocation step E32 and / or the required level determined during the association step E33. These scores include, for example, the ability to drive and / or the risk taken in the driving task and / or the driving comfort. These scores are established from decision tables. For example, for a high level of “drowsiness” and a high level of “distraction”, a low “ability to drive” score is determined by the calculation unit 28.

[0089] Preferably, the calculation step E62 is followed by a diagnostic step E64 (not shown in [Fig.5]), for example carried out by the calculation unit 28, during which a diagnosis for each state of the driver of the vehicle is determined. The diagnosis includes the state considered, the current state level of the driver, the required level, the severity, the urgency as well as any calculated scores.

[0090] Preferably, if the severity level of at least one state of the driver determined in the calculation step E4 is outside an interval I (or F for a prevailing state) for the section that the vehicle is currently traveling, the calculation step E6 is followed by a step of implementing countermeasures E7 for the driver of the vehicle. Preferably, the interval I' of a prevailing state is less than the interval I of a non-prevalent state. The countermeasures step will therefore be implemented for a lesser severity for a prevailing state than for a non-prevalent state. Alternatively, the countermeasures step E7 will be implemented for the prevailing state only.

[0091] Preferably, if the severity level of at least one state of the driver determined in the calculation step E4 is outside an interval I (or I' for a prevalent state) for the next section to be traveled and the time at which the vehicle is located is between a threshold S (or S' for a prevalent state) and the emergency level determined in the calculation step E5, the calculation step E6 is followed by a step of implementing countermeasures E7 for the driver of the vehicle. The threshold S is a time preceding the emergency level. Preferably, the time S' of a prevalent state is lower than the time S of a non-prevalent state. The countermeasures step E7 will therefore be implemented earlier for a prevalent state than for a non-prevalent state.Advantageously, the combination of a severity level and an urgency level makes it possible, when the driver approaches a section to be covered and at least one of his state levels will not be sufficient to assume the driving load of the section to be covered, to put in place countermeasures allowing an improvement in the associated state of the driver and, consequently, to improve the general condition of the driver of the vehicle to assume the driving load of the section to be covered.

[0092] During the countermeasure implementation step E7, a warning or alert signal is emitted to the driver of the vehicle. The warning or alert signal comprises, for example, the emission of a signal perceptible by the driver of the vehicle comprising, for example, sound and / or visual and / or olfactory and / or thermal signals emitted by, for example, the countermeasure device 52 in order, for example, to improve the attention of the driver of the vehicle and / or to reduce the nervousness of the driver of the vehicle.

[0093] The perceptible signal emitted may also include a recommendation to the driver of the vehicle determined based on the level of severity and / or urgency of the condition associated with the recommendation.

[0094] The invention also provides a computer program comprising one or more sequences of instructions which are accessible to a processor and which, when executed by said processor, cause said processor to implement a method according to one of the possible embodiments.

[0095] The invention also provides a non-information storage medium transient, in which it stores one or more sequences of instructions accessible to a processor and which, when executed by said processor, cause said processor to implement a method according to one of the possible embodiments.

[0096] It should be noted that all or part of the operations of the various methods in which the above embodiments can be understood by those skilled in the art can be accomplished by giving instructions to the relevant hardware through the computer program, and the computer program can be stored in the computer-readable storage medium, which can include, but is not limited to: a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a disk, a CD or a memory unit having a similar function.

[0097] Of course, the various features, variants and embodiments of the invention may be combined with each other in various combinations to the extent that they are not incompatible or mutually exclusive. Variants

[0098] The present invention is in no way limited to the embodiment described and shown, but those skilled in the art will be able to provide any variant in accordance with the invention.

[0099] In a variant of the invention, the driving load management system 10 is configured to evaluate a driving load based on at least one piece of information relating to at least one passenger of the vehicle. The information relating to the passenger of the vehicle includes, for example, the sound level and / or the movements of the passenger of the vehicle.

[0100] In another variant of the invention, the driving load management system 10 is configured to record on a storage unit the driving loads and / or the driver condition levels of the sections of the journeys already traveled by the driver of the vehicle. The recorded information may come from the same vehicle or from another vehicle used by the driver on the same journey.

[0101] In another variant of the invention, the driving load management system 10 comprises a device for measuring information relating to the mental wandering of the driver of the vehicle, also known as "mind wandering", which is commonly used. The driving load management system 10 is also configured to evaluate a maximum authorized level of mental wandering associated with each of the sections of the journey to be covered based on the determined driving load.

Claims

Claims

1. Method implemented in an electronic system equipping a vehicle, the method comprising the following steps: E31) acquisition of at least one piece of information relating to at least one state of the vehicle or to at least one state of a journey to be traveled by the vehicle, E32) allocation of a driving load for the journey to be traveled as a function of the at least one piece of information acquired during step E31.

2. Method implemented in an electronic system equipping a vehicle according to claim 1, the method further comprising the following steps: E21) planning the route to be traveled by the vehicle, E22) dividing the route to be traveled into at least one section, in which step E31 and step E32) are carried out for each section of the route to be traveled.

3. Method implemented in an electronic system equipping a vehicle according to claim 2, in which the route to be traveled is divided into at least two sections.

4. Method implemented in an electronic system equipping a vehicle according to one of claims 2 or 3, in which the driving load is dynamically recalculated at each change of at least one state of the vehicle or a state of the section traveled or to be traveled by the vehicle.

5. A method implemented in an electronic system equipping a vehicle according to one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the driving load depends on the topology of the road of the section or the traffic present on the section or the speed of the vehicle or the acceleration of the vehicle or the degree of automation of the road or the degree of automation of the vehicle.

6. Method implemented in an electronic system equipping a vehicle according to one of claims 2 to 5, further comprising the following steps: E11) measurement of at least one piece of information relating to at least one state of the driver of the vehicle, E12) classification by a level of each of the at least one state of the driver, as a function of the at least one piece of information measured during step E11, E13) association with each section of the journey of a level required for each of at least one state of the vehicle driver depending on the driving load.

7. Method implemented in an electronic system equipping a vehicle according to claim 6, for which during the association step E33), a safe driving zone is determined for each state of the driver of the vehicle.

8. Method implemented in an electronic system equipping a vehicle according to claim 6 or 7, further comprising the following step: E4) calculating a severity level for each state of the driver associated with each of the sections of the journey, in which, for each section of the journey and for each state of the driver, the severity level is a function of the difference between the level determined in step E12 and the required level.

9. Method implemented in an electronic system equipping a vehicle according to claim 8, in which the severity level is dynamically recalculated at each change in the level of at least one state of the driver of the vehicle or at each change in the level of the driving load.

10. Method implemented in an electronic system equipping a vehicle according to one of claims 7 to 9, further comprising the following step: E5) calculating an emergency level for each of the at least one state of the driver of the vehicle, in which, for each state of the driver and for each section of the journey to be covered, the emergency level is the information relating to said section, from which the level of the state of the driver must at least be equal to the required level.

11. Method implemented in an electronic system equipping a vehicle according to one of claims 7 to 10, further comprising the following step: E6) selection of at least one state of the driver prevailing over the other states of the driver.

12. Method implemented in an electronic system equipping a vehicle according to claim 11, further comprising a calculation step E62 during which scores are calculated as a function of the state levels calculated during the classification step E12 or of the driving load determined during the allocation step E32 or of the required level determined during the association step E33.

13. Method implemented in an electronic system equipping a vehicle according to claim 12, further comprising a diagnostic step E64 during which a diagnosis for each state of the driver of the vehicle is determined.

14. A system for managing the driving load of a vehicle (10), comprising: a planning unit (40) configured to plan a route to be traveled by the vehicle and divide the route into at least one section, - a body detection device (22) configured to measure the value of at least one state of the driver of the vehicle, - a road detection device (24) configured to measure the value of at least one state of the road section traveled, - a vehicle detection device (26) configured to measure the value of at least one state of the vehicle, - a first calculation unit (30) configured to determine a level for each of the at least one state of the driver measured by the body detection unit (22),- a second calculation unit (32) configured to determine the driving load for each section as a function of the at least one value measured by the vehicle detection device (26) and the road detection device (24) as well as a required level for each driver state associated with each of the sections of the journey to be traveled from the determined driving load, wherein the driving load management system (10) is configured to determine a severity level for each driver state associated with each of the sections of the journey from the at least one level of each driver state determined by the first calculation unit (30) and the at least one required level determined by the second calculation unit (32), wherein, for each section of the journey and for each driver state, the severity level is a function of the difference between the level of each driver state and the required level for said state.,

15. A computer program comprising one or more sequences of instructions which are accessible to a processor and which, when executed by said processor, cause said processor to implement a method according to one of claims 1 to 13.

16. A non-transitory information storage medium, wherein it stores one or more sequences of instructions accessible to a processor and which, when executed by said processor, cause said processor to implement a method according to one of claims 1 to 13.

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