WO2015126318A1

WO2015126318A1 - Detection of abnormal behavior in a vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2015126318A1
Application number: PCT/SE2015/050188
Authority: WO
Inventors: Oscar JOHANSSON
Original assignee: Scania Cv Ab
Priority date: 2014-02-19
Filing date: 2015-02-19
Publication date: 2015-08-27
Also published as: SE1450193A1; DE112015000502T5; SE539157C2

Abstract

Method (700) and device (200) in a vehicle (100), for determining and communicating to a fellow road user (110) that the vehicle (100) calls for a heightened level of watchfulness. The method (700) is characterised by detecting (701) the number of safety-critical operations of the vehicle (100) during a period of time, comparing (702) the number of safety-critical operations detected (701) with one or more limit values, and conveying (703) a message to the fellow road user (110) to indicate a need for a heightened level of watchfulness, when the detected (701) number of safety-critical operations exceeds said one or more limit values. Also covered are a method (900) and a device (300) for drawing the attention of a fellow road user (110) to a vehicle (100) which calls for a heightened level of watchfulness.

Description

Detection of abnormal behavior in a vehicle

TECHNICAL FIELD

This specification describes a method and a device in a vehicle and a method and a device pertaining to a fellow road user of the vehicle. More specifically it indicates a mechanism for identifying a nearby vehicle which calls for a heightened level of watchfulness in view of safety-critical driving behaviour of that vehicle's driver.

BACKGROUND

In a traffic situation it sometimes happens that a nearby driver operates his/her vehicle in an unpredictable, irrational way or quite simply drives carelessly, for various reasons.

Examples of this may comprise a driver who suddenly changes lane without using direction indicators, a driver who uses the inside lane to overtake on a motorway, a driver who overtakes across a continuous road marking or a driver who zigzags between two lanes.

Such behaviour often forces fellow road users to adapt their driving with respect to the carelessly operated vehicle by resorting to sharp braking and/or rapid evasive action. In the worst case the result may be a traffic accident. A fellow road user of a careless driver does however need to keep an eye on nearby vehicles not only ahead but also behind and to the sides of his/her vehicle, as well as on traffic signs, roadways, road surfaces etc., and may therefore have difficulty in spotting and identifying the careless driver among the multiplicity of other, more predictable fellow road users. He/she has therefore to keep a critical eye on all of the nearby vehicles and may perhaps fail to spot the very vehicle which is most at risk of executing unpredicted manoeuvres.

An existing solution to this problem is to mark certain risky vehicles, e.g. those driven by trainee drivers. Such drivers are often over-cautious and hesitant in their driving style and may therefore cause misunderstandings by fellow road users. The problem with the existing sign carried by such vehicles is that it is generally visible only from the vehicle immediately behind. At an intersection or roundabout, a trainee driver's hesitant or unclear action may be misinterpreted by a fellow road user who can only see the respective vehicle from the front or the side.

JP 201216881 1 refers to a system for warning the driver of a vehicle behind of the risk of colliding with the system's host vehicle. The system presents a warning when the host vehicle is close to another vehicle in front. A fellow road user travelling behind will thus be warned that the host vehicle is in a situation of potential collision risk, making it possible for example to avoid a multiple pile-up. A problem with this solution is that it does not help the driver to identify other drivers who exhibit risky behaviour in traffic.

US 741 1485 refers to a system for visually warning a driver who departs from the lane in which his/her vehicle is travelling. The system is activated when the driver shows signs of tiredness. This solution is concerned with warning the driver of his/her own careless driving due to tiredness or inattention, but not with warning fellow road users. Nor does this solution make it possible to identify other drivers with risky behaviour in traffic.

US 8031063 refers to a system for determining whether its host vehicle makes an unintended lane change, and warning the driver when this occurs. No warning is provided for fellow road users. Nor does this solution make it possible to identify other drivers with risky behaviour in traffic.

It may be appreciated that much has yet to be done to make it easier for a road user to detect and identify careless or dangerous fellow road users in traffic. SUMMARY

It is therefore an object of this invention to be able to solve at least some of the problems indicated above and make it easier for a road user to identify a nearby vehicle which calls for a heightened level of watchfulness. In one aspect of the invention this object is achieved by a method in a vehicle for determining and communicating to a fellow road user that the vehicle calls for a heightened level of watchfulness. The method comprises detecting the number of safety-critical operations of the vehicle during a period of time. The method further comprises comparing the detected number of safety-critical operations with one or more limit values. The method comprises also conveying a message to fellow road users to indicate the need for a heightened level of watchfulness, when the detected number of safety-critical operations exceeds said one or more limit values.

In another aspect of the invention this object is achieved by a device situated on board a vehicle and adapted to determining and communicating to a fellow road user that the vehicle calls for a heightened level of watchfulness. The device comprises a detector adapted to detecting a safety-critical operation of the vehicle. The device further comprises a processor circuit adapted to receiving from the detector an indication of a safety-critical operation on the part of the driver, and to calculating the driver's number of safety-critical operations during a period of time. The processor circuit is also adapted to comparing the detected number of safety-critical operations with one or more limit values. The processor circuit is also adapted to sending a control signal to trigger the conveying of a message to the fellow road user to indicate a need for a heightened level of watchfulness with respect to the vehicle, when the number of safety-critical operations detected exceeds one or more limit values. In a third aspect of the invention this object is achieved by a method for drawing a fellow road user's attention to a vehicle which calls for a heightened level of watchfulness. The method comprises receiving from the vehicle a message which indicates a need for a heightened level of watchfulness with respect to the vehicle. The method further comprises also an indication of the vehicle which calls for a heightened level of watchfulness.

In a fourth aspect of the invention this object is achieved by a device for drawing a fellow road user's attention to a vehicle which calls for a heightened level of watchfulness. Such a device comprises a receiver adapted to receiving from the vehicle a warning message which indicates a need for a heightened level of watchfulness. The device comprises also an indicator adapted to indicating the vehicle which calls for a heightened level of watchfulness.

By identifying vehicle drivers who are dangerous in traffic or with respect to whom there is a need for a heightened level of watchfulness, and by making it possible for a fellow road user to identify the respective vehicle, the attention of fellow road users may be drawn to the greatest sources of risk in nearby traffic, thereby potentially helping to reduce the risk of a traffic accident. This is of advantage both for the driver of the vehicle which is dangerous in traffic, and for nearby fellow road users. A safer road user environment and greater safety for the vehicles involved are thus achieved.

Other advantages and further novel features are indicated by the detailed description set out below. LIST OF DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the attached drawings which illustrate various embodiment examples: illustrates a vehicle and a fellow road user according to an embodiment. illustrates a vehicle and a fellow road user according to an embodiment. illustrates an example of a vehicle interior in a vehicle according to an embodiment.

illustrates an example of a vehicle interior in a fellow road user's vehicle according to an embodiment.

illustrates an example of a display screen in a fellow road user's vehicle according to an embodiment.

illustrates an example of a scenario where a fellow road user is warned of a vehicle according to an embodiment.

illustrates an example of a fellow road user's display screen according to an embodiment.

illustrates an example of a scenario where a fellow road user is provided with means of giving an assessment of the driving style of the driver of a vehicle according to an embodiment.

is a flowchart illustrating a method according to an embodiment of the invention.

is an illustration of a device according to an embodiment of the invention. is a flowchart illustrating a method according to an embodiment of the invention.

is an illustration of a device according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the invention comprise methods and devices which are feasible according to some of the examples described below. This invention may however be implemented in many different forms and is not to be regarded as being limited by the embodiments herein described, which are intended instead to illuminate and clarify various aspects.

Further aspects and features of the invention may be indicated by the detailed description set out below when read in conjunction with the attached drawings. The drawings are nevertheless only to be regarded as examples of various embodiments of the invention and not as limiting the invention, which is only limited by the attached claims. Moreover, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and are intended, unless other specifically stated, to conceptually illustrate aspects of the invention. Figure 1A depicts a vehicle 100 suited to powered movement inter alia in a first direction 105. The vehicle 100 may for example be, but is not necessarily, a freight vehicle, a truck, a long-haul carrier, a bus, a car, a tractor, a motor cycle or similar land-based manned or unmanned means of transport. Also illustrated is a fellow road user 110 of the vehicle 100. In the example illustrated the fellow road user 1 10 takes the form of a freight vehicle, but this is merely an arbitrary example. The fellow road user might for example be any of the vehicle types mentioned above or a pedestrian, a cyclist or the like.

In one embodiment a vehicle 100 which is being operated carelessly, or with respect to which the fellow road user 1 10 has some other reason for being extra-observant, is identified. Examples of such reasons may comprise the driver showing signs of tiredness or inattention, the driver being a newly qualified driving licence holder, the driver being often involved in traffic accidents, the vehicle's fuel being about to run out (potentially causing the vehicle to come suddenly to a halt or the driver to make a late lane change in order to reach a turn-off to a filling station) or the like. This identified vehicle 100 is drawn to the attention of the fellow road user 1 10 by suitable means, e.g. an acoustic signal, a voice message, visually by marking on a display screen or on the windscreen or on a head- up display against the windscreen, on which the vehicle 100 is marked as a heightened risk. The fellow road user 100 may thus be made aware of the heightened risk which the vehicle 100 presents with its current driver.

The fellow road user 1 10 may thus be helped to quickly identify and distinguish a vehicle 100 which has a driver with a driving style which is unpredictable or dangerous in traffic. Being made aware of the heightened accident risk which the vehicle 100 presents enables the fellow road user 1 10 to focus on that vehicle and adapt his/her driving at an early stage, e.g. by maintaining extra spacing from the vehicle 100, overtaking the vehicle 100 with a wide margin, lowering his/her own speed etc. An accident may thus be avoided and/or its consequences be reduced. This is of advantage not only for the fellow road user 1 10 but also for the driver of the vehicle 100, as well as for other nearby road users. A certain vehicle 100 may be driven by different drivers on different occasions, and in certain embodiments the vehicle's driver is therefore identified, e.g. by reading of the digital tachograph card of a vehicle in commercial traffic, reading of the driver's driving licence or by various predefined drivers for the vehicle 100 having different keys or, for example, short-distance radio transmitters (also called tags) for identifying them as individual drivers of the vehicle. It is also possible in certain embodiments to conceive of facial identification of the driver by means of a camera fitted for the purpose in the vehicle 100, or of identifying his/her fingerprint by a fingerprint reader which may for example be incorporated in the steering wheel or the gear lever, a retina scanner which identifies the driver's eyes, or a similar form of biometric identification method. The driver's identification may, as well as setting for example the driving seat, the steering wheel angle and other driver-related parameters, be also related to a stored history of his/her driving data, in certain embodiments.

Individual adaptation on the basis of threshold values for various safety-critical operations of the vehicle 100 is also thus made possible on the basis of historical information about an identified driver of the vehicle 100.

The expression "vehicle 100 which calls for a heightened level of watchfulness" is herein sometimes used synonymously with the expression "driver who calls for a heightened level of watchfulness". Figure 1 B depicts the same scenario with the vehicle 100 and the fellow road user 1 10 as in Figure 1A but as observed from overhead.

The driver of the vehicle 100 has crossed the traffic lane line a number of times during a certain period of time. In one embodiment of the invention the driver of this vehicle 100 may be categorised as a vehicle calling for a heightened level of watchfulness. A message indicating a need for a heightened level of watchfulness with respect to the vehicle 100 may in certain embodiments be conveyed to the fellow road user 1 10 via a wireless interface. This wireless interface may for example be based on any of the following vehicle-to-vehicle communication techniques: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Code Division Access (CDMA), (CDMA 2000), Time Division Synchronous CDMA (TD-SCDMA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced; Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), defined by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards 802.1 1 a, ac, b, g and/or n, Internet Protocol (IP), WLAN, Bluetooth and/or Near Field Communication (NFC), or similar communication technology based on radio communication, in different embodiments, possibly via a base station or the like.

Figure 2 depicts an example of a vehicle interior in the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 is provided with a device 200 for determining that the vehicle 100 calls for a heightened level of watchfulness in view of detected safety-critical operations of the vehicle 100. The device 200 is also adapted to informing a fellow road user 1 10, by sending a wireless warning message, that the vehicle 100 calls for a heightened level of watchfulness. The vehicle 100 is also provided with one or more detectors 210 of the same, similar or different types, adapted to detecting a safety-critical operation of the vehicle 100. The detector 210 may for example take the form of a camera directed at the driver's eyes, and/or a vehicle sensor, e.g. a steering wheel angle sensor, yaw sensor and/or accelerometer. Some examples of various detectors 210 which may cooperate in the vehicle 100 are indicated further on.

Examples of safety-critical operations may comprise lane change without using direction indicators; lane change without the driver looking in the rearview mirror; the driver having his/her eyes closed for longer than a predetermined amount of time; the driver looking at something other than the windscreen/rearview mirrors for longer than a certain amount of time; the driver travelling in a different lane from that indicated by the vehicle's (GPS) navigator (and therefore potentially being liable to make a rapid lane change soon); the vehicle's fuel being about to run out; overtaking another vehicle on the inside; zigzagging between other vehicles in different lanes; spacing of less than three seconds from a vehicle in front; the driver activating his/her mobile telephone other than hands-free while driving; the vehicle's tachograph indicating that the permissible maximum driving time with no break/daily rest is about to be/has been exceeded (if the vehicle 100 has a tachograph); the driver driving the vehicle 100 with no break beyond a certain time limit, e.g. 4 hours; exceeding a speed limit, or exceeding it by more than, for example, 10%; a tiredness warning support in the vehicle 100 indicating that the driver is tired; an alcohol meter in the vehicle 100 indicating that the driver has drunk alcohol; the vehicle 100 coming to a halt on a motorway; the vehicle 100 reversing on a motorway; the vehicle 100 having to turn left on a national highway; or any similar occurrence. This enumeration is not exhaustive but may rather be regarded as examples of various inappropriate occurrences during driving which may indicate that the driver presents a danger in traffic. A detector 210 adapted to detecting that the driver changes lane without looking in the rearview mirror, or that his/her eyes are closed for longer than a predetermined amount of time, may take the form of a camera or the like. A detector 210 adapted to detecting when the driver makes a lane change without using direction indicators may comprise one or more sensors for monitoring the vehicle's position on the roadway, or when the driver is travelling in a different lane from that indicated by the vehicle's (GPS) navigator. A detector 210 adapted to detecting when the spacing from a vehicle in front is less than three seconds may for example take the form of a distance measuring device, e.g. a laser distance measurer, which can measure the spacing from a vehicle in front.

The detector 210 may for example further comprise a tiredness warning support in the vehicle 100, which can indicate that the driver is tired, or an alcohol meter in the vehicle 100, which can indicate that the driver has drunk alcohol. When a safety-critical operation is detected by the detector/sensors 210, a message about this is sent to the device 200 via a wireless or wired interface. Such wired communication may for example be via the vehicle's communication bus, which may take the form of one or more from among a cable, a data bus, e.g. a CAN (controller area network) bus, an MOST (media oriented systems transport) bus or some other bus configuration.

The device 200 and the detector/sensors 210 may also, or alternatively, be provided with wireless communication via a wireless interface, in certain embodiments, e.g. any of the wireless interfaces enumerated above. The device 200 may then calculate the driver's number of safety-critical operations detected during a period of time and compare the resulting number with a limit value. Where the limit value is exceeded, the device 200 may send a control signal to trigger the conveying of a message to the fellow road user 1 10 to indicate a need for a heightened level of watchfulness with respect to the vehicle 100, via a wireless interface, e.g. by means of a transmitter.

The device 200 may also in certain embodiments be adapted to determining that the vehicle 100 which the driver is driving calls for a heightened level of watchfulness where the driver is a trainee, irrespective of whether at a driving school or during private trainee driving. This may for example be achieved by the driver him/herself marking that the vehicle 100 calls for a heightened level of watchfulness on the basis of trainee driving. Alternatively, the driver's driving licence may be read, and lack of a driving licence may be interpreted to the effect that trainee driving or unlawful driving is taking place in the vehicle 100. The fact that the vehicle's driver does not have a valid driving licence may in itself be a source of concern for fellow road users 1 10. In certain embodiments the device 200 may determine that the driver has a driving licence issued less long ago than a second limit value which may be a number of years, e.g. one year, two years, five years or a multiple of, or an intermediate value between, these values. This is because a driver only recently qualified to have a driving licence will have more limited experience than other drivers.

The device 200 may also determine that the driver is older than a third limit value which may for example be 70 years, 75 years, 80 years or an intermediate value. Persons over these ages are often over-represented in accident statistics. The device 200 may also determine whether the driver has previously had his/her driving licence withdrawn, e.g. by identifying the driver from the driving licence, sending an inquiry to a database as to whether his/her driving licence has previously been withdrawn, and determining that the vehicle 100 driven by him/her calls in that case for a heightened level of watchfulness.

The device 200 may also send an inquiry to the vehicle registry and determine whether the vehicle 100 is under a driving ban and/or has been reported missing. A vehicle banned through failing a vehicle inspection may present a safety risk in traffic. The device 200 may also in certain embodiments determine that the driver's no-claims period is shorter than a fourth limit value which may for example be one year, two years, three years, four years or the like. The device 200 may for example identify the driver from the driving licence, send an inquiry to a database belonging for example to the driver's insurance company and determine that the vehicle driven by him/her calls for a heightened level of watchfulness.

In certain embodiments the device 200 may also detect that the vehicle 100 is a emergency services vehicle addressing an emergency situation and therefore calls for a heightened level of watchfulness because it has the right, and sometimes also the duty, to disregard ordinary traffic rules, e.g. speed limits. The device 200 may in this case detect when the driver activates the vehicle's sirens/blue lights, in certain embodiments. The device 200 may also in certain embodiments detect other vehicle types with a particular pattern of driving, e.g. postal vehicles (which often stop at letterboxes), refuse vehicles (which often stop in front of premises and carry refuse collectors who jump out of the vehicle), cleansing vehicles such as salting/plough vehicles (which may be forced to move across lanes, suddenly stop and turn etc. in order to remove snow), and/or may detect that a vehicle which is not a bus or taxi is travelling in a bus lane (since this road user may soon be expected to discover that he/she is in the bus lane and then make a rapid lane change). A check may in certain embodiments be carried out, e.g. on the basis of driver identification by driving licence, as to whether the driver has a criminal record or whether the vehicle has been reported missing. Persons with a criminal way of life are often less inclined to a considerate and prudent driving style. The driver may also in certain embodiments him/herself feed into the device 200 that the vehicle 100 calls for a heightened level of watchfulness. This may for example be in an emergency situation where the driver needs to drive a person who is sick or requiring care to a hospital or the like, e.g. when a heavily pregnant woman needs to be taken to a maternity facility. The driver may also choose to activate the sending of warning messages on the basis of his/her perception of momentary or lasting limitations on his/her driving performance, e.g. in view of tiredness, stress, sudden illness or other cause. A passenger on board the vehicle 100 may also feed into the device 200 that the vehicle 100 calls for a heightened level of watchfulness, since a passenger may often be able to assess the driver's deficient driving performance better and more objectively than the driver him/herself, while at the same time the passenger has an obvious self-protection interest in not being involved in an accident.

In certain cases the detector 210 may comprise a noise level meter and/or a discontent detector, whereby vociferous passengers and/or unhappy/whining children on board can be detected. Unhappy/noisy passengers and/or so-called back-seat drivers may be liable to have a stress-raising effect on the driver, potentially causing a need for a heightened level of watchfulness.

In certain embodiments the detector 210 may be adapted to reading the driver's stress level by measuring one or more stress-related body parameters such as moisture on the driver's skin, electrical resistance on the driver's skin, frequency of eye movements, body temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure, muscle movements, sweating hands or the like. Driver stress, whatever the cause, may thus be detected by comparison with one or more limit values.

In certain embodiments, fellow road users may also assess that the vehicle's driver calls for a heightened level of watchfulness, e.g. in view of careless driving. The driver may previously have received and stored assessments of his/her driving style, and where the number of critical assessments exceeds a configurable limit value the driver will in one embodiment be assessed as calling for a heightened level of watchfulness. This configurable limit value may for example be 1 , 2, 5, 10, 50 or a value between these or in the vicinity, or a multiple of one or more of these values.

The vehicle's driver may also have been blacklisted by the fellow road user 1 10 at a previous on-road encounter, in which case the fellow road user may have indicated that a permanent warning, blacklisting, is desirable for the driver of the vehicle 100.

Figure 3A depicts an example of a vehicle interior of the fellow road user 1 10 travelling behind the vehicle 100, e.g. in the previously described scenarios in Figure 1A and Figure 1 B. In this example the fellow road user 1 10 may be a car, truck, bus or the like. The fellow road user 1 10 has access to a device 300 for drawing his/her attention to a nearby vehicle 100 which calls for a heightened level of watchfulness. The device 300 comprises or is connected to a receiver 310 adapted to receiving from the vehicle 100 a warning message which indicates a need for a heightened level of watchfulness. The receiver 310 may receive wireless signals sent by means of any of the previously enumerated technologies for vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

The device 300 may also comprise or be connected to an indicator 320 adapted to pointing out the vehicle 100 which calls for a heightened level of watchfulness on the part of the fellow road user 1 10. This indicator 320 is exemplified in Figure 3A as a display screen with a camera on the rear side which is directed towards the roadway and the vehicle 100 in front. Such an example of warning of a dangerous vehicle 100 which the indicator 320/display screen can provide is also illustrated in Figure 3B, in which the vehicle 100 is marked on the display screen and a text message warns the fellow road user 1 10 that the vehicle 100 has been operated unsteadily. The indicator 320 may also, or alternatively, comprise a loudspeaker or the like and provide an acoustic or voice message which draws the fellow road user's attention to the vehicle 100. Figure 4A depicts an example of a device 300 provided with a receiver 310 and connected to an indicator 320. The fellow road user 1 10 in this example is a pedestrian standing by the roadside, here close to a pedestrian crossing.

The device 200 on board the vehicle 100 has in this example made a detection and analysis of how the driver acts at pedestrian crossings and has made the assessment that he/she has a tendency to not yield precedence, e.g. by failing to stop at three of the latest five pedestrian crossings encountered, at which it would have been appropriate to stop. Warning the fellow road user 1 10 of this enables him/her to avoid relying upon the vehicle 100 yielding precedence at the pedestrian crossing and to thereby avoid being run over.

In the example illustrated the fellow road user's device 300 takes the form of a mobile telephone or similar portable unit, adapted to receiving wireless signals from the vehicle's device 200. The warning may for example be conveyed by the playing of a suitable voice message to draw the fellow road user's attention to the vehicle 100.

In an embodiment depicted in Figure 4B the indicator 320 may take the form of a pair of spectacles with a built-in transparent display screen on which a marking or warning of the vehicle 100 may appear. This may be achieved for example, but not necessarily, by a technique sometimes called augmented reality (AR).

Augmented reality is a general designation for a technology whereby information from the user's physical surroundings, e.g. the surroundings including the vehicle 100, as seen by the fellow road user 1 10 via the spectacles 320, is mixed with information from a software application, in this case a marking of and warning with respect to the vehicle 100. One possible example of augmented reality might be partly displaying the image from a mobile camera in conjunction with the name of an object which appears in the image. Augmented reality may be viewed on a display screen, via a computer, mobile telephone, TV (film console), via projection on another display surface such as the windscreen of a vehicle, a head-up display, or the like, in different embodiments.

Figure 5 depicts an example of an embodiment where a vehicle 100 passes a fellow road user 1 10. The fellow road user 1 10 may here be provided with a means of giving an assessment of the driving skill of the driver of the vehicle 100, here by a questionnaire presented on the fellow road user's device 300, e.g. his/her mobile telephone or other similar device. In the example illustrated a rating of the driver might be expressed in terms of three levels. This is merely an arbitrary example, such assessment may comprise any desired number of levels in different embodiments, including the possibility of only blacklisting a vehicle 100. An advantage of this embodiment is that as well as warning other fellow road users with respect to a driver of a vehicle 100 who is potentially dangerous in traffic, and thereby reducing the risk of accidents, it may stimulate many drivers to drive considerately in order to gain a high rating. This behaviour on the part of drivers may for example be further encouraged by a social fellowship, sometimes called a "community", or the like in which high ratings carry high status. In certain embodiments the driver's rating may also be presented on an internet page or the like.

Figure 6 depicts an example of an embodiment from a fellow road user's perspective. The traffic on the road ahead is seen by the fellow road user 1 10 through the windscreen of his/her vehicle; inter alia he/she sees the vehicle 100, which in this example is distinguished by a star and an arrow marking to attract the fellow road user's attention.

Other vehicles in front are marked in this example with a circle to show that they are equipped with a device 200 but that no cause for a heightened level of watchfulness with respect to this driver has been detected, or a triangle which shows that the respective vehicle either does not have a functioning device 200 or does not wish to communicate its status.

These markings may for example be made by the technique of augmented reality presented on a head-up display against the windscreen, projected against the windscreen, or by the windscreen being provided with a transparent display screen, in different embodiments.

This scenario depicts an example of how the fellow road user 1 10 may use information received from a plurality of nearby vehicles in order to directly identify the vehicle 100 which he/she primarily needs to treat with caution.

Figure 7 illustrates an example of an embodiment of the invention in the form of a flowchart of a method 700 in a vehicle 100, for determining and communicating to a fellow road user 1 10 that the vehicle 100 calls for a heightened level of watchfulness. In certain embodiments, examples where the vehicle 100 may be regarded as calling for a heightened level of watchfulness comprise: the driver doing trainee driving; the driver's driving licence having been issued less long ago than a second limit value; the driver being older than a third limit value, e.g. 75 years of age; the driver having previously had his/her driving licence withdrawn; the driver having according to his/her insurance company a smaller number of no-claims years than a fourth limit value; the vehicle 100 being an emergency services vehicle addressing an emergency situation; the vehicle's fuel being about to run out; the vehicle 100 travelling in a bus lane without being a bus or taxi; the vehicle 100 being a postal vehicle, a refuse vehicle or a cleansing vehicle, e.g. a salting or plough vehicle; the driver him/herself or a passenger initiating the conveying of the warning message to the fellow road user 1 10; and/or the driver or the vehicle 100 having previously been assessed by the fellow road user 1 10 or other fellow road users as calling for a heightened level of watchfulness. In order to be able to correctly determine this need for a heightened level of watchfulness and communicate it to the fellow road user 1 10, the method 700 may comprise a number of steps 701 -704, although it should be noted that some of the steps here described are part of only certain alternative embodiments of the invention, e.g. step 704. Moreover, the steps 701 -704 described may also be performed in some other chronological order than that suggested by their numerical order and some of them may be performed in parallel with one another. The method 700 comprises the following steps:

Step 701

Detect a number of safety-critical operations of the vehicle 100 during a period of time.

This period may be predetermined or configurable. It may for example be an hour, a day, a year, a service life or any desired intermediate amount of time. It may in certain embodiments be different for different types of safety-critical operations. The safety-critical operation of the vehicle 100 may be caused by its driver and comprise for example: lane change without using direction indicators; lane change without the driver looking in the rearview mirror; the driver having his/her eyes closed for longer than a predetermined amount of time; the driver travelling in a different lane from that indicated by the vehicle's (GPS) navigator; overtaking another vehicle on the inside; spacing of less than three seconds from a vehicle in front; the driver activating his/her mobile telephone other than hands-free while driving; the vehicle's tachograph indicating that the permissible maximum driving time with no break/daily rest is about to be/has been exceeded; speed limits being exceeded; a tiredness warning support on board the vehicle 100 indicating that the driver is tired; an alcohol meter on board the vehicle 100 indicating that the driver has drunk alcohol, or other similar occurrences. Other examples of safety-critical operations of the vehicle 100 may comprise bringing the vehicle to a halt on a motorway, reversing it on a motorway or the vehicle 100 having to execute a left turn on a national highway.

Step 702

The detected 701 number of safety-critical operations is compared with one or more limit values.

In certain embodiments the safety-critical operation may for example be making a lane change without using direction indicators and the period of time may for example be one hour. The limit value may be set at a predetermined or configurable whole number between zero and infinity, e.g. three.

It is also possible for two or more limit values to be configured in certain embodiments for the same safety-critical operation, e.g. so that when the number of safety-critical operations is below a first limit value the vehicle 100 is regarded as not calling for a heightened level of watchfulness; when the number of safety-critical operations exceeds a first limit value but not another, higher limit value, the vehicle 100 is rated as calling for a heightened level of watchfulness; and when the number of safety-critical operations exceeds both the first limit value and the second limit value the vehicle 100 is rated as calling for a substantially heightened level of watchfulness; and so on.

Such limit values may in certain embodiments be different for different types of safety- critical operations. For certain types of safety-critical operations the limit value may be zero.

Step 703

A message is conveyed to the fellow road user 1 10 to indicate a need for a heightened level of watchfulness, when the detected 701 number of safety-critical operations exceeds said one or more limit values.

The message conveyed may contain information directed to the fellow road user 1 10 to the effect that the vehicle 100 does not call for a heightened level of watchfulness, when the detected 701 number of safety-critical operations does not exceed said one or more limit values.

The message may be conveyed via a wireless interface by vehicle-to-vehicle communication, e.g. WLAN, wi-fi, Bluetooth or similar technology based on radio communication. The fellow road user 1 10 may thus be warned or made aware of the need for a heightened level of watchfulness with respect to the vehicle and may take appropriate action in response, e.g. by maintaining extra spacing. Step 704

This step may be part of some, but not necessarily all, embodiments of the method 700.

An assessment of the need for a heightened level of watchfulness with respect to the vehicle may in certain embodiments be received from the fellow road user 1 10 via a wireless interface and may for example comprise a rating, a grading, an estimate or a blacklisting.

Such assessments may be received via a wireless interface by vehicle-to-vehicle communication, e.g. WLAN, wi-fi, Bluetooth or similar technology based on radio communication.

Fellow road users are thus enabled to leave feedback relating to a driver and/or a certain vehicle's behaviour in traffic and thereby also to indirectly warn other fellow road users of the vehicle 100, without having to confront the driver and use for example gestures to communicate their assessment of his/her driving skill, gestures which might of themselves present a traffic hazard in distracting attention from the current traffic situation. The risk of traffic accidents may thus be further reduced.

Figure 8 illustrates an embodiment of a device 200 on board a vehicle 100 for determining and communicating to a fellow road user 1 10 that the vehicle 100 calls for a heightened level of watchfulness.

This device 200 is configured to perform at least some of the previously described steps 701 -704 of the method 700.

To determine and generate a signal for informing the fellow road user 1 10 that the vehicle 100 calls for a heightened level of watchfulness, the device 200 comprises a number of components described in more detail below. Certain of the subcomponents described are present in some, but not necessarily all, embodiments. There may also be in the device 200 further electronics which are not entirely necessary for understanding the function of the device 200 according to the invention and are therefore omitted from Figure 8 and from this description.

The device 200 comprises or is connected to one or more detectors 210 which are adapted to detecting at least one safety-critical operation of the vehicle 100. In certain embodiments such detectors 210 may for example be provided with a camera which follows the driver's eyes, vehicle sensors such as a steering wheel angle sensor, yaw sensor and/or accelerometer, one or more sensors for monitoring the vehicle's position on the roadway, positioning devices such as GPS, distance measuring devices such as a laser distance measurer or a distance measurer based on image processing, ultrasound or the like, or a tiredness warning support on board the vehicle 100, which can indicate that the driver is tired, or an alcohol meter on board the vehicle 100, which can indicate that the driver has drunk alcohol, a noise level meter on board the vehicle 100, a measuring device for one or more stress-related physical parameters of the driver, or the like.

The detector 210 may also be adapted to detecting that the driver makes a lane change without using direction indicators, makes a lane change without looking in the rearview mirror or has his/her eyes closed for longer than a predetermined amount of time. The detector 210 may further be adapted to detecting when the driver is travelling in a different lane from that indicated by the vehicle's (GPS) navigator, the driver overtakes another vehicle on the inside or the spacing from the vehicle in front is less than three seconds. The detector 210 may also be adapted to detecting when the driver activates his/her mobile telephone other than hands-free while driving; when the vehicle's tachometer indicates that the permissible maximum driving time with no break/daily rest is about to be/has been exceeded; when speed limits are exceeded; when a tiredness warning support on board the vehicle 100 indicates that the driver is tired and/or when an alcohol meter on board indicates that the driver has drunk alcohol.

The detector 210 may also be adapted to detecting when the driver brings the vehicle 100 to a halt on a motorway, reverses the vehicle 100 on a motorway or when the vehicle 100 has to execute a left turn on a national highway, or some other safety-critical and/or unlawful manoeuvre is executed with the vehicle 100. The device 200 further comprises a processor circuit 820 adapted to receiving from the detector 210 an indication of a safety-critical operation on the part of the driver, and to calculating the number of such indications of safety-critical operations during a certain period of time. The processor circuit 820 is also adapted to comparing the number of safety-critical operations detected with one or more limit values. The processor circuit 820 is also adapted to sending a control signal to trigger the conveying of a message to the fellow road user 1 10 to indicate a need for a heightened level of watchfulness with respect to the vehicle 100, when the number of safety-critical operations detected exceeds said one or more limit values.

The processor circuit 820 may for example take the form of one or more central processing units (CPUs), microprocessors or other logic suited to interpreting and performing instructions and/or to reading and writing data. The processor circuit 820 may handle data for inflow, outflow or processing of data, comprising also buffering of data, control functions and the like.

The device 200 may also comprise a signal receiver 810 adapted to receiving a wired or wireless signal from the detector 210, in certain embodiments.

In certain embodiments the signal receiver 810 is adapted to receiving from the fellow road user 1 10 an assessment of the need for a heightened level of watchfulness with respect to the vehicle. The device 200 may further comprise also in certain embodiments a memory unit 825 adapted to storing detected safety-critical operations of the vehicle 100; limit values; history of previous vehicle-related data; previously received assessments of the driver's driving skill, or the like. The memory unit 825 may for example take the form of a memory card, flash memory, USB memory, hard disc or other similar non-volatile data-storage units of a durable nature, e.g. any from among ROM (read-only memory), PROM (programmable read-only memory), EPROM (erasable PROM), flash memory, EEPROM (electrically erasable PROM), etc., in different embodiments.

The device 200 in certain embodiments may also comprise a transmitting circuit 830 adapted to sending a control signal for generating an alarm signal, or information, and to sending it via a transmitter, via a wireless interface, in order to be received by the fellow road user 1 10.

In certain embodiments the transmitter may be part of the device 200 or the transmitting 5 circuit 830, so that these form a composite unit. The wireless interface may be based on WLAN, wi-fi, Bluetooth or similar communication technology based on radio communication, for making vehicle-to-vehicle communication possible.

The invention further comprises a computer programme on board a vehicle 100, for making 10 a fellow road user 1 10 aware that the vehicle 100 calls for a heightened level of watchfulness, by conducting a method 700 according to at least some of the previously described steps 701 -704 when the computer programme is executed in a processor circuit 820 of the device 200. This device 200 may be on board the vehicle 100 or outside the vehicle 100, in different embodiments.

15

The method 700 according to steps 701 -704 for making a fellow road user 1 10 aware that the vehicle 100 calls for a heightened level of watchfulness may be implemented by one or more processor circuits 820 of the device 200 in conjunction with computer programme code in a non-volatile data support in order to perform one, more than one, some or all of 20 the method steps 701 -704 described above. A computer programme may thus comprise instructions for performing steps 701 -704 when the programme is loaded in the processor circuit 820 of the device 200.

Figure 9 Illustrates an example of an embodiment of the invention in the form of a

25 flowchart of a method 900 for drawing the attention of a fellow road user 1 10 to a vehicle 100 which calls for a heightened level of watchfulness.

To be able to make the fellow road user 1 10 aware that the vehicle 100 calls for a heightened level of watchfulness, the method 900 may comprise a number of steps 901 - 30 903, but it should be noted that some of the steps here described may form part of only certain alternative embodiments of the invention, e.g. step 903. The steps 901 -903 described may also be performed in some other chronological order than that suggested by their numerical order, and some of them may be performed in parallel with one another. The method 900 comprises the following steps:

Step 901 A message indicating a need for a heightened level of watchfulness with respect to a vehicle 100 is received from the vehicle 100.

This message may be received via a wireless interface, e.g. by vehicle-to-vehicle communication such as WLAN, wi-fi, Bluetooth or similar technology based on radio communication.

In certain embodiments the message received from the vehicle 100 may indicate that the vehicle 100 does not call for a heightened level of watchfulness.

Step 902

The vehicle 100 which calls for a heightened level of watchfulness is indicated, in order thereby to draw the attention of the fellow road user 1 10 to this vehicle 100. In certain embodiments such indications may comprise for example a visual marking on a display screen 320, e.g. a head-up display, a windscreen-integrated display screen or a pair of spectacles. They may also comprise a sound, e.g. an acoustic signal, a tune or a voice message. Such indications may also comprise tactile signals in the steering wheel or the driving seat.

In certain embodiments the indication may be provided by the vehicle 100 which does not call for a heightened level of watchfulness. The fellow road user 1 10 may thus understand that a certain vehicle 100 is provided with a device 200 for determining and communicating to a fellow road user 1 10 that the vehicle 100 calls for a heightened level of watchfulness. The fellow road user will therefore also understand that less attention need be paid to this vehicle 100.

Step 903

This step may be part of some, but not necessarily all, embodiments of the method 900.

An assessment of the need for a heightened level of watchfulness with respect to the vehicle 100, and/or of the driving skill of its driver, may be made in certain embodiments and be sent to the vehicle 100, e.g. via a wireless interface. Figure 10 depicts an embodiment of a device 300 for drawing the attention of a fellow road user 1 10 to a vehicle 100 which calls for a heightened level of watchfulness. This device 300 is configured to conduct at least some of the previously described steps 901 -903 of the method 900.

To be able to draw the attention of the fellow road user 1 10 to the vehicle 100 which calls for a heightened level of watchfulness, the method 900 may comprise a number of components described in more detail below. Certain of the subcomponents described are present in some, but not necessarily all, embodiments. There may also be in the device 300 further electronics which are not entirely necessary for understanding the function of the device 300 according to the invention and are therefore omitted from Figure 10 and from this description.

The device 300 comprises or is connected to a receiver 310 which is adapted to receiving wireless signals via a wireless interface. The wireless interface may be based on WLAN, wi-fi, Bluetooth or similar communication technology based on radio communication, for making vehicle-to-vehicle communication possible.

The device 300 may also comprise or be connected to an indicator 320 which is adapted to indicating the vehicle 100 which calls for a heightened level of watchfulness. Such an indicator 320 may be part of or be provided with one or more units such as a display screen, touchscreen, computer screen, mobile telephone screen, TV, via projection on another image surface such as the windscreen of a vehicle, a head-up display, a windscreen-integrated display screen, a pair of spectacles, or the like, in different embodiments. The indicator 320 may also be part of or be provided with a loudspeaker, siren, alarm, headphones, a tactile actuator or similar units.

The indication may comprise a graphic, visual marking and/or a sound, e.g. an acoustic signal, a tune or a voice message. It may also comprise a tactile signal.

The device 300 may further comprise a processor circuit 1020 adapted to detecting and drawing the attention of a fellow road user 1 10 to a vehicle 100 which calls for a

heightened level of watchfulness, in certain embodiments.

The processor circuit 1020 may for example take the form of one or more central processing units (CPUs), microprocessors or other logic suited to interpreting and performing instructions and/or to reading and writing data. The processor circuit 1020 may handle data for inflow, outflow or processing of data, comprising also buffering of data, control functions and the like. The device 300 may also comprise a signal receiver 1010 adapted to receiving a wired or wireless signal from the vehicle 100 or rather a transmitter on board the vehicle 100. The wireless interface may be based on WLAN, wi-fi, Bluetooth or similar communication technology based on radio communication, for making vehicle-to-vehicle communication possible.

The device 300 may further comprise also a memory unit 1025 adapted to storing information received concerning the vehicle 100, in certain embodiments.

The memory unit 1025 may for example take the form of a memory card, flash memory, USB memory, hard disc or other similar non-volatile data-storage units of a durable nature, e.g. any from among ROM (read-only memory), PROM (programmable read-only memory), EPROM (erasable PROM), flash memory, EEPROM (electrically erasable PROM), etc., in different embodiments.

The device 300 in certain embodiments may also comprise a transmitting circuit 1030 adapted to sending a control signal for generating an alarm signal or visual, auditory or tactile information which indicates the vehicle 100 which calls for a heightened level of watchfulness. The vehicle 100 may thus for example be indicated on the indicator 320.

In certain embodiments the transmitting circuit 1030 may also be adapted to sending an assessment of the need for watchfulness with respect to the vehicle 100, and/or of the driving ability of its driver, to the vehicle 100, e.g. a via wireless interface.

The invention further comprises a computer programme in the device 300, for making a fellow road user 1 10 aware that the vehicle 100 calls for a heightened level of watchfulness, by conducting a method 900 according to at least some of the previously described steps 901 -903 when the computer programme is executed in a processor circuit 1020 of the device 300. This device 300 may be on board the fellow road user's vehicle or be for example part of the fellow road user's mobile telephone, portable computer or the like, in different embodiments.

The method 900 according to steps 901 -903 for making a fellow road user 1 10 aware of the vehicle 100 which calls for a heightened level of watchfulness may be implemented by one or more processor circuits 1020 of the device 300, in conjunction with computer programme code in a non-volatile data support, in order to perform one, more than one, some or all of the method steps 901 -903 described above. A computer programme may thus comprise instructions for performing steps 901 -903 when the programme is loaded in the processor circuit 1020 of the device 300. Certain embodiments further comprise also a system for determining and communicating to a fellow road user 1 10 that a vehicle 100 calls for a heightened level of watchfulness. Such a system may comprise on board the vehicle 100 a device 200 provided with or connected to a detector 210 which is adapted to detecting a safety-critical operation of the vehicle 100, and a processor circuit 820 which is adapted to sending a control signal to trigger the conveying of a message to the fellow road user 1 10 to indicate a need for a heightened level of watchfulness with respect to the vehicle 100, when the number of detected safety-critical operations exceeds the limit value. The system further comprises a device 300 for drawing the attention of a fellow road user 1 10 to a vehicle 100 which calls for a heightened level of watchfulness. The device 300 may be provided with or connected to a receiver 310 which is adapted to receiving from the vehicle 100 a warning message which indicates a need for a heightened level of watchfulness. The device 300 may further be provided with or connected to an indicator 320 which is adapted to indicating the vehicle 100 which calls for a heightened level of watchfulness.

Claims

1 . A computerised method (700) in a vehicle (100), for determining and communicating to a fellow road user (1 10) that the vehicle (100) calls for a heightened level of watchfulness, which method (700) is characterised by

detecting (701 ) the number of safety-critical operations of the vehicle (100) during a period of time,

comparing (702) the number of safety-critical operations detected (701 ) with one or more limit values, and

conveying (703) a message to the fellow road user (1 10) to indicate a need for a heightened level of watchfulness, when the number of safety-critical operations detected (701 ) exceeds said one or more limit values.

2. The method (700) according to claim 1 , in which the safety-critical operation of the vehicle (100) is caused by its driver and comprises: lane change without using direction indicators; lane change without the driver looking in the rearview mirror; the driver having his/her eyes closed for longer than a predetermined amount of time; the driver travelling in a different lane from that indicated by the vehicle's navigator; overtaking other vehicles on the inside; spacing of less than three seconds from a vehicle in front; the driver activating his/her mobile telephone other than hands-free while driving; the vehicle's tachometer indicating that the maximum permissible driving time with no break is about to be/has been exceeded or that the daily rest is about to be/has been shorter than permissible; exceeding a speed limit; a tiredness warning support on board the vehicle (100) indicating that the driver is tired; an alcohol meter on board the vehicle (100) indicating that the driver has drunk alcohol.

3. The method (700) according to either of claims 1 and 2, in which the safety-critical operation of the vehicle (100) comprises bringing the vehicle (100) to a halt on a motorway, reversing the vehicle (100) on a motorway, the vehicle (100) having to make a left turn on a national highway.

4. The method (700) according to any one of claims 1 -3, in which the vehicle (100) calls for a heightened level of watchfulness when the driver is doing trainee driving; the driver's driving licence has been issued less long ago than a second limit value; the driver is older than a third limit value, e.g. 75 years of age; the driver has previously had his/her driving licence withdrawn; the driver has according to his/her insurance company a smaller number of no-claims years than a fourth limit value; the vehicle (100) is an emergency services vehicle addressing an emergency situation; the vehicle's fuel is about to run out; the vehicle (100) is travelling in a bus lane without being a bus or taxi; the vehicle (100) is a postal vehicle, a refuse vehicle or a cleansing vehicle, e.g. a salting or plough vehicle; the driver him/herself or a passenger initiates the conveying of the warning message to the fellow road user (1 10); and/or the driver or the vehicle (100) has previously been assessed by the fellow road user (1 10) or other fellow road users as calling for a heightened level of watchfulness.

5. The method (700) according to any one of claims 1 -4, in which the message conveyed (703) contains information to the fellow road user (1 10) to the effect that the vehicle (100) does not call for a heightened level of watchfulness, when the number of safety-critical operations detected (701 ) does not exceed said one or more limit values.

6. The method (700) according to any one of claims 1 -5, further comprising:

receiving (704) from the fellow road user (1 10) an assessment of the need for a heightened level of watchfulness with respect to the vehicle.

7. The method (700) according to any one of claims 1 -6, in which the message is conveyed (703, 704) via a wireless interface by vehicle-to-vehicle communication such as WLAN, wi-fi, Bluetooth or similar technology based on radio communication.

8. A device (200) in a vehicle (100), for determining and communicating to a fellow road user (1 10) that the vehicle (100) calls for a heightened level of watchfulness, which device (200) is characterised by

a detector (210) adapted to detecting a safety-critical operation of the vehicle

(100),

a processor circuit (820) adapted to receiving from the detector (210) an indication of a safety-critical operation on the part of the driver, to calculating the number of safety- critical operations on the part of the driver during a period of time, to comparing the number of safety-critical operations detected with one or more limit values, and to sending a control signal to trigger the conveying of a message to the fellow road user (1 10) in order to indicate a need for a heightened level of watchfulness with respect to the vehicle (100), when the number of safety-critical operations detected exceeds said one or more limit values.

9. A computer programme in a vehicle (100), for making a fellow road user (1 10) aware that the vehicle (100) calls for a heightened level of watchfulness, by conducting a method (700) according to any one of claims 1 -7 when the computer programme is executed in a processor circuit (820) of a device (200) according to claim 8.