WO2011126379A1

WO2011126379A1 - A system and method for drivers training

Info

Publication number: WO2011126379A1
Application number: PCT/NO2011/000118
Authority: WO
Inventors: Arne Roald; Rune Halvorsen
Original assignee: Driving Performance Solutions As
Priority date: 2010-04-04
Filing date: 2011-04-04
Publication date: 2011-10-13

Abstract

A system for drivers training where the system has one or more in vehicle cameras (2), one or more remote cameras( 10) several signal inputs for speed, consumptions, speed of vehicle etc (3), an on -board computer (1) or the vehicle or the vessel is wirelessly connected to a remote computing function that can process and store recordings or measurements, and where the recordings may bet tagged in time and place, marked from a positioning system, and may have a time- jump to allow pressing the recording button to allow decision to record to be taken after an incident has happened, wherein the computer or computing function is adapted to implement a process control function where accelerators (8) will measure and give feedback on the comfort and fuel efficiency of the driving and/or where sensors will indicate when the teacher uses his "take-over-pedals" ( 9), said process control function being adapted to trigger said tagging and/or recording.

Description

A System and Method for Drivers Training

Field of the Invention The present invention relate to the field of creating a data controlled step by step learning process" computer system for vehicles like cars, buses, lorries, motorbikes as well as floating vessels.

Technical Background

The use of Process Control Computers, to control Work Processes, with cameras and instrumentation in a vehicle or in a vessel will allow technical solutions that change the training process from the ineffective instruction based one ( # a below) , to the more effective "coaching based" ( # b below ) that increased learning quality as well as reduces costs. a) Since the start of traffic training more then 100 years ago, the way of traffic training everywhere has been using the old and well understood military method of instruction based training. In traffic training this is often referred to as " the driving process".

An example of this is shown in Fig. 1.

The instruction will cause an action, normally start, stop or turning of the vehicle at ,next junction, and from the resulting action, a positive statement of accepted driving, or a corrective explanation of how to get it right. Ex: "Remember when you...." will be given by the teacher.

The pupil is hence asked to remember something - typically to remember what it takes to pass the driving test. The proof that this way of teaching is not effective, is the fact that 30-50% fail to pass the driving test and young drivers are very over represented in death and accident statistics: A lot of the learning take place a f t e r they have got the driving licence. Before practical training in the vehicles start, most driving schools demand that the pupil has acquired a certain level of theoretical traffic competence. Today the pupil will first learn the theory for handling vehicles safely, legally and smoothly through traffic from books, videos or multiple questions until they learnt how to answer correctly - not necessarily because they understand why it should be done in this particular way.

Learning in traffic will then take place through chosen or random driving routes, sometimes being selected as part of a plan to cover different themes, and sometimes because "lots of things happen" that can be used for teaching, use to take place in that particular route.

The teacher will lead through the route through instructions and rarely uses questions to lead and involve. Not a very effective learning process. b) Changing the Teaching Process to a Learning Process.

Studies have additionally proven that the current driving tests fail to measure traffic competence. IE: Drivers with to little competence or right attitudes will be given the right to drive a vehicle. The fact that traffic accidents are the highest cause of deaths among young males from the age of 18 - 25 prove that the system does not create competent drivers.

The European union is addressing this cause and have recommended changes to the current way of training. In short change to what is called "Coaching based Training", also called "Confluent Training " where the teachers shall lead the training process through asking "open ended leading questions " to get the pupil involved and responsible for his own learning results. The EU initiative, the Hermes program - all paper based - can be executed dramatically more efficient by use of our system.

The Hermes reference: http://www.aUes- ftiehrerschein.at/HERMES/index.php?page=objective

Our technical solution and control programs, will make this difficult change to asking questions, much easier as the teacher as well as the pupil will be guided through the learning process step by step. The system will create "learning" ( confluent ) situations that tempts as well as forces involvements, curiosity and engagement. This establishes a successful "learning by doing " environment. The origin of Confluent Learning.

Professor George Isaac Brown pioneered the confluent learning in the 1960s, and began teaching this theory1960s in Santa Barbara, California, USA.

Professor Brown published the book "Human Teaching for Human Learning" in 1971.His concept was strongly influenced of the tradition of Learning by doing, and became a university study in 1968. The big difference between instruction based teaching and confluent learning is basically within the dotted red line in Fig. 3. The emotional and "affective" part of the mind gets engaged. Ideally by cases that "stand out so special" that they get remembered all special event does.

The Norwegian Knut Alfred Myren studied with professor Brown and started early 70s to apply the confluent principle to traffic teaching, and is as far as known, still the only one to have done so in Europe. Mr. Myren also participated in the early Merit workshops that later led to the Hermes program

Summary of the Invention:

The object of the present invention is to provide a highly effective Process Control System for land based traffic training and maritime traffic training consisting of technology to provide the following functions

- A step by step documented training process where technology simulation create "learning situations" - Provide the teacher with "correct questions" and demonstration examples at Learning Points

- Provide automatic questions in any language in order to provide quality assurance to the learning process and to the drivers test process

- Provide an automated evaluation concept to verify driving skills and quality of driving in a repeatable and documented way

This solution will, unlike any prior art, create an individually tailored, fully

documented learning process where corrective feedback is automatically

implemented if deviation from an agreed learning objective happens. A

documented training process with step by step competence grades surpass the current driving tests as a verification whether a driving licence can be issued or not. This due to the generally agreed fact that driving tests does not measure

competence - only the ability to remember what it takes to get a driving licence.

In addition to ensuring a good learning process for the learner, the system represents 4 main quantum leaps in learning efficiency, allowing the learner to achieve a far higher competence in the same number of training time used:

- The first quantum leap is a dynamic quality assurance system for the teacher, reminding him on keeping the training on the very individual training plan he has established for the individual learner. This by ensuring that the teacher asks the right coaching questions that is the core of an effective confluent teaching process. - The second quantum leap come from the used of coaching to lead the pupil. This due to the fact that coaching is by far a more effective training concept than the old military based instruction process. Coaching is considered part of confluent teaching ( "getting all senses involved and whenever possible, "learning by doing"). This effect is clearly seen from the position in the "the learning pyramid" on page 15 where this system allow the learner to move from the "inefficient top of the pyramid" where the teacher is the one that is responsible for the learning, to the bottom of the pyramid ( 23 figure 5 ) where the learner himself is responsible and, forced and tempted by the system, actively engaged in the learning process and ultimately the one responsible for the result of the process.

- The 3^rd quantum leap the system allows is the " peer supported training" where someone the learner normally respect more than anyone else, one or more of his peers, riding in the back of the vehicle, records events and comment his performance (using screen/ keyboard 6 ) without disturbing his driving and learning process. Not only does this keep the learner in an effective learning state, and influences his behaviour, but with almost no additional costs does it give high quality learning to the peer observer as it moves him to the very effective "teaching others" ( 23 ) position at the bottom of the pyramid.

-The forth quantum leap that the system allows is to design "Integrated Learning Processes" where teacher, private coach, and learner work in the following process; "Learn with the professional teacher)- "practice with a skilled coach" - then prepare for next step. " By executing like this, the learner get a "low risk - feel safe" effective learning environment where he gets confident in each learning point before moving on to the next. The Integrated Learning Process also allow for the very important " Volume Driving" or extensive practicing that is allowed and encouraged in several countries as long as the learner has a qualified coach next to him.

All of the above processes are the same whether we talk about learning in the land based or maritime environment, or whether we talk about novice learners, update of competence or getting additional special competence for mature drivers. - The fifth quantum leap that the system allows, not for learning, but in verification of competence, is in getting the complete quality of learning process well documented. Given the general agreement that a driving test is not a good measurement of achieved competence, this allow for several alternative solutions: As an alternative to the drivers test, or as an addition.

The documentation function additionally allow for better and more representative verification of competences for candidates with small or larger handicaps, ranging from old drivers through dyslectics to stroke patients.

The scope of the present invention appears from the appended claims.

Brief Description of the Drawings: The various features and benefits of the invention will now be described in detail in reference to the appended drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 illustrates prior art instruction based learning, Fig. 2 illustrates the confluent training process used in the present invention,

Fig. 3 is an illustration comparing instruction based training and confluent training,

Fig. 4 is a technical system description,

Fig. 5 illustrates the inventive learning process.

Detailed Description The Driving Performance Solutions application is design to make a practical solution that make confluent ( engagement & experience based ) teaching possible to execute FAST enough to do the process as described in Fig. 2.

The Coaching based - confluent teaching practices that our technology makes possible will improve learning in below explained way: The pyramid shown in Fig. 3 is often used by consultants to demonstrate the effect of different types of teaching - or learning effect of Instruction based teaching (mostly monolog) to confluent and coaching based learning where " small or large" incidents gets the pupil involved and move the responsibility for gaining competence from the teacher to the learner. IE: From the ineffective "top of the pyramid" learning to the bottom effective learning (Fig.5. - 23 ).

The lesser efficient instruction based training (top of the learning efficiency pyramid) and the more effective confluent approach at the bottom 23, where the technology solution we apply patent for, makes the "immediate pit stop" function fast and effective and achieved competence well documented.

A special computer in the vehicles and in vessels 1 is connected to car or vessel measurements 3, camera signals 2 and external signals in order to collect all the necessary data and simulations in order to create a "confluent learning process." (Figure 2) The hardware used to realize the present invention is schematically depicted in Fig. 4. A process unlike any prior art that establishes a step by step structure to the learning process (Figure 2) from start to documented process, and with corrective feedback for the learner and the teachers when any of their individual process so requires.

The process control system uses technology like an onboard computer 1 or an online computer function, cameras 2 that looks forward and on eyes, signal inputs 3 and outputs to external screens and "simulation devices" (main screen, glasses 11 ) as described below to create an effective training process for students and learners. The major functions are described below.

■ Evaluation the learners training needs by evaluation competence against training goal by recording videos, using site based questions and "simulations" measuring, evaluating and creating a training plan.

An evaluation and documentation of the current competences by driving through one or more theme routes 20 that contain Learning Point (LP) 21 traffic challenges, and in addition create LPs through graphical traffic simulations or superimposing previous filming from the same area one or more screens, in 3D glasses 11 worn by the learner, or 3D visual helmets and with self evaluation and teacher evaluation (feedback loops in Fig. 2) of situations recorded driving through the theme route 20 or stepping through the simulations. The learners self evaluation scores 5 and the teachers scores 5 will be created using colours or number and stored in the computers)

By comparing the scores the pupil and the teacher will aim at creating a consensus with the student of what competences need to be trained for (selected Driving lesson in Fig. 2).

The teacher, ideally with the pupil's participation in order to get ownership of the training needs, will configure an individual training plan (Fig. 2). This plan typically consisting of a series of selected theme routes, study material in books, videos or on the net, and of private volume training exercises to be used in countries in areas where this is allowed. The pupil will before the private training get access to the next step(s) of the training process and selected training routes in order to prepare prior to training. This preparation will create a "fee/ safe" training environment that creates the highest training efficiency.

Using the system to support the teacher confluent teaching - and to correct and continuously improve his process by measuring his "rate of use of coaching questions" plus alarming when the process deviates.

The key to confluent teaching is to steer / lead the pupil through the learning process by asking leading open ended questions.

As the tutorial based teaching mostly take place through a series of

Learning Points 21 , in one or more theme routes 20, the teacher or the quality responsible of the driving school, create a number of questions at each defined Learning Point. These are stored in the schools "tutorial route library" and are configured individually with pre-selected questions as part of the individual plan. These questions can then come up as written text, acronyms or symbols on one or more screens, or (process screen 4) discretely projected on the front screen in front of the teacher 7, prior to reaching a Learning Point. The teacher will then visually be reminded of using his own questions before he has to use them. Voice recorded questions may be issued automatically directly to the learner or to the teachers earphone.

This additional opportunity to use languages well known to the learner like Arabic, may allow a foreign learner to get "clear questions" that keep him safe in the learning situation. When a tutorial route is used for verifications of competences the interpreter needed today may be omitted.

Voice recognition 13 may be used to measure what pre-defined questions the teacher uses, and hence measure the "rate of confluent" teaching. This is well suited for self- evaluation or for follow up of teachers by the quality responsible process owner of the company.

Check that correct preparations for training have been done before starting the driving. Before the driving starts the pupil will or may have prepared himself theoretically by using learning videos of the same tutorial routes where theory explanations or questions will come up at the same appropriate Learning Points 21 that the teacher later will use. By doing so the pupil will know the challenges ahead and feel safer. A safe learner learns better than an unsafe one, so this enhances learning effectiveness. Before the driving starts the teacher and the pupil look at the challenges in the driving routes 21 on the screen or in the 3D glasses 11 and evaluate whether the pupil is well enough prepared. The theoretical preparation also proves very effective when extra fast learning is a must like in the military forces where a lot of traffic learning within a small time-frame.

Create engaging and stimulating Learning Situations as well as checking theoretical competence in any given point along the learning route.

While driving in the theme route situations that are useful for teaching 20, traffic situations not planned for, but which are useful for teaching will happen.

In order to avoid overload of data, the teacher may press the recording button a pre-defined interval after a situation has occurred in order to store only what is of "teaching interest" by having the recording "jumps back" the pre-defined number of seconds, thus allowing the teacher to decide whether a situation is useful for learning before he stores it. The same goes for driving through a planned learning point 21, the teacher will only record what is needed for clarification or give positive feedback. The latter being by far the strongest learning stimuli.

At a Learning Point / Control Point h the teacher will normally stop the vehicle, then call forward pictures (mains screen or 11) or drawings or questions that can be used to create engagement or performing knowledge checks. The teacher may also superimpose recordings from previous drives in the same route, or superimpose animations to create good discussions (main screen or 11) or to visualise risks if alternative situations at that particular point could have been the case. Once a Learning Situation is created, the car should be stopped as soon as possible, and ideally, and before the next Learning Situation 21 take place, they should reach a common understanding (checked by 29) of the correct behaviour. Normally the teacher will give a score 29 at this point. By doing so the training lesson will consist of a small number of "ratings" about a certain theme. The series of ratings in a documented form will be a far better proof of competence than any final driving test.

Creating positive attitude

By having a PEER give positive as well as corrective feedback as

technically described in the points below, 6 by using a screen or keyboard, the learner's attitude is influenced strongly. By measuring comfort of driving (accelerometer 8) as well as risks factors of the driving (teacher's keyboard 5), even novice drivers are influenced to safe and environmental friendly driving. .

Checking that the learners self assessment is realistic.

Overconfident learners are a blockage to learning. Checking that the learner does not have an unrealistic view of his performance is hence an important corrective. One of the ways of doing this is by the teacher and the learner having one numeric keypad 5 each where they at an agreed time like wrapping up after each learning situation, give a score of the performance 29. When the score differs (gap in assessment of learning driving) the system may highlight this, and they can have a discussion for "bridging the gap" . This discussion will become a Learning Point in itself.

^■ Technology strengthen the learning process by allowing effective

PEER participation and feedback.

No -one has a greater impact on behaviour and attitudes than a pupils peers. This goes for driving pupils, coerce participants as well as for student that practice with private car pupils in order to become driving teachers themselves. Risk and quality of driving ( or instruction ) is sometimes perceived better when you are a backseat passenger without ability to influence the driving, and nothing else to do than evaluating. Installing screens and input functions like keyboard functionality that allow the quite backseat listener to initiate recording and use pre-programmed keys (screen with soft keys 6) to indicate risk, erratic driving - or even better, prise good performance. Being given the task to evaluate cerates engagement by the pupil that observes, and move that pupil close to the optimum " teaching others " 23 position at the bottom of the pyramid.

Deaf pupils have problems picking up instructions or questions. This is solved through a screen or even better a "hidden to anyone else than the driver" projections 7 of hand signal supported instruction or questions in the lower part of the front screen.

Claims

1. A system for drivers training where the system has one or more in vehicle cameras (2), one or more remote cameras( 10) several signal inputs for speed, consumptions, speed of vehicle etc (3), an on -board computer (1) or the vehicle or the vessel is wirelessly connected to a remote computing function that can process and store recordings or measurements, and where the recordings may get tagged in time and place, marked from a positioning system, and may have a time- jump to allow pressing the recording button to allow decision to record to be taken after an incident has happened,

characterized by the computer or computing function is adapted to implement a process control function where accelerometers (8) will measure and give feedback on the comfort and fuel efficiency of the driving and/or where sensors will indicate when the teacher uses his "take-over-pedals" ( 9), said process control function being adapted to trigger said tagging and/or recording.

2. A system as in claim 1 ,

characterized by the system having support screens for questions to used by used coming up on a process screen (4) visible to the teacher only and where the teacher and the learner will have individual key-boards ( 5) to give scores and where instructions may be given visibly by a mini projector (7) on to the front-screen for the learner only to see.

3. A system as in claim 1 ,

characterized by individual key boards (6) for peers riding in the back seat adding evaluations.

4. A system as in claim 1 ,

characterized by a the recording only being triggered by an adjustable time delay after the teacher having decided that a given situation is worthwhile for storing, and then presses a record button, functioning in a way where all the signals are stored and displayed according to configuration by adjusted time shift, and where the length of the time shift is the adjusted time shift and the number of times the record button is pressed

5. A system as in claim 1,

characterized by time markings on a continuous recording of the videos and signals are time marked for easy replay

6. A system as in claim 1 ,

characterized by the voice triggering from the learners or the teachers microphone and then being deleted if a teacher triggered recording does not take place within an adjusted time frame.

7. A system as in claim 1 ,

characterized by the recording starting if the teacher take over control of the vehicle by pressing his support pedals and the recording being indicated with a risk symbol and the number of "takeover actions" in a give driving lesson being recorded and documented

8. A system a in claim 1 ,

characterized by the recording staring when a sudden change of fuel consumption or engine speed occurs, or by the fact that a recording starts if one or several measurements deviates more than a adjustable difference from a previous stored value or a setpoint.

9. A system as in claim 1 ,

characterized by the fact that live pictures or still pictures from previous recording may be superimposed on top of current pictures to create the image of another traffic situation than it really is.

10. A system as in claim 1,

characterized by the teacher and the pupil having one small keyboard each where they may give evaluation numbers and where a deviation of evaluation greater than a pre-adjusted value will create a mark in the recordings

11. A system as in claim 1 ,

characterized by having glasses with data-screens, a helmet with built-in screens or an extra screen that can be used to create a local "site simulation" by visualising another traffic situation than what really exists.

12. A system as in claim 1

characterized by having a pulse sensor allowing the heart beat frequency of the driver to be recoded in order to measure stress level.

13. A system as in claim 1,

characterized by having two additional camera fixed to a headset or a helmet where one of the camera is directed to one of the eyes and the other is directed forward in order to identify precisely where the wearer is looking.

14. A system as in claim 1 ,

characterized by one or more fixed mounted cameras or external hand held cameras transmit its recordings to the system in the car or in the vehicle hence making it possible to revue the driving from outside.

15. A system as in claim 1,

characterized by a question or an instruction to act is visualised graphically on a screen in front of the driver or projected on to the front screen in order to give instructions to pupils who lack hearing but are still allowed to drive like deaf drivers.

16. A system as claimed in one of the previous claims,

characterized by the system being used to establish a series of theme routes where each route i consists of one or more a series of Learning Points or Check Points in given positions and where a learning point or check point may contain pictures of the situation from satellites or air-photos, cartography drawings or it contains written questions or verbal questions that the learner will have to answer orally by voice recognition or by inputs from a small keyboard.

17. A system as in one of the pervious claims,

characterized by the instructor getting the questions he has configured to use in the tutorial route coming up on the main screen or on a support screen or as voice information in an earphone assisting him in asking coaching questions and verifying the degree of coached questions used by voice recognition of how many of the pre-planned questions being used or whether the tone of speaking the question indicates that being a questions 18. A system as in one of the proceeding claims,

c h a r a c t e r i z e d by using the external keyboard and screens and availability of wired or wireless extra camera is used by observers to give feedback without disturbing the driving process 19. A method to ensure a documented confluent learning process with automated teacher support and evaluation,

c h a r a c t e r i z e d by the pupil getting an individual evaluation by driving through a test route / tutorial route (20) where driving tests and theoretical tests are executed in defined leaning points ( 21 ) at given positions and on the screens in the car or by using 3D glasses (11 ) or helmets and where animations or pictures or videos are superimposed on the above user screens to ensure enough complexity to reveal the competence, and where an individual training plan (22) consisting of a series chosen tutorial routes is designed based on the measured competences, and where driving through the these routes sufficient pupil involvement and a engaged " maximum learning situation" ( 23) at the base of the learning pyramid, is achieved by using local questions and mentioned display methods, or where a peer may sit in the back seat and input his evaluation on a separate screen or keyboard ( 6) which tends to move the learner into an engaged situation (23) because he is evaluated by a peer and where the peer evaluator also gain learning because this task brings him to "teaching of others" optimal learning situation (23) and where the questions or instructions the teacher intend to give at a given learning point come up on the main screen or a support screen ( 4) or the main screen before the vehicle reaches that learning point and where the quality of the teachers confluent teaching is measured by voice recognition tuned to understand whether the planned questions, and hence measure the "confluent teaching rate", and where questions or instructions that does not trigger against the preplanned route may be configured to record the teachers behaviour

automatically as teacher self feedback later , where also the pupil using an eye - tracker (12) may be used to identify good or corrective learning situations and discussed when the teacher stops the car to clarify the understanding or get consensus on what happened at that learning point (21) because the teacher has recorded the situation and where the teacher and the pupil on individual key-boards ( 5) will input a "grade of performance" where a deviation between the two measurements will trigger a marking (29) that indicate the degree of the learners "self - understanding" as a number or as a colour learners attitude, and where the performance is documented by a small piece of recording or still picture and the two inputted grades and where the teachers marking will give quality of the training and where the sum of the quality of all the training (30) is a documented proof of achieved competences, and where risk- rate is measured by the number of times the teacher has to use the "takeover" sensor (9) and where special graphical instructions for learners that are death may be projected on the lower part of the front- screen by projector (7) and where all of above form a unique learning process not found in prior art.