EP4652430A2 - Providing a driver of a vehicle with navigation instructions to a rest area when a condition requiring driver attention is detected - Google Patents

Providing a driver of a vehicle with navigation instructions to a rest area when a condition requiring driver attention is detected

Info

Publication number
EP4652430A2
EP4652430A2 EP24700656.2A EP24700656A EP4652430A2 EP 4652430 A2 EP4652430 A2 EP 4652430A2 EP 24700656 A EP24700656 A EP 24700656A EP 4652430 A2 EP4652430 A2 EP 4652430A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
vehicle
driver
rest area
navigation instructions
condition
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
EP24700656.2A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Inventor
Valerio LIGA
Paolo SEVERICO
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Iveco SpA
Original Assignee
Iveco SpA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Iveco SpA filed Critical Iveco SpA
Publication of EP4652430A2 publication Critical patent/EP4652430A2/en
Pending legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01C—MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY
    • G01C21/00—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00
    • G01C21/26—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
    • G01C21/34—Route searching; Route guidance
    • G01C21/36—Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
    • G01C21/3605—Destination input or retrieval
    • G01C21/3617—Destination input or retrieval using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01C—MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY
    • G01C21/00—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00
    • G01C21/26—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
    • G01C21/34—Route searching; Route guidance
    • G01C21/3407—Route searching; Route guidance specially adapted for specific applications
    • G01C21/3415—Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01C—MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY
    • G01C21/00—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00
    • G01C21/26—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
    • G01C21/34—Route searching; Route guidance
    • G01C21/36—Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
    • G01C21/3679—Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01C—MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY
    • G01C21/00—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00
    • G01C21/26—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
    • G01C21/34—Route searching; Route guidance
    • G01C21/36—Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
    • G01C21/3691—Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
    • G06Q10/02—Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
    • G06Q10/04—Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem"
    • G06Q10/047—Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
    • G06Q10/10—Office automation; Time management
    • G06Q10/109—Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a method and to a system for providing a driver of a vehicle with navigation instructions to a safe area when a condition requiring driver attention is detected .
  • the method provides for planning at least in part a vehicle route according to a driving/resting/halting programme of other nature , prescribed for the driver under rules of law .
  • Planning a j ourney and finding timely and safe places for stopping and resting can be an onerous work from the organi zational point of view, especially for drivers of commercial vehicles , because on the one hand punctual deliveries are required and on the other hand it is necessary to keep into account the driving/resting alternation prescribed by law, as well as other problems related to driving safety .
  • the need to find safe places for the halts is important in order to prevent haulers from stopping in non-optimal places (for example on the roadside ) because obliged by legal requirements , or by a deficient planning of the route , or by unexpected road conditions which slow down or modi fy the planned route .
  • the need is felt to provide a method and a system for modi fying a previously set driving plan to a target destination, in particular for managing the driving/resting alternation of the driver of a vehicle . It is further desirable that such driving plan can adapt in a flexible manner to current variables of the vehicle or of the traf fic or still other variables .
  • Figure 1 illustrates , by means of a flow diagram, steps of a method for providing a driver of a vehicle with navigation instructions to a safe area when a condition requiring driver attention is detected, according to an aspect of the present invention
  • Figure 2 illustrates , in a schematic manner, a system comprising means for providing a driver of a vehicle with navigation instructions to a safe area, for implementing the method of Figure 1 ;
  • Figure 3 illustrates , by means o f functional blocks , a control system which is part of the system of Figure 2 ;
  • Figure 4 illustrates , by means of a flow chart , further steps of the method for providing a driver of a vehicle with navigation instructions to a safe area, according to a further aspect of the present invention .
  • the method and the system according to an aspect of the invention provide for defining or planning or modi fying a driving route of a vehicle from a current geographic position to a predicted destination as a function of a piece of information on the predicted evolution of a state of the driver where such state concerns in particular the need of the driver to make one or more restorative pauses , for example according to legal provisions ; and/or as a function of a piece of information on the predicted evolution of a state of the vehicle (e.g. depleting fuel, etc . ) .
  • the optimization is conducted in particular with regard to the moments when the driver has to rest and those when the driver has to drive, and practical suggestions are provided to the driver for the appropriate halts, the selection of the route and in general on how to plan the journey so that the driving takes place when the watchfulness is high and the resting at the pre-established schedule, especially in consideration of one or more parameters among (but not limited to) : driving hours and remaining time to the next mandatory stop, current speed of the vehicle, speed limits in the planned route, traffic, geographic position of the vehicle, weather conditions, residual fuel level, target arrival time to destination, rules relative to the driving/resting schedule prescribed by law along the planned route, and the like.
  • the method/system according to the invention can automatically adapt this programme based on predictions on the evolution of the route determined by one or more of the aforementioned parameters and make sure that the driving/resting programme or possible other constraints, such as for example the delivery times and the speed limits, are respected as much as possible.
  • the planning or the optimization of the driving plan can be conducted by utilizing information provided by a navigation system (e.g. GPS-based) , including a map and a road navigation plan, and/or information relating to, for example, the target deadlines and the journey destinations provided, for example, by a fleet management system.
  • a navigation system e.g. GPS-based
  • information relating to, for example, the target deadlines and the journey destinations provided, for example, by a fleet management system.
  • the method/system according to the invention can be utili zed for automatically finding and suggesting safe places where the driver can stop i f he/ she does not manage to reach the destination or a following previously planned halt , before the driver reaches the predicted maximum time limit before the halt required by law, and also for providing a guidance (navigation) to these safe places .
  • the driving route is defined or planned or modi fied as a function of a piece of information relating to the vehicle , such as for example the need to refill the vehicle with fuel or other energy source ( e . g . electric energy for electric or hybrid vehicles ) .
  • fuel or other energy source e . g . electric energy for electric or hybrid vehicles
  • the acquired information is utili zed for adapting the content and/or the output of one or more of such driving assistance devices so as to optimize the established route with regard to the planning of the halts and/or the selection of a route along the way .
  • This adaptation is for example presented to the driver in the form of information on a display which suggests how to modi fy the established route , for example for making a halt in a given place (for this purpose , a database of appropriate halts for the vehicle in question along the route can be present , possibly organi zed by category) .
  • Such advice includes , for example , the possibility to choose or reserve a hotel , refuelling stations or recharging stations in the case of electric or hybrid vehicles , reservations of an adequate car park at the halt , etc .
  • the reservation can be made automatically, for example accessing a predefined list of automatically reservable rest areas .
  • the method/system according to the invention acts for the driver as an intelligent system, providing timely information and suggestions which help the driver plan, adapt and optimize the driving plan if the driver cannot reach in the previously programmed times the destination or a following planned halt or rest.
  • the timing and the ubication of the safe halts can be provided to the driver through the use of global positioning information, GPS, and of a navigation system, for example the navigation system mounted on board the vehicle, so as to assist the driver in the correct planning and management of the driving route, keeping into account the external needs imposed by the delivery times, by the speed limits, by the prescribed resting times and other.
  • the method and the system can, according to an aspect of the invention, dynamically modify the driving/resting programme and the planning of the route.
  • FIG. 1 illustrates, by means of a flow chart, a method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • the driver or a manager of the fleet or of the vehicle inputs, in a first step, the personal data of the driver in the system.
  • this step SI can be completely automated, obtaining the necessary information from a suitable memory (database) or from the digital tachograph once the driver inserts a personal badge, which contains the data of the driver.
  • step S2 the driver (or whoever for the driver) inputs a predetermined driving or route plan of the vehicle to a target destination (e.g. via a navigation system, e.g. GPS, mounted on board the vehicle) and starts a driving/resting programme of such plan .
  • the driving/resting programme includes , in a manner known per se , the time intervals in which the driver must necessarily stop and rest .
  • the information relating to the driving time of the driver is obtained from the digital tachograph once the driver inserts the personal badge and starts the driving programme ; at that point , a driving time timer begins .
  • the information can be displayed on the display of the tachograph, but it can also be published within a vehicle network ( in an embodiment , in Cloud, as is better discussed in the following) .
  • the Cloud system receives the above-indicated data and evaluates , considering the speed of the vehicle and the destination (besides other parameters ) , which could be the optimal place to make the mandatory halt or to refuel the vehicle .
  • the Cloud system communicates to the navigation system of the vehicle ( and/or also to the vocal assistant , etc . ) points of interest which are displayed on map and/or vocally presented .
  • the communication between the Cloud system and the vehicle takes place , in an embodiment , via proprietary API s which allow the communication between the vehicles of a fleet and a business backend of ours .
  • step S3 determines in which geographic point or points of the route the driver has to make the resting/restorative pause ; such geographic points are chosen so as to coincide with a safe place based on the action that the driver has to carry out (hotel , car park adapted to the purpose , etc . ) and are also such to be reachable by the vehicle considering variables of the predicted route ( e . g . one or more among : slowing down conditions due to intense traf fic, weather conditions , fuel level before the refuelling, limitations on the maximum speed of the vehicle , etc . ) .
  • variables of the predicted route e . g . one or more among : slowing down conditions due to intense traf fic, weather conditions , fuel level before the refuelling, limitations on the maximum speed of the vehicle , etc .
  • the necessary pauses for refilling the vehicle are determined, keeping into consideration the type of refilling of the vehicle (gas, diesel, electric, LPG, CNG, LNG, etc.) and the availability of the relative refilling station along the route.
  • This step can be performed automatically or manually .
  • the method thus provides for calculating or defining a driving (or route) plan and a driving/resting/refuelling programme so that the following programmed halt takes place before or in correspondence with a resting/ref illing event.
  • the driving plan defined in this manner is an "optimal" plan, which is dynamically updated upon the varying of input parameters .
  • some data from one or more memories, or data received through a wireless network such as for example GPS data, data relative to a fleet management system, traffic data, weather data, optimization rules for the calculation of the driving plan or of the driving/ resting/ref illing programme, etc., are read.
  • step S4 the driver is informed of the proposals to the driving/resting/ref illing plan and, he/she is asked to confirm such modifications, or to choose his/her preferences (for example, the choice of the place where to rest) .
  • the updated data are input in the driving plan/navigation software. Furthermore, also other people involved (such as the operator of the fleet or the receiver of the final destination of the journey) can be consequently informed. The method is thus ended and the driver can start the journey.
  • step S4 the confirmation request by the driver can be omitted.
  • FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a motor vehicle 10.
  • the term "motor vehicle” utilized in this description refers to any vehicle in movement driven by the driver and fed by any form of energy .
  • vehicle comprises , by way of non- exhaustive example : cars , trucks , vans , minivans .
  • the "motor vehicle” of the present invention is a commercial motor vehicle , which includes a digital tachograph which provides various pieces of information, among which the necessary pauses due to the reaching of the maximum driving time ; in vehicles devoid of tachograph, it is only possible to suggest the refuelling stations or a recalculation of the route due to occurred accident .
  • Figure 2 only shows some components of the vehicle 10 .
  • the vehicle 10 comprises a bodywork 12 which accommodates a passenger compartment 14 .
  • An engine 16 ( schematically shown) is mounted inside the bodywork 12 .
  • the vehicle 10 includes a navigation system 17 .
  • Figure 3 is a schematic view of an example of control system 20 which can be utili zed with the motor vehicle 10 .
  • the control system 20 can be associated with the navigation system 17 .
  • the control system 20 can comprise the navigation system 17 .
  • the control system 20 can comprise various components which communicate with the navigation system 17 and with other systems of the motor vehicle 10 .
  • the control system 20 is configured to receive data which indicate the existence of a condition requiring driver attention from a data source 19 in communication with the control system 20 .
  • These conditions can include a condition regarding the vehicle 10 , a condition regarding the driver or another condition for example related to the driving environment , such as the traf fic, the road conditions or the atmospheric conditions which the driver has to face .
  • the information regarding the condition is acquired by means of suitable means .
  • one or more sensors are provided ( in the following of the description reference will be made to the sensors 33 for detecting operating parameters of the vehicle 10 ) .
  • Such sensors are configured to detect ( or receive information relating to ) one or more pieces of inf ormation/parameters among : the fuel level of the vehicle 10 , operating parameters of the vehicle 10 , the traf fic, the road conditions or the atmospheric conditions , the wakefulness state of the driver ( sensors for monitoring the attention level of the driver which are of the type known per se ) , etc .
  • the control system 20 is configured to interact with the navigation system 17 for directing ( guiding) the driver to an area where the detected condition can be faced the best way possible .
  • Such area where the detected condition can be faced the best way possible is defined herein " safe area" , without thereby losing generality .
  • the control system 20 can automatically generate navigation instructions to the safe area, or noti fy the driver of the vehicle 10 of the existence of the condition and the availability of navigation instructions to the safe area , and communicate the navigation instructions to the driver , i f this is what he/ she desires .
  • a safe area refers to any place where the vehicle 10 can stop so as to reduce the risks posed by the detected condition .
  • a safe area can be any area where the driver can stop the vehicle in safety and rest . Examples of such areas are , by way of non-exhaustive example , the car parks , the hotels , the restaurants and the like , the service stations , various public structures (for example , parks , public or private car parks , highway rest areas ) , the side of a road where it is allowed parking, the side of a road or any other place which can provide a site for a temporary halt of the vehicle 10 .
  • the control system 20 includes a processing unit (microcontroller) 22 coupled to a storage unit 24 including one or more memories.
  • the storage unit 24 can be configured to contain a collection of data. These data can comprise a wide range of data, comprised the navigation data or the navigation information, and the details relative to the halt or rest timing or intervals required to the driver pursuant to the legislation of one or more countries.
  • the memory 24 stores, in a suitable format (for example in a database) the safe areas (points of interest) , possibly organized by category or type, with the respective GPS coordinates which can be interpreted by the navigation system 17, possibly after format conversion.
  • a suitable format for example in a database
  • the safe areas points of interest
  • the navigation system 17 possibly after format conversion.
  • control system 20 can be inside the vehicle 10 or outside the vehicle 10 (remote system, or in Cloud connected to the navigation system 17 via a wireless network) .
  • the "navigation data” can refer to any datum or piece of information which can be utilized, for example, to help determine one or more locations, determine various routes for reaching them and provide information on the areas surrounding a particular location or route.
  • the navigation data can include cartographic data.
  • the navigation data include information on various points of interest (POIs) .
  • POIs comprise a wide range of information, among which commercial activities open to the public, restaurants, hotels, car parks, medical structures, service stations, structures for repairing vehicles and other types of information.
  • the information on such POIs can include the ubication of the activity, the services offered, the prices, the operating times and other types of information .
  • the navigation data can be included in a navigation database residing in the storage unit 24.
  • the control system 20 can include means for receiving geographic information (e.g. GPS) from the navigation system 17 .
  • the control system 20 can comprise a GPS receiver of its own .
  • the GPS receiver of the navigation system 17 or of the control system 20 is configured to determine navigation information of the motor vehicle 10 based on the received GPS signals , among which, but not only, the position, the direction and the speed of the motor vehicle 10 in a continuous manner or at intervals during the use of the vehicle .
  • the control system 20 can be configured to automatically determine a starting point for a given route and to determine and trace the position ( and other data, for example the speed) of the vehicle 10 along the route , as well as to guide the driver to the selected POI s .
  • the GPS receiver can be configured to obtain navigation information from any global navigation satellite system (GNSS ) , among which Global Positioning or Satellite System ( GPS ) , Glonass (Russian) and/or Galileo (European) .
  • GPS Global Positioning or Satellite System
  • Glonass Glonass
  • Galileo European
  • the term GPS is utili zed herein to indicate any global navigation satellite system .
  • the navigation information can include one single piece of information or a combination of more pieces of information .
  • the control system 20 includes means for communicating with (providing indications to ) the driver of the vehicle 10 .
  • the control system 20 comprises an output device 27 ( acoustic and/or visual device ) , coupled to the microcontroller 22 .
  • the output device 27 can include a screen capable of displaying graphic information (for example , maps which include information on the position of the vehicle and on the route ) and/or in text format .
  • the output device 27 can also include one or more loudspeakers which communicate the audio to the driver (for example , audible road indications ) .
  • the loudspeakers can belong to the audio system of the vehicle or be incorporated in a wired or wireless earphone .
  • the control system 20 also includes input means 28 , coupled to the microcontroller 22 , configured to receive a command from the driver and to send such command to the microcontroller 22 .
  • the input device 28 can include devices which enable a person to communicate with the control system 20 in an acoustic or manual manner . More speci fically, the manual input devices include keyboards (also of touch-screen type ) , and/or one or more push buttons which enable the driver to input commands .
  • the control system 20 can be in communication with a service provider 30 .
  • the term "service provider” can refer to any set of computer resources and/or databases arranged outside the motor vehicle 10 and capable of collecting, storing and processing information and of communicating with the control system 20 of the motor vehicle 10 .
  • the service provider 30 can be a set of computers or servers connected in network or in Cloud .
  • the service provider 30 can be utili zed to receive , process and/or store information of any type .
  • the service provider 30 can be configured to collect information relating to the traf fic on the roads , process the information and store it for a following use .
  • the service provider 30 can store various types of information and can include one or more databases .
  • the service provider 30 can include a database for storing navigation information, a database for storing information on the traf fic and/or a database for storing weather information and/or a database for storing information on the safe areas and for reserving the same (hotel , car parks , etc . ) .
  • the reservation can be carried out automatically by the control system 20 via the service provider 30 .
  • the database on the traf fic includes any information relating to the speed of one or more vehicles on a roadway, to the number of vehicles on a roadway, to the presence of constructions on a roadway, to the road accidents on a roadway and similar information.
  • the information on the traffic can refer to information on the traffic in real time or to historic information on the traffic.
  • the control system 20 communicates with the service provider 30 utilizing one or more communication networks 31.
  • the network 31 (or the subnetworks composing it) can be of any type.
  • the network 31 can be a vehicle communication network which utilizes motor vehicles for at least some of the network nodes.
  • the network 31 can also include road units as nodes.
  • the network 31 can be any other type of wireless network, among which, by way of example, Wi-Fi networks and mobile phone networks (e.g. GSM) , or a set of public and/or private wired and wireless networks.
  • the service provider 30 can comprise a plurality of sensors 50, 51 which are dislocated remotely with respect to the vehicle 10.
  • sensors 50, 51 include one or more among weather sensors, traffic sensors, information regarding no entry to heavy vehicles, traffic-restricted areas, speed limits, etc.
  • the sensors 50, 51 can belong to the owner of the vehicle 10 or to third-party suppliers with respect to the ownership of the vehicle 10 such as for example one or more among map providers, highway operators, computer service providers connected to the mobility (including accommodation facilities) .
  • the sensors 50, 51 communicate by means of the network 31 with appliances 52 (e.g. calculation means, computers) of a private network 54, for example a Cloud network, in particular belonging to the owner of the vehicle 10.
  • appliances 52 e.g. calculation means, computers
  • a private network 54 for example a Cloud network, in particular belonging to the owner of the vehicle 10.
  • the vehicle 10 is operatively coupled to and communicates with the appliances 52 of the Cloud 54 and receives the information of the sensors 50, 51 through such Cloud 54.
  • information is processed on board the vehicle by means of the control system 20, for providing the aforementioned information / guidance / navigation instructions to the driver.
  • information is processed by the appliances 52 of the Cloud 54, for providing the control system 20 with the sole guidance / navigation instructions, which are then sent to the microcontroller 22 and/or to the navigation system 17 by means of the aforementioned video / audio means.
  • such information is processed in part by the appliances 52 of the Cloud 54 and in part on board the vehicle 10 by the control system 20, implementing a distributed processing architecture.
  • the control system 20 can also be in electric communication with one or more monitoring sensors or devices 33 which control the components or the systems of the motor vehicle 10.
  • Each sensor 33 operates as a data source so that the control system 20 can receive information which indicates whether or not the vehicle is operating correctly, or if it needs fuel or energy.
  • the control system 20 is configured and utilized to carry out the described method with reference to Figure 1.
  • the modification of the driving plan or of the driving/resting/ref illing programme comprises at least one of the following modifications: modification of the route, modification of the halts and modification of other times, where these modifications are calculated based on data received through the wireless network (for example for the traffic or weather data) , or are acquired by sensors mounted on board the vehicle (fuel level / residual energy / vehicle speed) , or are acquired via GPS (vehicle speed, geographic position) .
  • step S4 of Figure 1 provides for noti fying the driver, through the audio and/or video communication means 27 of the control system 20 of the existence of a condition requiring modi fications to the pre-established route and the availability of routing instructions to the safe area .
  • the driver can be interrogated to determine whether or not he/ she desires to receive the route instructions for guiding the vehicle to the identi fied safe area or can be interrogated for choosing a safe area among a multitude of possibilities . I f the driver chooses to go to a speci fic safe area , the method provides routing instructions via the navigation system .
  • problems and conditions can occur which can generate a variation of the original route .
  • These problems and conditions can concern the driver (need for rest ) , the vehicle (for example , a mechanical problem or lack of fuel ) or the driving environment ( for example , bad weather, intense traf fic ) .
  • the present method can assist the driver in a wide range of circumstances which make the driving safer and simpler .
  • the vehicle can enter a j urisdiction where new rules enter into force , for example referred to the need for rest of the driver, different with respect to the jurisdiction where the vehicle was previously located.
  • the method can provide, step S5, for an updating of the rules (regulations) as a function of the current jurisdiction and offer routing instructions to a safe area pursuant to the current regulations. This step is optional.
  • the method can retrieve, step S6, information on various points of interest depending on the geographic positioning of the vehicle. In some cases, it can search for the local points of interest in an on-board or remote database. In some cases, the research can be executed for all types of points of interest. In other cases, the research can be executed only for the points of interest of one particular category or of more categories.
  • This step S6 provides the driver with a series of possible safe areas, which can be constantly updated considering the actual distance that the vehicle 10 would have to travel in order to reach them as well as the timing.
  • point of interest refers to any geographic position associated with additional information that indicates the possible presence of a car park, of a building or of other structures in which a vehicle can stop, and/or service stations.
  • the method can select the point of interest which can be reached in the shortest time possible, or ask for instructions to the driver. It is possible to utilize any method for determining the travel time to a point of interest known in the art, comprising the algorithms for determining travel times between two geographic locations.
  • the method can determine, step S7, if the point of interest satisfies the required safe area needs. For example, if the condition of non-safety is the lack of fuel, the method has to find a safe area which provides fuel services, such as a service station. In this case, if the closest point of interest is a shopping centre without refilling stations, the method has to continue searching for the closest point of interest that provides refilling services. Otherwise, if the method determines that the selected point of interest satisfies the required needs, it is possible to proceed utilizing the point of interest as safe area. At this point, the method can provide new navigation instructions to the safe area and/or give notice to the driver, as previously discussed.
  • the method can keep into account the position, the direction, the speed and the calculation time of the route of the vehicle when searching for safe areas which can be reached within the specified time or when searching for any other safe area. For example, if the vehicle 10 is driven at high speed on a highway with more lanes, a safe area could be quickly passed by and no longer accessible if the driver is not capable of making the necessary changes of lane or of reaching an exit from the highway.
  • the method can also consider other factors, such as the hour of the day (for example, the amount of available light) , the amount of traffic, the weather conditions and so on, in determining the amount of time to grant the driver for each traffic manoeuvre.
  • the method can also give the preference to the research of a safe area in a particular category or categories for a given detected condition. For example, if it is determined that the vehicle 10 is short on fuel, the method can give priority to the selection of a safe area from a "Service stations" (or the like) category. For example, if it is determined that the driver has to rest, the safe area is selected from a category which offers accommodation for the night .
  • step S8 for selecting another safe area actually reachable and/or for asking the driver if he/she desires to be directed to another safe area .
  • the present invention relates to a system for providing a driver of a vehicle 10 with navigation instructions to a rest area when a condition requiring driver attention is detected, including a control unit 20 configured to : receive ( steps S I , S2 ) data indicative of said condition; identi fy (step S 3 ) , in response to the receipt of said data, said rest area ; generate navigation instructions to said rest area ; and generate and communicate (step S4 ) to the driver said navigation instructions to the rest area .
  • a corresponding method is also disclosed for providing a driver of a vehicle 10 with navigation instructions to a rest area when a condition requiring driver attention is detected .
  • a vehicle 10 which includes the aforementioned system and/or which comprises processing means for implementing the aforementioned method .
  • condition comprises estimating the inability of the vehicle 10 to reach a previously set destination due to the lack of fuel or other source of propulsion energy; and/or the condition comprises the inability of the vehicle 10 to reach a previously set destination without exceeding a time limit prescribed by current legislation, said time limit being the maximum number of driving hours possible for the driver of the vehicle 10 under on said current legislation, said current legi slation being the legislation of the Country where the vehicle 10 is located .

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Abstract

A method for providing a driver of a vehicle (10) with navigation instructions to a rest area when a condition requiring driver attention is detected, including the steps of: receiving (S1, S2), from a control unit (20), data indicative of said condition; identifying (S3), by the control unit (20) in response to the receipt of said data, the rest area; generating, by the control unit (20), navigation instructions to the rest area; and generating and communicating (S4) to the driver, by the control unit, the navigation instructions to the rest area.

Description

"METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING A DRIVER OF A VEHICLE WITH NAVIGATION INSTRUCTIONS TO A REST AREA WHEN A CONDITION REQUIRING DRIVER ATTENTION IS DETECTED"
Cross-Reference to Related Applications
This Patent Application claims priority from Italian Patent Application No . 102023000000687 filed on January 18 , 2023 , the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference .
Technical Field
The invention relates to a method and to a system for providing a driver of a vehicle with navigation instructions to a safe area when a condition requiring driver attention is detected . In particular, the method provides for planning at least in part a vehicle route according to a driving/resting/halting programme of other nature , prescribed for the driver under rules of law .
State of the Prior Art
Planning a j ourney and finding timely and safe places for stopping and resting can be an onerous work from the organi zational point of view, especially for drivers of commercial vehicles , because on the one hand punctual deliveries are required and on the other hand it is necessary to keep into account the driving/resting alternation prescribed by law, as well as other problems related to driving safety . The need to find safe places for the halts is important in order to prevent haulers from stopping in non-optimal places ( for example on the roadside ) because obliged by legal requirements , or by a deficient planning of the route , or by unexpected road conditions which slow down or modi fy the planned route .
Therefore , the need is felt to provide a method and a system for modi fying a previously set driving plan to a target destination, in particular for managing the driving/resting alternation of the driver of a vehicle . It is further desirable that such driving plan can adapt in a flexible manner to current variables of the vehicle or of the traf fic or still other variables .
The aforementioned obj ect is achieved by a method and a system, as defined in the appended claims .
Brief Description of the Drawings
In order to better understand the present invention, a preferred embodiment is described in the following, by way of non-limiting example and with reference to the accompanying drawings , wherein :
Figure 1 illustrates , by means of a flow diagram, steps of a method for providing a driver of a vehicle with navigation instructions to a safe area when a condition requiring driver attention is detected, according to an aspect of the present invention;
Figure 2 illustrates , in a schematic manner, a system comprising means for providing a driver of a vehicle with navigation instructions to a safe area, for implementing the method of Figure 1 ;
Figure 3 illustrates , by means o f functional blocks , a control system which is part of the system of Figure 2 ; and
Figure 4 illustrates , by means of a flow chart , further steps of the method for providing a driver of a vehicle with navigation instructions to a safe area, according to a further aspect of the present invention .
Detailed Description of the Invention
In general , the method and the system according to an aspect of the invention provide for defining or planning or modi fying a driving route of a vehicle from a current geographic position to a predicted destination as a function of a piece of information on the predicted evolution of a state of the driver where such state concerns in particular the need of the driver to make one or more restorative pauses , for example according to legal provisions ; and/or as a function of a piece of information on the predicted evolution of a state of the vehicle (e.g. depleting fuel, etc . ) .
With non-limiting reference to the state of the driver, the optimization is conducted in particular with regard to the moments when the driver has to rest and those when the driver has to drive, and practical suggestions are provided to the driver for the appropriate halts, the selection of the route and in general on how to plan the journey so that the driving takes place when the watchfulness is high and the resting at the pre-established schedule, especially in consideration of one or more parameters among (but not limited to) : driving hours and remaining time to the next mandatory stop, current speed of the vehicle, speed limits in the planned route, traffic, geographic position of the vehicle, weather conditions, residual fuel level, target arrival time to destination, rules relative to the driving/resting schedule prescribed by law along the planned route, and the like.
If the driver has a prescribed driving/resting programme (such as, for example, a commercial driver) and a predetermined destination, the method/system according to the invention can automatically adapt this programme based on predictions on the evolution of the route determined by one or more of the aforementioned parameters and make sure that the driving/resting programme or possible other constraints, such as for example the delivery times and the speed limits, are respected as much as possible.
The planning or the optimization of the driving plan (in particular with reference to the driving/resting programme) can be conducted by utilizing information provided by a navigation system (e.g. GPS-based) , including a map and a road navigation plan, and/or information relating to, for example, the target deadlines and the journey destinations provided, for example, by a fleet management system.
The method/system according to the invention can be utili zed for automatically finding and suggesting safe places where the driver can stop i f he/ she does not manage to reach the destination or a following previously planned halt , before the driver reaches the predicted maximum time limit before the halt required by law, and also for providing a guidance (navigation) to these safe places .
Furthermore , there are many other on-board systems or devices for supporting the driving, such as for example route planning devices , movement programming devices , resting programming devices , fleet management devices and still others , which support the driver in keeping track of the programme of the movements and of the rests and which assist him/her during the navigation ; such systems and devices can be applied or uti lized together or in addition to the above- mentioned GPS navigation .
According to a further aspect of the invention, the driving route is defined or planned or modi fied as a function of a piece of information relating to the vehicle , such as for example the need to refill the vehicle with fuel or other energy source ( e . g . electric energy for electric or hybrid vehicles ) .
The acquired information is utili zed for adapting the content and/or the output of one or more of such driving assistance devices so as to optimize the established route with regard to the planning of the halts and/or the selection of a route along the way . This adaptation is for example presented to the driver in the form of information on a display which suggests how to modi fy the established route , for example for making a halt in a given place ( for this purpose , a database of appropriate halts for the vehicle in question along the route can be present , possibly organi zed by category) . Such advice includes , for example , the possibility to choose or reserve a hotel , refuelling stations or recharging stations in the case of electric or hybrid vehicles , reservations of an adequate car park at the halt , etc .
The reservation can be made automatically, for example accessing a predefined list of automatically reservable rest areas .
Consequently, the method/system according to the invention acts for the driver as an intelligent system, providing timely information and suggestions which help the driver plan, adapt and optimize the driving plan if the driver cannot reach in the previously programmed times the destination or a following planned halt or rest.
The timing and the ubication of the safe halts can be provided to the driver through the use of global positioning information, GPS, and of a navigation system, for example the navigation system mounted on board the vehicle, so as to assist the driver in the correct planning and management of the driving route, keeping into account the external needs imposed by the delivery times, by the speed limits, by the prescribed resting times and other. When the driver makes non-programmed halts, the method and the system can, according to an aspect of the invention, dynamically modify the driving/resting programme and the planning of the route.
Figure 1 illustrates, by means of a flow chart, a method according to an embodiment of the present invention. When a driver enters his/her vehicle, the method is started, step SI, and the driver (or a manager of the fleet or of the vehicle) inputs, in a first step, the personal data of the driver in the system. In alternative, this step SI can be completely automated, obtaining the necessary information from a suitable memory (database) or from the digital tachograph once the driver inserts a personal badge, which contains the data of the driver. Furthermore, step S2, the driver (or whoever for the driver) inputs a predetermined driving or route plan of the vehicle to a target destination (e.g. via a navigation system, e.g. GPS, mounted on board the vehicle) and starts a driving/resting programme of such plan . The driving/resting programme includes , in a manner known per se , the time intervals in which the driver must necessarily stop and rest .
The information relating to the driving time of the driver is obtained from the digital tachograph once the driver inserts the personal badge and starts the driving programme ; at that point , a driving time timer begins . The information can be displayed on the display of the tachograph, but it can also be published within a vehicle network ( in an embodiment , in Cloud, as is better discussed in the following) .
With reference to step S3 , the Cloud system receives the above-indicated data and evaluates , considering the speed of the vehicle and the destination (besides other parameters ) , which could be the optimal place to make the mandatory halt or to refuel the vehicle . Once the processing has been executed, the Cloud system communicates to the navigation system of the vehicle ( and/or also to the vocal assistant , etc . ) points of interest which are displayed on map and/or vocally presented . The communication between the Cloud system and the vehicle takes place , in an embodiment , via proprietary API s which allow the communication between the vehicles of a fleet and a business backend of ours .
In other words , step S3 determines in which geographic point or points of the route the driver has to make the resting/restorative pause ; such geographic points are chosen so as to coincide with a safe place based on the action that the driver has to carry out (hotel , car park adapted to the purpose , etc . ) and are also such to be reachable by the vehicle considering variables of the predicted route ( e . g . one or more among : slowing down conditions due to intense traf fic, weather conditions , fuel level before the refuelling, limitations on the maximum speed of the vehicle , etc . ) . According to an aspect of the present invention, also the necessary pauses for refilling the vehicle are determined, keeping into consideration the type of refilling of the vehicle (gas, diesel, electric, LPG, CNG, LNG, etc.) and the availability of the relative refilling station along the route. This step can be performed automatically or manually .
The method thus provides for calculating or defining a driving (or route) plan and a driving/resting/refuelling programme so that the following programmed halt takes place before or in correspondence with a resting/ref illing event. The driving plan defined in this manner is an "optimal" plan, which is dynamically updated upon the varying of input parameters .
For this purpose, some data from one or more memories, or data received through a wireless network, such as for example GPS data, data relative to a fleet management system, traffic data, weather data, optimization rules for the calculation of the driving plan or of the driving/ resting/ref illing programme, etc., are read.
Subsequently, step S4, the driver is informed of the proposals to the driving/resting/ref illing plan and, he/she is asked to confirm such modifications, or to choose his/her preferences (for example, the choice of the place where to rest) .
When the driver confirms the modifications or makes the choices, the updated data are input in the driving plan/navigation software. Furthermore, also other people involved (such as the operator of the fleet or the receiver of the final destination of the journey) can be consequently informed. The method is thus ended and the driver can start the journey.
In step S4, the confirmation request by the driver can be omitted.
Figure 2 is a schematic view of a motor vehicle 10. The term "motor vehicle" utilized in this description refers to any vehicle in movement driven by the driver and fed by any form of energy . The term vehicle comprises , by way of non- exhaustive example : cars , trucks , vans , minivans . More speci fically, the "motor vehicle" of the present invention is a commercial motor vehicle , which includes a digital tachograph which provides various pieces of information, among which the necessary pauses due to the reaching of the maximum driving time ; in vehicles devoid of tachograph, it is only possible to suggest the refuelling stations or a recalculation of the route due to occurred accident .
For simplicity of representation, Figure 2 only shows some components of the vehicle 10 .
The vehicle 10 comprises a bodywork 12 which accommodates a passenger compartment 14 . An engine 16 ( schematically shown) is mounted inside the bodywork 12 . The vehicle 10 includes a navigation system 17 .
Figure 3 is a schematic view of an example of control system 20 which can be utili zed with the motor vehicle 10 . In an embodiment , the control system 20 can be associated with the navigation system 17 . In a di f ferent embodiment , the control system 20 can comprise the navigation system 17 . In other cases , the control system 20 can comprise various components which communicate with the navigation system 17 and with other systems of the motor vehicle 10 .
The control system 20 is configured to receive data which indicate the existence of a condition requiring driver attention from a data source 19 in communication with the control system 20 . These conditions can include a condition regarding the vehicle 10 , a condition regarding the driver or another condition for example related to the driving environment , such as the traf fic, the road conditions or the atmospheric conditions which the driver has to face .
The information regarding the condition is acquired by means of suitable means . For example , one or more sensors are provided ( in the following of the description reference will be made to the sensors 33 for detecting operating parameters of the vehicle 10 ) . Such sensors are configured to detect ( or receive information relating to ) one or more pieces of inf ormation/parameters among : the fuel level of the vehicle 10 , operating parameters of the vehicle 10 , the traf fic, the road conditions or the atmospheric conditions , the wakefulness state of the driver ( sensors for monitoring the attention level of the driver which are of the type known per se ) , etc .
Once such information is acquired, the control system 20 is configured to interact with the navigation system 17 for directing ( guiding) the driver to an area where the detected condition can be faced the best way possible . Currently set and active navigation instructions can thus be recalculated based on such information . Such area where the detected condition can be faced the best way possible is defined herein " safe area" , without thereby losing generality . In response to the detection of such condition, the control system 20 can automatically generate navigation instructions to the safe area, or noti fy the driver of the vehicle 10 of the existence of the condition and the availability of navigation instructions to the safe area , and communicate the navigation instructions to the driver , i f this is what he/ she desires .
The term " safe area" refers to any place where the vehicle 10 can stop so as to reduce the risks posed by the detected condition . In some cases , a safe area can be any area where the driver can stop the vehicle in safety and rest . Examples of such areas are , by way of non-exhaustive example , the car parks , the hotels , the restaurants and the like , the service stations , various public structures ( for example , parks , public or private car parks , highway rest areas ) , the side of a road where it is allowed parking, the side of a road or any other place which can provide a site for a temporary halt of the vehicle 10 .
The control system 20 includes a processing unit (microcontroller) 22 coupled to a storage unit 24 including one or more memories. The storage unit 24 can be configured to contain a collection of data. These data can comprise a wide range of data, comprised the navigation data or the navigation information, and the details relative to the halt or rest timing or intervals required to the driver pursuant to the legislation of one or more Countries.
For example, the memory 24 stores, in a suitable format (for example in a database) the safe areas (points of interest) , possibly organized by category or type, with the respective GPS coordinates which can be interpreted by the navigation system 17, possibly after format conversion.
In respective embodiments, the control system 20 can be inside the vehicle 10 or outside the vehicle 10 (remote system, or in Cloud connected to the navigation system 17 via a wireless network) .
The "navigation data" can refer to any datum or piece of information which can be utilized, for example, to help determine one or more locations, determine various routes for reaching them and provide information on the areas surrounding a particular location or route. The navigation data can include cartographic data.
The navigation data include information on various points of interest (POIs) . The POIs comprise a wide range of information, among which commercial activities open to the public, restaurants, hotels, car parks, medical structures, service stations, structures for repairing vehicles and other types of information. The information on such POIs can include the ubication of the activity, the services offered, the prices, the operating times and other types of information .
The navigation data can be included in a navigation database residing in the storage unit 24.
The control system 20 can include means for receiving geographic information (e.g. GPS) from the navigation system 17 . In some cases , the control system 20 can comprise a GPS receiver of its own . The GPS receiver of the navigation system 17 or of the control system 20 is configured to determine navigation information of the motor vehicle 10 based on the received GPS signals , among which, but not only, the position, the direction and the speed of the motor vehicle 10 in a continuous manner or at intervals during the use of the vehicle . By utilizing this GPS information, the control system 20 can be configured to automatically determine a starting point for a given route and to determine and trace the position ( and other data, for example the speed) of the vehicle 10 along the route , as well as to guide the driver to the selected POI s .
The GPS receiver can be configured to obtain navigation information from any global navigation satellite system ( GNSS ) , among which Global Positioning or Satellite System ( GPS ) , Glonass (Russian) and/or Galileo (European) . The term GPS is utili zed herein to indicate any global navigation satellite system . The navigation information can include one single piece of information or a combination of more pieces of information .
The control system 20 includes means for communicating with (providing indications to ) the driver of the vehicle 10 . For such purpose , the control system 20 comprises an output device 27 ( acoustic and/or visual device ) , coupled to the microcontroller 22 .
In particular, the output device 27 can include a screen capable of displaying graphic information ( for example , maps which include information on the position of the vehicle and on the route ) and/or in text format . The output device 27 can also include one or more loudspeakers which communicate the audio to the driver ( for example , audible road indications ) . The loudspeakers can belong to the audio system of the vehicle or be incorporated in a wired or wireless earphone . The control system 20 also includes input means 28 , coupled to the microcontroller 22 , configured to receive a command from the driver and to send such command to the microcontroller 22 . The input device 28 can include devices which enable a person to communicate with the control system 20 in an acoustic or manual manner . More speci fically, the manual input devices include keyboards ( also of touch-screen type ) , and/or one or more push buttons which enable the driver to input commands .
In some cases , the control system 20 can be in communication with a service provider 30 . The term " service provider" can refer to any set of computer resources and/or databases arranged outside the motor vehicle 10 and capable of collecting, storing and processing information and of communicating with the control system 20 of the motor vehicle 10 . The service provider 30 can be a set of computers or servers connected in network or in Cloud . The service provider 30 can be utili zed to receive , process and/or store information of any type . In some cases , the service provider 30 can be configured to collect information relating to the traf fic on the roads , process the information and store it for a following use .
The service provider 30 can store various types of information and can include one or more databases . For example , the service provider 30 can include a database for storing navigation information, a database for storing information on the traf fic and/or a database for storing weather information and/or a database for storing information on the safe areas and for reserving the same (hotel , car parks , etc . ) . The reservation can be carried out automatically by the control system 20 via the service provider 30 .
The database on the traf fic includes any information relating to the speed of one or more vehicles on a roadway, to the number of vehicles on a roadway, to the presence of constructions on a roadway, to the road accidents on a roadway and similar information. The information on the traffic can refer to information on the traffic in real time or to historic information on the traffic.
The control system 20 communicates with the service provider 30 utilizing one or more communication networks 31. In the following, reference will be made to one single communication network 31, for simplicity of description and without losing generality. The network 31 (or the subnetworks composing it) can be of any type. For example, the network 31 can be a vehicle communication network which utilizes motor vehicles for at least some of the network nodes. The network 31 can also include road units as nodes. The network 31 can be any other type of wireless network, among which, by way of example, Wi-Fi networks and mobile phone networks (e.g. GSM) , or a set of public and/or private wired and wireless networks.
The service provider 30 can comprise a plurality of sensors 50, 51 which are dislocated remotely with respect to the vehicle 10. Such sensors 50, 51 include one or more among weather sensors, traffic sensors, information regarding no entry to heavy vehicles, traffic-restricted areas, speed limits, etc. The sensors 50, 51 can belong to the owner of the vehicle 10 or to third-party suppliers with respect to the ownership of the vehicle 10 such as for example one or more among map providers, highway operators, computer service providers connected to the mobility (including accommodation facilities) .
In an embodiment, the sensors 50, 51 communicate by means of the network 31 with appliances 52 (e.g. calculation means, computers) of a private network 54, for example a Cloud network, in particular belonging to the owner of the vehicle 10.
The vehicle 10 is operatively coupled to and communicates with the appliances 52 of the Cloud 54 and receives the information of the sensors 50, 51 through such Cloud 54. In an embodiment, such information is processed on board the vehicle by means of the control system 20, for providing the aforementioned information / guidance / navigation instructions to the driver. In a different embodiment, such information is processed by the appliances 52 of the Cloud 54, for providing the control system 20 with the sole guidance / navigation instructions, which are then sent to the microcontroller 22 and/or to the navigation system 17 by means of the aforementioned video / audio means. In a further embodiment, such information is processed in part by the appliances 52 of the Cloud 54 and in part on board the vehicle 10 by the control system 20, implementing a distributed processing architecture.
The control system 20 can also be in electric communication with one or more monitoring sensors or devices 33 which control the components or the systems of the motor vehicle 10. Each sensor 33 operates as a data source so that the control system 20 can receive information which indicates whether or not the vehicle is operating correctly, or if it needs fuel or energy. The control system 20 is configured and utilized to carry out the described method with reference to Figure 1.
After step S4 of Figure 1, i.e. during the journey of the vehicle, inconveniences to the predefined way can occur so the originally predicted driving/resting/ref illing plan could require modifications. In general, the modification of the driving plan or of the driving/resting/ref illing programme comprises at least one of the following modifications: modification of the route, modification of the halts and modification of other times, where these modifications are calculated based on data received through the wireless network (for example for the traffic or weather data) , or are acquired by sensors mounted on board the vehicle (fuel level / residual energy / vehicle speed) , or are acquired via GPS (vehicle speed, geographic position) .
In particular, in the case where it is not possible to reach the originally predicted rest area, or in the case where a rest area was never set , it is possible to automatically calculate , during the j ourney, a route to a rest area ( safe area ) and automatically generate route instructions to the safe area . The various possibilities described in the following as method steps are implemented via software and carried out by the previously described control system 20 , in a manner evident per se to a person skilled in the art .
Resuming, step S4 of Figure 1 provides for noti fying the driver, through the audio and/or video communication means 27 of the control system 20 of the existence of a condition requiring modi fications to the pre-established route and the availability of routing instructions to the safe area . The driver can be interrogated to determine whether or not he/ she desires to receive the route instructions for guiding the vehicle to the identi fied safe area or can be interrogated for choosing a safe area among a multitude of possibilities . I f the driver chooses to go to a speci fic safe area , the method provides routing instructions via the navigation system .
As previously said, during the driving of a vehicle , a wide range of problems and conditions can occur which can generate a variation of the original route . These problems and conditions can concern the driver (need for rest ) , the vehicle ( for example , a mechanical problem or lack of fuel ) or the driving environment ( for example , bad weather, intense traf fic ) . The present method can assist the driver in a wide range of circumstances which make the driving safer and simpler .
With reference to Figure 4 , during the j ourney, the vehicle can enter a j urisdiction where new rules enter into force , for example referred to the need for rest of the driver, different with respect to the jurisdiction where the vehicle was previously located. The method can provide, step S5, for an updating of the rules (regulations) as a function of the current jurisdiction and offer routing instructions to a safe area pursuant to the current regulations. This step is optional.
The method can retrieve, step S6, information on various points of interest depending on the geographic positioning of the vehicle. In some cases, it can search for the local points of interest in an on-board or remote database. In some cases, the research can be executed for all types of points of interest. In other cases, the research can be executed only for the points of interest of one particular category or of more categories. This step S6 provides the driver with a series of possible safe areas, which can be constantly updated considering the actual distance that the vehicle 10 would have to travel in order to reach them as well as the timing. The term "point of interest" refers to any geographic position associated with additional information that indicates the possible presence of a car park, of a building or of other structures in which a vehicle can stop, and/or service stations. In situations where more points of interest can be reached within the predetermined time, the method can select the point of interest which can be reached in the shortest time possible, or ask for instructions to the driver. It is possible to utilize any method for determining the travel time to a point of interest known in the art, comprising the algorithms for determining travel times between two geographic locations.
In some cases, the method can determine, step S7, if the point of interest satisfies the required safe area needs. For example, if the condition of non-safety is the lack of fuel, the method has to find a safe area which provides fuel services, such as a service station. In this case, if the closest point of interest is a shopping centre without refilling stations, the method has to continue searching for the closest point of interest that provides refilling services. Otherwise, if the method determines that the selected point of interest satisfies the required needs, it is possible to proceed utilizing the point of interest as safe area. At this point, the method can provide new navigation instructions to the safe area and/or give notice to the driver, as previously discussed.
In some embodiments, the method can keep into account the position, the direction, the speed and the calculation time of the route of the vehicle when searching for safe areas which can be reached within the specified time or when searching for any other safe area. For example, if the vehicle 10 is driven at high speed on a highway with more lanes, a safe area could be quickly passed by and no longer accessible if the driver is not capable of making the necessary changes of lane or of reaching an exit from the highway. The method can also consider other factors, such as the hour of the day (for example, the amount of available light) , the amount of traffic, the weather conditions and so on, in determining the amount of time to grant the driver for each traffic manoeuvre.
The method can also give the preference to the research of a safe area in a particular category or categories for a given detected condition. For example, if it is determined that the vehicle 10 is short on fuel, the method can give priority to the selection of a safe area from a "Service stations" (or the like) category. For example, if it is determined that the driver has to rest, the safe area is selected from a category which offers accommodation for the night .
If the vehicle 10 is already travelling to a safe area but not previously predicted setbacks come up, the method provides, step S8, for selecting another safe area actually reachable and/or for asking the driver if he/she desires to be directed to another safe area .
Generali zing the previous disclosure , the present invention relates to a system for providing a driver of a vehicle 10 with navigation instructions to a rest area when a condition requiring driver attention is detected, including a control unit 20 configured to : receive ( steps S I , S2 ) data indicative of said condition; identi fy ( step S 3 ) , in response to the receipt of said data, said rest area ; generate navigation instructions to said rest area ; and generate and communicate ( step S4 ) to the driver said navigation instructions to the rest area .
A corresponding method is also disclosed for providing a driver of a vehicle 10 with navigation instructions to a rest area when a condition requiring driver attention is detected .
A vehicle 10 is also disclosed which includes the aforementioned system and/or which comprises processing means for implementing the aforementioned method .
Various "conditions" are possible , according to the previously discussed embodiments , among which : the condition comprises estimating the inability of the vehicle 10 to reach a previously set destination due to the lack of fuel or other source of propulsion energy; and/or the condition comprises the inability of the vehicle 10 to reach a previously set destination without exceeding a time limit prescribed by current legislation, said time limit being the maximum number of driving hours possible for the driver of the vehicle 10 under on said current legislation, said current legi slation being the legislation of the Country where the vehicle 10 is located .

Claims

1. A system for providing a driver of a vehicle (10) with navigation instructions to a rest area, comprising: a control unit (20) configured to: detect a condition requiring driver attention, said condition comprising at least one inability of the vehicle (10) to reach a previously set destination without exceeding a time limit prescribed by current legislation, said time limit being the maximum number of driving hours possible for the driver of the vehicle (10) under said current legislation, said current legislation being the legislation of the Country where the vehicle (10) is located; receive (SI, S2) data indicative of the presence of said condition; identify (S3) , in an electronic database and as a function of said data indicative of the condition, a rest area among a multiplicity of rest areas including a hotel, a car park, a restaurant, an equipped rest area; acquire geographic coordinates of said identified rest area; generate navigation instructions to said rest area utilizing said geographic coordinates; reserve occupancy of said rest area; and communicate (S4) to the driver said navigation instructions to the rest area.
2. The system according to claim 1, said condition comprising at least one inability of the vehicle (10) to reach a previously set destination without exceeding a time limit prescribed by current legislation, said time limit being the maximum number of driving hours possible for the driver of the vehicle (10) under said current legislation, said current legislation being the legislation of the Country where the vehicle (10) is located.
3. The system according to claim 1 or 2, the control unit (20) being further configured to reserve occupancy of said rest area.
4. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a road navigation device, wherein generating the navigation instructions comprises controlling, by the control unit (20) , the road navigation device and communicating to the driver said navigation instructions comprises displaying the navigation instructions via the road navigation device.
5. The system according to claim 4, wherein in order to generate the navigation instructions, the control unit (20) is configured to recalculate a current road route of the vehicle and provide the recalculated route to the road navigation device.
6. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein in order to identify (S3) said rest area, the control unit is configured to access said database and identify, in the database, an association between the condition and said rest area.
7. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising an output device (27) in communication with the control unit (20) , and an input device (28) coupled to the control unit, the control unit being further configured to: control the output device (27) so as to notify (S4) the driver of the existence of the condition and the availability of navigation instructions to the rest area; before generating and communicating (S4) to the driver said navigation instructions, wait for the actuation, by the driver in response to said notification, of the input device; communicate (S4) to the driver said navigation instructions to the rest area in response to said actuation of the input device.
8. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the rest area comprises an area reachable by the vehicle (10) within a predetermined time and/or the rest area closest to the current position of the vehicle (10) and wherein the control unit (20) is configured to receive information relating to travel times on the road network to reach said rest area and/or the distance to be travelled to reach the rest area.
9. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the output device (27) includes a screen, and wherein notifying the driver comprises controlling the screen so as to display information regarding the existence of the condition and the availability of navigation instructions to the rest area via said screen.
10. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit is configured to automatically reserve occupancy of said rest area.
11. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit is configured to receive, from a remote service provider (50; 51) , weather information and/or traffic information, and to generate said navigation instructions based on said weather information and/or traffic information.
12. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said control unit (20) is of a distributed type, and comprises Cloud-based (54) processing means (52) and processing means (22) on board the vehicle (10) in communication with each other.
13. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising: means for detecting said condition; and means for generating said data indicative of said condition .
14. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein detecting said inability of the vehicle (10) to reach the previously set destination without exceeding a time limit prescribed by current legislation comprises detecting current geographic coordinates of the vehicle and acquiring, from a data collection stored on board the vehicle or remotely, said legislation of the Country where the vehicle (10) is located as a function of the current geographic coordinates of the vehicle.
15. A vehicle (10) comprising a system according to any one of claims 1-14.
16. A method for providing a driver of a vehicle (10) with navigation instructions to a rest area, including the steps of: detecting a condition requiring driver attention; receiving (SI, S2) data indicative of the presence of said condition; identifying (S3) , in an electronic database and as a function of said data indicative of the condition, a rest area among a multiplicity of rest areas including a hotel, a car park, a restaurant, an equipped rest area; acquiring geographic coordinates of said identified rest area; generating navigation instructions to said rest area utilizing said geographic coordinates; and communicating (S4) to the driver said navigation instructions to the rest area.
EP24700656.2A 2023-01-18 2024-01-10 Providing a driver of a vehicle with navigation instructions to a rest area when a condition requiring driver attention is detected Pending EP4652430A2 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
IT102023000000687A IT202300000687A1 (en) 2023-01-18 2023-01-18 METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING A VEHICLE DRIVER WITH NAVIGATION INSTRUCTIONS TO A REST AREA WHEN A CONDITION REQUIRING DRIVER ATTENTION IS DETECTED
PCT/IB2024/050249 WO2024154016A2 (en) 2023-01-18 2024-01-10 Method and system for providing a driver of a vehicle with navigation instructions to a rest area when a condition requiring driver attention is detected

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EP4652430A2 true EP4652430A2 (en) 2025-11-26

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JP2004274723A (en) * 2003-02-17 2004-09-30 Sony Corp Wireless communication system, wireless communication device, and wireless communication method
US9212920B1 (en) * 2010-01-13 2015-12-15 Lockheed Martin Corporation System and method for real time optimization of driving directions
US20120078509A1 (en) * 2010-09-27 2012-03-29 Honda Motor Co., Ltd Intelligent Navigation For A Motor Vehicle
KR20120047674A (en) * 2010-11-04 2012-05-14 현대자동차주식회사 Method for showing path for gas station interworking oil supply alam
CN103017783B (en) * 2012-12-05 2016-06-01 中兴通讯股份有限公司 Navigation method and system, map data management high in the clouds and data-updating method thereof
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IT202300000687A1 (en) 2024-07-18

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