The described systems and methods determine a driver's fitness to safely operate a moving vehicle based at least in part upon observed impairment patterns. A smart ring, wearable on a user's finger, continuously monitors impairment levels. This impairment data, representing impairment patterns, can be utilized, in combination with driving data, to train a machine learning model, which will predict the user's level of risk exposure based at least in part upon observed impairment patterns. The user can be warned of this risk to prevent them from driving or to encourage them to delay driving. In some instances, the disclosed smart ring system may interact with the user's vehicle to prevent it from starting while the user is in a state of impairment induced by substance intoxication.

A method for operating a vehicle includes continuously checking during a driving operation whether an emergency situation is present in the vehicle and, when an emergency situation is detected, initiating an emergency stopping maneuver for safely parking the vehicle, signalling the emergency situation to a road user in a surroundings of the vehicle, and aborting the emergency stopping maneuver when a vehicle user takes over a task of driving the vehicle. The method further includes automatically deactivating the signalling of the emergency situation when an ascertained duration of time between the initiating and the aborting of the emergency stopping maneuver is smaller than a predeterminable time value and/or when an ascertained reduction of a driving speed of the vehicle between the initiating and the aborting of the emergency stopping maneuver is smaller than a predeterminable speed reduction value.

A control apparatus for performing travel control of a vehicle comprises a sensor configured to detect a state around the vehicle, and a travel controller configured to perform travel control for automated driving based on a detection result of the sensor. The travel controller is configured to, in a case where a predetermined condition is satisfied, select a target stop position located in a latitudinal direction with respect to a direction in which the vehicle moves, according to selection criteria, and to stop the vehicle at the target stop position. The selection criteria include a comparison between a speed of the vehicle and a threshold speed.

A method for operating an assistance system in a motor vehicle detects at least one odor profile using a respective odor sensor. The at least one odor profile is defined by concentrations of at least two odorous substances. The method carries out one or more assistance functions depending on the detected at least one odor profile.

A vehicular device includes: an eye opening degree determiner that determines a driver eye opening degree; a line-of-sight movement determiner that determines frequency of a driver line-of-sight movement; an operation determiner that determines a driver operation state for a driving operation instrument; a deviation determiner that determines a possibility that a driving state of a subject vehicle driver deviates from a safe driving state; a vehicle inside notification controller that performs a notification operation for a vehicle inside; and a vehicle outside notification controller that performs a notification operation for a vehicle outside.

A monitoring system for determining driver readiness for takeover of vehicle control from an autonomous driving system is provided. The monitoring system may include an evaluation processor and a driver monitoring system. The evaluation processor may access driver data from the driver monitoring system. The driver monitoring system may include one or more driver monitoring sensors that capture attributes of the driver indicative of driver ability to take over vehicle control. The evaluation processor may prompt the driver for an affirmative confirmation of takeover in response to a takeover request from an autonomous driving system and the sensed attributes of the driver indicative of the driver being ready to take over vehicle control.

A direction control apparatus with a sensor, a method for determining a driver status using the driving control apparatus, and a system for determining the driver status are provided. The direction control apparatus includes at least a pressure sensor to sense a plurality of pressure values applied to multiple positions of the direction control apparatus. When the pressure values are received by a controller of the apparatus, the driver status can be determined according to a change of pressure values over time, or further a change of the positions where pressure is applied. The system can connect with an autopilot system and an alarm system of a vehicle via the controller. Therefore, the system incorporates an autopilot system and issues an alarm when the driver status is determined to be abnormal.

An apparatus and a method for controlling the output of driver information to a driver of a vehicle, with the objective of entertaining the driver and/or the passengers of the vehicle and/or increasing the driver attentiveness of the driver. A database of points of interest or objects of general interest, a database of topographic information, a device for determining the whereabouts of the vehicle, and an evaluation device to which these information items are delivered, are provided. The evaluation device ascertains, from the current whereabouts of the vehicle and from the topographic information, which points of interest or objects of general interest are present in the driver's field of view, and outputs via an output device the driver information regarding the point of interest or the object of general interest which has been ascertained by the evaluation device to be located in the driver's field of view.

An awakening degree detecting device outputs awakening degree information corresponding to an awakening degree of a driver of a vehicle. A stimulus providing device provides the driver with a stimulus including at least one of a vibration stimulus imparting vibration and an apparent motion stimulus giving an illusion of motion presence. A control device outputs, based on the awakening degree information, a first control signal causing the stimulus providing device to provide the stimulus in a case where the awakening degree is less than a first threshold, and to output a second control signal causing the stimulus providing device to provide the stimulus after the first control signal is outputted.

Methods of assessing driver behavior include monitoring vehicle systems and driver monitoring systems to accommodate for a driver's slow reaction time, attention lapse and/or alertness. When it is determined that a driver is drowsy, for example, the response system may modify the operation of one or more vehicle systems. The systems that may be modified include: visual devices, audio devices, tactile devices, antilock brake systems, automatic brake prefill systems, brake assist systems, auto cruise control systems, electronic stability control systems, collision warning systems, lane keep assist systems, blind spot indicator systems, electronic pretensioning systems and climate control systems.