Abstract:
A driver assistance system for a vehicle includes a plurality of lights linearly arranged substantially around an interior perimeter of the vehicle. A controller is controllably coupled to the plurality of lights, such that the controller is operable to control the plurality of lights. A hazard detection system is communicatively coupled to the controller. The controller includes a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions for causing the controller to illuminate at least one of the plurality of lights corresponding to a location of a hazard detected by the hazard detection system.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This disclosure claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/748,918, which was filed on Jan. 4, 2013 and is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to automotive vehicles, and more particularly to a driver assistance system for an automotive vehicle. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Advancements in available sensor technologies allow for improved safety systems for vehicles. One such improved system is an arrangement and method for detecting and avoiding collisions. This type of system is referred to as a driver assistance system. Driver assistance systems can include sensors located on the vehicle to detect an oncoming collision. The systems may warn the driver of various driving situations to prevent or minimize collisions using any number of available warning systems. Furthermore, driver assistance systems can provide specialized warnings for any number of conditions that could potentially lead to a collision. For example, alerts may be provided for lane departure warnings, forward collision, warnings, blind spot detection, etc. 
     Existing warning systems typically provide either an audible warning, a dashboard/windshield mounted visual cue, or a combination of the two. The dashboard/windshield mounted visual cues assume that the driver is attentive and forward facing. In cases where the driver is not attentive, or is looking elsewhere, the dashboard/windshield mounted visual cues are ineffective. 
     SUMMARY 
     Disclosed is a driver assistance system for a vehicle including: a plurality of lights linearly arranged substantially around an interior perimeter of the vehicle, a controller controllably coupled to the plurality of lights, such that the controller is operable to control the plurality of lights, a hazard detection system communicatively coupled to the controller, the controller including a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions for causing the controller to illuminate at least one of the plurality of lights corresponding to a location of a hazard detected by the hazard detection system. 
     Also disclosed is a method for assisting a driver of a vehicle including the steps of: identifying a hazard using a hazard detection system, and illuminating at least one light of a plurality of lights linearly arranged substantially around an interior perimeter of a vehicle in response to identifying the hazard, thereby indicating a location of the hazard to a driver, wherein the plurality of lights linearly arranged substantially around the interior perimeter of a vehicle at least substantially circumscribes the interior of the car. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic illustration of a side view of a vehicle including a halo alert system. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic illustration of a top view of the vehicle of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3A  is a schematic illustration of a top view of the vehicle of  FIGS. 1-2 . 
         FIG. 3B  is a schematic illustrate of a top view of the vehicle of  FIGS. 1-3A . 
         FIG. 4A  illustrates steps of a method for assisting a driver of a vehicle. 
         FIG. 4B  illustrates a step of a method for assisting a driver of a vehicle. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate a vehicle  10  in a side view ( FIG. 1 ) and a top view ( FIG. 2 ). The vehicle  10  includes a driver assistance system. The driver assistance system is a halo alert system  12 . The halo alert system  12  includes a driver analyzer  14  mounted to the steering column  15 . The driver analyzer  14  records the driver&#39;s head position and transmits the driver&#39;s head, eye, pupil, eyelid, and/or other facial feature position or information to a controller  16 . The driver analyzer  14  may be a monocular camera, binocular camera, or another type of sensing device capable of providing information used to determine the direction of a driver&#39;s gaze. Throughout this disclosure, the relative directions of forward and rear are in reference to the direction which an operator for the vehicle  10  would primarily be facing when operating the vehicle  10 . In the illustrated embodiment, the driver analyzer  14  is a camera. 
     In alternate examples, the driver analyzer  14  can be mounted in any location that provides a view of the driver&#39;s head and/or face position such that the controller  16  can determine an approximate direction of the driver&#39;s gaze based upon the image generated by the driver analyzer  14 . In some examples, this position is in front of the driver. While the driver analyzer  14  is mounted on the steering column in the illustrated example, other mounting locations for the driver analyzer  14  can be utilized. By way of example, the driver analyzer  14  can alternately be positioned at the top and center of the vehicle  10  passenger compartment proximate to the traditional mounting location for a rear view mirror in a position to minimize obstruction of the front windshield. The driver analyzer  14  may also be integrated with, and used by, other vehicle systems, in particular, other systems which utilize a driver&#39;s head position. 
     The controller  16  is connected to the driver analyzer  14  and analyzes the image/data from the driver analyzer  14  to determine the direction of the driver&#39;s focus. For example, the controller  16  may analyze the image recorded by a camera and determine the position of the driver&#39;s eyes, nose, and mouth. Based on this information the controller  16  can determine from the image the direction of the driver&#39;s focus. In some examples, the controller  16  can also use the image to recognize the driver and automatically activate driver specific settings. Alternately, the controller  16  can use any other technique to convert the data from the driver analyzer  14  into an approximate direction of the driver&#39;s gaze. 
     The controller  16  is connected to at least one other vehicle system  18  and halo alert lights  20 . The controller  16 , the halo alert lights  20 , and at least one other vehicle system (such as a blind spot detection system) are collectively referred to as a driver assistance system. In general, the halo alert lights  20  are a ring of lights that substantially circumscribe the interior of the vehicle  10 . The halo alert lights  20  are located at various heights within the vehicle  10  such that the lights are easily visible to the operator of the vehicle  10  regardless of the direction of the driver&#39;s focus. 
     In one example, the halo alert lights  20  are LED lights arranged around the interior of the passenger compartment for the vehicle  10 . In the illustrated example, the halo alert lights  20  are located proximate to the window height and substantially extend around the interior of the passenger compartment. In another example, the halo alert lights  20  form a complete ring circumscribing the interior of the vehicle  10 . In an another example, the halo alert lights  20  include one or more physical breaks  22  in the ring of lights to accommodate vehicle features, such as doors. The ring including physical breaks is referred to herein as substantially circumscribing the interior of the vehicle. 
     One skilled in the art, having the benefit of this disclosure, can determine the best locations for the halo alert lights  20  for a particular vehicle  10  configuration. 
     As described above, the controller  16  determines the direction of a driver&#39;s focus and can activate the halo alert lights  20  currently in the driver&#39;s focus to provide warnings from the other vehicle systems  18  based upon the direction of the driver&#39;s focus. The other vehicle system  18  may have the same controller  16  or be controlled by a separate controller linked to the controller  16  that controls the halo alert lights  20 . The halo alert lights  20  can activate in multiple colors and/or intensities to indicate the urgency of a particular warning. Furthermore, the halo alert lights  20  can activate sequentially creating a comet effect that directs the driver&#39;s focus to a warning zone. In such an example, the halo alert lights  20  initially light at a location in view of the driver&#39;s focus and sequentially transition to the warning zone. 
     In the event that the driver analyzer  14  is disabled, or there is no driver analyzer  14 , the controller  16  assumes a worst case scenario and initiates the comet effect at a point in the halo alert lights  20  that is farthest away from the warning zone. In this way, the comet effect necessarily passes through the driver&#39;s focus as it transitions to the warning zone. 
     In the embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 3A and 3B , the halo alert lights  20  light in green, yellow and red to indicate the severity of the warning. The colors green, yellow and red are for example only, and other colors may be used in addition to or in place of the listed colors. In addition to directing the driver&#39;s view toward a particular warning zone, as described above, the commet effect can direct the driver&#39;s focus to a dashboard, or any other position in the vehicle, depending on the type of warning being indicated. 
     For example, if the controller  16  determines the driver is looking away from the forward direction of travel the halo alert lights  20  may be lit starting in the current direction of the driver&#39;s attention and sequentially lit toward the instrument cluster directing and allowing the driver time to re-focus on the instrument cluster to view the warning provided. 
       FIGS. 3A and 3B  illustrate a vehicle  10  having the halo alert system  12  showing a blind spot detection alert. In the examples of  FIGS. 3A and 3B , the above described warning zone would be the position of an object  210  in the blind spot of the vehicle  10 . In  FIG. 3A  the object  210  is located in the blind spot. The halo alert system  12  lights the halo alert lights  20  at the rear driver&#39;s side corner  212  of the vehicle  10 . This lighting location corresponds to the location of the object  210  detected in the blind spot. The object  210  is traveling at essentially the same speed as the vehicle  10 . As the object  210  is maintaining position in the blind spot, the halo alert lights  20  remain lit in the rear corner  212  of the vehicle indicating a potential continuous hazard. If the object  210  moves further along the side of the vehicle  10  the halo alert lights  20  sequentially light, transitioning to the location corresponding to the new position of the object  210 . 
     In  FIG. 3B  the blind spot detection system  18  detects that the object  210  is moving relative to the vehicle  10 . In this example, the halo alert lights  20  are illuminated along the length of the vehicle  10  on the driver&#39;s side to correspond to an increased warning zone, as compared to the warning zone of  FIG. 3A . Further, in some examples, the halo alert lights  20  can change color to indicate warning intensity. For example, as shown in  FIGS. 3A and 3B , the halo alert lights  20  may be illuminated in yellow when an object is detected in a blind spot and may change to red if a driver indicates a turn and/or lane change in the direction of the detected object  210 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1, 2, 3A and 3B , some alternate example additional systems  18  that can cooperate with the halo alert system  12  include: Electronic Stability Control systems, Adaptive Cruise Control, collision Warning systems, Lane Departure Warning, Blind Spot Detection Systems, etc. For example, a collision warning system provides a pinpoint warning indicating where a collision is about to occur using the halo alert system  12  in a manner similar to that described above with regards to the blind spot detection. This pinpoint type warning may be useful with back up assist systems where objects may be smaller and not visible to the driver, to distinguish from objects that frequently trigger warnings in a back up assist system. For example, a tree close to a drive may frequently trigger a warning. However, an object in the driveway might not be visible and trigger a warning as well. Pinpoint lighting of the halo alert lights  20  will allow a driver to distinguish between the two objects. 
     As mentioned above, the halo alert lights  20  may be illuminated in multiple colors and/or intensity to indicate the urgency of the warning. Additionally, in some examples, the halo alert lights  20  include multiple rows of lights. The number of rows illuminated may correspond to the severity of the warning, or the multiple rows could be used to illuminate shapes, e.g. arrows, X&#39;s, letters, etc. The base brightness of the halo alert lights  20  in some examples is based on the level of ambient lighting at the time. In these examples, the halo alert lights  20  change in intensity to indicate the severity of a warning with a higher intensity indicating a more sever warning. 
     In yet further alternate examples, the additional systems  18  include an infotainment system. The infotainment system includes a wireless connection to a data network. Through the connection to the data network, the infotainment system can gather news tickers, sports scores, or any other appropriate information. The information is provided to the controller  16  that controls the halo alert lights  20 . The controller  16  can then detect when the vehicle  10  is not moving and display the gathered information for the driver. 
     It is further understood that any of the above described concepts can be used alone or in combination with any or all of the other above described concepts. Although an embodiment of this invention has been disclosed, a worker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this invention. For that reason, the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this invention.