Patent ID: 8483909

Claim:
A method of controlling a driver-operated vehicle, in which the driver controls the vehicle by acting physically on a number of control devices, the positions of which are recorded by respective sensors and transmitted to an electronic central control unit, which interprets the positions by means of corresponding transfer functions; the method comprising the steps of: recording the values of a number of psychophysical parameters of the driver over a first measuring interval; making a first evaluation of the driver's psychophysical condition on the basis of the driver's psychophysical parameter values over the first measuring interval; recording the values of the driver's psychophysical parameters over a second measuring interval following the first measuring interval; making a second evaluation of the driver's psychophysical condition on the basis of the driver's psychophysical parameter values over the second measuring interval; comparing the first and second evaluation of the driver's psychophysical condition to determine a change in the driver's psychophysical condition; and modifying the dynamic performance of the vehicle as a function of the driver's psychophysical condition, to adapt dynamic performance of the vehicle to the change in the driver's psychophysical condition; the method is characterized in that it comprises the further steps of: comparing the first and second evaluation of the driver's psychophysical condition to determine whether the change in the driver's psychophysical condition tends towards satisfaction or dissatisfaction and towards excitement or relaxation; increasing response of the vehicle to driver control, if the change in the driver's psychophysical condition tends towards satisfaction or tends towards excitement, by adjusting the gain of the transfer functions to have a more direct and faster response to driving commands; reducing response of the vehicle to driver control, if the change in the driver's psychophysical condition tends towards dissatisfaction or towards relaxation, by adjusting the gain of the transfer functions to have a less direct and slower response to driving commands; making no change in response of the vehicle to driver control, if the satisfaction/dissatisfaction or excitement/relaxation change between the two evaluations of the driver's psychophysical condition is insignificant; evaluating the driver's satisfaction/dissatisfaction level by analysing the values of physical parameters of the driver; and evaluating the driver's excitement/relaxation level by analysing the values of gestural parameters of the driver.