Method and device for warning a driver

Abstract

A method and a device for warning a driver, the magnitude of the generated warning signal being a function of the probability of the driver inattentiveness.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method for warning a driver, comprising: 
 implementing a warning by at least one of an acoustic, an optical and a haptic indicator; and    generating a warning signal, a magnitude of the warning signal being dependent upon a degree of driver inattentiveness.    
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising deriving a variable, which represents a measure of a driver's inattentiveness, from at least one operating variable.  
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising modifying, in an acoustical warning, at least one of a volume and a pitch.  
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising modifying, in an optical warning, at least one of an intensity, a color and a size of the optical warning.  
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the warning signal is generated as a function of at least one of an instantaneous and a future estimated distance of a vehicle to a demarcation of a traffic lane of the vehicle.  
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the at least one operating variable includes at least one of a steering angle, an accelerator position, a brake-pedal position, a sitting posture and a posture of a driver.  
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising determining a plurality of operating variables from which factors representing a measure of a driver's inattentiveness are generated, which are linked to form a variable.  
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising determining a plurality of operating variables from which factors are formed which, weighted differently, are linked to form a variable representing an intensity of the warning.  
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the factors are a function of operating variables.  
     
     
         10 . A device for warning a driver comprising: 
 a control unit for receiving at least one operating variable and outputting at least one warning signal, the control unit including means for generating the warning signal, the control unit further including means for specifying a magnitude of the warning signal as a function of a degree of a driver's inattentiveness.