Vehicle steering wheel

• US 10,028,693 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2015
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yan, Junwei, Wang, Jiangbo
• Primary Examiner(s): Nolan, Peter D
• Application Number:
  US14/786,237
• Publication Number:
  US 20160338632A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,254 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/22 Motor vehicles operators, e.g. drivers, pilots, captains
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14552 Details of sensors specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/18 for vehicle drivers or machine operators
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6893 Cars
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7405 using sound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0818 Inactivity or incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0827 due to sleepiness
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 related to drivers or passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/046 Adaptations on rotatable parts of the steering wheel for accommodation of switches
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/06 Rims, e.g. with heating means; Rim covers B62D1/11 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms

Abstract

The present invention discloses a vehicle steering wheel, relating to the field of auto part technologies, and solving the problems of being prone to occurrent of traffic accidents and reducing traffic safety when the driver is driving in a fatigue state. In embodiments of the present disclosure, the vehicle steering wheel comprises a wheel rim, at least one oximeter is provided within handheld areas of the wheel rim and connected to a control device connected to an alarm device; and the control device is configured to judge whether or not a driver is in a fatigue driving state according to an oxyhemoglobin saturation value in the body of the driver detected by the oximeter, and to control the alarm device to operate if judging the driver is in the fatigue driving state. The present invention is mainly applied in vehicles.

Claims

1. A vehicle steering wheel comprising:

a wheel rim; and

at least one oximeter provided within handheld areas of the wheel rim, located in the rear surface of the wheel rim and connected to a control device connected to an alarm device;

wherein the control device is configured to judge whether or not a driver is in a fatigue driving state according to an oxyhemoglobin saturation value in a body of the driver detected by the oximeter, and to control the alarm device to operate if judging the driver is in the fatigue driving state,

wherein a recess is provided in the rear surface of the wheel rim, and the oximeter is located within the recess, and sealed and fixed in the recess by a cover plate so as to avoid a finger of the driver from being in direct contact with the oximeter; and

wherein the recess is an arched recess having two higher side portions and a lower middle portion in a circumference direction of the wheel rim, and the cover plate has a configuration conforming to that of the arched recess.

2. The vehicle steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the recess is provided at a position of the rear surface corresponding to a center area of a side end of the wheel rim.

3. The vehicle steering wheel according to claim 2, wherein the recess comprises two recesses which are symmetrically provided in two side ends of the wheel rim.

4. The vehicle steering wheel according to claim 3, wherein the cover plate is a transparent plastic plate;

and the cover plate is adhered and fixedly connected to the wheel rim.

5. The vehicle steering wheel according to claim 4, wherein four oximeters are provided in each of the recesses and arranged equidistantly in the circumference direction of the wheel rim.

6. The vehicle steering wheel according to claim 3, wherein four oximeters are provided in each of the recesses and arranged equidistantly in the circumference direction of the wheel rim.

7. The vehicle steering wheel according to claim 6, wherein a probe of each of the oximeters comprises a dual-wavelength light emitting diode and a photodiode;

wherein the dual-wavelength light emitting diode is configured to emit light, and the photodiode is configured to receive reflected light after the emitted light is irradiated onto the body.

8. The vehicle steering wheel according to claim 7, wherein the probe of each of the oximeters is provided with only one dual-wavelength light emitting diode and one photodiode.

9. The vehicle steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the alarm device comprises a display device connected to the control device;

and the display device is an indicator or a cue icon.

10. The vehicle steering wheel according to claim 9, wherein the alarm device further comprises:

an audio alarm device, the audio alarm device being connected to the control device.

11. The vehicle steering wheel according to claim 10, wherein the control device is an Electronic Control Unit of a vehicle, and the Electronic Control Unit is provided with a pre-alarming oxyhemoglobin saturation threshold therein.