Vehicle seating system with seat occupant vital sign monitoring

• US 10,034,631 B1
• Filed: 05/19/2017
• Issued: 07/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Inventors: Gallagher, David, Migneco, Francesco, Yetukuri, Arjun, Henn, Karl, Patrick, Gerald
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Tanmay
• Application Number:
  US15/599,631
• Time in Patent Office: 438 Days
• Field of Search: 3405391
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/18 for vehicle drivers or machine operators
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6893 Cars
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0022 for sensing anthropometric parameters, e.g. heart rate or body temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0023 for detection of driver fatigue
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0029 for detecting the motion of the occupant
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0031 mounted on the frame
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0035 characterised by the sensor data transmission, e.g. wired connections or wireless transmitters therefor; characterised by the sensor data processing, e.g. seat sensor signal amplification or electric circuits for providing seat sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0244 with logic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0273 taking into account user data, e.g. knee height or physical state
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0276 reaction to emergency situations, e.g. crash
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0277 characterised by the calculation method or calculation flow chart of sensor data for adjusting the seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2002/981 Warning systems, e.g. the seat or seat parts vibrates to warn the passenger when facing a danger
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/48 Piezoelectric
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2220/10 using a database
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2230/10 Wired data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2230/20 Wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2230/30 : Signal processing of sensor data

Abstract

A vehicle seating system includes a vehicle seat, piezoelectric sensors individually positioned at respective locations within the seat corresponding to anatomical locations of a person sitting in the seat, and a controller. The sensors to generate electrical signals in response to mechanical stress applied on the sensors from biologically motivated force inputs of the person. The controller to detect from the electrical signals generated by the sensors biometric information of the person corresponding to the biologically motivated force inputs of the person.

Claims

1. A seating system for a vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle seat;

a plurality of piezoelectric sensors individually positioned at respective locations within the vehicle seat corresponding to anatomical locations of a person sitting in the vehicle seat, the sensors to generate electrical signals in response to mechanical stress applied on the piezoelectric sensors from biologically motivated force inputs of the person;

wherein a first subset of the piezoelectric sensors is individually positioned at respective locations within the vehicle seat away from cardiac and respiratory anatomical locations of the person, the first subset of the piezoelectric sensors to generate electrical signals in response to mechanical stress applied on the first subset of the piezoelectric sensors from force inputs caused by twitching of the person; and

a controller to detect, from the electrical signals generated by the piezoelectric sensors, biometric information of the person corresponding to the biologically motivated force inputs of the person including a discomfort of the person indicative from the twitching of the person, the controller further to control the vehicle seat based on the twitching of the person to adjust a position of the vehicle seat to change a seating position of the person to thereby attempt to alleviate the discomfort of the person indicative from the twitching of the person.

2. The seating system of claim 1 wherein:

a second subset of the piezoelectric sensors is individually positioned at respective locations within the vehicle seat corresponding to cardiac anatomical locations of the person, the second subset of the piezoelectric sensors to generate electrical signals in response to mechanical stress applied on the second subset of the piezoelectric sensors from force inputs caused by cardiac spatial displacement from a heart of the person; and

the controller to detect, from the electrical signals generated by the second subset of the piezoelectric sensors, biometric information of the heart of the person.

3. The seating system of claim 1 wherein:

a third subset of the piezoelectric sensors is individually positioned at respective locations within the vehicle seat corresponding to respiratory anatomical locations of the person, the third subset of the piezoelectric sensors to generate electrical signals in response to mechanical stress applied on the third subset of the piezoelectric sensors from force inputs caused by respiratory spatial displacement from one or more lungs of the person; and

the controller to detect, from the electrical signals generated by the third subset of the piezoelectric sensors, biometric information of the one or more lungs of the person.

4. The seating system of claim 1 further comprising:

one or more piezoelectric noise sensors individually positioned at respective locations within the vehicle seat away from the anatomical locations of the person, the piezoelectric noise sensors to generate electrical signals in response to mechanical stress applied on the piezoelectric noise sensors from noise;

the controller to detect, from the electrical signals generated by the piezoelectric noise sensors, noise information corresponding to the noise; and

the controller to use the detected noise to remove noise from the electrical signals generated by the piezoelectric sensors from which the controller detects the biometric information of the person corresponding to the biologically motivated force inputs of the person.

5. The seating system of claim 1 further comprising:

a digital signal processor (DSP) sensor; and

the controller to use the DSP sensor to remove noise from the electrical signals generated by the piezoelectric sensors from which the controller detects the biometric information of the person corresponding to the biologically motivated force inputs of the person.

6. The seating system of claim 1 wherein:

the controller further to control a component of the vehicle to control an operation of the vehicle depending on the biometric information of the person.

7. The seating system of claim 1 wherein:

the controller further to control a display of the vehicle, to communicate to an occupant of the vehicle, information regarding the biometric information of the person.

8. The seating system of claim 1 wherein:

the controller further to control an autonomous vehicle drive control system of the vehicle to have the autonomous vehicle drive control system to drive the vehicle to a medical facility depending on the biometric information of the person.

9. The seating system of claim 1 wherein:

the controller to control a component of the vehicle to generate an alarm depending on the biometric information of the person and a detected status of the vehicle.

10. The seating system of claim 1 wherein:

the controller to control a wireless communication transceiver of the vehicle to communicate the detected biometric information of the person to first responders when the vehicle is in an accident.

11. The seating system of claim 1 wherein:

the controller to store in a database the biometric information of the person for future assessment by the person or a third-party entity.

12. A seating system for a vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle seat;

a plurality of piezoelectric sensors individually positioned at respective locations within the vehicle seat corresponding to anatomical locations of a person sitting in the vehicle seat, the piezoelectric sensors to generate electrical signals in response to mechanical stress applied on the piezoelectric sensors from force inputs caused by twitching of the person; and

a controller to detect, from the electrical signals generated by the piezoelectric sensors, a discomfort of the person indicative from the twitching of the person and to control the vehicle seat based on the twitching of the person to adjust a position of the vehicle seat to change a seating position of the person to thereby attempt to alleviate the discomfort of the person indicative from the twitching of the person.