Apparatus and method for responding to the health and fitness of a driver of a vehicle

• US 20020121981A1
• Filed: 03/01/2001
• Published: 09/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TRW Limited (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Original Assignee: TRW Limited (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Inventors: Munch, Carl A.
• Granted Patent: US 6,734,799 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/576
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms

Abstract

An apparatus (10) helps protect an occupant (1) of a vehicle (100). The apparatus (10) includes first means (11) for non-intrusively sensing at least one health condition of the vehicle occupant (1) and for producing a first output signal (110) indicative of the health condition of the vehicle occupant (1). The apparatus (10) further includes first means (21) for transmitting a health condition signal derived from the first output signal (110) to a person at a location remote from the vehicle (100) to convey health condition information to the person and to enable the person to determine a suitable type of response.

Claims

1. An apparatus for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle, said apparatus comprising:

first means for non-intrusively sensing at least one health condition of the occupant of the vehicle and for producing a first output signal indicative of the health condition of the vehicle occupant; and

first means for transmitting a health condition signal derived from the first output signal to a person at a location remote from the vehicle to convey health condition information to the person and to enable the person to determine a suitable type of response.

2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further including:

second means for sensing operational characteristics of the vehicle over time and for producing a second output signal indicative of the operation of the vehicle over time; and

second means for transmitting a vehicle operation signal derived from the second output signal to a person at a location remote from the vehicle to convey vehicle operation information to the person and to enable the person to, along with the health condition signal, determine a suitable type of response.

3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further including:

first means for communicating the health condition signal derived from the first output signal to the vehicle and for altering the operational characteristics of the vehicle in response to the health condition signal.

4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 2 further including:

second means for communicating the vehicle operation signal derived from the second output signal to the vehicle and for altering the operational characteristics of the vehicle in response to the vehicle operation signal.

5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further including:

third means for communicating an alarm signal derived from the first output signal to the vehicle occupant and for informing the vehicle occupant that the health condition of the vehicle occupant requires a change in conduct by the occupant.

6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 2 further including:

fourth means for communicating an alarm signal derived from the second output signal to the vehicle occupant and for informing the vehicle occupant that the operation of the vehicle over time requires a change in conduct by the occupant.

7. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first sensing means includes an audio sensor for sensing audible characteristics of the vehicle occupant.

8. The apparatus as set forth in claim 7 wherein the sensed audible characteristics of the vehicle occupant include:

breathing characteristics, speech characteristics, and heart rate characteristics.

9. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first sensing means includes:

an infrared sensor for sensing heat emission characteristics of the vehicle occupant.

10. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further including a visual sensor for sensing eye blink duration of the vehicle occupant.

15. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said health condition sensing step includes sensing audible characteristics of the vehicle occupant.

11. A method for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:

sensing at least one health condition of the vehicle occupant;

producing a first output signal indicative of the health condition of the vehicle occupant;

sensing operational characteristics of the vehicle over time;

producing a second output signal indicative of the operation of the vehicle over time; and

transmitting a health condition signal derived from the first output signal and a vehicle operation signal derived from the second output signal to a person at a location remote from the vehicle to convey health condition and vehicle operation information to the person and to enable the person to determine a suitable type of response.

12. The method as set forth in claim 11 further including the steps of:

communicating the health condition signal derived from the first output signal to the vehicle;

communicating the vehicle operation signal derived from the second output signal to the vehicle; and

altering the operational characteristics of the vehicle in response to the health condition signal and the vehicle operation signal.

13. The method as set forth in claim 11 further including the steps of:

communicating an alarm signal derived from the first output signal to the vehicle occupant; and

informing the vehicle occupant that the health condition of the vehicle occupant requires a change in conduct by the occupant.

14. The method as set forth in claim 11 further including the steps of:

communicating an alarm signal derived from the second output signal to the vehicle occupant; and

informing the vehicle occupant that the operation of the vehicle over time requires a change in conduct by the occupant.

16. The apparatus as set forth in claim 15 wherein the sensed audible characteristics of the vehicle occupant include:

breathing characteristics, speech characteristics, and heart rate characteristics.

17. The method as set forth in claim 11 wherein said health condition sensing step includes:

sensing the heat emission characteristics of the vehicle occupant by use of an infrared sensor.

18. The method as set forth in claim 11 further including the step of:

sensing eye blink duration of the vehicle occupant by use of a visual sensor.

19. The method as set forth in claim 11 further including the following steps:

detecting obstacles external to the vehicle; and

determining whether a collision by the vehicle with the obstacles is imminent.

20. The method as set forth in claim 11 further including the following steps:

recording the operational characteristics of the vehicle over time; and

developing a profile for defining a normal operating pattern the vehicle occupant.

21. A method for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:

sensing at least one health condition of the vehicle occupant;

producing a first output signal indicative of the health condition of the vehicle occupant; and

transmitting a health condition signal derived from the first output signal to a person at a location remote from the vehicle to convey health condition information to the person and to enable the person to determine a suitable type of response.