SYSTEM FOR ENHANCING SIGNAL QUALITY FROM CAPACITIVE BIOMETRIC SENSOR IN A VEHICLE FOR CONTINUOUS BIOMETRIC MONITORING

• US 20140285216A1
• Filed: 03/19/2013
• Published: 09/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Cuddihy, Mark A., Rao, Manoharprasad K., Le, Jialiang
• Application Number:
  US13/847,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20140285216A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/658
• 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: G01R 27/2605 Measuring capacitance capacitive sensors G01D5/24
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/96077 comprising an electrode which is floating

Abstract

A system may include at least one sensor configured to detect at least one vital signal, wherein the sensor is positioned proximate to a driver within a vehicle seat. At least one contact element may be configured to detect at least one reference signal, wherein the contact element surrounds a vehicle steering wheel. At least one resistor may be coupled to the at least one sensor and configured to receive the reference signal from the contact element.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least one sensor configured to detect at least one vital signal, wherein the sensor is positioned proximate to a driver within a vehicle seat;

at least one contact element configured to detect at least one reference signal, wherein the contact element surrounds a vehicle steering wheel; and

at least one resistor coupled to the at least one sensor and configured to receive the reference signal from the contact element.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the reference signal is compared with the vital signal to produce a biometric signal.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the biometric signal is a difference between the vital signal and the reference signal.

4. The system of claim 2, further comprising an amplifier configured to amplify the biometric signal.

5. The system of claim 2, further comprising an Electrical Control Unit (ECU) configured to process the biometric signal.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is a capacitive sensor and wherein the contact element is a direct contact sensor.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the contact element surrounds the entire steering wheel.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is configured to detect electrical impulses from the driver.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the reference signal includes an electrical potential of the driver.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor includes a plurality of capacitive sensors.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one sensor includes a plurality of Electric Potential Sensors (EPS).

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the contact element includes a conductive fabric.

13. A sensor module, comprising:

a plurality of sensors configured to detect at least one vital signal, wherein the sensors are positioned proximate to a driver within a vehicle seat; and

a resistor coupled to each of the sensors and configured to receive a reference signal transmitted from a contact element having direct contact with the driver.

14. The sensor module of claim 13, wherein the contact element surrounds a vehicle steering wheel.

15. The sensor module of claim 13, wherein the reference signal is compared with the vital signal at each resistor to produce a biometric signal.

16. The sensor module of claim 15, wherein the biometric signal is a difference between the vital signal and the reference signal.

17. The sensor module of claim 15, further comprising an amplifier configured to amplify the biometric signal.

18. The sensor module of claim 15, further comprising an Electrical Control Unit (ECU) configured to process the biometric signal.

19. The sensor module of claim 13, wherein the sensors are configured to detect electrical impulses from the driver and wherein the reference signal includes an electrical potential of the driver.

20. The sensor module of claim 13, further comprising a signal conditioner configured to condition the at least one vital signal prior to comparing the at least one vital signal with the reference signal.