SAFETY MONITORING APPARATUS AND METHOD THEREOF FOR HUMAN-DRIVEN VEHICLE

• US 20140293053A1
• Filed: 03/26/2014
• Published: 10/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Original Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Inventors: CHUANG, CHIH-YUAN
• Application Number:
  US14/225,672
• Publication Number:
  US 20140293053A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/22 Motor vehicles operators, e.g. drivers, pilots, captains
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0077 Devices for viewing the surface of the body, e.g. camera, magnifying lens
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02416 using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation A61B5/14552 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/117 Identification of persons methods or arrangements for recognising patterns, e.g. fingerprints, G06F18/00, G06V40/00; identification of persons by analysing their voice or speech G10L17/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14551 for measuring blood gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6893 Cars
• 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: B60K 2360/782 on the steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/066 actuating a signalling device B60K28/063 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10

Abstract

A safety monitoring apparatus and method thereof for human-driven vehicle are provided. The safety monitoring apparatus includes a sensing unit, a processing unit, and a warning unit. The sensing unit and the warning unit are electrically connected to the processing unit, respectively. The sensing unit is arranged on a steering member of the human-driven vehicle and is used for sensing whether the steering member is in contact with a hand of a driver and generating a sensing signal accordingly. The processing unit determines whether the hand of the driver is placed on the steering member. The warning unit is used for generating a safety warning message. When the processing unit determines that the hand of the driver has not been placed on the steering member according to the sensing signal, the processing unit drives the warning unit to generate the safety warning message to warn the driver.

Claims

1. A safety monitoring apparatus for a human-driven vehicle, comprising:

a sensing unit, arranged on a steering member of the human-driven vehicle for sensing whether the steering member of the human-driven vehicle is in contact with a hand of a driver and generating a sensing signal, accordingly;

a processing unit, electronically connected to the sensing unit, operatively determining whether the hand of the driver has been placed on the steering member; and

a warning unit, electronically connected to the processing unit, and configured for generating a safety warning message;

wherein when the processing unit determines that the hand of the driver has not been placed on the steering member according to the sensing signal, the processing unit outputs a warning signal causing the warning unit to generate the safety warning message to warn the driver.

2. The safety monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the sensing unit causes the processing unit to output the warning signal after senses that the hand of the driver has not placed on the steering member for a predetermined time,

3. The safety monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensing unit comprises one of a tact switch and a touch switch.

4. The safety monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensing unit comprises one of a capacitive touch sensor, a resistive touch sensor, an optical touch sensor, and an ultrasonic sensor.

5. The safety monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an image capturing unit, electronically connected to the processing unit, and configured for capturing a facial image of the driver and correspondingly generating at least an image data.

6. The safety monitoring apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the processing unit analyzes a brightness information of at least a color in the image data so as to obtain a heart rate data corresponding to the change in the heart rate of the driver.

7. The safety monitoring apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the processing unit determines whether the heart rate of the driver falls within a predetermined range according to the heart rate data, and when the processing unit determines that the heart rate of the driver exceeds the predetermined range, the processing unit drives the warning unit to generate a biological state warning message.

8. The safety monitoring apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the processing unit compares the heart rate data with a predetermined heart rate data to identify the identity of the driver before the human-driven vehicle starts;

when the processing unit determines that the heart rate data does not match the predetermined heart rate data, the processing unit operatively transmits a control signal to the human-driven vehicle to prohibit the driver from driving the human-driven vehicle.

9. The safety monitoring apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the image data is used for determining whether the driver sits in a correct driving position.

10. The safety monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a biological signal capturing unit, disposed on the steering member, and used for sensing at least one biological signal of the driver.

11. The safety monitoring apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the biological signal capturing unit is a Photoplethysmogram (PPG).

12. The safety monitoring apparatus according claim 1, further comprising:

a positioning unit, electronically connected to the processing unit, and used for generating a positioning signal corresponding to a position of the human-driven vehicle; and

a communication unit, electronically connected to the processing unit, and used for connecting to a remote monitoring server through a network to transmit the sensing signal and the positioning signal to the remote monitoring server.

13. The safety monitoring apparatus according to claim 12, wherein when the processing unit continuously determines that the hand of the driver has not been placed on the steering member according to the sensing signal for a period of time, the processing unit controls the communication unit to transmit the sensing signal and the positioning signal to the remote monitoring server.

14. A safety monitoring method for a human-driven vehicle, comprising:

sensing whether a hand of a driver has been placed on a steering member using a sensing unit disposed on the steering member of the human-driven vehicle; and

generating a safety warning message to warn the driver when sensed that the hand of the driver has not been placed on the steering member.

15. The safety monitoring method according to claim 14, further comprising:

driving the sensing unit to sense whether the driver still has not placed the hand on the steering member for a predetermined time after determines that the hand of the driver has not been placed on the steering member.

16. The safety monitoring method according to claim 14, wherein the step after generating the safety warning message to warn the driver comprises:

detecting a biological characteristic of the driver to generate at least one biological signal; and

determining a biological state of the driver according to the biological signal;

wherein the biological signal comprises at least one of a heart rate signal, a pulse signal, and a blood oxygen signal.

17. The safety monitoring method according to claim 16, wherein the step of detecting the biological characteristic of the driver comprises:

capturing a facial image of the driver to generate at least an image data; and

analyzing a brightness information of at least a color in the image data to generate a heart rate data.

18. The safety monitoring method according to claim 17, wherein the step after generating the heart rate data comprises:

determining whether a heart rate of the driver falls within a predetermined range according to the heart rate data; and

generating a biological state warning message when determines that the heart rate of the driver exceeds the predetermined range.

19. The safety monitoring method according to claim 17, wherein the step before starting the human-driven vehicle comprises:

comparing the heart rate data with a predetermined heart rate data to identify the identity of the driver; and

transmitting a control signal to the human-driven vehicle to prohibit the driver from driving the human-driven vehicle when determines that the heart rate data does not match the predetermined heart rate data.

20. The safety monitoring method according to claim 14, wherein the step after generating the safety warning message to warn the driver comprises:

transmitting a positioning signal corresponding to a position of the human-driven vehicle to a remote monitoring server through a network when continuously senses that the driver has not been placed the hand on the steering member for a period of time.