ENHANCING VEHICLE SYSTEM CONTROL

• US 20170053513A1
• Filed: 08/04/2016
• Published: 02/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Polar Electro Oy
• Original Assignee: Polar Electro Oy
• Inventors: Savolainen, Juhani, Korhonen, Topi
• Granted Patent: US 9,792,801 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/22 Motor vehicles operators, e.g. drivers, pilots, captains
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02405 Determining heart rate variability
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02416 using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation A61B5/14552 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0295 using plethysmography, i.e. measuring the variations in the volume of a body part as modified by the circulation of blood therethrough, e.g. impedance plethysmography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/18 for vehicle drivers or machine operators
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/316 Modalities, i.e. specific diagnostic methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4806 Sleep evaluation A61B5/4821 takes precedence; devices for inducing sleep A61M21/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6823 Trunk, e.g., chest, back, abdomen, hip
• 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 28/02 responsive to conditions relating to the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0007 Measures or means for preventing or attenuating collisions
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/02 Dead-man's devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0453 worn on the body to detect health condition by physiological monitoring, e.g. electrocardiogram, temperature, breathing detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms

Abstract

A method for alertness control of a vehicle operator includes obtaining, by an apparatus, physiological status data of a person acquired using at least one sensor including at least a biosignal sensor; determining, based on at least the physiological status data, at least one alertness value being indicative of alertness level of the person; determining, by comparing the at least one alertness value to at least one alertness reference value, whether the alertness level of the person is below a threshold alertness level for operating the vehicle; and as a response to the determining that the alertness level is below the threshold alertness level, causing an output of a control signal.

Claims

1. A method for alertness control of a vehicle operator, the method comprising:

obtaining, by an apparatus, physiological status data of a person acquired using at least one sensor comprising at least a biosignal sensor;

determining, based on at least the physiological status data, at least one alertness value being indicative of alertness level of the person;

determining, by comparing the at least one alertness value to at least one alertness reference value, whether the alertness level of the person is below a threshold alertness level for operating the vehicle; and

as a response to the determining that the alertness level is below the threshold alertness level, causing an output of a control signal.

2. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including a computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to perform operations comprising:

obtaining physiological status data of a person acquired using at least one sensor comprising at least a biosignal sensor;

determining, based on at least the physiological status data, at least one alertness value being indicative of alertness level of the person;

determining, by comparing the at least one alertness value to at least one alertness reference value, whether the alertness level of the person is below a threshold alertness level for operating the vehicle; and

as a response to the determining that the alertness level is below the threshold alertness level, causing an output of a control signal.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one sensor further comprises a heart activity sensor, and wherein the physiological status data comprises cardiac activity data of the person.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the cardiac activity data comprises real-time cardiac activity data.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the cardiac activity data comprises cardiac activity history data.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus further to perform operations comprising:

determining, using the cardiac activity history data, a cardiac activity of the person relating to the threshold alertness level for operating the vehicle;

determining, using the real time cardiac activity data, current cardiac activity of the person;

detecting whether the alertness level is below the threshold alertness level based on comparing the current cardiac activity to the cardiac activity relating to the threshold alertness level; and

as a response to the determining that the alertness level is below the threshold alertness level, causing the output of the control signal.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the physiological status data comprises sleep history data of the person.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the sleep history data comprises at least one of circadian rhythm data, a resting time during a time period, a sleep time during the time period, data being indicative of sleep quality during the time period.

9. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the physiological status data comprises exercise history data of the person.

10. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the physiological status data comprises personal characteristics data of the person.

11. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the physiological status data comprises respiration rate data of the person.

12. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus further to perform operations comprising:

estimating remaining duration of a driving operation;

acquiring an alertness level estimation of the person for the remaining duration;

determining, based on the alertness level estimation, whether the alertness level of the person exceeds at least one of the threshold alertness level, a second threshold alertness level within the remaining duration; and

as a response to the determining that the alertness level exceeds at least one of the threshold alertness levels, causing the output of the control signal.

13. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus further to perform operations comprising:

acquiring data related to operation of the vehicle from a vehicle system, wherein determining the at least one value being indicative of the alertness level of the person is further based on the data related to the operation of the vehicle.

14. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus further to perform operations comprising:

transferring wirelessly data with the vehicle system, the data comprising at least some of at least one of the physiological status data, the data relating to the operation of the vehicle, the outputted control signal.

15. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus further to perform operations comprising:

transferring, at least partially wirelessly, at least some of the physiological status data with a network service.

16. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the control signal causes at least one of an alarm, an outputting of a notification, vehicle air conditioning control, vehicle parameter control, the vehicle system to take control of the driving operation of the vehicle.

17. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one sensor is comprised in the apparatus.

18. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the apparatus is comprised in a wrist device configured to be worn by the person.

19. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the apparatus is at least partially comprised in the vehicle system.

20. A computer program product embodied on a non-transient distribution medium readable by a computer and comprising program instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus at least to perform operations comprising:

obtaining physiological status data of a person acquired using at least one sensor comprising at least a biosignal sensor;

determining, based on at least the physiological status data, at least one alertness value being indicative of alertness level of the person;

determining, by comparing the at least one alertness value to at least one alertness reference value, whether the alertness level of the person is below a threshold alertness level for operating the vehicle; and

as a response to the determining that the alertness level is below the threshold alertness level, causing an output of a control signal.