Physical condition monitoring system

• US 7,187,292 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2004
• Issued: 03/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Inventors: Hayashi, Masaki, Iwasaki, Yukio
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass; Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAU, HOI CHING
• Application Number:
  US10/889,792
• Publication Number:
  US 20050012625A1
• Time in Patent Office: 966 Days
• Field of Search: 340/575, 340/576, 340/5.31, 340/5.72, 340/539.12, 128/671, 128/668, 600/300
• US Class Current: 340/576
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms

Abstract

A system that directly monitors a physical condition of a driver. The system includes a portable device carried by the driver. The portable device includes a perspiration sensor, for detecting biological information serving as an index representing the physical condition of the driver, and a transmitter circuit, for generating a transmission signal including the biological information detected by the perspiration sensor. The monitoring device, which is installed in the vehicle, includes a receiver circuit for receiving the transmission signal from the portable device. A microcomputer and a display inform the driver of his or her physical condition based on the transmission signal received by the receiver circuit.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring a physical condition of a driver for a vehicle including an engine, a door, a shift lever, and a steering wheel, the system comprising:

a portable device carried by the driver, the portable device including a detection unit, for detecting biological information comprising at least one of perspiration amount and body temperature and serving as an index representing the physical condition of the driver, and a transmitter unit, for transmitting a transmission signal including the biological information comprising at least one of perspiration amount and body temperature detected by the detection unit; and

a monitoring device installed in the vehicle, the monitoring device including a receiver unit, for receiving the transmission signal from the portable device, and a notification unit, for notifying the driver of his or her physical condition based on the biological information comprising at least one of perspiration amount and body temperature and included in the transmission signal received by the receiver unit, wherein the monitoring device enables the unlocking of the door and disable unlocking of the steering wheel, starting of the engine, or unlocking of the shift lever if the perspiration amount of the driver exceeds a threshold value.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the notification unit notifies the driver of his or her physical condition when a numerical value related to the biological information comprising at least one of perspiration amount or body temperature and exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the vehicle has a vehicle ID code, the transmission signal includes a portable device ID code, and the vehicle enables starting of the engine when the portable device ID code corresponds to the vehicle ID code.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the biological information is comprises heartbeat or blood pressure and at least one of perspiration amount and body temperature.

5. The vehicle system as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle includes an operation unit operated by the driver and connected to the monitoring device; and

the portable device is configured so as to transmit the transmission signal including the biological information comprising at least one of perspiration amount and body temperature to the monitoring device via the body of the driver when the driver operates the operation unit.

6. The system as claimed claim 5, wherein the operation unit is operated by the driver when driving the vehicle.

7. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the operation unit is operated by the driver before driving the vehicle.

8. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the portable device includes a first electrode that contacts the driver and is connected to the transmitter unit, and the operation unit includes a second electrode that contacts the driver and is connected to the receiver unit.

9. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the portable device has a wristwatch form, and the first electrode is arranged on a rear surface of the portable device so as to closely contact the driver.

10. A system for monitoring a physical condition of a driver for a vehicle that includes controlled subjects including an engine, a door, a shift lever, and a steering wheel, the system comprising:

a portable device carried by the driver, the portable device including a detection unit, for detecting biological information comprising at least one of perspiration amount and body temperature and serving as an index representing the physical condition of the driver, and a transmitter unit, for transmitting a transmission signal including the biological information comprising at least one of perspiration amount and body temperature and detected by the detection unit; and

a monitoring device installed in the vehicle, the monitoring device including a receiver unit, for receiving the transmission signal from the portable device, and a control unit, for selectively enabling the operation of the controlled subject of the vehicle in accordance with the physical condition of the driver based on the biological information comprising at least one of perspiration amount and body temperature and included in the transmission signal received by the receiver unit, wherein the control unit enables the unlocking of the door and disable unlocking of the steering wheel, starting of the engine, or unlocking of the shift lever if the perspiration amount of the driver exceeds a thresdhold value.

11. A system for monitoring a physical condition of a driver for a vehicle including an engine, a door, a shift lever, and a steering wheel, the system comprising:

a portable device carried by the driver, the portable device including a detection unit, for detecting biological information comprising at least one of perspiration amount and body temperature and serving as an index representing the physical condition of the driver when contacting the driver, a first electrode that contacts the driver, and a transmitter unit connected to the first electrode for transmitting a transmission signal including the biological information comprising at least one of perspiration amount and body temperature and detected by the detection unit via the first electrode; and

a monitoring device installed in the vehicle, the monitoring device including an operation unit, operated by the driver and having a second electrode that contacts the driver, a receiver unit, connected to the second electrode, for receiving the transmission signal from the portable device via the second electrode, a control unit for receiving the transmission signal from the receiver unit and determining the physical condition of the driver based on the biological information comprising at least one of perspiration amount and body temperature and included in the transmission signal, and a notification unit for providing notification of the physical condition determined by the control unit, wherein the control unit enables the unlocking of the door and disable unlocking of the steering wheel, starting of the engine, or unlocking of the shift lever if the perspiration amount of the driver exceeds a threshold value.

12. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the control unit includes a recording medium for storing a predetermined threshold value and determines the physical condition of the driver based on whether or not a numerical value relating to the biological information comprising at least one of perspiration amount and body temperature exceeds the predetermined threshold value.

13. A portable device carried by a driver for a vehicle including an engine, a door, a shift lever, and a steering wheel, the portable device comprising:

a detection unit for detecting biological information comprising at least one of perspiration amount and body temperature and serving as an index representing a physical condition of the driver;

a transmitter unit for transmitting a transmission signal including the biological information comprising at least one of perspiration amount and body temperature and detected by the detection unit to the vehicle;

a receiver unit, connected to the second electrode, for receiving the transmission signal from the transmitter unit;

a control unit for receiving the transmission signal from the receiver unit and determining the physical condition of the driver based on the biological information comprising at least one of perspiration amount and body temperature and included in the transmission signal, wherein the control unit enables the unlocking of the door and disable unlocking of the steering wheel, starting of the engine, or unlocking of the shift lever if the perspiration amount of the driver exceeds a threshold value.

14. A method for monitoring a physical condition of a driver for a vehicle including an engine, a door, a shift lever, and a steering wheel, wherein the driver carries a portable device including a detection unit for acquiring biological information of the driver, the biological information comprising at least one of perspiration amount and body temperature, and the vehicle includes a monitoring device;

the method comprising;

acquiring the biological information comprising at least one of perspiration amount and body temperature with the detection unit of the portable device;

transmitting a transmission signal including the biological information comprising at least one of perspiration amount and body temperature from the portable device to the monitoring device;

notifying the driver of his or her physical condition with the monitoring device based on the biological information comprising at least one of perspiration amount and body temperature and included in the transmission signal;

determining the physical condition of the driver based on the biological information comprising at least one of perspiration amount and body temperature and included in the transmission signal; and

enabling the unlocking of the door and disabling unlocking of the steering wheel, starting of the engine, or unlocking of the shift lever if the perspiration amount of the driver exceeds a threshold value.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

determining whether or not a numerical value relating to the biological information comprising at least one of perspiration amount and body temperature exceeds a predetermined threshold value, said notifying the driver of his or her physical condition includes notifying the driver of his or her physical condition based on the determination result of the numerical value.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the portable device includes a first electrode that contacts the driver, and the monitoring device includes a second electrode that contacts the driver, and said transmitting a transmission signal including biological information comprising at least one of perspiration amount and body temperature includes transmitting the transmission signal including the biological information comprising at least one of perspiration amount and body temperature via the first electrode, the driver, and the second electrode.

17. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the vehicle has an engine and a vehicle ID code, and said transmitting a transmission signal including biological information comprising at least one of perspiration amount and body temperature includes transmitting the transmission signal including the biological information comprising at least one of perspiration amount and body temperature and a portable device ID code, the method further comprising:

enabling starting of the vehicle engine when the portable device ID code corresponds to the vehicle ID code and the physical condition of the driver is satisfactory.

18. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said acquiring the biological information comprising at least one of perspiration amount and body temperature includes acquiring the biological information comprising heartbeat or blood pressure and at least one of perspiration amount and body temperature.