Expert system safety screening of equipment operators

• US 7,394,392 B1
• Filed: 06/10/2005
• Issued: 07/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Vehicle Intelligence and Safety LLC
• Original Assignee: Kevin Roe
• Inventors: Roe, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): La, Anh V
• Application Number:
  US11/150,746
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• Field of Search: 340/576, 340/500, 340/573.1, 340/632, 422/84, 73/233, 73/190.1, 180/272, 600/363, 600/532
• US Class Current: 340/576
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/06 responsive to incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/24 Drug level, e.g. alcohol
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/2244 Exhaled gas, e.g. alcohol detecting

Abstract

Methods and systems using one or more expert systems to screen equipment operators for impairments, such as intoxication, physical impairment, medical impairment, or emotional impairment, to selectively test the equipment operators and control the equipment (e.g., automobiles, trucks, industrial vehicles, public transportation vehicles, such as buses, subways, trains, planes, and ships, and dangerous machinery in general) if impairment of the equipment operator is determined. One embodiment is a method to screen an equipment operator for intoxication, using one or more expert systems. A second embodiment is a method to screen an equipment operator for impairment, such as intoxication, physical impairment, medical impairment, or emotional impairment, using one or more expert systems. A third embodiment is an equipment operator screening system to determine impairment, such as intoxication, physical impairment, medical impairment, or emotional impairment, using one or more expert systems.

Claims

1. A method to screen an equipment operator for intoxication, comprising:

screening an equipment operator by one or more expert systems to measure at least one type of chemical in the air in proximity to the equipment operator to detect potential intoxication;

selectively testing said equipment operator when said screening indicates potential intoxication of said equipment operator; and

controlling operation of said equipment if said selective testing of said equipment operator indicates said intoxication of said equipment operator.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said screening of said equipment operator includes utilization of information derived from one or more existing equipment modules selected from the group of existing equipment modules consisting of:

an operations module, an audio module, a navigation module, an anti-theft module, and a climate control module.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

allowing one or more people in proximity to said equipment operator to activate a screening of said equipment operator for intoxication by one or more expert systems.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising measuring at least one characteristic of said equipment operator including one or more characteristics selected from the group consisting of:

at least one chemical in proximity to said equipment operator, breathing rate of said equipment operator, blood pressure of said equipment operator, blood pulse rate of said equipment operator, blood oxygen level of said equipment operator, electrical resistance of a portion of skin of said equipment operator, electrical conductivity of a portion of skin of said equipment operator, temperature of a portion of skin of said equipment operator, one or more optical characteristics of at least one eye of said equipment operator, optical response to at least one stimulus of at least one eye of the equipment operator, at least one speech characteristic of said equipment operator, comparison of at least one speech characteristic of said equipment operator to a reference speech characteristic of said equipment operator, a speed of dexterity of said equipment operator in performing at least one task, and a consistency of dexterity of said equipment operator in performing at least one task.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said selective testing of said equipment operator includes utilization of information derived from one or more existing equipment modules selected from the group of existing equipment modules consisting of:

an operations module, an audio module, a navigation module, an anti-theft module, and a climate control module.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said controlling operation of said equipment includes one or more control responses selected from the group of control responses consisting of:

disabling said equipment, disabling said equipment after a time delay, temporarily disabling said equipment for a pre-selected time duration, shutting off power to said equipment, limiting operation of said equipment to a lower speed of operation, limiting the operation of said equipment to allow only return of said equipment to a pre-selected state, limiting the operation of said equipment to allow return of said equipment to a pre-selected location, autonomously moving said equipment to another location, denying entry to said equipment, activating an alarm, sending a warning message to another entity for assistance, issuing a warning message to an impaired equipment operator, and making a request for another equipment operator to replace an impaired equipment operator and then restricting operation of said equipment if said request is not obeyed within a pre-selected time.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said selective testing utilizes one or more other factors chosen from the group of factors consisting of air temperature, oxygen level, carbon dioxide level, carbon monoxide levels, nitrous oxide levels, hydrocarbon vapor levels, the presence of any gas associated with impairment, air humidity, air pressure, time of day, time duration of vehicle parking, voice loudness levels in proximity to said equipment, history of operation of said equipment by said equipment operator, initial beginning of operation of said equipment by said equipment operator, and ongoing operation of said equipment by said equipment operator.

8. A method to screen an equipment operator for impairment, comprising:

screening an equipment operator by one or more expert systems to detect potential impairment of said equipment operator;

selectively testing said equipment operator when said screening of said equipment operator detects potential impairment of said equipment operator; and

controlling operation of said equipment if said selective testing of said equipment operator indicates said impairment of said equipment operator, wherein said screening of said equipment operator includes a time-sharing allocation of at least one processor executing at least one expert system.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said screening of said equipment operator includes utilization of at least a portion of one or more existing equipment modules selected from the group of existing equipment modules consisting of:

an operations module, an audio module, a navigation module, an anti-theft module, and a climate control module.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

allowing one or more people in proximity to said equipment operator to activate a screening of said equipment operator for impairment by one or more expert systems.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising measuring at least one characteristic of said equipment operator including one or more characteristics selected from the group consisting of:

at least one chemical in proximity to said equipment operator, breathing rate of said equipment operator, blood pressure of said equipment operator, blood pulse rate of said equipment operator, blood oxygen level of said equipment operator, electrical resistance of a portion of skin of said equipment operator, electrical conductivity of a portion of skin of said equipment operator, temperature of a portion of skin of said equipment operator, one or more optical characteristics of at least one eye of said equipment operator, optical response to at least one stimulus of at least one eye of said equipment operator, at least one speech characteristic of said equipment operator, comparison of at least one speech characteristic of said equipment operator to a reference speech characteristic of said equipment operator, a speed of dexterity of said equipment operator in performing at least one task, and a consistency of dexterity of said equipment operator in performing at least one task.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein said selective testing of said equipment operator includes utilization of at least a portion of one or more existing equipment modules selected from the group of existing equipment modules consisting of:

an operations module, an audio module, a navigation module, an anti-theft module, and a climate control module.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein said controlling operation of said equipment includes one or more control responses selected from the group of control responses consisting of:

disabling said equipment, disabling said equipment after a time delay, temporarily disabling said equipment for a pre-selected time duration, shutting off power to said equipment, limiting operation of said equipment to a lower speed of operation, limiting the operation of said equipment to allow only return of said equipment to a pre-selected state, limiting the operation of said equipment to allow return of said equipment to a pre-selected location, autonomously moving said equipment to another location, denying entry to said equipment, activating an alarm, sending a warning message to another entity for assistance, issuing a warning message to an impaired equipment operator, and making a request for another equipment operator to replace an impaired equipment operator and then restricting operation of said equipment if said request is not obeyed within a pre-selected time.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein said selective testing of said equipment operator includes a time-sharing allocation of one or more processors of one or more existing equipment modules executing one or more expert systems.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein said selective testing selectively changes according to one or more other factors chosen from the group of factors consisting of air temperature, oxygen level, carbon dioxide level, carbon monoxide levels, nitrous oxide levels, hydrocarbon vapor levels, the presence of any gas associated with impairment, air humidity, air pressure, time of day, time duration of vehicle parking, voice loudness levels in proximity to said equipment, history of operation of said equipment by said equipment operator, initial beginning of operation of said equipment by said equipment operator, and ongoing operation of said equipment by said equipment operator.

16. A system to screen an equipment operator, comprising:

a screening module to screen and selectively test an equipment operator when said screening indicates potential impairment of said equipment operator, wherein said screening module utilizes one or more expert system modules in screening said equipment operator; and

a control module to control operation of said equipment if said selective testing of said equipment operator indicates said impairment of said equipment operator, wherein said screening module includes one or more expert system modules that utilize at least a portion of one or more equipment modules selected from the group of equipment modules consisting of;

an operations module, an audio module, a navigation module, an anti-theft module, and a climate control module.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said control module to control operation of said equipment uses one or more control responses selected from the group of control responses consisting of:

disabling said equipment, disabling said equipment after a time delay, temporarily disabling said equipment for a pre-selected time duration, shutting off power to said equipment, limiting operation of said equipment to a lower speed of operation, limiting the operation of said equipment to allow only return of said equipment to a pre-selected state, limiting the operation of said equipment to allow return of said equipment to a pre-selected location autonomously moving said equipment to another location, denying entry to said equipment, activating an alarm, sending a warning message to another entity for assistance, issuing a warning message to an impaired equipment operator, and requesting replacement of a first equipment operator by a second equipment operator and restricting operation of said equipment if said request is not obeyed within a pre-selected time.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein said screening module includes at least one module to measure at least one characteristic of said equipment operator selected from the group of characteristics consisting of:

at least one chemical in proximity to said equipment operator, electrical resistance of a portion of skin of said equipment operator, breathing rate of said equipment operator, blood pressure of said equipment operator, blood pulse rate of said equipment operator, blood oxygen level of said equipment operator, electrical conductivity of a portion of skin of said equipment operator, temperature of a portion of skin of said equipment operator, one or more optical characteristics of at least one eye of said equipment operator, optical response to at least one stimulus of at least one eye of said equipment operator, at least one speech characteristic of said equipment operator, comparison of at least one speech characteristic of said equipment operator to a reference speech characteristic of said equipment operator, a speed of dexterity of said equipment operator in performing at least one task, and a consistency of dexterity of said equipment operator in performing at least one task.