Driver seat system and awakening device

• US 7,532,964 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2004
• Issued: 05/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Delta Tooling Co., Ltd., Douglas S. Webber, Hubert And Lenczowski, Resa 1993 Family Trust, Joseph M. Marasco, Lester E. Vierra, The Dixon Family Trust, The Guy R. And Henshaw, Susan S. Declaration Of Trust, The Webber Family 2004 Irrevocable Trust, WEBBER, ROBERT JOHN AND WEBBER, DIANE MARILYN, TRUSTEES
• Original Assignee: Delta Tooling Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Shimizu, Toshiyuki, Miao, Tiejun, Noto, Yasunori, Ogura, Yumi, Fujita, Etsunori, Ochiai, Naoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peche; Jorge O
• Application Number:
  US10/849,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20040260440A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,818 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 701/49, 340/575, 340/576, 600/534, 600/300, 600/485, 600/500, 600/504, 600/529
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/18 for vehicle drivers or machine operators
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6893 Cars
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7235 Details of waveform analysis A61B5/349 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/066 actuating a signalling device B60K28/063 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2002/981 Warning systems, e.g. the seat or seat parts vibrates to warn the passenger when facing a danger
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/16 Tactile feedback to the driver, e.g. vibration or force feedback to the driver on the steering wheel or the accelerator pedal
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms

Abstract

There are provided a monitor for monitoring a human condition of a driver, and an awakening device for awakening a driver, which starts operation when received a predictive signal for fall-asleep being a signal for energy metabolism transition from an active state into a sleep state. The awakening device is structured to stimulate a pressure sense of the driver by reclining a seat back of a driver seat forward or rearward to thereby cause a shift force. Accordingly, without regard to an alarm reaction level to an alarm sound, it is possible to stimulate the driver and whereby awaken the driver more surely.

Claims

1. A driver seat system comprising:

a monitor for monitoring a human condition of a driver, and

an awakening device for making the driver recover a wakeful state or awakening state by starting operation when received a predictive signal for fall-asleep from said monitor, the predictive signal for fall-asleep being a signal when an energy metabolism makes transition from an active state into a sleep state,

wherein said awakening device includes a mechanism for stimulating a pressure sense of the driver and wherein said monitor includes a bio-signal measurement instrument for measuring a bio-signal of the driver, and a bio-signal analyzer for analyzing a bio-signal data collected by said bio-signal measurement instrument, said bio-signal analyzer including;

a bio-signal peak value detection means for detecting a peak value for each cycle of an original waveform of the bio-signal data;

a power value calculation means for calculating a difference between the peak value at an upper limit side and the peak value at a lower limit side for each certain time range using respective peak values obtained by said bio-signal peak value detection means to thereby set the difference as a power value;

a gradient calculation means for obtaining a gradient of the power value with regard to time base in a certain time range by performing slide calculation the prescribed number of times at a prescribed overlap rate with regard to the prescribed time;

a comparative determination means for comparatively determining whether a sudden drop state of the gradient of the power value exists or not in time-series change in the gradient of the power value obtained by performing slide calculation with said gradient calculation means to thereby determine a time range in which the sudden drop state appears to be the predictive signal for fall-asleep from the active state into the sleep state; and

an output means for outputting the predictive signal for fall-asleep from the active state to the sleep state detected by said comparative determination means.

2. The driver seat system according to claim 1, wherein said awakening device for stimulating the pressure sense is a reclining mechanism for reclining a seat back of a driver seat forward or rearward to thereby stimulate the pressure sense of the driver by causing a shift force.

3. The driver seat system according to claim 2, wherein an angle of the seat back of the driver seat to recline is set at an angle of 20 minutes to 5 degrees as compared to the state before changing the reclining angle of the seat back for stimulating the pressure sense.

4. The driver seat system according to claim 1, wherein said bio-signal analyzer further includes a Lyapunov exponent calculation means for calculating a Lyapunov exponent by performing chaos theory analysis on the bio-signal data, and a Lyapunov exponent peak value detection means for detecting a peak value for each cycle of a time-series change waveform of the Lyapunov exponent calculated by said Lyapunov exponent calculation means, wherein said gradient calculation means includes a means for obtaining, in addition to the gradient of the power value, a gradient of respective peak values of the Lyapunov exponent with regard to time base in a certain time range obtained by said Lyapunov exponent peak value detection means, and wherein said comparative determination means comparatively determines whether the sudden drop state exists or not in at least one of the time-series changes in the gradients of the power value and the Lyapunov exponent obtained by performing slide calculation with said gradient calculation means to determine a range in which the sudden drop state appears to be the predictive signal for fall-asleep from the active state into the sleep state.

5. The driver seat system according to claim 4, wherein said comparative determination means compares the time-series changes in the gradients of the power value and the Lyapunov exponent which are obtained by performing slide calculation with said gradient calculation means, and determines whether the gradient of the power value and the gradient of the Lyapunov exponent are in opposite phases with each other before or in the range the sudden drop appears in the gradient of the power value or in the gradient of the Lyapunov exponent, and in the case where the sudden drop in the gradient of the power value or in the gradient of the Lyapunov exponent appears while they are in the opposite phases, said comparative determination means determines the range to be the predictive signal for fall-asleep from the active state into the sleep state.

6. The driver seat system according to claim 4, wherein said comparative determination means includes a means for determining that the transition into the sleep state is made when the time-series change in the gradient of the power value or in the gradient the Lyapunov exponent appears at a low amplitude on the whole after the sudden drop appears in the gradient of the power value or in the gradient of the Lyapunov exponent, respectively.

7. The driver seat system according to claim 1, wherein said bio-signal peak value detection means includes a means for carrying out differentiation of the bio-signal data for smoothing to identify a range in the vicinity of a differential waveform gradient at zero degrees to thereby detect the peak value from the original waveform corresponding to the range identified.

8. The driver seat system according to claim 4, wherein said Lyapunov exponent peak value detection means includes a means for carrying out differentiation of the Lyapunov exponent for smoothing to identify a range in the vicinity of a differential waveform gradient at zero degrees to thereby detect the peak value from the original waveform corresponding to the range identified.

9. The driver seat system according to claim 1, wherein said power value calculation means is a means for calculating, as a power value, a difference between an average peak value at the upper limit side and an average peak value at the lower limit side both in a certain time range of the bio-signal data.

10. The driver seat system according to claim 4, wherein the gradient of the power value or the gradient of the Lyapunov exponent calculated by said gradient calculation means is a value obtained by a least-squares method.

11. The driver seat system according to claim 1, wherein said bio-signal measurement instrument is a pressure sensor to be mounted in at least one of a seat cushion and the seat back of the driver seat.

12. The driver seat system according to claim 11, wherein a cushioning layer composing the seat cushion and the seat back is a tension structure causing a difference in tension depending on presence or absence of a person seated on the driver seat, and

wherein the pressure sensor is mounted in the cushioning layer being the tension structure.

13. The driver seat system according to claim 1, further comprising a guide route search and display device for searching a guide route to a nearest parking area based on current location of a vehicle to display the guide route on a display of a vehicle navigation system when received the predictive signal for fall-asleep, the guide route search and display device being provided to be able to receive a signal from said monitor.

14. The driver seat system according to claim 1, further comprising a communication means capable of communicating the predictive signal for fall-asleep to a control center which controls vehicles, the communication means being provided to be able to receive a signal from said monitor.

15. An awakening device which starts operation when received a predictive signal for fall-asleep for energy metabolism transition from an active state into a sleep state from a monitor for monitoring a human condition of a driver, comprising a mechanism for stimulating a pressure sense of the driver to awaken the driver, wherein said monitor includes a bio-signal measurement instrument for measuring a bio-signal of the driver, and a bio-signal analyzer for analyzing a bio-signal data collected by said bio-signal measurement instrument, said bio-signal analyzer including:

a bio-signal peak value detection means for detecting a peak value for each cycle of an original waveform of the bio-signal data;

a power value calculation means for calculating a difference between the peak value at an upper limit side and the peak value at a lower limit side for each certain time range using respective peak values obtained by said bio-signal peak value detection means to thereby set the difference as a power value;

a gradient calculation means for obtaining a gradient of the power value with regard to time base in a certain time range by performing slide calculation the prescribed number of times at a prescribed overlap rate with regard to the prescribed time;

a comparative determination means for comparatively determining whether a sudden drop state of the gradient of the power value exists or not in time-series change in the gradient of the power value obtained by performing slide calculation with said gradient calculation means to thereby determine a time range in which the sudden drop state appears to be the predictive signal for fall-asleep from the active state into the sleep state; and

an output means for outputting the predictive signal for fall-asleep from the active state to the sleep state detected by said comparative determination means.

16. The awakening device according to claim 15, wherein said mechanism for stimulating the pressure sense is a reclining mechanism which simulates the pressure sense of the driver by causing a shift force by reclining a seat back of a driver seat forward or rearward.

17. The awakening device according to claim 16, wherein an angle of the seat back of the driver seat to recline is set at an angle of 20 minutes to 5 degrees as compared to the state before changing the reclining angle of the seat back for stimulating the pressure sense.