Method for detecting characteristic movements of a vehicle driver for the purpose of diagnosing a lowering of vigilance by said driver

• US 7,609,168 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2006
• Issued: 10/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive France (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive France (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Boverie, Serge
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Toan N
• Application Number:
  US11/641,013
• Publication Number:
  US 20070146131A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,043 Days
• Field of Search: 340/576, 340/573.1, 340/575, 340/439, 340/665, 340/666, 340/667, 340/686.1, 73/650.1, 73/650.9, 737/81, 735/35, 180/272, 180/273, 701/45
• US Class Current: 340/576
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/046 in a matrix array
• 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 5/6892 Mats
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6893 Cars
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266

Abstract

A method for detecting characteristic movements of a vehicle driver for diagnosing a lowering of vigilance by the driver. In a preliminary phase, the surface of the seat base and of the backrest of the seat is divided into a plurality of elementary surfaces in each of which is embedded a pressure sensor able to detect the pressings and releasings applied by the driver on the pressure sensor, and a plurality of specific movements is selected, each of which includes the determination of at least one geographic zone subjected to a “pressing” or a “releasing” resulting from the movement. The data processing includes analyzing the measurement signals provided by the pressure sensors and comparing, at each sampling time, the possible detected geographic zones of pressing and releasing with each stored geographic zone, in order to provide information on detection of a specific movement when there is a correlation between the geographic zones.

Claims

1. A method for detecting characteristic movements of a vehicle driver in the driving position on a seat (S) comprising a seat base (A) and a backrest (D), for the purpose of diagnosing a lowering of vigilance by said driver, said detection method comprising:

dividing the surface of the seat base (A) and of the backrest (D) of the seat (S) into a plurality of elementary surfaces in each of which is embedded a pressure sensor (An,n-Dn,n) able to detect;

an increase in the pressure applied on the elementary surface, representing a positive pressure, called “

pressing”

applied by the driver on the pressure sensor,

a reduction of the pressure applied on the elementary surface, representing a reduction or a cancellation, called “

releasing”

, of the pressure applied by the driver on the pressure sensor,

selecting a plurality of specific movements, comprising the movements of the top of the body, repositioning on the seat base (A), transverse rocking toward a driving position offset to one side, longitudinal rocking toward a pushed-in driving position in the top of the backrest (D), and characterizing each of said specific movements by the determination of at least one geographic zone subjected to a “

pressing”

or a “

releasing”

resulting from said movement,

and analyzing, with a given sampling period, the measurement signals provided by the pressure sensors (An,n-Dn,n), and comparing, at each sampling time t, the possible geographic zones of pressing or releasing detected with each of the predetermined geographic zones, in such a way as to provide information on detecting a specific movement during a correlation between said geographic zones, said specific movements corresponding to zones enveloping contact surfaces of various parts of the driver'"'"'s body with the seat base (A) and the backrest (D);

complete back, parts of the back (left, right, top, bottom), complete posterior or bottom or top part of the posterior, posterior or parts of posterior (right or left), left or right leg, etc., wherein said method consists, for the purpose of characterization of given specific movements, in determining at least one geographic zone subjected to a “

pressing”

or a “

releasing”

, and a time sequence of stressing said geographic zone comprising of an alternation of a period of activation, by pressing or releasing, and a period of non-activation.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 for detecting a movement of the top of the back, wherein:

for the purpose of characterizing said movement, the following are determined;

at least one geographic zone (D1, D2) subjected to a “

pressing”

, corresponding to a zone enveloping contact surfaces between the central portion of a driver'"'"'s back and the backrest (D)

and at least one geographic zone (F1, F2) subjected to a “

releasing”

, corresponding to a zone enveloping contact surfaces between a driver'"'"'s posterior and the seat base (A),

and information on the detection of a movement of the top of the back is provided uniquely when there is correlation of a detected geographic zone with;

a said geographic zone (D1, D2) of the backrest (D),

and/or a said geographic zone (F1, F2) of the seat base (A), provided that there is, in addition, a minimal degree of symmetry, with respect to a longitudinal axis of the seat base (A), of the elementary surfaces constituting said detected geographic zone.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 for detecting a repositioning movement, wherein:

for the purpose of the characterization of said movement, two geographic zones (Jd, Jg) subjected to a “

releasing”

are determined, each one corresponding with a zone enveloping the contact surface between a leg of the driver and the seat base (A),

and information on the detection of a repositioning movement is provided uniquely at the time of detection of the following time sequence;

at a time t;

correlation of a detected geographic zone with one of said geographic zones (Jd, Jg) of the seat base (A),

and at a time t+1;

absence of activation of the correlated geographic zone (Jd, Jg) at time t, combined with a correlation of a detected geographic zone with the other geographic zone (Jg, Jd) of the seat base (A).

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 for detecting a repositioning movement, wherein:

for the purpose of characterizing said movement, the following are determined;

two geographic zones (Dbd, Dbg) subjected to a “

pressing”

, corresponding to the two respective zones enveloping contact surfaces between the right and left parts of the bottom of a driver'"'"'s back and the backrest (D),

and two geographic zones (Pd, Pg) subjected to a “

releasing”

, corresponding with the two respective zones enveloping contact surfaces between the left and right parts of a driver'"'"'s posterior and the seat base (A),

and information on the detection of a repositioning movement is provided when there is, simultaneously;

correlation of a detected geographic zone with a said right (or left) geographic zone (Dbd, Dbg) of the backrest (D), combined with the absence of activation of the other said geographic zone (Dbg, Dbd) of the backrest (D),

correlation of a detected geographic zone with said left (or right) geographic zone (Pg, Pd) of the seat base (A), combined with the absence of activation of the other said geographic zone (Pd, Pg) of the seat base (A).

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 for detecting a repositioning movement, wherein:

for the purpose of characterizing said movement, the following are determined;

a geographic zone (D3) subjected to a “

pressing”

, corresponding to the zone enveloping the contact surface between the complete back of a driver and the backrest (D),

and a geographic zone (A3) subjected to a “

releasing”

, corresponding to the zone enveloping the contact surface between the complete posterior of a driver and the seat base (A),

and information on the detection of a repositioning movement is provided when there is correlation between a detected geographic zone and said geographic zone (D3) of the backrest (D) and/or said geographic zone (A3) of the seat base (A).

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 for detecting a movement of transition toward an offset driving position, wherein:

for the purpose of characterizing said movement, the following are determined;

two geographic zones (Dd, Dg) subjected to a “

pressing”

, corresponding to two respective zones enveloping contact surfaces between the right and left parts of a driver'"'"'s back and the backrest (D),

and two geographic zones (Jd, Jg) subjected to a “

releasing”

each corresponding to a zone enveloping the contact surface between a leg of the driver and the seat base (A),

and information on the detection of a transition movement is provided uniquely at the time of detection of the following time sequence;

at a time t;

correlation of a detected geographic zone with one of said geographic zones (Jd, Jg) of the seat base (A), and absence of activation of the geographic zone (Dg, Dd) of the backrest (D) symmetrical with said detected zone of the seat base (A),

at a time t+1;

absence of activation of the correlated geographic zone (Jd, Jg) of the seat base (A) at time t, combined with a correlation of a detected geographic zone with the other geographic zone (Jg, Jd) of the seat base (A).

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 for detecting a movement of transition toward a “

pushed-in”

driving position in the top of the backrest (D), wherein;

for the purpose of characterizing said movement, the following are determined;

two geographic zones (Dh, Db) subjected to a “

pressing”

, corresponding to two respective zones enveloping contact surfaces between the top and bottom parts of a driver'"'"'s back and the backrest (D),

and two geographic zones (Ah, Ab) subjected to a “

releasing”

, corresponding with two respective zones enveloping contact surfaces between the top and bottom parts of a driver'"'"'s posterior with the seat base (A),

and information on the detection of a transition movement is provided at the time, on the one hand, of simultaneous correlation of two detected geographic zones with, respectively, said geographic zones (Dh, Ah) corresponding to the top parts of the back and of the posterior and, on the other hand, the combined absence of activation of said geographic zones (Db, Ab) corresponding with the bottom parts of the back and of the posterior.

8. The detection method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pressure sensors (An,n-Dn,n) consist of differential pressure sensors able to measure the dynamics of the force applied to the corresponding elementary surface.

9. The detection method as claimed in claim 8, wherein, during a preliminary phase following the starting of the vehicle, called a thresholding phase, there is carried out a processing of the signals provided by the pressure sensors (An,n-Dn,n), comprising in calculating, for each of said sensors, the respective means of the largest positive and negative variations of the values of said signals, in order to determine respectively negative and positive threshold values for the subsequent extraction of signals.

10. The detection method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

each activated elementary surface of a geographic zone is allocated a weight weighted by the use of a mathematical method comprising fuzzy logic, as a function of;

the geographic position, in particular positioning in a bordering zone, of said elementary surface within the geographic zone,

and/or the amplitude of the signal provided by the associated pressure sensor, representative of the level of activation of said elementary surface,

and, for each geographic zone, the following is determined a degree of activation of the latter calculated from the weight of each of the elementary surfaces, in such a way as to associate with each item of information of detection of a specific movement, information representing the degree of belonging to this category of movement.