Safety management system

• US 8,297,399 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2008
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Laurel Precision Machines Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Laurel Precision Machines Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Goi, Kouichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Rocca, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): FRISBY, KEITH J
• Application Number:
  US12/149,897
• Publication Number:
  US 20080289895A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,635 Days
• Field of Search: 180/272, 340/576, 340/5.82, 382/115, 600/310, 600/322, 600/326, 600/328, 701/1, 702/19, 713/186
• US Class Current: 180/272
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0059 using light, e.g. diagnosis by transillumination, diascopy, fluorescence A61B5/0093, A61B5/1455, A61B5/02416 and A61B5/0261 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14546 for measuring analytes not otherwise provided for, e.g. ions, cytochromes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/18 for vehicle drivers or machine operators
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/063 preventing starting of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/043 Identity of occupants
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/22 Psychological state; Stress level or workload
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/221 Physiology, e.g. weight, heartbeat, health or special needs
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/14 Vascular patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/37 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition

Abstract

The safety management system of the present invention includes: a driver authentication section which authenticates a driver of a transportation machine and outputs an authentication result; a health status determination section which measures blood component data of a driver authenticated by the driver authentication section, determines a health status of the driver from the blood component data, and outputs a determination result; and a motive power control section which permits or prohibits operation of the transportation machine by controlling motive power of the transportation machine based on the authentication result and the determination result.

Claims

1. A safety management system comprising:

a sensor section to irradiate infrared light onto a portion of skin of a driver of a transportation machine, receive the light passed through the portion of the skin of the driver, and acquire, from the received light, optical information related to a vein pattern of the portion of the skin of the driver and blood component data of the driver including a plasma protein level, a lactic acid level, a blood sugar level and an enzyme level;

a driver authentication section to obtain the vein pattern from the optical information, to authenticate the driver of the transportation machine based on the vein pattern and to output an authentication result;

a health status determination section to measure the blood component data of the driver authenticated by said driver authentication section from the optical information, said health status determining section being configured to determine whether or not values of the plasma protein level and the lactic acid level in the blood component data measured by said health status determination section are within pre-registered blood component data values indicating an appropriate health status including a level of tiredness of the driver for operating the transportation machine, and to output a determination result, wherein the health status determination section is configured to correct ranges of the pre-registered blood component data values based on previously acquired blood component data of said driver; and

a motive power control section to permit or prohibit operation of the transportation machine by controlling motive power of the transportation machine based on the authentication result, the determination result and the level of tiredness of the driver.

2. A safety management system according to claim 1, wherein said motive power control section controls starting of an engine of the transportation machine, based on the authentication result, the determination result and the level of tiredness of the driver.

3. A safety management system according to claim 1, wherein the health status determination section is adapted to measure said blood component data, including the plasma protein level and the lactic acid level, via a surface of the driver'"'"'s fingertip in use.

4. A safety management system according to claim 1, wherein the blood component data includes said plasma protein level, said lactic acid level, said blood sugar level, said enzyme level and a cholesterol level.

5. A safety management system according to claim 1, wherein the health status determination section varies the pre-registered blood component data values according to characteristics of the driver.

6. A safety management system according to claim 1, wherein the health status determination section establishes the pre-registered blood component data values based on age and gender of the driver.

7. A safety management system comprising:

a sensor section to irradiate infrared light onto a portion of skin of a driver of a transportation machine, receive the light passed through the portion of the skin of the driver, and acquire, from the received light, optical information related to a vein pattern of the portion of the skin of the driver and pre-designated specific items of blood component data of the driver, the specific items including a plasma protein level and a lactic acid level;

a driver authentication section to obtain the vein pattern from the optical information, to authenticate the driver of the transportation machine based on the vein pattern and to output an authentication result;

a health status determination section to measure the blood component data of the driver authenticated by said driver authentication section from the optical information, said health status determining section being configured to determine whether or not values of the plasma protein level and the lactic acid level in the blood component data measured by said health status determination section are within pre-registered blood component data values indicating an appropriate health status including a level of tiredness of the driver for operating the transportation machine, and to output a determination result, wherein the health status determination section is configured to correct ranges of the pre-registered blood component data values based on previously acquired blood component data of said driver; and

a motive power control section to permit or prohibit operation of the transportation machine by controlling motive power of the transportation machine based on the authentication result, the determination result and the level of tiredness.