Biological state determination device

• US 8,791,825 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2010
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Akiyama, Tomonori, Taguchi, Syun
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lau, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US13/634,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20130002417A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,601 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/575
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0872 Driver physiology
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 related to drivers or passengers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08

Abstract

It is possible to determine the biological state of the driver of a vehicle with high accuracy. In a biological state determination device, since a driver biological state which is the biological state of the driver is estimated on the basis of information representing the biological state of the driver, a weight is set for each driver biological state on the basis of information representing the level of possibility of erroneously estimating the driver biological state, and each driver biological state is weighted on the basis of the set weight, the weighted driver biological state becomes information in which the possibility of erroneous estimation is taken into consideration. The presence/absence of an abnormality in the biological state of the driver is determined on the basis of a plurality of weighted driver biological states, thereby improving determination accuracy of the biological state of the driver of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A biological state determination device which is mounted in a vehicle and determines a biological state of a driver, the biological state determination device comprising:

a plurality of state estimation units configured to estimate a driver biological state, which is the biological state of the driver, on the basis of information representing the biological state of the driver;

a weight setting unit configured to set a weight for each driver biological state on the basis of information representing the level of possibility of erroneously estimating the driver biological state obtained on the basis of the information representing the biological state of the driver;

a weighting unit configured to weight a plurality of driver biological states using the weight set by the weight setting unit; and

a state determination unit configured to determine the presence/absence of abnormality in the biological state of the driver on the basis of a plurality of driver biological states weighted by the weighting unit, wherein the state estimation unit estimates the presence/absence of sleepiness in the driver as the biological state of the driver, and the state determination unit determines, as an abnormality, a state where the driver feels sleepiness, and wherein, until a predetermined time set in advance elapses from the start of driving, the weight setting unit sets the weight on the basis of the ratio of the time for which the state estimation unit estimates that the driver feels sleepiness with respect to the predetermined time.

2. The biological state determination device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a warning unit configured to give a warning to the driver through at least one of auditory sensation and visual sensation when the state determination unit determines that there is an abnormality in the biological state of the driver.

3. The biological state determination device according to claim 1,

wherein the weight setting unit sets the weight on the basis of the ratio of a non-detection time of information representing the biological state of the driver in the state estimation unit with respect to a given time set in advance.

4. The biological state determination device according to claim 1,

wherein the state estimation unit estimates the driver biological state on the basis of the state of the eyes or eyelids of the driver, and

the weight setting unit sets the weight on the basis of the presence/absence and the type of an article worn on the face of the driver.