Thermal grill for body cooling and driver alertness

• US 9,186,991 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2014
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Chang, Hsuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US14/451,436
• Publication Number:
  US 20140343798A1
• Time in Patent Office: 469 Days
• Field of Search: 701/45, 340/435, 340/436, 340/438, 340/425.5
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0408 transmitting the signals by non-mechanical means from the wheel or tyre to a vehicle body mounted receiver
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00735 Control systems or circuits characterised by their input, i.e. by the detection, measurement or calculation of particular conditions, e.g. signal treatment, dynamic models
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1438 Touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/06 responsive to incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/066 actuating a signalling device B60K28/063 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0827 due to sleepiness
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms

Abstract

A system for keeping a driver alert by employing a thermal grill that includes warm and cool regions. The system includes an alert module that configures the thermal grill to a heat sink configuration and a heat source configuration. The thermal grill in the heat sink configuration extracts heat from the driver'"'"'s body, lowers the driver'"'"'s temperature, and keeps the driver alert. The thermal grill in the heat source configuration raises the driver'"'"'s temperature and avoids vasoconstriction. The alert module also monitors at least one of the driver'"'"'s biomarkers like blood flow in the driver'"'"'s fingers. The alert module monitors the driver'"'"'s biomarkers to determine when to reconfigure the thermal grill to a configuration other than the heat sink configuration. If the monitored biomarkers indicate that the driver is in a vasoconstricted state, the alert module can reconfigure the thermal grill.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a thermal grill on a steering wheel of a vehicle, comprising:

determining, by a processor, if a vasoconstriction threshold of a driver of the vehicle is exceeded based on biomarker information associated with the driver;

in response to the vasoconstriction threshold not being exceeded, configuring the thermal grill into a heat sink configuration; and

in response to the vasoconstriction threshold being exceeded, configuring the thermal grill into a configuration other than the heat sink configuration.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the biomarker information comprises a core body temperature of the driver.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the biomarker information comprises a skin temperature of the driver.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the skin temperature of the driver comprises a temperature of a palm of a hand of the driver.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the temperature of the palm of the driver is determined using a thermocouple located on the steering wheel.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the biomarker information comprises a measure of blood flow of the driver.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the measure of blood flow of the driver is determined using a laser Doppler mechanism in contact with a hand of the driver.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the measure of blood flow of the driver is determined using a thermal camera configured to capture images of a glabrous skin area of the driver.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the vasoconstriction threshold is selected based on one or more of:

the weight of the driver, the age of the driver, vehicle cabin temperature, or one or more other characteristics of the driver.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the vasoconstriction threshold is selected based on previously determined biomarker information associated with the driver.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the vasoconstriction threshold is selected based on biomarker information associated with the general population.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the identity of the driver;

wherein the vasoconstriction threshold is selected based on the identity of the driver.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if the vasoconstriction threshold of the driver is exceeded comprises:

measuring the biomarker information associated with the driver over a period of time;

determining average biomarker information associated with the driver based on the biomarker information measured over the period of time;

measuring the biomarker information associated with the driver over a second period of time; and

determining that the vasoconstriction threshold of the driver is exceeded in response to the biomarker information measured over the second period of time differing from the determined average biomarker information by more than a threshold measurement.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if the vasoconstriction threshold of the driver is exceeded comprises:

measuring the biomarker information associated with the driver over a period of time;

determining that the vasoconstriction threshold of the driver is exceeded based on a determination that the biomarker information measured over the period of time changes by a rate greater than a threshold rate.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if the vasoconstriction threshold of the driver is exceeded comprises:

measuring the biomarker information associated with the driver over a period of time;

determining that the vasoconstriction threshold of the driver is exceeded based on a determination that the biomarker information measured over the period of time changes by a rate less than the threshold rate.

16. A vehicle system for controlling a thermal grill on a steering wheel of the vehicle, comprising:

a biometric monitor system configured to determine if a vasoconstriction threshold of a driver of the vehicle is exceeded based on biomarker information associated with the driver; and

a thermal grill control unit configured to;

in response to a determination that the vasoconstriction threshold is not exceeded, configure the thermal grill into a heat sink configuration; and

in response to a determination that the vasoconstriction threshold is exceeded, configured the thermal grill into a configuration other than the heat sink configuration.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the biomarker information comprises one or more of:

a core body temperature of the driver, a skin temperature of the driver, and a measure of blood flow of the driver.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the vasoconstriction threshold is selected based on one or more of:

the weight of the driver, the age of the driver, vehicle cabin temperature, previously determined biomarker information associated with the driver, biomarker information associated with the general population, and the identity of the driver.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable program instructions for controlling a thermal grill on a steering wheel of a vehicle, the instructions, when executed by a processor, configured to perform steps comprising:

determining, by a processor, if a vasoconstriction threshold of a driver of the vehicle is exceeded based on biomarker information associated with the driver;

in response to the vasoconstriction threshold not being exceeded, configuring the thermal grill into a heat sink configuration; and

in response to the vasoconstriction threshold being exceeded, configuring the thermal grill into a configuration other than the heat sink configuration.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the biomarker information comprises one or more of:

a core body temperature of the driver, a skin temperature of the driver, and a measure of blood flow of the driver.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the vasoconstriction threshold is selected based on one or more of:

the weight of the driver, the age of the driver, vehicle cabin temperature, previously determined biomarker information associated with the driver, biomarker information associated with the general population, and the identity of the driver.