Mobile vehicle safety apparatus and safety monitoring method thereof

• US 9,527,508 B1
• Filed: 10/01/2015
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Winbond Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Winbond Electronics Corporation
• Inventors: Lee, Chen-Yi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dager, Jonathan M
• Application Number:
  US14/873,168
• Time in Patent Office: 453 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1114 Tracking parts of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/18 for vehicle drivers or machine operators
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/25 Bioelectric electrodes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/316 Modalities, i.e. specific diagnostic methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/333 Recording apparatus specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6893 Cars
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7405 using sound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0818 Inactivity or incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0872 Driver physiology
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/26 Incapacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2900/00 Indexing codes relating to the purpose of, or problem solved of road vehicle drive control systems not otherwise provided for in groups B60W30/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/08 Active safety systems predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision or attempting to minimise its consequences
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 related to drivers or passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention

Abstract

A mobile vehicle safety apparatus and a safety monitoring method thereof are provided. The safety monitoring method is as follows. A physiological status of a driver is determined according to an electrocardiogram signal and electrocardiogram history data, and the mobile vehicle is driven according to the physiological status of the driver.

Claims

1. A mobile vehicle safety apparatus, comprising:

an electrode unit, disposed on a direction control grip of a mobile vehicle, and configured to receive an electric signal from a skin surface of a driver when the driver holds the direction control grip;

an electrocardiogram signal generating unit, coupled to the electrode unit, and converting the electric signal to generate an electrocardiogram signal;

a storage unit, coupled to the electrocardiogram signal generating unit, and storing electrocardiogram history data of the driver;

a driving unit, driving the mobile vehicle to move; and

a control unit, coupled to the electrocardiogram signal generating unit, the storage unit and the driving unit, and determining a physiological status of the driver according to the electrocardiogram signal and the electrocardiogram history data, and controlling the driving unit to drive the mobile vehicle according to the physiological status of the driver; and

a video audio playing unit, coupled to the control unit, wherein the control unit further determines whether hands of the driver move away from the direction control grip according to the electrocardiogram signal, and the control unit controls the video audio playing unit to play a warning message when the hands of the driver move away from the direction control grip.

2. The mobile vehicle safety apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit further determines whether to activate the driving unit according to the physiological status of the driver, and controls the driving unit to adjust a moving speed of the mobile vehicle according to the physiological status of the driver.

3. The mobile vehicle safety apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

wherein the control unit further determines a mental status of the driver according to the electrocardiogram signal, and controls the video audio playing unit to perform video audio playing according to at least one of the mental status and the physiological status of the driver.

4. The mobile vehicle safety apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the storage unit further stores a plurality of predetermined video audio databases corresponding to a plurality of predetermined mental statuses, and the control unit controls the video audio playing unit to play content of the corresponding video audio database according to the predetermined mental status corresponding to the driver.

5. A safety monitoring method for a mobile vehicle safety apparatus, comprising:

receiving an electric signal from a skin surface of a driver through an electrode unit on a direction control grip of a mobile vehicle;

converting the electric signal to generate an electrocardiogram signal;

determining a physiological status of the driver according to the electrocardiogram signal and electrocardiogram history data; and

driving the mobile vehicle according to the physiological status of the driver;

determining whether hands of the driver move away from the direction control grip; and

playing a warning message when the hands of the driver move away from the direction control grip.

6. The safety monitoring method for the mobile vehicle safety apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the step of driving the mobile vehicle according to the physiological status of the driver comprises:

determining whether to activate the mobile vehicle according to the physiological status of the driver, and adjusting a moving speed of the mobile vehicle according to the physiological status of the driver.

7. The safety monitoring method for the mobile vehicle safety apparatus as claimed in claim 5, comprising:

determining a mental status of the driver according to the electrocardiogram signal; and

performing video audio playing according to at least one of the mental status and the physiological status of the driver.

8. The safety monitoring method for the mobile vehicle safety apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the step of performing video audio playing according the mental status of the driver comprises:

determining a predetermined mental status corresponding to the mental status of the driver; and

playing content of the corresponding video audio database according to the predetermined mental status corresponding to the driver.