Apparatus and method for responding to the health and fitness of a driver of a vehicle

• US 6,734,799 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2001
• Issued: 05/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TRW Limited (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Original Assignee: TRW Limited (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Inventors: Munch, Carl A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tai T.
• Application Number:
  US09/796,957
• Publication Number:
  US 20020121981A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,167 Days
• Field of Search: 340/576, 340/575, 340/449, 340/459, 340/471, 340/439, 340/539, 340/531, 340/870.05, 340/435
• US Class Current: 340/576
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms

Abstract

An apparatus (10) helps protect an occupant (1) of a vehicle (100). The apparatus (10) includes first means (11) for non-intrusively sensing at least one health condition of the vehicle occupant (1) and for producing a first output signal (110) indicative of the health condition of the vehicle occupant (1). The apparatus (10) further includes 2ND means (21) for transmitting a health condition signal derived from the first output signal (110) to a person at a location remote from the vehicle (100) to convey health condition information to the person and to enable the person to determine a suitable type of response.

Claims

1. An apparatus for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

means for non-intrusively sensing at least one health condition of the occupant of the vehicle and for producing a first output signal indicative of the health condition of the vehicle occupant;

a controller operatively connected to the means for non-intrusively sensing at least one health condition of the occupant and for receiving the first output signal, the controller analyzing the first output signal and outputting a health condition signal that indicates the at least one health condition of the occupant;

transceiver means for transmitting the health condition signal to a person at a location remote from the vehicle to enable the person to determine a suitable response, the transceiver means further being adapted for receiving and communicating a response signal from the person at the remote location to the controller; and

at least one control device connected to the controller so as to be responsive to both the health condition signal and the response signal for altering at least one operational characteristic of the vehicle.

2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the at least one control device of the vehicle includes at least one of an ignition cut-off switch, an air bag actuation switch, a side curtain actuation switch, and a steering lock mechanism.

3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further including:

means for communicating an alarm signal derived from the first output signal to the vehicle occupant for informing the vehicle occupant that the health condition of the vehicle occupant requires a change in conduct by the occupant.

4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the means for non-intrusively sensing includes an audio sensor for sensing audible characteristics of the vehicle occupant.

5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 4 wherein the sensed audible characteristics of the vehicle occupant include:

breathing characteristics, speech characteristics, and heart rate characteristics.

6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the means for non-intrusively sensing includes an infrared sensor for sensing a body temperature of the vehicle occupant.

7. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the means for non-intrusively sensing includes a visual sensor for sensing eye blink duration of the vehicle occupant.

8. A method for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

sensing at least one health condition of the occupant of the vehicle;

providing a first output signal indicative of the at least one health condition of the vehicle occupant to a controller;

analyzing the first output signal in the controller;

outputting a health condition signal from the controller;

transmitting the health condition signal to a person at a location remote from the vehicle to enable the person to determine a suitable type of response;

monitoring for a response signal from the person at the remote location and communicating the response signal to the controller; and

altering at least one operational characteristic of the vehicle with at least one control device, the at least one control device being connected to the controller so as to be responsive to both the health condition signal and the response signal.

9. The method as set forth in claim 8 further including the step of:

communicating an alarm signal derived from the first output signal to the vehicle occupant for informing the vehicle occupant that the at least one health condition requires a change in conduct by the occupant.

10. The method as set forth in claim 8 wherein the step of sensing at least one health condition further includes the step of sensing audible characteristics of the vehicle occupant.

11. The apparatus as set forth in claim 10 wherein the step of sensing audible characteristics of the vehicle occupant further includes the step of sensing at least one of breathing characteristics, speech characteristics, and heart rate characteristics of the occupant with an audio sensor.

12. The method as set forth in claim 8 wherein the step of sensing at least one health condition further includes the step of sensing a body temperature of the vehicle occupant with an infrared sensor.

13. The method as set forth in claim 8 wherein the step of sensing at least one health condition further includes the step of sensing eye blink duration of the vehicle occupant by use of a visual sensor.

14. The method as set forth in claim 8 further including the following steps:

detecting obstacles external to the vehicle; and

determining whether a collision by the vehicle with the obstacles is imminent.

15. The method as set forth in claim 8 further including the following steps:

recording the at least one operational characteristic of the vehicle; and

developing a profile for defining a normal operating pattern the vehicle occupant.

16. An apparatus for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

means for non-intrusively sensing at least one health condition of the occupant of the vehicle and for producing a first output signal indicative of the health condition of the vehicle occupant;

a controller operatively connected to the means for non-intrusively sensing at least one health condition of the occupant and for receiving the first output signal, the controller analyzing the first output signal and outputting a health condition signal that indicates the at least one health condition of the occupant;

transceiver means for transmitting the health condition signal to a person at a location remote from the vehicle to enable the person to determine a suitable type of response, the transceiver means further being adapted for receiving and communicating a response signal from the person at the remote location to the controller;

at least one control device connected to the controller so as to be responsive to both the health condition signal and the response signal for altering at least one operational characteristic of the vehicle;

means for sensing the at least one operational characteristic of the vehicle and for producing a second output signal indicative of the at least one operation characteristic of the vehicle; and

means for communicating a vehicle operation signal, which is derived in the controller from the second output signal, to the at least one control device, the at least one control device, in response to the vehicle operation signal, altering the at least one operational characteristic of the vehicle.

17. The apparatus as set forth in claim 16 further including:

means for transmitting the vehicle operation signal to the person at the location remote from the vehicle to enable the person to determine a suitable type of response, the means for transmitting the vehicle operation signal being operatively connected to the controller.

18. The apparatus as set forth in claim 16 further including:

means for communicating an alarm signal derived from the second output signal to the vehicle occupant for informing the vehicle occupant that the operation of the vehicle requires a change in conduct by the occupant.

19. A method for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

sensing at least one health condition of the occupant of the vehicle;

providing a first output signal indicative of the at least one health condition of the vehicle occupant to a controller;

analyzing the first output signal in the controller;

outputting a health condition signal from the controller;

transmitting the health condition signal to a person at a location remote from the vehicle to enable the person to determine a suitable type of response;

monitoring for a response signal from the person at the remote location and communicating the response signal to the controller;

altering at least one operational characteristic of the vehicle with at least one control device, the at least one control device be connected to the controller so as to be responsive to both the health condition signal and the response signal;

sensing the at least one operational characteristic of the vehicle;

providing a second output signal indicative of the at least one operational characteristic to the controller;

analyzing the second output signal in the controller;

providing a vehicle operation signal from the controller to the at least one control device; and

altering the at least one operational characteristic of the vehicle in response to the vehicle operation signal.

20. The method as set forth in claim 19 further including the step of:

transmitting the vehicle operation signal to the person at the location remote from the vehicle to convey the at least one operational characteristic to the person and to enable the person to determine a suitable type of response.

21. The method as set forth in claim 19 further including the step of:

communicating an alarm signal derived from the second output signal to the vehicle occupant for informing the vehicle occupant that the at least one operational characteristic of the vehicle requires a change in conduct by the occupant.