DE102014206960A1 - Method for avoiding accidents or reducing the consequences of accidents in a vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

In a method for avoiding accidents or reducing the consequences of an accident, vital data of the driver is determined in a mobile medical device which communicates directly or indirectly with a safety system in the vehicle, in which case the vital data is outside a normal range, an automatic intervention in the safety system is carried out ,

Description

The invention relates to a method for accident prevention or accident consequence reduction in a vehicle according to the preamble of claim 1.

State of the art

From the DE 198 01 009 C1 For example, a method is known in which biometric sensors in a vehicle determine vital data of the driver. The biometric sensors include pressure sensors on the steering wheel, which determine the strength of the clasp by the driver's hand, from which the muscle contraction of the hand is closed. Other sensors can be used to determine skin resistance, blood pressure, heart rate, sweat secretion or reflections of the pupils or eyelids and the driver's facial expressions. If the evaluation of the vital data indicates that the driver is in an emergency or stress situation, the automatic braking process is initiated and, if appropriate, a belt tensioner is actuated automatically. However, this is done only in the event that it is determined via additional sensors, which determine the change in the gas or brake pedal position, that the change of the pedal position exceeds a speed limit.

Disclosure of the invention

The invention has for its object to reduce the risk of accidents and injury in vehicles that are controlled by medically monitored drivers.

This object is achieved with the features of claim 1. The dependent claims indicate expedient developments.

With the aid of the method according to the invention, accidents in vehicles can be avoided or at least the consequences of the accident can be reduced if the driver is in a medical emergency situation. Prerequisite is the medical monitoring of the driver using a mobile medical device with which at least a vital function of the driver is monitored. For example, the mobile medical device may be used to monitor heart rate, record an electrocardiogram (ECG), monitor blood glucose or blood count, or the like. The mobile medical device is not part of the vehicle, but represents a vehicle-independent assembly. The mobile medical device is carried by the driver, it is either directly on the body of the driver or has a sensor on the body, the part of the medical mobile Device is connected to this or communicates wirelessly.

In the method according to the invention, signals are transmitted directly or indirectly from the mobile medical device to a safety system in the vehicle. In the event that the vital data are outside a standard range, an intervention in the safety system is automatically carried out. This procedure has the advantage that the information can be exchanged between the mobile medical device and the safety system in the vehicle via a suitable data interface, so that various types of medical mobile devices can be used independently of the vehicle. The detection and monitoring of the vital data of the driver is carried out in the specialized medical mobile device with high precision, so that accordingly an accurate data base is available for the assessment of whether the driver is restricted in his ability to drive. If the evaluation reveals that the determined vital data are outside a standard range, it must be assumed that a medical emergency occurs, after which the automatic intervention in the safety system of the vehicle is carried out.

The intervention in the safety system advantageously influences the driving state of the vehicle. The safety system exemplifies the braking system and / or the steering system of the vehicle, which intervenes to take account of the emergency situation. Thus, it is particularly expedient to decelerate via the intervention in the brake system, the vehicle, if necessary, to a standstill. In an intervention in the steering system, the vehicle can be maneuvered automatically to avoid an accident, wherein the intervention in the steering system is advantageously combined with an intervention in the brake system, so that the vehicle is braked as well as automatically steered. Optionally, additional information from a vehicle environment sensor system are taken into account, for example a radar system or an optical recognition system, to detect obstacles or the current traffic situation and to be able to maneuver the vehicle according to the traffic situation. Furthermore, it is expedient to determine the current vehicle position from the environmental sensor system, in particular the position of the vehicle on the road, wherein advantageously information from a built-in positioning system in the vehicle, such as a Global Positioning System (GPS), which are installed in a navigation system can be taken into account.

There are various possibilities of communication between the mobile medical device and the security system or one Vehicle computer in the vehicle into consideration. According to an advantageous embodiment, the medical mobile device sends signals directly to the security system or the vehicle computer. The evaluation of the sensory vital data is carried out either in a computing unit of the mobile medical device or in the security system or the vehicle computer. When evaluating the vital data in the mobile medical device, the decision as to whether the vital data are outside the normal range is also made there; In this case, an alarm signal is transmitted from the mobile medical device to the security system or the vehicle computer. However, it is also possible to carry out the evaluation of the vital data in the security system or in the vehicle computer, in which case the vital data are transmitted from the medical mobile device to the security system or the vehicle computer.

In any case, the safety system performs a response corresponding to the emergency situation when the vital data is outside the normal range.

The data transmission directly or indirectly to the security system or the vehicle computer is preferably carried out wirelessly via radio signals. Accordingly, the mobile medical device or a related assembly is equipped with a transmitting unit and the safety system in the vehicle or the vehicle computer with a receiving unit, so that the radio signals can be sent and received accordingly.

According to yet another advantageous embodiment, an additional vehicle-independent structural unit is interposed between the mobile medical device and the security system in the vehicle or the vehicle computer, via which information is passed. This additional module is in particular a smartphone which receives signals from the mobile medical device either via radio or via a cable connection and which in turn forwards signals either via radio or via cable connection to the safety system in the vehicle or the vehicle computer. This embodiment has the advantage that an evaluation program can be installed on the smartphone, in which the vital data are evaluated and checked for exceeding or falling below the normal range, wherein an alarm signal is generated in the smartphone when the vital data is outside the normal range and the alarm signal is transmitted to the safety system in the vehicle or the vehicle computer. In this case, existing data interfaces between the smartphone and the security system or vehicle computer can be exploited, as well as any existing data interfaces between the medical mobile device and the smartphone. Optionally, the evaluation does not take place in the software application on the smartphone, but in the mobile medical device or the security system or the vehicle computer; In this case, the smartphone is used only for data transmission from the mobile medical device to the security system or the vehicle computer.

The vehicle computer may optionally be part of the safety system, such as a brake system or a steering system. In this case, the vehicle computer is an arithmetic unit that is an integral part of the safety system. However, it is also an embodiment as a stand-alone computer unit such as a control or control unit that is integrated into the vehicle and communicates with one or more security systems in the vehicle.

If appropriate, the determination and evaluation of the vital data, which are recorded in the mobile medical device, can be combined with information from an interior sensor system via which a validation and reliability check of the vital data can take place. For example, an interior camera for driver monitoring is installed as an interior sensor, for example, with the typical head movements in drowsiness of the driver or a distraction of the driver, for example when telephoning, can be detected. Also, a sensor for detecting the pedal operation or sensors on the steering wheel, via which the electrical skin resistance or the pressure exerted by the driver when embracing the steering wheel pressure is detected, can be detected and taken into account in the evaluation of the vital data. This makes it possible to make a decision, in particular in borderline cases in which the vital data are close to the standard limits, as to whether an emergency situation actually exists, which justifies the autonomous intervention in the safety system in the vehicle, or just a stress or stress situation to be considered below the emergency situation Distraction situation in which no or only a reduced intervention in the safety system is carried out.

The method of avoiding or reducing an accident occurs in a system having various components including the mobile medical device for acquiring the vital data, the in-vehicle safety system for influencing vehicle condition, and a data transmission device for directly or indirectly collecting data from the vehicle mobile medical device to the security system or the vehicle computer to transfer. The evaluation of the vital data and possibly the generation of the alarm signal to trigger the automatic intervention in the safety system are carried out as described above.

Further advantages and expedient embodiments can be found in the further claims, the description of the figures and the drawing, in which a flow chart for carrying out the method is shown.

In the flowchart, first in a first process step 10 carried out by means of a mobile medical device, a measurement of vital data of the driver. For example, the mobile medical device can monitor heart rate, record an electrocardiogram, monitor current blood glucose levels, or monitor blood counts. The mobile medical device is an independent unit to which the driver is connected, for example by sticking a sensor on the skin, whose data are either evaluated directly in the sensor itself or transmitted to an associated computer unit of the mobile medical device and evaluated there the computer unit is connected to the sensor via electrical cables or receives the data by radio.

In the next process step 11 the measured vital data are transmitted by means of a data transmission device to a smartphone, in which the evaluation of the received vital data takes place. In the evaluation, according to the method step 12 checks whether the vital data lies outside an assigned standard range, ie exceeds or falls below the standard range. The measurement of the vital data in the step 10 , the transfer to the smartphone in step 11 and the evaluation on the smartphone in step 12 advantageously takes place continuously, wherein optionally also a discontinuous measurement, transmission and / or evaluation comes into consideration, for example, in a fixed rhythm.

Returns the evaluation in step 12 in that the vital data does not lie outside the assigned normal range, the next time the no-branching ("N") becomes the first procedural step 10 returned, in which the renewed measurement and transmission of the vital data takes place at the fixed rhythm or continuously.

On the other hand results in the evaluation in step 12 in that the vital data lie outside the assigned standard range, the yes branch ("Y") follows the next method step 13 advanced, according to which an alarm or control signal from the smartphone 12 is transmitted to a control unit in the vehicle. The transmission is preferably carried out by radio, wherein optionally also a transmission by data cable comes into consideration.

In the control unit 13 leads the alarm signal to generate control signals, in the next step 14 be fed to a security system in the vehicle and lead there to influence the security system. The safety system is in particular the brake system in the vehicle, possibly also the steering system. Since the vital data reflect the driving condition of the driver, in the case of vital data lying outside the normal range, the safety system in the vehicle is automatically influenced in such a way that the vehicle is transferred to a state of higher safety. In an automatic influencing of the brake system, optionally with additional influence of the steering system, the vehicle is preferably decelerated automatically to a standstill and possibly steered automatically into an area in which the risk to the driver or other road users is excluded or at least reduced.

QUOTES INCLUDE IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of the documents listed by the applicant has been generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• DE 19801009 C1 [0002]

Claims (11)

A method for accident prevention or accident consequence reduction in a vehicle, determined in the vital data of the driver and an intervention in the vehicle is performed depending on the vital data, characterized in that the vital data are determined in at least one mobile medical device, directly or indirectly with a security system or communicates with a vehicle computer in the vehicle, and in the event that the vital data are outside a standard range, an automatic intervention in the safety system is performed, which can be influenced via the safety system, the vehicle condition. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the mobile medical device sends signals directly to the security system or the vehicle computer in the vehicle. A method according to claim 2, characterized in that the determined vital data are evaluated in the mobile medical device and in the event that the vital data are outside the normal range, an alarm signal to the security system or the vehicle computer is sent. A method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the determined vital data in the security system or the vehicle computer are evaluated. Method according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the mobile medical device sends signals to a smartphone, which communicates with the security system or a vehicle computer in the vehicle. A method according to claim 5, characterized in that the determined vital data are evaluated in the smartphone and in the event that the vital data are outside the normal range, an alarm signal to the security system or the vehicle computer is sent. A method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the determined vital data sent from the smartphone to the security system or the vehicle computer and evaluated there. Method according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the safety system is the braking and / or steering system of the vehicle and an automatic intervention in the braking and / or steering system is performed. A method according to claim 8, characterized in that in a detected medical emergency, the vehicle is brought to a standstill. System for carrying out the method according to one of claims 1 to 9, with a mobile medical device for recording vital data of the driver, with a safety system in the vehicle for influencing the vehicle state and with a data transmission direction for direct or indirect communication with the safety system or a vehicle computer in Vehicle. Vehicle with a safety system according to claim 10.

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