Steering Wheel Oximeter Fatigue Detection
Solution Overview
Problem
Long-duration driving leads to driver fatigue, causing decreased concentration and judgment, which increases the risk of traffic accidents and compromises safety.
Innovation Solution
Integration of oximeters within the vehicle steering wheel's handheld areas connected to a control device and alarm system, which monitors oxyhemoglobin saturation to detect fatigue and triggers alerts when thresholds are exceeded, prompting the driver to take rest breaks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a driver drives for a long duration, then productivity is improved, but the driver enters a fatigue state which reduces reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The oximeter continuously monitors oxyhemoglobin saturation levels before the driver actually becomes fatigued. By detecting changes in blood oxygen levels that precede obvious fatigue symptoms, the system can issue early warnings and prompt the driver to take breaks before concentration and judgment deteriorate to dangerous levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes a closed-loop feedback mechanism where the oximeter continuously measures physiological parameters, the control device analyzes the data against predetermined thresholds, and the alarm device provides real-time feedback to the driver. This continuous monitoring and feedback loop enables the driver to maintain awareness of their fatigue level and take corrective action before reliability deteriorates.
2Reliability
If an oximeter monitoring system is integrated into the steering wheel, then reliability is improved by detecting fatigue, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the oximeter, control device, and alarm device into the existing steering wheel structure. The oximeter is embedded within the steering wheel's handhold areas, and the alarm device utilizes existing vehicle components such as the display screen and audio system. This merging approach consolidates multiple functions into a single integrated system, reducing overall complexity compared to having separate monitoring devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The steering wheel is designed to serve multiple functions: its primary steering function plus integrated physiological monitoring and alarm notification. The control device can be configured to work with different alarm output modes (visual and audio), and the oximeter can monitor multiple physiological parameters. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated fatigue detection systems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively reduces the likelihood of accidents by alerting drivers to fatigue, allowing them to take necessary breaks and maintain focus, thereby enhancing traffic safety.
Implementation Method 1
the photodiode is configured to receive reflected light after the emitted light is irradiated onto the body
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention discloses a vehicle steering wheel, relating to the field of auto part technologies, and solving the problems of being prone to occurrent of traffic accidents and reducing traffic safety when the driver is driving in a fatigue state. In embodiments of the present disclosure, the vehicle steering wheel comprises a wheel rim, at least one oximeter is provided within handheld areas of the wheel rim and connected to a control device connected to an alarm device; and the control device is configured to judge whether or not a driver is in a fatigue driving state according to an oxyhemoglobin saturation value in the body of the driver detected by the oximeter, and to control the alarm device to operate if judging the driver is in the fatigue driving state. The present invention is mainly applied in vehicles.