System for correcting passenger's posture in autonomous vehicle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Passengers in autonomous vehicles often adopt slouched-sitting postures during long trips, leading to back pain due to prolonged sitting, which existing technologies fail to effectively detect and correct.
Innovation Solution
A system incorporating a camera to measure headrest to head distance, body pressure sensors to detect scapular pressure, and a pressurizing device with an air cell to adjust the seatback, controlled by a processor to identify slouched postures and adjust the seat to promote an upright posture.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If passengers sit on seats for long periods in autonomous vehicles, then they can relax and take various postures, but they develop slouched-sitting postures causing back pain
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors passenger posture using body pressure sensors and cameras, providing real-time feedback about slouched positions. When a slouched posture is detected, the system activates the pressurizing device to correct the posture, creating a closed-loop control system that prevents back pain while maintaining comfort
Solution Approach 2:
The passenger's own body weight and position on the seat are utilized as the detection mechanism. The body pressure sensors detect the distribution of the passenger's weight, and the camera captures head position relative to the headrest, allowing the system to self-diagnose slouched postures without external intervention
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a pressurizing device is installed inside the seatback to correct posture, then back pain can be alleviated, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pressurizing device uses an air cell that can be inflated and deflated to apply corrective pressure to the passenger's back. This pneumatic mechanism provides adjustable, controllable force to restore upright posture without requiring complex mechanical structures, motors, or rigid components
Solution Approach 2:
The air cell is installed within the existing seatback structure, nesting the corrective device inside the available space. The support plate with rails is integrated into the seatback frame, and the air cell is positioned between the support plate and the passenger, maximizing space utilization while maintaining a compact design
3Measurement precision
If body pressure sensors are uniformly embedded across the entire seat area, then posture detection precision is improved, but the manufacturing cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The seatback is divided into multiple sensing zones with body pressure sensors arranged in arrays at specific locations. This segmentation allows the system to detect pressure distribution patterns across different regions of the back, enabling accurate posture detection while using a manageable number of sensors rather than requiring complete coverage
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
Effectively detects and corrects slouched postures to alleviate back pain by adjusting the seatback, improving passenger comfort during long trips.
Implementation Method 1
an air cell configured to be expandably installed at a front surface of the support plate
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a system for correcting a passenger's posture in an autonomous vehicle, wherein the system includes a camera configured to measure a distance between a headrest and a head of the passenger, a plurality of body pressure sensors configured to be uniformly embedded across an entire area of the seat and sense body pressures of the passenger, a pressurizing device configured to be expandably installed inside a seatback and press between T10 and T12 of a thoracic spine of the passenger, and a controller configured to control an operation of the pressurizing device on the basis of the distance measured by the camera and a scapular pressure of the passenger, which is sensed by the plurality of body pressure sensors.