US6734799B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus and method for responding to the health and fitness of a driver of a vehicle
Assignee: Northrop Grumman Space and Mission Systems Corp
•
Filing: 2001-03-01
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Granted: 2004-05-11
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Expires: 2021-03-01
Abstract
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.
Inventors
- 👤 Carl A. Munch
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 12:20
CPC Classifications
G; G08; G08B; G08B21/00; G08B21/02; G08B21/06
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 25
Claim 1
Independent Claim
179 words
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.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
179 words
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.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
42 words
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.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
47 words
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.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
26 words
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.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
26 words
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.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
27 words
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.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
27 words
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.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
153 words
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.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
153 words
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.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
47 words
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.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
30 words
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.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
44 words
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.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
35 words
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.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
37 words
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.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
32 words
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.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
36 words
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.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
259 words
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.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
259 words
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.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
52 words
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.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
45 words
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.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
219 words
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.
Claim 23
Independent Claim
219 words
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.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
51 words
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.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
50 words
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.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2007-05-11 | 2007-11-10 | 2008-05-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2011-05-11 | 2011-11-10 | 2012-05-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2015-05-11 | 2015-11-10 | 2016-05-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |