Among the many problems that carmakers and their suppliers are investigating that new sensor technology might help solve is driver fatigue. An effective solution that is implementable in a vehicle and not just under laboratory conditions would have to be transparent to the driver. Plessey engineers think they have a solution. Using their EPIC sensor with its capacitive coupling, they can measure ECG through normal clothing and seat cover fabric. By monitoring a parameter called Heart Rate Variability (HRV), an indication of how stable the heart rate is from beat to beat, it is possible to tell when the driver is starting to become sleepy.
During a ten minute trial over a variety of driving conditions, Plessey’s tests show that more than 95% of heart beat peaks were detected using their evaluation kit. Available for car manufacturers and suppliers, the kit has a seat pad containing a six-sensor array on the seat back and a ground plane on the base. The demonstration kit includes an interface box with a USB output to the display and recording software.
For more information about Plessey’s EPIC sensors, click here.
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