EP0154638A1 - Controle de l'attention - Google Patents

Controle de l'attention

Info

Publication number
EP0154638A1
EP0154638A1 EP19840903179 EP84903179A EP0154638A1 EP 0154638 A1 EP0154638 A1 EP 0154638A1 EP 19840903179 EP19840903179 EP 19840903179 EP 84903179 A EP84903179 A EP 84903179A EP 0154638 A1 EP0154638 A1 EP 0154638A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
resistance
electrodes
skin
stimulus
person
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP19840903179
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Gerald Isaac Macdonald Swyer
Huntly Gordon Spence
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
SWYER GERALD ISAAC M
Original Assignee
SWYER GERALD ISAAC M
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from GB8322264A external-priority patent/GB8322264D0/en
Application filed by SWYER GERALD ISAAC M filed Critical SWYER GERALD ISAAC M
Publication of EP0154638A1 publication Critical patent/EP0154638A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60T—VEHICLE BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF; BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF, IN GENERAL; ARRANGEMENT OF BRAKING ELEMENTS ON VEHICLES IN GENERAL; PORTABLE DEVICES FOR PREVENTING UNWANTED MOVEMENT OF VEHICLES; VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS TO FACILITATE COOLING OF BRAKES
    • B60T7/00—Brake-action initiating means
    • B60T7/12—Brake-action initiating means for automatic initiation; for initiation not subject to will of driver or passenger
    • B60T7/14—Brake-action initiating means for automatic initiation; for initiation not subject to will of driver or passenger operated upon collapse of driver
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B5/00—Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
    • A61B5/05—Detecting, measuring or recording for diagnosis by means of electric currents or magnetic fields; Measuring using microwaves or radio waves
    • A61B5/053—Measuring electrical impedance or conductance of a portion of the body
    • A61B5/0531—Measuring skin impedance
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60K—ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
    • B60K28/00—Safety devices for propulsion-unit control, specially adapted for, or arranged in, vehicles, e.g. preventing fuel supply or ignition in the event of potentially dangerous conditions
    • B60K28/02—Safety devices for propulsion-unit control, specially adapted for, or arranged in, vehicles, e.g. preventing fuel supply or ignition in the event of potentially dangerous conditions responsive to conditions relating to the driver
    • B60K28/06—Safety devices for propulsion-unit control, specially adapted for, or arranged in, vehicles, e.g. preventing fuel supply or ignition in the event of potentially dangerous conditions responsive to conditions relating to the driver responsive to incapacity of driver
    • B60K28/066—Safety devices for propulsion-unit control, specially adapted for, or arranged in, vehicles, e.g. preventing fuel supply or ignition in the event of potentially dangerous conditions responsive to conditions relating to the driver responsive to incapacity of driver actuating a signalling device
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60L—PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL; MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
    • B60L3/00—Electric devices on electrically-propelled vehicles for safety purposes; Monitoring operating variables, e.g. speed, deceleration or energy consumption
    • B60L3/02—Dead-man's devices
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60L—PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL; MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
    • B60L2200/00—Type of vehicles
    • B60L2200/26—Rail vehicles

Definitions

  • This invention relates to monitoring attention.
  • Examples of occupations where continuous attention over a long time span is needed are public service vehicle driving, particularly coach driving on long haul routes, which is extremely monotonous and boring on motorways, piloting aircraft, and monitoring the operation of large installations such as chemical plants, oil refineries and power stations.
  • Other analogous examples are coastguard and naval look-out duties, sentry duty, and the occupations of railway signalmen, security guards and night nursing staff.
  • the person concerned will have a fairly disrupted sleep pattern and may on occasion be required to carry out his job when his body wishes to be asleep.
  • the danger of falling asleep on the specific occasion may well not even be apparent to the person concerned, much less to others, but the dangers of substantial loss of concentration before falling asleep or even falling asleep itself hardly need to be stressed.
  • British Patent Specification 2015168 discloses an approach to the problem involving detecting a change in a physiological parameter, particularly a parameter of a driver's head. No details of how to do so are given.
  • a method of monitoring a person's alertness and detecting the onset of sleep or drowsiness includes the steps of contacting the person's skin with a pair of spaced electrodes, making a series of measurements of the electrical resistance between the electrodes, or continuously monitoring that resistance, and responding to an increase in the resistance by more than a predetermined amount.
  • the electrodes are applied to a volar surface (defined herein as the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, and adjacent skin areas on wrist, ankle, fingers and toes on the same side of the hand or foot as the palm or sole respectively).
  • apparatus for monitoring a person's concentration and warning of the onset of sleep or drowsiness which includes means for monitoring a physiological function or parameter which correlates with concentration, particularly one which correlates with impending sleep, and means for generating, if a change of more than a predetermined amount is detected, a suitable stimulus, wherein the physiological parameter is electrical skin resistance and wherein the apparatus includes means adapted to abut an extremity skin surface and means to emit a stimulus on detecting an increase in the electrical skin resistance thereof above a threshold amount.
  • the invention provides apparatus for monitoring concentration and detecting the onset of sleep or drowsiness which comprises an insulating carrier, a pair of spaced electrodes in the carrier, means for attaching the carrier to a person with the electrodes abutting the skin of the person at two spaced positions, means for checking the electrical resistance between the two electrodes, means for comparing the electrical resistance so measured at two spaced times, and means for generating a signal if the resistance has increased between the two spaced times by more than a predetermined threshold.
  • the physiological parameter of electrical skin resistance is most preferably measured on a volar surface.
  • volar surfaces as used herein means the palms of the hands and those parts of the fingers and thumbs and of the wrist on the same side of the hand as the palm, and the corresponding portions of the feet i.e. the soles and other downwardly facing surfaces. It is found that these give a particularly clear , and highly sensitive indication, in terms of a change in electrical skin resistance, of the approach of sleep or of loss of concentration related thereto. The changes are conveniently detected electronically and accordingly can be simply continuously monitored to ensure immediate response should a dangerous situation arise.
  • the invention may conveniently be thought of in two portions, a first designed to provide a signal on the onset of sleep or loss of concentration and the second in terms of converting that signal into a stimulus, e.g. a warning, and feeding it back either to the person in question or to someone else, or using the stimulus to cause some other change, e.g. the initiation of a safety measure such as train braking.
  • a safety measure such as train braking.
  • annunciation devices may be used to impart a warning stimulus, varying from simple audible bleepers or sirens to flashing lights or even electrical arousal stimuli.
  • a warning stimulus varying from simple audible bleepers or sirens to flashing lights or even electrical arousal stimuli.
  • two further electrodes could be used e.g. in a common bandage but applied to the skin on the back of the hand (which is more sensitive) to feed a mild electrical shock to the person, which would provide an appropriate stimulus to wake the person up.
  • the amount of stimulus increases with time if the original enabling signal continues to be present.
  • a secondary warning or stimulus may be activated after a preset delay, e.g. 10 seconds.
  • Such secondary warning or stimulus may be a light, e.g. a flashing light or a further bleeper, either locally to the person in question or remote from him, or both.
  • One specific secondary warning would be an automatic telephone message relayed to a distant point, e.g. to alert the next sentry, signalman or the like that his colleague had fallen asleep.
  • the secondary stimulus may take the form of a signal which positively effects some further action, e.g. stopping a train being driven by someone who is drowsy.
  • Figure 1 shows schematically a simple attention monitor for use by long distance coach drivers.
  • FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram for a skin resistance monitor i accordance with the invention
  • Figure 3 is an alternative circuit.
  • this shows a coach driver 1 sitting at the wheel 2 of a schematically indicated coach 3.
  • a control box 4 connected electrically by a flexible lead 5 to a bandage 6 around the palm of the driver's left hand and by a second electrical lead 7 to a pair of headphones 8 worn by the driver.
  • Within the bandage 6 is a pair of metal electrodes 9 of known type which come into contact with the skin of the palm of the driver and which are a suitable distance apart to measure the resistance between them.
  • Control box 4 continuously monitors this resistance electronically.
  • control box 4 If the driver loses concentration or begins to fall asleep, the electrical skin resistance of his volar surfaces rises, and this is detected by control box 4 as a rise in the resistance between the electrodes 9 set in bandage 6. A suitable electronic oscillator is thereby actuated and a high pitched buzz or other alarm sound transmitted via lead 7 to headphones 8. This startles the driver back into a state of concentration, whereupon the electrical skin resistance drops, this is detected by the control box and the noise in the headphones stops and remains stopped so long as the driver remains concentrating.
  • the device is a simple portable device having a bandage, earphones and a control box suitably battery operated and with a simple solid state circuit therein.
  • the three components of this simple system are hardwired together but in certain circumstances this may be inconvenient and the signals may be transmitted at some stage in known fashion, e.g. via a radio or microwave signal, ultrasonically or via infra-red radiation.
  • the control box and alarm system could, in such a case, be a built-in fixture powered by a mains or vehicular electric supply.
  • FIG. 2 this shows one example of a circuit suitable for incorporation in control box 4.
  • the circuit shows a bleeper B, but this may of course be the headphones 8 connected to a box 4 via a suitable plug/socket connection.
  • the electrode assembly in the embodiment illustrated consists of a pair of skin-contacting electrodes 9 which are held, e.g. by a suitable elastic bandage device 10, against the palm of the hand of the person in question. he two electrodes 9 are connected via twin flex 11 to a jack plug 12 which is inserted into jack Jl shown on the left in Figure 2.
  • the bandage 10 may have cooperating burr fastener pieces 13, 14 to enable it to be easily applied and removed.
  • the electrode configuration and arrangements may vary widely, and electrodes can be incorporated into a glove, finger-ring, finger-stall or even in the knob on a "dead-man's handle" device as used in railway locomotives.
  • the circuit in box 4 takes this into account and according to a preferred feature of the invention the circuit should be self-calibrating, first effectively measuring the volar skin resistance and then registering a rise if one occurs. It has furthermore become evident that there is a fairly long "settling in” period for simple metal electrodes in contact with the skin, so for some minutes after the electrodes have been placed against the volar surface, there is a gradual settling in and the electrical skin resistance appears to drop gradually, preferably the circuitry is designed to accommodate this phenomenon also. This may be done in one of two ways:
  • the circuitry is designed to 0 self-calibrate, i.e. to change its "alarm” threshold if the skin resistance drops more than a predetermined "settling in” threshold.
  • the 5 circuitry may include a delay mechanism which renders it inactive for e.g. 5 or 10 minutes after switching on, whereafter it will monitor the skin resistance and emit a stimulus if it rises by more than a predetermined threshold, as usual.
  • the skin contact electrodes are connected via a jack socket Jl shown on the left-hand 5 side of the diagram.
  • Power is supplied via a jack socket J2 on the right-hand side of the diagram.
  • a constant current generator consisting of TRl and IC3.
  • the value of the collector current of TRl is selected by the value of voltage applied to the non-inverting input of IC3.
  • This value is in turn derived from a IM potentiometer RV3 which has a voltage applied across it from the output of a ten stage binary counter IC6 which drives an R/2R ladder network shown to the left of IC6 in the drawing. On powering up the circuit, IC6 resets to zero.
  • IC1 and IC2 are FET input operation amplifiers (type Ca 3140) and the voltage at A is reduced by Rl and R2 to give a voltage at point B which is within the common mode range of both IC1 and IC2.
  • the increase in attention thereby generated causes the electrical skin resistance to drop so the voltage at point B rises again and when this voltage, which is applied to the inverting input of IC1, corresponds to the voltage on the non-inverting input of ICl then the output of IC1 goes low again causing IC4/1 which is connected thereto via 1 Megohm resistor to produce a positive pulse which is transmitted to the reset port on IC6. This causes re-calibration to occur. If it is not desired to re-calibrate, a switch may be used to ground the input of IC4/1.
  • the time delay network (1 Megohm resistor plus 4.7 F capacitor) between ICl and IC4/4 ensures that the bleeper sounds for a minimum time as soon as it is triggered.
  • re-calibration can be effected at any time by pushing the CAL button which likewise puts a 9 volt positive pulse into the reset input of IC6.
  • the input of IC3 is applied to an inverting amplifier IC5 so the higher the output of IC3, the lower of IC5.
  • the level at which the alarm is triggered by ICl is set by varying RV1 and if the electrode resistance is about 2 Megohms, then the alarm level with the component values indicated may be set to about 20 per cent. This once done, the output of IC5 is adjusted by varying RV4 to give the same voltage at point C. At this point, no current flows into IC5.
  • the circuit has the additional advantages of demonstrating instantly if it is working incorrectly. If, on switch on, jack 1 is open circuit, either because nothing is plugged in or because the electrodes are not 20 attached to the user, the voltage at point B remains high on switch on and the bleeper sounds continuously to indicate that the electrodes have not been properly connected or that there is an open circuit.
  • the system starts to calibrate itself as previously mentioned but even when IC6 is counted through completely the highest voltage will be insufficient to pull down point B to the calibration level.
  • the counter IC6 will accordingly step past its 10th output to its 11th output 2 Q and as shown this is connected via a diode to the input of IC4/4 which in turn drives the bleeper via TR2.
  • a 10K resistor may be inserted in series with the bleeper by means of a loud/soft switch to vary the bleeper volume.
  • Figure 3 shows an alternative circuit in which compared to Figure 2 IC5 and associated circuitry is omitted. Compared with the circuit of Figure 2, the calibration range runs from 2 Megohms down to 45 Kilohms ( Figure 2, 330 Kilohms), and the alarm trigger threshold is now at a constant percentage increase over the whole calibration range. The percentage increase required to trigger the alarm may be set anywhere from about 50% to about 320% by altering the setting of RV1.
  • calibration at the higher volar resistances is very fast and no calibration pips are produced above an interelectrode resistance of about 1 Megohm.
  • Low resistance subjects may need a small threshold or a large one, depending on whether they exhibit only a small volar skin resistance increase when drowsy, or whether their skin resistance rises proportionately very rapidly.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Pathology (AREA)
  • Molecular Biology (AREA)
  • Nuclear Medicine, Radiotherapy & Molecular Imaging (AREA)
  • Radiology & Medical Imaging (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Biophysics (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Biomedical Technology (AREA)
  • Heart & Thoracic Surgery (AREA)
  • Medical Informatics (AREA)
  • Dermatology (AREA)
  • Surgery (AREA)
  • Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Public Health (AREA)
  • Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
  • Sustainable Development (AREA)
  • Sustainable Energy (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Measurement Of The Respiration, Hearing Ability, Form, And Blood Characteristics Of Living Organisms (AREA)

Abstract

L'attention ou la concentration est contrôlée en contrôlant un paramètre physiologique corrélatif. La résistance cutanée palmaire est le paramètre choisi. Dans un mode pratique de réalisation, une paire d'électrodes, p.ex. dans un bandage (6) peuvent être fixées sur la main d'une personne, p.ex. un conducteur d'autocar de long trajet, et la résistance cutanée palmaire est contrôlée par une boîte appropriée (4) à circuits électroniques. Si la résistance monte et dépasse une valeur prédéterminée, un stimulus p.ex. une tonalité perceptible à l'oreille grâce à un casque (8) peut être émise pour alerter le conducteur et accroître sa concentration.
EP19840903179 1983-08-18 1984-08-20 Controle de l'attention Withdrawn EP0154638A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB8322264 1983-08-18
GB8322264A GB8322264D0 (en) 1983-08-18 1983-08-18 Monitoring attention
GB8410054A GB2146468B (en) 1983-08-18 1984-04-18 Monitoring attention
GB8410054 1984-04-18

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0154638A1 true EP0154638A1 (fr) 1985-09-18

Family

ID=26286774

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19840903179 Withdrawn EP0154638A1 (fr) 1983-08-18 1984-08-20 Controle de l'attention

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0154638A1 (fr)
WO (1) WO1985000785A1 (fr)

Families Citing this family (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB9424116D0 (en) * 1994-11-28 1995-01-18 Williams Deryk J P Driver warning device
US6172610B1 (en) * 1999-04-08 2001-01-09 Robert S. Prus Sleeping driver detector and alarm system
NO313534B1 (no) 1999-06-01 2002-10-21 Hanne Storm Apparat og fremgangsmåte for overvåkning og fremgangsmåte for styring av et varselsignal
NO317897B1 (no) 2002-05-08 2004-12-27 Hanne Storm Apparat og fremgangsmate for a overvake det autonome nervesystemet hos en sedert pasient.
CN106725537A (zh) * 2016-12-06 2017-05-31 北京欧德蒙科技有限公司 基于人体皮肤电的疲劳分析方法及系统
CN111067549B (zh) * 2019-10-01 2024-11-08 浙江凡聚科技有限公司 基于沉浸式的手脚部混合的注意力测训装置及系统
US12623598B2 (en) 2024-09-17 2026-05-12 Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University Alert system and method to alert driver of vehicle

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3026503A (en) * 1957-11-13 1962-03-20 Donald W Scheer Sleep warning system for vehicle operator
SU644461A1 (ru) * 1975-04-24 1979-01-30 Московский Ордена Ленина И Ордена Трудового Красного Знамени Институт Инженеров Железнодорожного Транспорта Устройство дл контрол уровн бодрствовани человека по величине электрического сопротивлени кожи
FR2485364A1 (fr) * 1980-06-25 1981-12-31 Commissariat Energie Atomique Appareil de detection des phenomenes psycho-physiologiques d'un sujet par mesure de la conductivite electrique de la peau

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
See references of WO8500785A1 *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO1985000785A1 (fr) 1985-02-28

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