# US 10,864,922 B2 · Wakefulness maintenance apparatus

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- Number: US 10,864,922 B2
- Document ID: US10864922B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/584,019
- Filed: 2019-09-26
- Published: 2020-01-16
- Granted: 2020-12-15
- Earliest claimed: 2017-03-27
- Assignees: Denso Corporation
- Applicants: Denso Corporation
- Inventors: Satori Hachisuka; Masaru Kakizaki; Eiichi Okuno
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10864922B2

## CPC

- B60K 28/066: {actuating a signalling device (B60K28/063 takes precedence)}
- B60W 50/16: Tactile feedback to the driver, e.g. vibration or force feedback to the driver on the steering wheel or the accelerator pedal
- A61M 21/00: Other devices or methods to cause a change in the state of consciousness; Devices for producing or ending sleep by mechanical, optical, or acoustical means, e.g. for hypnosis
- B60W 10/30: including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps
- B60W 40/08: related to drivers or passengers
- B60W 50/14: Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
- G06V 20/35: {Categorising the entire scene, e.g. birthday party or wedding scene}
- G06V 20/597: {Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness}
- G06V 40/165: {using facial parts and geometric relationships}
- G08G 1/16: Anti-collision systems (road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08)
- B60W 2040/0827: {due to sleepiness}
- B60W 2050/143: {Alarm means}
- B60W 2050/146: {Display means}
- 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
- B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT
- A61M: DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY (introducing media into or onto the bodies of animals A61D7/00; means for inserting tampons A61F13/26; devices for administering food or medicines orally A61J; containers for collecting, storing or administering blood or medical fluids A61J1/05); DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY (surgery A61B; chemical aspects of surgical articles A61L); DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR {(Electrotherapy, e.g. producing anaesthesia by the use of alternating or intermittent currents A61N1/36021)}
- G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING
- G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93})

## Abstract

A wakefulness maintenance apparatus includes a presentation recording unit and a presentation execution unit. The presentation recording unit records in-vehicle presentation contents each including a corresponding one of scenes, an auditory stimulus action associated with the scene, and at least one stimulus action selected from a group of a visual stimulus action, a tactile stimulus action, and an olfactory stimulus action which are associated with the scene. The presentation execution unit executes, based on the in-vehicle presentation contents recorded in the presentation recording unit, an in-vehicle presentation including provision of: the auditory stimulus action associated with the scene, and the at least one stimulus action selected from the group of the visual stimulus action, tactile stimulus action, and olfactory stimulus action which are associated with the scene.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A wakefulness maintenance apparatus comprising:
a presentation recording unit that records in-vehicle presentation contents each including:
a corresponding one of scenes,
an auditory stimulus action associated with the corresponding one of the scenes, and
at least one stimulus action selected from a group of a visual stimulus action, a tactile stimulus action, and an olfactory stimulus action which are associated with the corresponding one of the scenes; and
a presentation execution unit that executes, based on the in-vehicle presentation contents recorded in the presentation recording unit, an in-vehicle presentation including provision of:
the auditory stimulus action associated with the corresponding one of the scenes, and
the at least one stimulus action selected from the group of the visual stimulus action, tactile stimulus action, and olfactory stimulus action which are associated with the corresponding one of the scenes.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The wakefulness maintenance apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
an image acquiring unit that acquires an image from a recording apparatus capable of recording the image; and
a presentation selection unit that selects, from the in-vehicle presentation contents, one of the in-vehicle presentation contents, one of the scenes corresponding to the selected one of the in-vehicle presentation contents having a relatively high similarity to the image acquired by the image acquiring unit, wherein
the presentation execution unit is configured to execute the in-vehicle presentation based on the selected one of the in-vehicle presentation contents.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The wakefulness maintenance apparatus according to claim 2, wherein
the image acquiring unit is configured to preferentially acquire, as the image:
(A) an image having a newer date and time when the image was recorded, or
(B) an image for which a driver has a higher preference level.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The wakefulness maintenance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the presentation recording unit is configured to record each of the in-vehicle presentation contents and a corresponding magnitude of awakening effect of awakening a driver being association with each other,
the wakefulness maintenance apparatus further comprising:
a wakefulness level estimating unit that estimates a first value of a wakefulness level of a driver; and
a presentation selection unit that selects, from the in-vehicle presentation contents recorded in the presentation recording unit, one of the in-vehicle presentation contents such that, the lower the first value of the wakefulness level of the driver, the larger the magnitude of the awakening effect of the selected one of the in-vehicle presentation contents,
the presentation execution unit being configured to execute the in-vehicle presentation on the basis of the selected one of the presentation contents.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The wakefulness maintenance apparatus according to claim 4, wherein
the wakefulness level estimating unit is configured to estimate a second value of the wakefulness level after execution of the in-vehicle presentation, and
the wakefulness maintenance apparatus further comprises:
an effect estimating unit that estimates an actual magnitude of the awakening effect in accordance with the first value of the wakefulness level before execution of the in-vehicle presentation and the second value of the wakefulness level after execution of the in-vehicle presentation, and
an effect overwriting unit that overwrites an estimated value of the actual magnitude of the awakening effect into a corresponding value of the magnitude of the awakening effect recorded in the presentation recording unit.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The wakefulness maintenance apparatus according to claim 4 wherein
a first execution order of the auditory stimulus action and the at least one stimulus action selected from the group of the visual stimulus action, tactile stimulus action, and olfactory stimulus action is stored in the presentation recording unit, and
when the first value of the wakefulness level estimated by the wakefulness level estimating unit is equal to or less than a preset threshold value, the presentation execution unit is configured to set a second execution order of the auditory stimulus action and the at least one stimulus action selected from the group of the visual stimulus action, tactile stimulus action, and olfactory stimulus action to be different from the first execution order recorded in the presentation recording unit.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The wakefulness maintenance apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
an input unit that receives information input from an occupant; and
a presentation selection unit selects, from the in-vehicle presentation contents, one of the in-vehicle presentation contents according to the input information received by the input unit, wherein
the presentation execution unit is configured to execute the in-vehicle presentation based on the selected one of the in-vehicle presentation contents.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The wakefulness maintenance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the in-vehicle presentation comprises a plurality of continuous presentation units each corresponding to one of the scenes, and
a first scene in the scenes, corresponding to a first unit in the continuous presentation units, and a second scene in the scenes, corresponding to a second unit in the continuous presentation units, are dissimilar to each other, the second unit being immediately next to the first unit.