# US 11,079,756 B2 · Monitoring of steering wheel engagement for autonomous vehicles > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,079,756 B2 - Document ID: US11079756B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/294,541 - Filed: 2019-03-06 - Published: 2020-09-10 - Granted: 2021-08-03 - Earliest claimed: 2019-03-06 - Assignees: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Applicants: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Inventors: David Michael Herman - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11079756B2 ## CPC - G05D 1/0055: {with safety arrangements} - A61B 5/0077: {Devices for viewing the surface of the body, e.g. camera, magnifying lens} - A61B 5/01: Measuring temperature of body parts {; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue} (clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20) - A61B 5/02055: {Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature} - A61B 5/0245: by using sensing means generating electric signals, {i.e. ECG signals} - A61B 5/02455: {provided with high/low alarm devices} - A61B 5/1115: {Monitoring leaving of a patient support, e.g. a bed or a wheelchair} - A61B 5/6893: {Cars} - A61B 5/6898: {Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers} - A61B 5/7246: {using correlation, e.g. template matching or determination of similarity} - A61B 5/746: {Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms} - B60N 2/0022: {for sensing anthropometric parameters, e.g. heart rate or body temperature} - B60N 2/003: {characterised by the sensor mounting location in or on the seat} - B60Q 9/00: Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 {, e.g. haptic signalling} - B60W 50/14: Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention - G05D 1/0088: {characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours (using knowledge based models G06N5/00)} - A61B 2503/12: Healthy persons not otherwise provided for, e.g. subjects of a marketing survey - A61B 2503/22: Motor vehicles operators, e.g. drivers, pilots, captains - A61B 2562/0214: Capacitive electrodes - B60N 2210/12: Capacitive; Electric field - B60N 2210/24: Cameras - B60N 2230/10: Wired data transmission - B60N 2230/20: Wireless data transmission - B60N 2230/30: Signal processing of sensor data - B60W 2050/143: {Alarm means} - B60W 2050/146: {Display means} - B60W 2420/403: Image sensing, e.g. optical camera - B60W 2540/22: Psychological state; Stress level or workload - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - B60N: SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - B60Q: ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL - 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 ## Abstract Method and apparatus are disclosed for monitoring of steering wheel engagement for autonomous vehicles. An example vehicle includes an autonomy unit configured to perform autonomous motive functions, a steering wheel, capacitive sensors coupled to the steering wheel, a second sensor configured to monitor an operator, and a controller. The controller is configured to detect a first heart rate via the capacitive sensors, detect a second heart rate via the second sensor, identify that an engagement-imitating device is coupled to the steering wheel responsive to determining that the first heart rate does not correlate with the second heart rate, and emit an alert responsive to determining that the engagement-imitating device is coupled to the steering wheel. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle comprising: an autonomy unit configured to perform autonomous motive functions; a steering wheel; capacitive sensors coupled to the steering wheel; a second sensor configured to monitor an operator; and an onboard computing platform including a processor configured to: detect a first heart rate via the capacitive sensors; detect a second heart rate via the second sensor; identify that an engagement-imitating device is coupled to the steering wheel responsive to determining that the first heart rate does not correlate with the second heart rate; and emit an alert responsive to determining that the engagement-imitating device is coupled to the steering wheel. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the autonomy unit is configured to autonomously decelerate the vehicle responsive to the processor identifying that the engagement-imitating device is coupled to the steering wheel. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to disable the autonomy unit responsive to the processor identifying that the engagement-imitating device is coupled to the steering wheel. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to identify that the operator is holding the steering wheel responsive to determining that the first heart rate correlates with the second heart rate. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to enable the autonomy unit to perform the autonomous motive functions responsive to the processor identifying that the operator is holding the steering wheel without the engagement-imitating device being coupled to the steering wheel. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to identify that the operator is not holding the steering wheel when the processor does not detect the first heart rate and the second heart rate. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The vehicle of claim 6, wherein, responsive to identifying that the operator is not holding the steering wheel, the processor is configured to at least one of emit an alert, disable the autonomy unit, and decelerate the vehicle via the autonomy unit. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1, further including a display, wherein the alert includes a visual alert and the processor is configured to emit the visual alert via the display. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1, further including a speaker, wherein the alert includes an audio alert and the processor is configured to emit the audio alert via the speaker. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1, further including a third sensor for monitoring a third heart rate of the operator. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to identify that the engagement-imitating device is coupled to the steering wheel responsive to determining that the third heart rate does not correlate with at least one of the first heart rate and the second heart rate. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the third sensor includes at least one of a seat occupancy sensor, a seatbelt sensor, a thermometer, and a capacitive touchscreen. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1, further including a communication module configured to collect a third heart rate from a mobile device of the operator. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to identify that the engagement-imitating device is coupled to the steering wheel responsive to determining that the third heart rate does not correlate with at least one of the first heart rate and the second heart rate. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the second sensor includes a camera. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1, wherein to detect the first heart rate: one or more of the capacitive sensors is configured to collect measurements when the operator touches the steering wheel; and the processor is configured to detect a rate at which the measurements spike and that correlates with a heart rate of the operator. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1, wherein to detect the second heart rate, the processor is configured to detect a characteristic that correlates with a heart rate of the operator within images of the operator captured by the second sensor. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine that the first heart rate does not correlate with the second heart rate in response to determining that a difference between the first heart rate and the second heart rate is greater than a predefined threshold. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to normalize, filter, and align the first heart rate and the second heart rate prior to comparing the first heart rate and the second heart rate. ### Claim 20 A method for an autonomous vehicle system, the method comprising: detecting a first heart rate for an operator of a vehicle via capacitive sensors coupled to a steering wheel of the vehicle; detecting a second heart rate for the operator via a camera of the vehicle; comparing, via a processor of an onboard computing platform, the first heart rate and the second heart rate; identifying, via the processor of the onboard computing platform, that an engagement-imitating device is coupled to the steering wheel responsive to determining that the first heart rate does not correlate with the second heart rate; and emitting an alert responsive to determining that the engagement-imitating device is coupled to the steering wheel.