# US 12,600,362 B2 · Diagnosis apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,600,362 B2 - Document ID: US12600362B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/560,824 - Filed: 2022-03-30 - Published: 2024-08-01 - Granted: 2026-04-14 - Earliest claimed: 2022-03-30 - Assignees: Subaru Corporation - Applicants: Subaru Corporation - Inventors: Hideki Ogawa - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12600362B2 ## CPC - B60W 40/08: related to drivers or passengers - A61B 5/16: Devices for psychotechnics (using teaching or educational appliances G09B1/00 - G09B7/00); Testing reaction times {; Devices for evaluating the psychological state} - A61B 5/18: for vehicle drivers {or machine operators} - B60W 50/14: Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention - B60W 2040/0827: {due to sleepiness} - B60W 2050/143: {Alarm means} - B60W 2050/146: {Display means} - B60W 2540/221: Physiology, e.g. weight, heartbeat, health or special needs - B60W 2540/229: Attention level, e.g. attentive to driving, reading or sleeping - B60W 2552/30: Road curve radius - B60W 2556/45: External transmission of data to or from the vehicle - 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 - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) ## Abstract A diagnosis apparatus according to an embodiment of the disclosure includes a recognition unit and a diagnosis unit. The recognition unit is configured to recognize an environment outside a vehicle. The diagnosis unit is configured to detect a reaction time of a driver to a recognition target recognized by the recognition unit, based on a driving operation timing in a driving operation unit configured to receive a driving operation of the driver related to traveling of the vehicle, and diagnose a health state of the driver based on the reaction time. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A diagnosis apparatus comprising: a recognition unit configured to recognize an environment outside a vehicle; and a diagnosis unit configured to: detect a reaction time of a driver to a recognition target recognized by the recognition unit, based on a driving operation timing in a driving operation unit that receives a driving operation of the driver related to traveling of the vehicle; and diagnose a health state of the driver based on the reaction time; and a detection unit configured to detect biometric information of the driver, wherein the diagnosis unit is configured to: estimate whether the driver feels sleepiness based on the biometric information; refrain from diagnosing that the health state is poor when the diagnosis unit estimate that the driver feels sleepiness; and diagnose the health state of the driver based on the reaction time when the diagnosis unit estimates that the driver feels no sleepiness. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the diagnosis unit is configured to diagnose the health state based on a plurality of the reaction times corresponding to a plurality of the driving operation timings. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the diagnosis unit comprises a memory configured to accumulate the reaction time of the driver, and the diagnosis unit is configured to generate a threshold based on the accumulated reaction time, and diagnose the health state by comparing the reaction time with the threshold. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit configured to notify the driver of information, wherein the diagnosis unit is configured to diagnose the health state by comparing the reaction time with a threshold, and the notification unit is configured to notify the driver of information corresponding to a result of comparison by the diagnosis unit, when the reaction time is longer than the threshold. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a communication unit configured to perform communication with an external apparatus, wherein the diagnosis unit is configured to diagnose the health state by comparing the reaction time with a threshold, and the communication unit is configured to transmit information corresponding to a result of comparison by the diagnosis unit to the external apparatus, when the reaction time is longer than the threshold. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the diagnosis unit is configured to diagnose the health state further based on a result of detecting the biometric information, in addition to the reaction time. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The diagnosis apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the notification unit is configured to notify the driver of information indicating that the driver feels sleepiness, when the diagnosis unit estimates that the driver feels sleepiness. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit configured to notify the driver of information, wherein the diagnosis unit is configured to diagnose the health state by comparing the reaction time with a threshold, and the notification unit is configured to notify the driver of information corresponding to a result of comparison by the diagnosis unit, when the reaction time is longer than the threshold is repeated a predetermined number of times. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a communication unit configured to perform communication with an external apparatus, wherein the diagnosis unit is configured to diagnose the health state by comparing the reaction time with a threshold, and the communication unit is configured to transmit information corresponding to a result of comparison by the diagnosis unit to the external apparatus, when the reaction time is longer than the threshold is repeated a predetermined number of times. ### Claim 10 A diagnosis apparatus comprising: a recognition unit configured to recognize an environment outside a vehicle; and a diagnosis unit configured to: detect a reaction time of a driver to a recognition target recognized by the recognition unit, based on a driving operation timing in a driving operation unit that receives a driving operation of the driver related to traveling of the vehicle; and diagnose a health state of the driver based on the reaction time; and a detection unit configured to detect biometric information of the driver, wherein the recognition unit is configured to recognize a curve in front of the vehicle, the diagnosis unit is configured to detect the reaction time to the curve, based on a steering operation timing of the driver, the diagnosis unit comprises a memory configured to accumulate reaction times of the driver, and the diagnosis unit is further configured to: generate a threshold based on the accumulated reaction times, and diagnose the health state by comparing the reaction time with the threshold; diagnose the health state further based on a result of detecting the biometric information, in addition to the reaction time; estimate a sleepiness level of the driver based on the biometric information; and diagnose that the driver is in a poor health state only when the reaction time exceeds the threshold and the sleepiness level is below a predetermined level. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The diagnosis apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the diagnosis unit is configured to diagnose the health state based on the reaction times accumulated in the memory corresponding to driving operation timings. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The diagnosis apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a notification unit configured to notify the driver of information, wherein the diagnosis unit is configured to diagnose the health state by comparing the reaction time with the threshold, and the notification unit is configured to notify the driver of information corresponding to a result of comparison by the diagnosis unit, when the reaction time is longer than the threshold. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The diagnosis apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a communication unit configured to perform communication with an external apparatus, wherein the diagnosis unit is configured to diagnose the health state by comparing the reaction time with the threshold, and the communication unit is configured to transmit information corresponding to a result of comparison by the diagnosis unit to the external apparatus, when the reaction time is longer than the threshold.