The present disclosure provides a wakefulness determination method for accurately determining wakefulness. The wakefulness determination method uses a respiration sensor that obtains respiratory data about respiration of a seated occupant, a calculation unit that calculates the respiratory data obtained from the respiration sensor, and a controller including a determination unit that determines a state of the seated occupant. The wakefulness determination method includes: obtaining, by the respiration sensor, respiratory data of the seated occupant; calculating, by the calculation unit, a degree of change in respiration from the obtained respiratory data; and determining, by the determination unit, wakefulness of the seated occupant by using a Bayesian filter where a probability of occurrence of drowsiness in the seated occupant for the degree of change in respiration is taken as a likelihood and the likelihood is multiplied by a prior probability of occurrence of drowsiness.

A vehicle seating system is described that can detect and optionally quantify a drowsiness state and/or and emotional state of a seat occupant in the vehicle. A seat is mounted in a vehicle and houses a wireless electromagnetic sensing system at least partially integrated into the seat. These sensed signals can be used to determine the occupant's state. When the state exceeds a threshold, then wireless stimulation emitters output a stimulation signal to the occupant to alter the emotion state or drowsiness state to move the occupant to below the threshold and to a calm state or an alert state. The system can also use additional physiological sensor to measure at least one of a heart rate, a respiration rate, or both of the occupant to be used with the electromagnetic sensing at the seat.

Bioinformation of a seated person is more accurately measured. A heartbeat measurement device for measuring heartbeat of a person seated on a vehicle seat has heartbeat sensors and a circuit substrate: the heartbeat sensors have leading wires which output electric signals corresponding to a heartbeat and constitute a transmission path for the electric signals; and the circuit substrate has input terminals which receives the electric signals output from the heartbeat sensors, and a differential amplifier which amplifies the electric signals input to the input terminals. The heartbeat sensors and the circuit substrate are disposed in positions adjacent to each other in the vehicle seat, and terminal portions of the leading wires come out from portions adjacent to the circuit board of the heartbeat sensors are connected to the input terminals in a state abutting the input terminals.

Proposed is system and method for determining a driver's fatigue to promote safe driving by determining the driver's fatigue according to a change in a brain wave of a driver during driving of a vehicle.

An in-seat experience system includes: a seat which includes a seat body, a sensor, and a seat controller allowed to acquire a measurement value from the sensor; an experience instruction device connected to the seat controller, configured to notify an occupant seated on the seat body a motion instruction and to store user identification information; and a server capable of communicating with the experience instruction device. The experience instruction device makes a determination based upon a measurement value of the sensor as to whether or not a first condition is satisfied, and to transmit a result of the determination to the server when at least the first condition is satisfied, and the server is allowed to increase a point score stored for the corresponding user identification information with a condition that the result of the determination that the first condition is satisfied is received from the experience instruction device.

A method of controlling a seat system. A physiological condition of the seat occupant may be assessed based on at least two of the heart rate, breathing rate, and heart rate variability. A countermeasure may be executed to alter the physiological condition of the seat occupant and/or data associated with the heart rate, breathing rate, and/or heart rate variability may be communicated.

A transcranial neurostimulation system for a vehicle, the transcranial neurostimulation system comprising at least one electrode formed into an article of vehicle furniture such as a headrest of a seat.

A method for a vehicle includes using sensors in a vehicle seat to detect biometrics of a person sitting in the seat and a vehicle controller determining from the biometrics of the person whether the person requires medical attention. In response to the person requiring medical attention, a request for assistance for the person is broadcasted via a V2X transceiver of the vehicle to medical practitioners of a medical practitioner network who are near a location of vehicle during the broadcasting. The medical practitioner network includes the person as a subscriber and medical practitioners as providers. Alternately, in response to the person requiring medical attention, the vehicle controller uses an autonomous vehicle control system of the vehicle to drive the vehicle to a medical facility.

A condition correction unit includes a plan storage unit configured to store correction plans showing contents of correction of the body condition of a seated person, a presentation unit configured to read a correction plan based on a current value measured by a measurement unit from the plan storage unit and present the correction plan to the seated person, and a processing execution unit configured to execute processing to correct posture by controlling an operating unit. The plan storage unit stores the correction plan presented by the presentation unit in association with information identifying the seated person when the correction plan is presented. The processing execution unit reads the correction plan associated with the information identifying the seated person from the plan storage unit, and executes the processing to correct the posture according to correction contents shown by the correction plan.

A system configured to determine a physical state of a vehicle occupant within a vehicle is described herein. The system includes an electrode in contact with the vehicle occupant and containing nano-scale metal fibers or carbon nanotubes and a controller that determines the physical state of the vehicle occupant based on an output of the electrode. The controller initiates a countermeasure based on the physical state of the vehicle occupant. A system configured to generate electricity based upon a temperature difference between a vehicle occupant and a portion of a vehicle interior is also presented herein. This system includes a thermoelectric device containing nano-scale metal fibers or carbon nanotubes. The thermoelectric device has a first side in contact with a vehicle occupant and a second side in contact with a portion of the vehicle interior. The thermoelectric device supplies electrical power to an electrical system of the vehicle.