System comprising a flexible electronic control unit for helmet strap with functionalities of safety, emergency and driving assistance

Abstract

The flexible electronic control unit 61 for helmet strap with safety, emergency and driving assistance functionalities can be installed around helmet strap 62, independently from helmet configuration. The electronic control unit is structured to execute Emergency Call or its equivalent in case of accident or fall, taking account of the related European and International regulations, with real-time transmission of user's blood pressure profile and/or derived measures to PSAP and the like while emergency call is ongoing as to support rescue organization. The electronic control unit implements also driving assistance functionalities and remote connection with vehicle control units, such as the peculiar generation of sound alert to reduce vehicle speed as a consequence of uneven bumpy street asphalt detection, as well as the peculiar generation of a synthetized voice message to the user for indications coming from the vehicle about adherence conditions and further information about its own status while travelling.

Claims

1. A safety, emergency and driving assistance system configured to be installed on a helmet, the system comprising: a) a flexible case including first and second slits adapted to receive a closure strap of the helmet; b) a semicircular ring adapted to be received within the helmet wherein the semicircular ring has a first end coupled to the case; c) a flexible electronic control unit disposed within the case, wherein the flexible electronic control unit comprises an electronic board, wherein the electronic board includes at least: i) two microprocessors, ii) two GPS receivers, iii) two batteries, iv) two mobile communication units, v) two inertial tridimensional gyroscopes; vi) two bidimensional accelerometers; d) first and second sets of three accelerometers each attached and communicatively coupled to the electronic control unit, wherein each of said first and second sets of three accelerometers include a first accelerometer coupled to the semicircular ring and configured to be located proximate to one ear of the user, a second accelerometer coupled to the semicircular ring and configured to be located proximate to the other ear of the user, and a third accelerometer coupled an intermediate distance along the semicircular ring and configured to be located proximate a nape of a neck of a user; e) an external microphone mounted on the semicircular ring, wherein the external microphone is communicatively coupled to the electronic control unit; f) a first external loudspeaker mounted on the semicircular ring proximate to the first end of the semicircular ring and configured to be located proximate one ear of a user, wherein the first external loudspeaker is communicatively coupled to the electronic control unit; g) a second external loudspeaker mounted on the semicircular ring and configured to be located proximate the other ear of the user, wherein the second external loudspeaker is communicatively coupled to the electronic control unit; h) a wireless receiver attached to the case and wherein the wireless receiver is adapted to receive an external wireless signal and communicate the signal to the user through the first and second external loudspeakers; i) first and second blood pressure sensors attached to the case, wherein the first and second blood pressure sensors are configured to contact a user's skin when the helmet is being worn; and j) a push button mounted to the case and configured to manually activate an emergency call when actuated.

2. The safety, emergency and driving assistance system in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a Hall-effect sensor configured to be mounted onto a helmet lock disposed on the helmet strap, wherein the Hall-effect sensor is electrically coupled to electronic control unit and operable to sense when the helmet lock is closed.

3. The safety, emergency and driving assistance system in accordance with claim 1 wherein each of the two microprocessors on the electronic board is configured to: a) acquire a measurement of response peak of signals from the said accelerometers located proximate the nape of neck of the user and from the said gyroscopes on the electronic board and calculate from at least one of said accelerometers located proximate the nape of neck of the user and said gyroscopes if a pitch overturn has occurred, b) acquire a measurement of response peak along the X axis of at least one accelerometer on the electronic board and calculate if a frontal impact of the user's head has occurred, and c) command delivery of at least one emergency message which provides a real-time blood pressure profile of a user as measured by at least one of the first and second blood pressure sensors.

4. The safety, emergency and driving assistance system in accordance with claim 1 wherein each microprocessor is configured to acquire a measurement of a response peak along a Z axis of at least one of said bidimensional accelerometers and calculate a possible presence of uneven or bumpy asphalt and command the loudspeakers to play a sound alert.

5. The safety, emergency and driving assistance system in accordance with claim 1 wherein the electronic control unit is configured to communicate with a user's vehicle, wherein the electronic control unit communicates adherence conditions while the vehicle is moving, and wherein the electronic control unit includes a voice message database and wherein the electronic control unit is configured to select a voice message from said voice message database coherent with the adherence conditions and command the loudspeakers to play the voice message.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) To the present Description drawings n.3 are attached, whose content is explained in following Table n.1 and which are intended to be an elementary illustration of the main characteristics of the system, not preventing other embodiments to be used for the production of the system, as long as they are coherent with the present Description. The meaning associated to the indexes in drawings is reported in Table n.2.

(2) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 FIG. n. Associated representation FIG. n.1 Drawing of the system which is object of present description FIG. n.2 Drawing of the system installed on a generic helmet - Frontal view FIG. n.3 Drawing of the system installed on a generic helmet - Transverse section, bottom view

(3) TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 In- dex n. Associated meaning  61 Flexible electronic control unit - Case  62 Helmet strap 611 Helmet lock, that is to say the component which closes the helmet strap, containing an integrated Hall-effect sensor 612 Switch for manual activation of emergency call, here represented as a pushbutton 63 Semicircular ring fixed to the case of the electronic control unit 631 Anchorage point for the lateral couple of external accelerometric sensors n.1 and for speakers 632 Anchorage point on the nape of user's neck for the couple of external accelerometric sensors n.2 633 Anchorage point for the lateral couple of external accelerometric sensors n.3 and for speakers 613 Narrow openings in the shape of slits on the internal side of the flexible electronic control unit through which the helmet strap is inserted 614 Measuring point for the blood pressure sensors 634 Anchorage point for a couple of microphones 615 Red LED light for visual signaling of system status (diagnostics) 616 Amber LED light for visual signaling of system status (diagnostics) 617 Green LED light for visual signaling of system status (diagnostics)

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(4) The flexible electronic control unit for helmet strap 61 is implemented internally with parallel-redundant electrical architecture to reach fault tolerance, which is identified with technical term of “fail-safe” architecture, containing therefore two twin control systems made with identical components working in functional redundant parallelism; in this way, in case of single failure inside one of the two control systems, the overall system functionalities are not lost and continue to be working, treating them as high-level safety functionalities.

(5) The two control systems, internal to the electronic control unit, are so composed: 1.b) Control system n.1 is composed with internal battery system as power supply, microprocessor, mobile communication unit implementing UMTS or superior technologies if possible, GPS receiver, gyroscope for measurement of roll and pitch angles, two-axial accelerometric sensor with X axis directed along vehicle speed direction, Z axis in vertical direction towards the ceiling and a blood pressure sensor. To control system n.1 three external accelerometric sensors are also connected to measure dynamically the pressure exerted from outside to inside the helmet, two of which placed along vehicle lateral direction, that is to say transversal to vehicle longitudinal direction, 631 633 and one placed on the nape of user's neck 632. To control system n.1 two loudspeakers are connected through electrical wiring; control system n.1 contains also a wired cabled output through which a microphone is connected. A semicircular structure, for example a semicircular ring, 631 shall be installed inside the helmet as mechanical support to the external accelerometers 631 632 633, the microphone 634 and the loudspeakers 631 632; 2.b) Control system n.2 is symmetric to control system n.1, therefore it contains internal battery system as power supply, microprocessor, mobile communication unit implementing UMTS or superior technologies if possible, GPS receivers, gyroscope for measurement of roll and pitch angles, two-axial sensor with X axis placed along vehicle speed direction and Z axis placed along vertical direction towards the ceiling and a blood pressure sensor. To control system n.2 a second tern of accelerometers 631 632 633, measuring dynamic pressure from outside to inside the helmet, is connected through wires. Two sensors of the tern are placed along vehicle lateral direction, transversal to longitudinal vehicle speed direction 631 633; the third sensor is placed on the nape of user's neck 632. To control system n.2 two further loudspeakers are connected through wires; the control system n.2 contains also an electrical output with attached wire for microphone. The accelerometers are installed on the same semicircular structure as described in previous point “1.b”, which is the mechanical support for a second redundant microphone 634 and the two redundant loudspeakers and their related wired connection, as per FIG. n.3; 3.b) To both control system n.1 and control system n.2 following elements are connected: An integrated switch to manually activate Emergency Call on user need, i.e. a push button 612; A Hall-effect inductive sensor to detect the closure of the helmet lock, that is to say the component which closes the helmet strap 611; A single receiver for remote communication with vehicle electronic control units; the receiver might be implemented with any connection technology provided in on-board systems and it is provided with an independent power supply.

(6) It is implicitly intended that the electronic control unit will be provided also with a proper memory to perform its operations, which is considered as part of the state of the art and it is not therefore here further described.

(7) It is also implicitly intended that the system contains also two inputs on which the two electrical outputs for microphone are connected; thanks to the presence of two electrical outputs with attached wires for microphone in the flexible electronic control unit, the system can be designed to have one microphone connected with two wires to the two control systems or equivalently one microphone unit connected with two wires to the two control systems, where with the term microphone unit is intended as an array of or a bunch of microphones and the like which are activated in turns through a dedicated logic, or two redundant microphones, one for each control unit, or any further possible architecture; therefore, although the minimum architecture provides one microphone, the most advisable system architecture is with two microphones.

(8) Externally, the electronic control unit appears as a flexible rectangular component, therefore as a flexible case 61 surrounding an internal flexible electronic board, with dimensions comparable with the helmet strap 62. The electronic control unit for helmet strap is provided with a case 61 with at least two narrow openings in the shape of slits 613 on its back baseplate so as to insert a portion of the helmet strap inside; the two sides of the helmet strap are connected on the closure of the helmet lock, that is to say of the component which closes the helmet strap 611, mechanically and electrically connected to one side of the electronic control unit. The above cited narrow openings in the shape of slits 613 shall be produced with any method which maintains the structural integrity of the case, that is to say which keeps the structure of the case intact; therefore, the slits 613 shall be obtained without the creation of structural discontinuities in the case; as example, no fracture, hole or crack in the baseplate of the case is allowed as slit 613 through which the helmet strap can be inserted; vice versa, a narrow loop or a flat loop in the shape of a belt loop applied on the baseplate or a part of the flexible material of the baseplate bent as a folder and closed on two sides of its perimeter forms two slits 613 through which the helmet strap can be inserted. Laterally, on the opposite side of the component which closes the helmet strap 611, a semicircular structure, for example a semicircular ring, 631 is fixed to the electronic control unit; the structure shall be inserted inside the helmet and contains the two terns of accelerometers 631 632 633, at least one microphone or better two microphones at most 634 and the loudspeakers 631 633 as previously described and as per FIG. n.2 and FIG. n.3. Mobile communication units and GPS antennas shall be placed towards the outside, that is to say on the front side of the electronic control unit; vice versa, blood pressure sensors shall be placed in contact with user's skin 614, therefore on the back baseplate of electronic control unit, next to the narrow openings in the shape of slits 613 and with sensor surface not covered from the helmet strap 62 or from the component which closes the helmet strap 611. A first example for obtaining this result consists in the realization of one or more openings, that is to say slots, on the backside of the case of the electronic control unit to support two blood pressure sensors 614 and of one or more openings on the front side of the same dedicated to the switch 612, as per FIG. n.2. However, a second possible embodiment consists in the switch 612 left completely inside the case 61; the switch 612 can be easily pressed since the case 61 is made with flexible material and, for the fact that no opening for the switch 612 is created in this embodiment, the structure of the case results continuous and more robust. In the same way, structural discontinuities, that is to say cracks, fractures, holes, cuts and empty spaces in the structure of the case 61 and the like, shall be avoided in the realization of the case 61; taking account of the solutions previously explained for the narrow openings in the shape of slits 613 and for the switch 612, this condition can be completely reached for example in the following way: the case 61 is made through the bond of planar continuous surfaces which constitute the faces of the case; the external corners of the element composing the case 61 are made with a round profile following a concave curve, as not to create part of a hole; the passage for the wires which connect the external sensors on the semicircular ring and the blood pressure sensors with the internal components of the electronic control unit is created placing the wires between the bonded edges of the elements which compose the case 61, which shall be aligned and firmly joint, so as to keep the continuity of the structure of the case 61. More in general, for any other possible embodiment, whenever it is strictly necessary to create a space in the case to insert an object, this shall be completely filled with a flexible bonding material to create a bond between the inserted object and the case 61.

(9) Other elements might be present in the case for purposes already known at the state of the art and therefore here not further explained; in these cases, all the considerations about the system's properties made in this document apply. For example, as to complete system's Human-Machine Interface HMI, three additional LEDs could be present for visual on-system diagnostics, as known from the state of the art and as shown in FIG. n.1, where the three LEDs are a red LED light 615 to indicate permanent failure, an amber LED light 616 to indicate an error not precluding system's functionalities and a green LED light 617 to confirm the correct status of the system, ready for operation.

(10) The electronic control unit 61 shall turn on when user fastens the two sides of the helmet strap 62 through the helmet lock, that is to say the component which closes the helmet strap 611, thanks to the Hall-effect sensor. The signal from inductive sensor activates both blood pressure sensors 614; if pressure is measured as positive, the system detects that user has just worn the helmet and turns all accelerometers and gyroscopes on, which are connected to both control systems as previously described and will be operating for the whole travel duration, as long as user does not manually open the helmet lock, that is to say the component which closes the helmet strap 611, and if no emergency call is ongoing at the moment of the opening of the helmet strap, that is to say the component which closes the helmet strap 611.

(11) While travelling, each control system composing electronic control unit memorizes cyclically within time intervals of at least 16 seconds: Measurement of roll and pitch angles; Accelerometric peak along longitudinal vehicle speed direction, therefore along X axis; positive and negative values of acceleration shall be identifiable; Force peak or pressure peak from outside to the inside of the helmet, which shall be measured and registered through the two available terns of accelerometers placed on the semicircular ring inside the helmet.

(12) While travelling, the accelerometric sensors placed inside the electronic control unit measure variations along vertical Z axis; if the measured values for accelerometric signal and the pitch angle for not-null vehicle speed are detected periodically above thresholds, the system detects the presence of potholes and humps in street asphalt, that is to say uneven bumpy asphalt; therefore, it advices the user for speed reduction through a sound alert, as long as at least one of the two measured signals along Z axis from operating sensors is over threshold.

(13) If at least one of the two control systems composing the electronic control unit detects in a minimum time interval, that is to say a minimum time window, of 16 seconds the following travelling conditions: Pitch angle above vehicle overturning threshold or Side fall detected through helmet pressure peak measurement in coherence with roll angle measurement or Backward fall detected through helmet pressure or force peak on the nape of user's neck in coherence with pitch angle value or Accelerometric peak along X axis, depicting a frontal anelastic impact, control system n.1 activates automatically procedure for Emergency Call, therefore it turns the mobile communication unit and the GPS receiver on and prepares the emergency message, that is MSD for European application containing information required as per EN 15722:2015 (date, time and place of accident, vehicle type, motor type, etc.) as well as user's blood pressure profile or its derived measures, such as heartbeat value for 3 seconds after the accident, so as to understand user's health status after the event, or a first indication regarding the severity level of the accident derived from the same blood pressure profile. Control system n.1 executes voice call towards Public Safety Answering Point “PSAP” directly or with third-party support, as per EN 16072:2015 and EN 16102:2011 respectively.

(14) Obviously, for applications not involving a vehicle provided with VIN as depicted and explained in the points “a.”, “b.”, “c.”, “d.” and “e.” of the previous “Technical Field”, the data contained in the emergency message can be adapted taking as reference the structure of MSD.

(15) At the moment of the detected accident also control system n.2 activates its GPS receiver and the mobile communication unit and prepares the emergency message, that is to say the MSD for European application, with user's blood pressure profile or its derived measures, as previously described. Control system n.2 waits for confirmation of Emergency Call execution from control system n.1 through a proper electric signal between microprocessors. If confirmation is not received, control system n.2 sends the emergency message, that is to say the MSD for European application, together with user's blood pressure profile and, if possible, further derived measures as previously described to PSAP or the like and substitutes control system n.1 in the activation of the voice call. Control system n.2 shall be ready to execute operations for the whole duration of Emergency Call as long as the call-closing command is not received and shall be able to substitute control system n.1 in case of failures or in case of lack of power supply while in emergency condition.

(16) In case of normal operation, that is to say if control system n.1 is correctly working without failures, the PSAP or the like will continue to receive from control system n.1 MSD consequent messages containing real-time measurement of user's blood pressure profile or its derived measures or indications, if not differently requested from PSAP, as previously described.

(17) The system shall keep Emergency Call alive as long as it is not closed from PSAP, also in case the user opens the component which closes the helmet strap 611 to unfasten the helmet strap. The electronic control unit for helmet strap 61 is designed so that on user switch pressure 612 Emergency Call or an equivalent authorized service is immediately executed as above described.

(18) In case the riding activity requires the user to wear a helmet, or in case the helmet is advised for riding, and the cycle, motorcycle or vehicle is provided with a wireless communication unit, the electronic control unit for helmet strap may include a wireless communication unit compatible with the technology installed on vehicle, so as to let it send commands to the system for multiple purposes, also for playing predefined voice messages; precisely, in case of availability of a wireless receiver on the user's vehicle, the system receives information sent from on-board electronic control units about adherence conditions while vehicle is moving, selects a synthetized voice message coherent with received information and commands loudspeakers installed on the semicircular ring to play it. In this way, user may automatically hear indications about adherence conditions and further information about vehicle's status, vehicle's sensors detection, vehicle's route and the like; in other words, only for the above cited functionality, the system works also as part of the vehicle's Human-Machine Interface HMI.

(19) It can be promptly realized from those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes can be made to the present invention without following the example embodiments and applications illustrated and described in the present document, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.