Vehicle Integrated Non-Intrusive Monitoring of Driver Biological Signals 2011-01-1095

A vehicle integrated sensing and analysis system has been designed, implemented, and demonstrated to nonintrusively monitor several biological signals of the driver. The biological driver signals measured by the system are the heart electrical signals or pseudo Lead-I electrocardiography (pLI-ECG), the galvanic skin response (GSR) or electrical conductance measured from the driver's fingers to palm, the palm skin temperature, the face skin temperature, and the respiration rate. The pLI-ECG and GSR measurements are made through direct contact of the driver hands with stainless steel electrodes integrated in the steering wheel rim. The temperature measurements are made with non-contacting infrared temperature sensors, also located on the steering wheel. The respiration rate was measured using a flexible thin film piezoelectric sensor affixed to the seatbelt. This system was installed in a test car and on-road driving was performed to assess the effectiveness of the integrated systems in continuously monitoring these biometric parameters over a range of driving conditions. Signals were processed in real time to estimate the short term driver heart rate and breathing rate and all analog signals were stored for additional post processing. Comparisons of the biological signals obtained from this vehicle integrated system were made with those simultaneously obtained from a medical grade measurement system. The signals from the integrated biological monitoring system may be used for assessing driver performance as a function of driver wellness, workload and stress.