Non-Invasive Detection of Respiration and Heart Rate with a Vehicle Seat Sensor

Abstract

This study demonstrates the feasibility of using a seat sensor designed for occupant classification from a production passenger vehicle to measure an occupant’s respiration rate (RR) and heart rate (HR) in a laboratory setting. Relaying occupant vital signs after a crash could improve emergency response by adding a direct measure of the occupant state to an Advanced Automatic Collision Notification (AACN) system. Data was collected from eleven participants with body weights ranging from 42 to 91 kg using a Ford Mustang passenger seat and seat sensor. Using a ballistocardiography (BCG) approach, the data was processed by time domain filtering and frequency domain analysis using the fast Fourier transform to yield RR and HR in a 1-min sliding window. Resting rates over the 30-min data collection and continuous RR and HR signals were compared to laboratory physiological instruments using the Bland-Altman approach. Differences between the seat sensor and reference sensor were within 5 breaths per minute for resting RR and within 15 beats per minute for resting HR. The time series comparisons for RR and HR were promising with the frequency analysis technique outperforming the peak detection technique. However, future work is necessary for more accurate and reliable real-time monitoring of RR and HR outside the laboratory setting.

Vital Sign Monitoring in Car Seats Based on Electrocardiography, Ballistocardiography and Seismocardiography: A Review

“…In 2018, Wusk and Gabler [ 74 ] introduced an estimate of the cardiorespiratory function obtained using the BCG sensor in the passenger seat of the Ford Mustang, where the authors suggested using a “fluid-filled bladder attached to a solid-phase pressure transducer” as a sensor. The study contained the data collected from eleven volunteers, and the whole study was carried out in controlled laboratory conditions.…”

Unobtrusive Vital Sign Monitoring in Automotive Environments—A Review

“…Very recently, in 2018, Wusk and Gabler presented heart and respiratory rate estimation obtained with a BCG sensor in a Ford Mustang passenger seat [ 78 ]. As a sensor, the authors proposed using a “fluid filled bladder connected to a solid-state pressure transducer”.…”

Sensing and Connection Systems for Assisted and Autonomous Driving and Unmanned Vehicles

“…To this aim, Ref. [7] from Virginia Tech, USA, demonstrates the feasibility of using a seat sensor designed for occupant classification from a production passenger vehicle to measure an occupant’s respiration rate (RR) and heart rate (HR). Relaying occupant vital signs after a crash could improve emergency response by adding a direct measure of the occupant state to an Advanced Automatic Collision Notification (AACN) system.…”

“…The proposed special issue has invited submissions related to sensing and connectivity systems for assisted and autonomous driving and for unmanned aerial, underwater and ground vehicles (namely UAV, UUV and UGV) [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12]. Recent studies on the future of the automotive and robotic industry predict that the borders between the ICT (Information and Communication Technology) industry and the consumer industry will blur, and that vehicles will become consumer-centric [13].…”