WO2024069914A1

WO2024069914A1 - Safety system

Info

Publication number: WO2024069914A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/036635
Authority: WO
Inventors: 輝一守屋
Original assignee: 株式会社スタディーズ
Priority date: 2022-09-30
Filing date: 2022-09-30
Publication date: 2024-04-04
Also published as: JP7304112B1

Abstract

[Problem] The prior art has the problem of bringing about extremely hazardous conditions due to the rotation of a wheel being locked even when a vehicle is ridden, if it is sensed, because of a malfunction of a contact point, etc., that a helmet is not worn. [Solution] In order to solve the above problem, provided is a safety system comprising: a helmet part that is configured to be capable of being attached to a helmet; and a lock part that is configured to be capable of being attached to a vehicle and can lock the vehicle. The helmet part is provided with a wear sensor that senses when the helmet is worn. The lock part includes a lock mechanism with which the lock of the vehicle is released by a manual unlocking action, and a permission unit that permits the manual unlocking action on the lock mechanism if the wear sensor has sensed that the helmet is worn.

Description

Safety Systems

The present invention relates to a safety system that encourages people to wear helmets when riding bicycles or other vehicles, thereby reducing the risk of death from head injuries.

Most fatal injuries in bicycle accidents are head injuries. One reason for this is that wearing helmets is not mandatory in Japan. As a result, helmet use rates are low when riding bicycles, leading to serious accidents caused by head injuries. It has also been reported that the fatality rate is 2.5 times higher when not wearing a helmet than when wearing one.

It is also common for parents to encourage their children to wear helmets, but it is known that there are a certain number of children who take their helmets off when they are out of their parents' sight, so wearing helmets all the time has not yet become a common practice.

In light of this situation, there is technology that makes it impossible to ride a bicycle without a helmet, encouraging people to wear one. For example, the invention in Patent Document 1 discloses a system in which electrical contacts are provided inside the helmet and in the belt buckle, and the connection of these contacts detects whether the helmet is being worn, and when it is detected that the helmet is being worn, restrictions on wheel rotation are lifted, allowing the rider to ride.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,973,652

However, with the invention of Patent Document 1, if the helmet is shifted out of place due to some kind of force or if a contact malfunction occurs, it will detect that the helmet is not being worn, and this detection result will lock the rotation of the wheels even when the rider is riding, creating the problem of an extremely dangerous situation.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following safety system. That is, the safety system is made up of a helmet part that can be attached to a helmet, and a lock part that can be attached to a vehicle and can lock the vehicle, and the helmet part has a wearing sensor that detects that the helmet is worn, and the lock part has a lock mechanism that unlocks the vehicle when manually unlocked, and an authorization unit that permits manual unlocking of the lock mechanism when the wearing sensor detects that the helmet is worn.

This invention encourages drivers to wear helmets, and also prevents them from falling into the dangerous situation of immediately locking up the wheels if it is mistakenly detected that they are not wearing a helmet.

A conceptual diagram showing an overview of the safety system of this embodiment. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a safety system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Conceptual diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration that realizes a safety system A flow chart showing an example of a helmet part processing flow. FIG. 11 is a flow diagram showing an example of a process flow until release of a locking mechanism in a locking part is permitted.

The following describes embodiments of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the present invention should not be limited to these embodiments, and may be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

<Example>
＜Overview＞
In the safety system of this embodiment, manual unlocking is permitted to release the bicycle lock mechanism when the helmet is worn. Since a helmet must be worn in order to ride the bicycle, the rider is encouraged to wear a helmet when riding. However, the locking and unlocking of the lock mechanism are not directly linked to wearing the helmet, and manual unlocking is required, which is characteristic of the system in that it is possible to avoid situations in which the bicycle locks up while riding due to malfunction or false detection.

The following describes the functions and processing flow of the safety system, as well as the contents of the hardware. The functional blocks of the safety system described below can be realized as a combination of hardware and software. Specifically, if a computer is used, this can include hardware components such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), main memory, bus, or secondary storage device (hard disk drive or non-volatile memory, input devices used for information input, printers, display devices, and other external peripheral devices, as well as interfaces for the external peripheral devices, communication interfaces, driver programs and other application programs for controlling the hardware, and user interface applications. The CPU performs calculations according to the programs deployed in the main memory, and processes and stores data input from input devices and other interfaces and stored in memory or on the hard disk, and generates commands to control the above hardware and software. Alternatively, the functional blocks of this system can be realized by dedicated hardware.

In addition, this invention can be realized not only as a system, but also as a method. Furthermore, a part of such an invention can be configured as software. Furthermore, the program used to cause a computer to execute such software, and the recording medium on which the program is fixed, are naturally included in the technical scope of this invention (the same applies throughout this specification).

<Functional configuration>
＜Overview＞
Fig. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an overview of the safety system of this embodiment, Fig. 1(a) shows a helmet 101, and Fig. 1(b) shows a portion where a lock part 105 is attached to a bicycle frame (back fork). A belt 102 of the helmet 101 is equipped with a helmet part 103. This helmet part 103 is equipped with a heart rate sensor 104 and can detect when a person is wearing the helmet.

The bicycle is fitted with a lock part 105 equipped with a ring-type locking mechanism that locks the rear wheel with a bar 107, and the bar 107 can be opened and closed with a knob 106.

When the heart rate sensor 104 detects that the helmet 101 is being worn, the locking part 105 unlocks the wheels by inserting a key into the keyhole 108 and opening the latch 107 with the knob 106. In other words, the bicycle cannot be moved unless the helmet is worn. Also, light-emitting elements 109 such as LEDs may be placed around the keyhole 108 to make it easier to determine the state of the locking part 105.

On the other hand, by not directly linking the detection results of the heart rate sensor 104 with unlocking, but instead involving the act of manually unlocking the door, it is possible to prevent dangerous incidents such as the bicycle locking up while riding, as occurs in the prior art.

<Configuration>
2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the safety system according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the safety system 200 includes a helmet part 201, a wearing sensor 202, a lock part 203, an enabling unit 204, and a lock mechanism 205.

The helmet part 201 is configured to be attachable to a helmet, and can be attached to a belt that is fastened around the chin, for example, as shown in FIG. 1. The helmet part 201 may be attached to the shell of the helmet, but in order to attach the helmet part 201 to a ready-made helmet with no or minimal processing, it is preferable to attach it to the belt. A specific embodiment for attaching the helmet part 201 to the belt may use, for example, a known attachment device such as a clip or hook-and-loop fastener.

The wearing sensor 202 is provided in the helmet part 201 and detects that the helmet is being worn using some kind of sensor. There are various possible types of sensor. For example, a pressure sensor or a temperature sensor may be used to detect contact with the human body and thereby detect that the helmet is being worn.

The preferred wearable sensor is a heart rate sensor that can detect heart rates unique to humans. Using a heart rate sensor as the wearable sensor reduces the likelihood of false detection of helmet wear.

As described above, when helmet part 201 is attached to a belt that goes around the chin, the wearing sensor 202, which is a heart rate sensor, is placed on helmet part 201 so that it is in a position where the heart rate can be detected when the helmet is put on and the belt is fastened. It is preferable to place the heart rate sensor so that it touches the nape of the neck, where the heart rate can be easily detected.

There are no particular limitations on the detection method of the heart rate sensor. Heart rate sensors are realized in various ways, including electrode type (measuring impedance fluctuations), piezoelectric type using a piezoelectric element, air tube type, capacitance type, optical type (using light absorption rate fluctuations due to hemoglobin concentration), and radio wave type. Of course, the heart rate sensor can be of any type that can detect the heart rate, not just the types exemplified above.

Furthermore, the sensor module unit may be capable of detecting biological information other than heart rate. For example, a sensor module provided in a wearable device may detect various biological information such as heart rate, blood pressure, blood oxygen saturation, respiration, brain waves, and body temperature. Such a sensor module may be used as a heart rate sensor.

The wearing sensor 202 also has the function of transmitting the detection results to the locking part 203 or the permission unit 204 included in the locking part 203. The transmitted detection results include a detection result that the helmet is being worn and a detection result that the helmet is not being worn. Since the amount of information (detection results) transmitted is not large and the transmission distance is short between the helmet and the bicycle, it is only necessary to select a means for short-range wireless communication, for example a short-range wireless communication standard such as IEEE802.15.4, which is often used in sensor networks, and this also allows for power savings. The wearing sensor that detects whether the helmet is being worn, the transmission means that transmits the detection results, and the microcomputer and battery that drive the wearing sensor and transmission means may also be configured as one unit.

Furthermore, the helmet may be equipped with an acceleration sensor or vibration sensor, which detects helmet movement, such as lifting the helmet, and the detection result may be used as a trigger to start the heart rate sensor's detection process and the transmission process of the detection result. With this configuration, since it is not expected that the helmet will be worn while riding a bicycle while the vibration sensor or the like is not detecting movement, power can be saved by switching to a power saving mode that stops the supply of power to the heart rate sensor and transmission means.

On the other hand, by detecting helmet movement, such as a child starting to move while holding the helmet, the system starts processing using the helmet parts without requiring the child to take any action to activate them, and by configuring the system to activate the locking parts in response, as described below, it is possible to reliably encourage the child to wear the helmet.

The lock part 203 is configured to be attachable to a vehicle and can lock the vehicle. The vehicle is locked by a lock mechanism 205, which will be described later. The lock part 203 can be attached to the vehicle, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, by using a known mounting bracket to a frame such as a bicycle back fork so that the vehicle can be locked.

The locking mechanism 205 is unlocked by manual unlocking, releasing the lock on the vehicle. There are no limitations on the specific means of locking the vehicle. For example, in addition to the ring lock shown in FIG. 1, a box lock (front wheel lock, front key), wire lock, U-lock (shackle lock), joint wire lock, etc. can be used. It may also be a type that locks the handlebars. In any case, it is sufficient that there is a mechanism that prevents the bicycle from moving freely, and that the locking mechanism can be released by manual unlocking. Manual unlocking can be performed by pushing in or inserting a key and turning it, or by pressing a button or turning a dial.

The permission unit 204 has a function of permitting manual unlocking of the locking mechanism 205 when the wearing sensor 202 detects that the helmet is being worn. The permission unit 204 receives the detection result that the helmet is being worn, either by itself or via a receiving means provided in the locking part.

For example, in the case of the locking mechanism 205 using a ring lock, the series of unlocking operations, inserting and turning the key and moving the knob linked to the latch, is permitted. Conversely, if the detection result indicates that the key is not being worn, all or part of the series of unlocking operations described above cannot be performed. For example, it may be possible to prevent the knob from being moved even when the key is inserted and turned, or to prevent the key from being turned or inserted in the first place. Note that the permission unit 204's permission or prohibition of manual unlocking of the locking mechanism 205 may also be expressed as controlling the unlocking of the locking mechanism (hereinafter in the specification).

In order to prevent vehicle theft, etc., it is also preferable that the lock part 203 is configured to include a means for sounding an alarm to encourage the driver to lock the vehicle when the driver has finished riding and removed the helmet. For example, when the helmet is removed, such an alarm means may sound a buzzer, and in addition or instead of this, it may be configured to appeal to the eye by flashing light-emitting elements arranged around the keyhole as shown in Figure 1 or by changing the color of the light. In this case, the alarm may be configured to stop by putting on the helmet again or by locking the vehicle.

The permission unit 204 may save power by entering a power saving mode in which power supply to each function other than the receiving means (such as means for controlling the locking mechanism 205, emitting light, and issuing an alarm) is suspended until a detection result is received from the worn sensor 202 or until communication is established between the transmitting means of the worn sensor 202 and the receiving means of the permission unit 204. When short-range wireless communication is used, the locking part 203 is started from the power saving mode when the helmet part 201 approaches within a distance where communication with the locking part 203 is possible.

As described above, the system can be configured so that starting up from the power-saving mode or changing from an activated state to the power-saving mode can be performed without requiring any special operation. This is because if an operation were required to start up, the operation could be forgotten or chosen not to be performed, making it possible to ride without wearing a helmet. Furthermore, because power is saved by switching to the power-saving mode without requiring any special operation, the frequency of actions to maintain power supply, such as battery replacement and charging, can be significantly reduced. This can prevent a situation in which frequent battery replacement and charging make use of the system cumbersome. Since the user is reliably prompted to wear a helmet during the series of actions leading up to normal riding without requiring any special operation, the risk of serious injury due to not wearing a helmet can be reduced, ensuring safe use.

<Hardware configuration>
3 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the configuration of hardware that realizes a safety system. As shown in the figure, a helmet part 300 that constitutes the safety system has a CPU 301 that performs various arithmetic processing, a RAM 302 that is a volatile recording medium, a ROM 303 that is a non-volatile storage medium, a communication interface 304, and an input/output interface 305, and is connected to a heart rate sensor 306 via the input/output interface 305. The RAM 302 reads out a program that performs various arithmetic processing to cause the CPU 301 to execute it, and provides a work area (working area) for the program. In addition, a plurality of addresses are assigned to the RAM 302, and the program executed by the CPU 301 can exchange data with each other and perform processing by identifying and accessing the address (the same applies throughout this specification).

The lock part 310 also has a CPU 311, a RAM 312 which is a volatile recording medium, a ROM 313, a communication interface 314, and an input/output interface 315, and is connected via the input/output interface 315 to, for example, an actuator 316 for permitting or prohibiting unlocking, a speaker 317 for sounding an alarm, and an LED 318 for indicating the state of the lock part.

Here, the function of the helmet part 201 constituting the safety system 200 shown in FIG. 2 is realized by an input/output interface 305 that receives the detection results of the heart rate sensor 306 shown in FIG. 3 that realizes the worn sensor 202, and a CPU 301 and RAM 302 that execute appropriate programs to drive the communication interface 304, the input/output interface 305, and the heart rate sensor 306, and transmit the detection results of the heart rate sensor 306 to the helmet part 300 via the communication interface 304, and the various programs mentioned above and the detection results of the heart rate sensor 306 can also be stored in the ROM 303.

The function of the permission unit 204 of the lock part 203 constituting the safety system 200 shown in FIG. 2 is realized by the communication interface 314 shown in FIG. 3, which receives the detection results transmitted from the wearing sensor of the helmet part, and the CPU 311 and RAM 312, which execute various programs stored in the ROM 313 as appropriate, and transmit a signal for controlling manual unlocking to the actuator 316 via the input/output interface 315 according to the received detection results, or send a signal to the speaker 317 or LED 318 that issues an alarm via the input/output interface 315.

<Processing flow>
FIG. 4 is a flow diagram showing an example of the flow of processing of the helmet part. As shown in FIG. 4, first, the movement of the helmet is detected (S401). If the movement of the helmet is not detected, the movement of the helmet is continued, and if the movement of the helmet is detected, the heartbeat sensor and the transmission means of the helmet part are activated (S402). Then, the heartbeat is detected (S403). If the movement of the heartbeat is not detected, the heartbeat is continued, and if the movement of the heartbeat is detected, the detection result of the detected heartbeat is transmitted to the lock part (S404). Furthermore, the heartbeat is detected (S405), and while the heartbeat is detected, the detection result is transmitted. This means that whether or not the helmet is being worn is transmitted to the lock part. If the heartbeat is not detected in S405, the movement of the helmet is detected (S406). If the movement of the helmet is no longer detected, the process ends.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram showing an example of the process flow until the release of the locking mechanism in the locking part is permitted. As shown in FIG. 5, first, it is determined whether or not a helmet part has approached the locking part (S501). Until it is determined that the helmet part has approached, the process of determining whether or not the helmet part has approached is continued. If it is determined that the helmet part has approached by receiving some data, the locking part starts up from the power saving mode (S502). Then, it is determined whether or not a detection result has been received from the helmet part (S503). If it is determined that no detection result has been received, it is determined whether or not a detection result has been received, and if it is determined that a detection result has been received, it is further determined whether or not the detection result is that a heartbeat has been detected (S504). If it is determined that no detection result has been received, the above-mentioned determination process of S503 is performed, and if the detection result is that a heartbeat has been detected, the release of the locking mechanism is permitted (S505).

＜Effects＞
According to this embodiment, when the wearing sensor detects that the helmet is being worn, manual release of the locking mechanism is permitted. Therefore, even if the helmet is accidentally not being worn, a dangerous situation such as the wheels immediately locking will not occur, and the driver is encouraged to wear the helmet safely and reliably.

101: Helmet 102: Belt 103: Helmet parts 104: Heart rate sensor 105: Lock parts 106: Knob 107: Latch 108: Keyhole 109: Light-emitting element 200: Safety system 201: Helmet parts 202: Wearing sensor 203: Lock parts 204: Permission unit 205: Lock mechanism

Claims

A helmet part configured to be attachable to a helmet;
A safety system comprising: a lock part configured to be attachable to a vehicle and capable of locking the vehicle;
The helmet part includes a wearing sensor that detects that the helmet is worn,
Preparation,
The lock part is
a lock mechanism that is manually unlocked to release the lock of the vehicle;
an enabling unit that enables manual unlocking of the locking mechanism when the wearing sensor detects that the helmet is being worn;
A safety system having
The safety system of claim 1, wherein the wearing sensor is activated by detecting movement of the helmet.
The safety system according to claim 2, wherein the locking mechanism is activated by the approach of the helmet part that has activated the wearing sensor.
The safety system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an alarm unit that issues an alarm when the helmet is removed.
The safety system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the wearable sensor is a heart rate sensor.
A helmet part configured to be attachable to a helmet;
A method for operating a safety system comprising: a lock part configured to be attached to a vehicle and capable of locking the vehicle, the method comprising:
The helmet part includes a wearing sensor that detects that the helmet is worn,
The lock parts include a lock mechanism that is manually unlocked to release the lock of the vehicle,
A method for operating a safety system, comprising: an authorization step of manually allowing unlocking of the locking mechanism when the wearing sensor detects that the helmet is being worn.