EP-4740115-A1 - A SYSTEM FOR MONITORING A WEARABLE SAFETY GEAR IN A VEHICLE AND A METHOD THEREOF

EP4740115A1EP 4740115 A1EP4740115 A1EP 4740115A1EP-4740115-A1

Abstract

The present invention provides a system (100) and a method (200) for monitoring a wearable safety gear in a vehicle. The system (100) comprises one or more image sensors (110) configured to capture real time images of a user riding the vehicle; and a processing unit (120) configured to receive the real time images of the user. The processing unit has one or more processing modules configured to determine one or more conditions of a user in relation to the wearable safety gear. The system (100) has a feedback module (130) configured to receive an input from the processing unit (120) if any one of the conditions of the user in relation to the wearable safety gear is true, and the feedback module (130) being configured to generate an output command.

Inventors

Shekhar, Sumeet
Sippy, Rajan
Adepu, Naresh
KADETHANKAR, Atharva
SHARMA, MANISH
Prashanth, Siddapura Nagaraju

Assignees

TVS Motor Company Limited

Dates

Publication Date: 20260513
Application Date: 20240419

Claims (19)

1 . A system (100) for monitoring a wearable safety gear in a vehicle, the system (100) comprising: one or more image sensors (110), the one or more image sensors (1 10) being configured to capture real time images of a user riding the vehicle; a processing unit (120), the processing unit (120) being configured to receive the real time images of the user from the one or more image sensors (1 10), and the processing unit (120) having one or more processing modules, wherein the one or more processing modules (??) being configured to determine one or more conditions of the user in relation to the wearable safety gear based on the real time images of the user; and a feedback module (130), the feedback module (130) being configured to receive an input from the processing unit (120) if any of the one more conditions of the user in relation to the wearable safety gear is true, and the feedback module (130) being configured to generate an output command.
2. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the one or more conditions of the user in relation to wearable safety gear comprises the user not wearing the wearable safety gear, wearable safety not being of optimum quality, wearable safety gear not being in compliance with the bylaws of the geographical location, and the user not wearing the wearable safety gear in a predetermined manner.
3. The system (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the processing unit (120) comprises a plurality of processing modules having at least a first processing module (122) and a second processing module (124), wherein the first processing module (122) being configured to determine whether the user is wearing the wearable safety gear as per the bylaws of the geographical location based on the real time images of the user, and the second processing module (124) being configured to determine whether the user is wearing the wearable safety gear in the predetermined manner based on the real time images of the user.
4. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the output command generated by the feedback module (130) comprises at least one of an indication to the user or limiting one or more vehicle operating parameters to a predetermined value of the vehicle operating parameter.
5. The system (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the feedback module (130) being configured to generate the output command for limiting a vehicle operating parameter to the predetermined value after the indication has been communicated to the user for a period of predetermined time.
6. The system (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the wearable safety gear comprises a helmet of quality, shape and size prescribed by the bylaws of the geographical location, and the predetermined manner of wearing the wearable safety gear comprises the helmet being effectively positioned.
7. The system (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first processing module (122) comprises a first computational model and the second processing module (124) comprises a second computational model, the first computational model is trained based on collected data in respect of bylaws or safety regulations in relation to wearable safety gear across various geographical locations, and the second computational model is trained based on collected data in respect of different shapes of wearable safety gears and effective positioning of the wearable safety gear; wherein the first processing module (122) and the second processing module (124) receive input from one or more vehicle sensors in relation to a geographical location, a geographical condition, and one or more climatic conditions and determine whether the user is wearing the wearable safety gear and whether the user is wearing the wearable safety gear in the predetermined manner. .
8. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1 , comprising an illumination sensor unit (140), the illumination sensor unit (140) being in communication with the processing unit (120) and being configured to detect a level of ambient light around the vehicle, and the processing unit (120) being configured to switch on a vehicle lighting system if the ambient light is below a predetermined threshold value of ambient light.
9. The system (100) as claimed in claim 8, comprising an auxiliary sensor unit (150), the auxiliary sensor unit (150) being in communication with the processing unit (120) and being configured to detect one or more vehicle parameters; and the processing unit (120) being configured to: determine whether the one or more vehicle parameters are below a first predetermined threshold; and switch off the one or more image sensors (1 10) or the illumination sensor unit (140) or switch off the system (100), if the one or more vehicle parameters are below the first predetermined threshold.
10. The system (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the processing unit (120) comprises a vision processing unit (170) in communication with the first processing module (122) and the second processing module (124), the vision processing unit (170) being configured to receive inputs from a hardware (178) through an operating system (174) and a hardware abstraction layer (176).
1 1. A method (200) for monitoring a wearable safety gear in a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: capturing, by one or more image sensors (1 10), real time images of a user riding the vehicle; receiving, by a processing unit (120), real time images of the user riding the vehicle captured by the one or more image sensors (1 10); determining, by one or more processing modules of the processing unit (120), one or more conditions of a user in relation to the wearable safety gear based on the real time images of the user; receiving, by a feedback module (130), an input from the processing unit (120) if any one of the one or more conditions of the user in relation to the wearable safety gear is true; and generating, by the feedback module (130), an output command.
12. The method as claimed in claim 1 1 , wherein the one or more conditions of the user in relation to wearable safety gear comprises the user not wearing the wearable safety gear, wearable safety not being of optimum quality, wearable safety gear not being in compliance with the bylaws of the geographical location, and the user not wearing the wearable safety gear in a predetermined manner.
13. The method as claimed in claim 12, comprising the steps of: determining, by a first processing module (122) of the processing unit (120), whether the user is wearing the wearable safety gear as per the bylaws of the geographical location based on the real time images of the user; and determining, by a second processing module (124) of the processing unit (120), whether the user is wearing the wearable safety gear in the predetermined manner based on the real time images of the user.
14. The method (200) as claimed in claim 1 1 , wherein the output command comprises at least one of an indication to the user or limiting one or more vehicle operating parameters to a predetermined value of the vehicle operating parameter.
15. The method (200) as claimed in claim 14, wherein an output command for limiting the vehicle operating parameter to the predetermined value is generated after the indication has been communicated to the user for a period of predetermined time.
16. The method (200) as claimed in claim 1 1 , wherein the wearable safety gear comprises a helmet of quality, shape and size prescribed by the bylaws of the geographical location, and the predetermined manner of wearing the wearable safety gear comprises the helmet being effectively positioned.
17. The method (200) as claimed in claim 1 1 , comprising the steps of: detecting, by an illumination sensor unit (140), a level of ambient light around the vehicle; and switching on, by the processing unit (120), a vehicle lighting system if the ambient light is below a predetermined threshold value of ambient light.
18. The method (200) as claimed in claim 17, comprising the steps of: detecting, by an auxiliary sensor unit (150), one or more vehicle parameters; determining, by the processing unit (120), whether the one or more vehicle parameters are below a first predetermined threshold; and switching off, by the processing unit (120), the one or more image sensors (1 10) or the illumination sensor unit (140) if the one or more vehicle parameters are below the first predetermined threshold.
19. A method (300, 400) for training one or more computational models for monitoring a wearable safety gear, comprising the steps of: collecting, by a processing unit (120), a data set in respect of bylaws or safety regulations in relation to wearable safety gear across various geographical locations, and in respect of different shapes of wearable safety gears and effective positioning of the wearable safety gear; processing, by the processing unit (120), the data set for further analysis by filtering and transforming of the data set; annotating, by the processing unit (120), the data set; feeding, by the processing unit (120), the annotated data set into a first computation model and a second computation model; training, by the processing unit (120), the first computation model to determine whether the user is wearing the wearable safety gear; and training, by the processing unit (120), the second computation model to determine whether the user is wearing the wearable safety gear in a predetermined manner.

Description

TITLE OF INVENTION A System for Monitoring a Wearable Safety Gear in a Vehicle and a Method thereof FIELD OF THE INVENTION [001 ] The present invention relates to monitoring of a wearable safety gear. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for monitoring a wearable safety gear in a vehicle. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [002] It is widely known and appreciated that wearable safety gears such as helmets are essential safety gear for users of two-wheeled vehicles such as motorcycles, scooters, or three wheelers such as trikes. Helmets play a crucial role in protecting the head of the user and reducing the severity of injuries in the event of an accident. Helmets are specifically designed to protect the head from impact during accidents. Helmets help minimize the risk of head injuries, including traumatic brain injuries, skull fractures, and concussions. Wearing a helmet significantly reduces the risk of fatalities in two-wheeler accidents. Studies have shown that helmets can reduce the risk of death by up to 42% for motorcycle riders and 29% for bicyclists. Apart from injury prevention in case of accidents, helmets often come with visors or face shields that provide clear visibility and protect the rider's eyes from dust, debris, insects, wind, and harsh weather conditions. This improves the overall riding experience and reduces the risk of accidents caused by impaired vision. [003] In existing systems, to ensure that the user is wearing a helmet or any other safety gear, complex technologies such as smart helmets are used. Complex technologies such as smart helmets are extremely expensive due to multiple sensors being provided in a compact helmet like setup. Further, the smart helmets are configured with a specific vehicle. However, such smart helmets are dependent on that specific vehicle. Usage of smart helmets is not a reliable approach to ensure usage of helmets because the user is totally dependent on one particular kind of smart device or gadget. Thus, in case where the user forgets to take the safety device, or it is stolen, such a system fails to ensure safety of the user. [004] In existing systems for ensuring the wearing of the helmet by the rider, when the vehicle senses that the user is not wearing a helmet, the vehicle abruptly stops. This can lead to a dangerous situation, because in cases where the rider is unable to carry the helmet, or where the helmet of the rider is stolen, the user is stuck with no option. Further, in such systems, even if the user removes their helmet or safety gear during vehicle riding condition for some reason, the vehicle tends to stop abruptly. This abrupt stopping of the vehicle is dangerous as well as it can lead to sudden hazardous accidents and lifethreatening unforeseen scenarios. The conventional ways of detecting safety gears do not deal with emergency scenarios when user is not carrying the safety gear or the when the safety gear is stolen. [005] Further, the existing system only detect whether the user is wearing the helmet. The conventional systems fail to ensure that rider is wearing the helmet properly, i.e. with proper strapping in locked condition and the helmet fully covering the head of the rider. Further, the conventional systems also use a traditional image processing unit, which takes a higher time to process images and are not compatible with computational processes. This leads to a large time lag in the detection of the wearing the helmet. [006] Thus, there is a need in the art for a system and method for monitoring a wearable safety gear in a vehicle which addresses at least the aforementioned problems. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [007] In one aspect, the present invention relates to a system for monitoring a wearable safety gear in a vehicle. The system has one or more image sensors configured to capture real time images of a user riding the vehicle. The system has a processing unit configured to receive the real time images of the user from the one or more image sensors. The processing unit has one or more processing modules, wherein the one or more processing modules being configured to determine one or more conditions of a user in relation to the wearable safety gear based on the real time images of the user. The system has a feedback module configured to receive an input from the processing unit if any of the one or more conditions of the user in relation to the wearable safety gear is true, and the feedback module being configured to generate an output command. [008] In an embodiment of the invention, one or more conditions of the user in relation to wearable safety gear comprises the user not wearing the wearable safety gear, wearable safety not being of optimum quality, and the user not wearing the wearable safety gear in a predetermined manner. [009] In an embodiment of the invention, the processing unit has a first processing module and a second processing module. The first processing module is configur