Claims:We Claim:

1. A system (10) to improve safety of passengers in a two-wheeler (105), the system (10) comprising:
a force sensing strip (110) disposed in a seat (115) of the two-wheeler (105), the force sensing strip (110) capable of detecting passengers seated on the seat (115);
a presence sensor (125) disposed inside each of a set of helmets (120) associated with the two-wheeler (105), the presence sensor (125) capable of detecting whether each of the set of helmets (120) is worn;
a control unit (130) adapted to receive a first set of input signals from the force sensing strip (110) and a second set of input signals from the presence sensor (125) disposed inside each of the set of helmets (120), the control unit (130) adapted to control an engine (135) of the two-wheeler (105) based on the received first set of input signals and the second set of input signals.

2. The system (10) as claimed in claim 1, the force sensing strip (110) disposed near an upper surface of the seat (115) of the two-wheeler (105).

3. The system (10) as claimed in claim 1, the presence sensor (125) disposed inside each of the set of helmets (120) comprises a wireless communication interface for communicating with the control unit (130).

4. The system (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit (130) adapted to control the engine (135) comprises the control unit (130) adapted to block an ignition signal to the engine (135) of the two-wheeler (105) upon a discrepancy between the first set of input signals and the second set of input signals.

5. The system (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit (130) adapted to control the engine (135) comprises the control unit (130) adapted to stop the engine (135) of the two-wheeler (105) upon a discrepancy between the first set of input signals and the second set of input signals.

6. A control unit (130) in a two-wheeler (105), the control unit (130) for improving safety of passengers in the two-wheeler (105), the control unit (130) adapted to:
receive a first set of input signals from a force sensing strip (110) disposed in a seat (115) of the two-wheeler (105), the force sensing strip (110) capable of detecting passengers seated on the seat (115);
receive a second set of input signals from a presence sensor (125) disposed inside each of a set of helmets (120) associated with the two-wheeler (105), the presence sensor (125) capable of detecting whether each of the set of helmets (120) is worn; and
control an engine (135) of the two-wheeler (105) based on the received first set of input signals and the second set of input signals.

7. The control unit (130) in a two-wheeler (105) as claimed in claim 6, wherein an adaptation to control the engine (135) of the two-wheeler (105) based on the first set of input signals and the second set of input signals comprises an adaptation to block an ignition signal to the engine (135) of the two-wheeler (105) upon a discrepancy between the first set of input signals and the second set of input signals.

8. The control unit (130) in a two-wheeler (105) as claimed in claim 6, wherein an adaptation to control the engine (135) of the two-wheeler (105) based on the first set of input signals and the second set of input signals comprises an adaptation to stop the engine (135) of the two-wheeler (105) upon a discrepancy between the first set of input signals and the second set of input signals.

9. A method (20) for improving safety of passengers in a two-wheeler (105), the method (20) comprising:
receiving (205) a first set of input signals from a force sensing strip (110) disposed in a seat (115) of the two-wheeler (105) by a control unit (130), the force sensing strip (110) capable of detecting passengers seated on the seat (115);
receiving (210) a second set of input signals from a presence sensor (125) disposed inside each of a set of helmets (120) associated with the two-wheeler (105) by a control unit (130), the presence sensor (125) capable of detecting whether each of the set of helmets (120) is worn; and
controlling (215) an engine (135) of the two-wheeler (105) by the control unit (130), based on the received first set of input signals and the second set of input signals.

10. The method (20) for improving safety of passengers in a two-wheeler (105) as claimed in claim 9, wherein receiving the second set of input signals from a presence sensor (125) disposed inside each of a set of helmets (120) associated with the two-wheeler (105) comprises receiving the second set of input signals wirelessly.

11. The method (20) for improving safety of passengers in a two-wheeler (105) as claimed in claim 9, wherein controlling the engine (135) of the two-wheeler (105) by the control unit (130) comprises blocking an ignition signal to the engine (135) of the two-wheeler (105) upon a discrepancy between the first set of input signals and the second set of input signals.

12. The method (20) for improving safety of passengers in a two-wheeler (105) as claimed in claim 9, wherein controlling the engine (135) of the two-wheeler (105) by the control unit (130) comprises stopping the engine (135) of the two-wheeler (105) upon a discrepancy between the first set of input signals and the second set of input signals.
, Description:Complete Specification:

The following specification describes and ascertains the nature of this invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.
Field of the invention
[0001] This invention relates to the field of improving safety of passengers in a two-wheeler.

Background of the invention
[0002] Wearing helmets by passengers riding two-wheelers reduces their chances of head injury or death in case of an accident. Even though wearing helmets is enforced by law, many drivers or passengers of two-wheelers refrain from wearing the same. Stricter enforcement of law can reduce the incidences of people not wearing helmets while driving. But even this has loop holes as law enforcement can vary from place to place and from time to time. Hence, there is a need for a better solution to enforce wearing of helmets by people who are driving or passengers. Determining the presence of the pillion rider and checking whether both the driver and the pillion is wearing a helmet and then turning on the engine is already known. There is still a need to improve the above mentioned detection capacity.

Brief description of the accompanying drawing
[0003] Figure 1 illustrates a schematic of a system for improving safety of passengers in a two-wheeler;

[0004] Figure 2 illustrates a method for improving safety of passengers in the two-wheeler;

[0005] Figure 3 shows a plan view of a seat of the two-wheeler illustrating placement of a force sensing strip;

[0006] Figure 4 illustrates a loading diagram of the seat of the two-wheeler; and

[0007] Figure 5 illustrates a response for the force sensing strip on variable loading.

Detailed description of the embodiments
[0008] Figure 1 illustrates a system 10 for improving safety of passengers in a two-wheeler 105. The two-wheeler 105 shown is a motorcycle, but is not limited to only a motorcycle. The two-wheeler 105 can be a moped, scooter, scooterette or anything similar. The system 10 comprises a force sensing strip 110 disposed in a seat 115 of the two-wheeler 105. The force sensing strip 110 is capable of detecting passengers seated on the seat 115. The layout of the set of force sensors will be described hereinafter. The two-wheeler 105 comprises associated helmets 120 to be worn by the driver and passengers using the two-wheeler 105. If two passengers are using the two-wheeler 105 at the instant point of time, then there are two associated helmets 120. If there are three passengers using the two-wheeler 105 at the instant point of time, then there are three associated helmets 120. In other words, the number of helmets 120 is equal to the number of passengers using the two-wheeler 105 at the instant point of time. The system also comprises a presence sensor 125 disposed inside each of a set of helmets 120 associated with the two-wheeler 105, the presence sensor 125 capable of detecting whether each of the set of helmets 120 is worn. The presence sensor 125 and the working of the system 10 will be described hereinafter. The system 10 further comprises a control unit 130 adapted to receive a first set of input signals from the force sensing strip 110 and a second set of input signals from the presence sensor 125 disposed inside each of the set of helmets 120, the control unit 130 adapted to control an engine 135 of the two-wheeler 105 based on the received first set of input signals and the second set of input signals. The control unit 130 is the conventional electronic control unit found in two-wheelers. In Figure 1, it is shown to be external to the two-wheeler 105, which is purely for representational purposes. The control unit 135 is actually placed within the physical boundaries of the two-wheeler 105.

[0009] In one exemplary embodiment, the force sensing strip 110 can be disposed proximal to an upper surface of the seat 115 of the vehicle. In other embodiments, the force sensing strip 110 can be disposed in the seat 115 of the vehicle in any level or position that will allow the force sensing strip 110 to capture the force or load imparted on them. The force sensing strip 110 can be connected by wire to the control unit 130.

[0010] The presence sensor 125 disposed inside each of the set of helmets 120 comprises wireless communication interface for wirelessly communicating with the control unit 130. An example of a communication protocol can be Bluetooth, as the communication range is limited.

[0011] Moreover, the presence sensor 125 inside the helmets 120 can be an infrared sensor. This works by targeting a temperature measurement in a region where a user’s forehead would be when the helmet 120 is worn. When the helmet is worn, the temperature measured by the infrared sensor will be around the normal body temperature of a human. To improve the accuracy of detection of humans, a reflective pulse oximeter can be used along with the infrared sensor. Oximeters can be used to measure heart rate and/or blood oxygen saturation, which are biometric readings and thereby improve the accuracy of detecting a human.

[0012] Further, the control unit 130 is adapted to control the engine 135 of the two-wheeler 105, based upon a discrepancy between the first set of input signals and the second set of input signals. The discrepancy and the consistency between the first set of input signals and the second set of input signals will be described hereinafter. Controlling the engine 135 of the two-wheeler 105 can be in two ways. One way can be the control unit 130 adapted to block an ignition signal to the engine 135 and the second way can be the control unit 130 adapted to stop the engine 135.
[0013] Figure 2 illustrates a method 20 for improving safety of passengers in the two-wheeler 105. The method 20 comprises a first step 205 of receiving the first set of input signals from the force sensing strip 110 disposed in the seat 115 of the two-wheeler 105 by the control unit 130, the force sensing strip 110 capable of detecting passengers seated on the seat 115, a second step 210 of receiving the second set of input signals from the presence sensor 125 disposed inside each of a set of helmets 120 associated with the two-wheeler 105 by the control unit 130, the presence sensor 125 capable of detecting whether each of the set of helmets 120 is worn, and a third step 215 of controlling the engine 135 of the two-wheeler 105 by the control unit 130, based on the received first set of input signals and the second set of input signals. Further, the second step 210 of receiving the second set of input signals from the presence sensor 125 disposed inside each of a set of helmets 120 associated with the two-wheeler 105 comprises receiving the second set of input signals wirelessly. Further, the third step 215 of controlling the engine 135 of the two-wheeler 105 by the control unit 130 can comprise blocking an ignition signal to the engine 135 of the two-wheeler 105 or stopping the engine 135 upon a discrepancy between the first set of input signals and the second set of input signals.

[0014] The control unit 130 in the two-wheeler 105 is adapted to receive the first set of input signals from the force sensing strip 110 disposed in the seat 115 of the two-wheeler 105, the force sensing strip 110 capable of detecting passengers seated on the seat 115, and further receive the second set of input signals from the presence sensor 125 disposed inside each of the set of helmets 120 associated with the two-wheeler 105, the presence sensor 125 capable of detecting whether each of the set of helmets 120 is worn, and further control the engine 135 of the two-wheeler 105 based on the received first set of input signals and the second set of input signals. The adaptation to control the engine 135 can comprise an adaptation to block an ignition signal to the engine 135 or stop the engine 135 of the two-wheeler 105.
[0015] Figure 3 shows a plan view of the seat 115 of the two-wheeler 105 illustrating placement of the force sensing strip 110. In an exemplary arrangement and as shown in Figure 3, the force sensing strip 110 is disposed along a length of the seat 115. The force sensing strip 110 is connected to the control unit 130 through wires. The force sensing strip 110 is a long strip extending across the length of the seat 115 comprising pressure sensing matrix.

[0016] Figure 4 illustrates a loading diagram of the seat 115 of the two-wheeler 105. Figure 4(a) shows a loading pattern with only the driver, Figure 4(b) shows a loading pattern with two people i.e., driver and pillion and Figure 4(c) shows a loading pattern with three people i.e., driver, pillion and a person in between the driver and the pillion.

[0017] Figure 5 illustrates a response for the force sensing strip 110 on variable loading. Figure 5(a) shows the loading of the force sensing strip 110 with one person, Figure 5(b) shows the loading of the force sensing strip 110 with two people, and Figure 5(c) shows the loading of the force sensing strip 100 with three people. The processing of the first set of input signals from the force sensing strip 110 results in characteristic force curves. The number of curves generally depend on the number of people sitting on the seat 115 of the two-wheeler 105. The peaks in the curves are detected by the control unit 130 to detect the number of people sitting in the seat 115.

[0018] The working of the system 10, method 20 and the adaptation of the control unit 130 is described. A first embodiment of the working of the method 20 is described below. As soon as a key is inserted into the two-wheeler 105, the method 20 is initiated. In this embodiment, the control unit 130 is adapted to block the ignition signal to the engine 135 of the two-wheeler 105 if there is a discrepancy between the first set of input signals and the second set of input signals. Discrepancy in the context of the instant invention has the same meaning as found in dictionaries, and especially Oxford English dictionary. In the method 20, the control unit 130 receives the first set of input signals from the force sensing strip 110 in step 205. As mentioned earlier, the number of people or passengers sitting in the seat 115 is detected by the control unit 130. In step 210, the control unit 130 receives the second set of input signals from the presence sensor 125 disposed inside each of the set of helmets 120. Once the helmet is worn, the presence sensor 125 detects that the helmet is worn by a person and then provides the signal to the control unit 130. If two helmets are worn, then the control unit 130 receives two signals. If three helmets are worn, the control unit 130 receives three signals. If one helmet is worn, the control unit 130 receives only one signal. Hence, the number of signals received by the control unit in step 210 denotes the number of helmets being worn or used. The control unit 130 then compares the output from step 205 and the output from step 210 to see if the number of people detected and the number of helmets worn are the same. If there is any discrepancy found between the two outputs, then the ignition is blocked and therefore, the engine 135 cannot be started. The discrepancy mentioned in the method 20 is, if the number representing the output from step 205 and the number representing the output from step 210 being unequal. For example, if two peaks are detected denoting two people, but only one helmet being worn is detected or three helmets being worn is detected.

[0019] A second embodiment of the working of the method 20 is described below. This embodiment can be activated or initiated at any time after the engine 135 of the two-wheeler 105 is started. If there is a discrepancy between the outputs, representing the number of people detected on the seat 115 and the number of helmets being worn or used, then the engine is turned off or stopped. The meaning and application of the concept and usage of discrepancy in both the embodiments is the same. This is to ensure that, after starting the engine 135, passengers do not remove the helmets 120. The helmets have to be worn or used by the passengers throughout the journey.

[0020] The first embodiment and the second embodiment, here, are not alternatives, but happens subsequently. The first embodiment occurs before the start of the engine 135 and the second embodiment occurs after the start of the engine 135. Moreover, the number of people using the two-wheeler 105 can be configured to 1 or 2 or 3 or 4. The configuration can be changed by the driver accordingly. Furthermore, in the second embodiment, when the engine is stopped, the engine is not stopped abruptly and an alert is given to the driver and after a predefined time, the engine is stopped. The predefined time can be 10 seconds or 20 seconds or 30 seconds or any other value. And sometimes, when the two-wheeler 105 is going over bad roads or a bump, there will be a loss of contact between one or more of the passengers and the seat 115, because of which the first set of input signals will return a blank and there will be no signals. In order for the control unit 130 not to determine a discrepancy and stop the engine 135 in such a situation, any loss of the first set of input signals during driving conditions will be reevaluated a few times after regular intervals. If the first set of input signals return, then the control unit 130 will not determine a discrepancy.

[0021] The advantage provided by the working of the method 20, the system 10 and the adaptation of the control unit 130 is that safety of passengers driving a two-wheeler can be improved. If helmets are not worn by the passengers before starting the engine and during the running of the vehicle, then the engine is stopped for safety reasons.

[0022] The term “set” denotes any number from 0 to 4.

[0023] It should be understood that embodiments explained in the description above are only illustrative and do not limit the scope of this invention in terms of the type of injector used and the material used for sealing washer. Many such embodiments and other modifications and changes in the embodiment explained in the description are envisaged. The scope of the invention is only limited by the scope of the claims.