Health Of Drivers Research Articles

Unilateral Painless Vision Loss Detected Incidentally During the Driver's Health Examination at the Family Medicine Polyclinic: Case Report

Unilateral Painless Vision Loss Detected Incidentally During the Driver's Health Examination at the Family Medicine Polyclinic: Case Report

Investigation of vibration's effect on driver in optimal motion cueing algorithm.

The increased sensation error between the surroundings and the driver is a major problem in driving simulators, resulting in unrealistic motion cues. Intelligent control schemes have to be developed to provide realistic motion cues to the driver. The driver's body model incorporates the effects of vibrations on the driver's health, comfort, perception, and motion sickness, and most of the current research on motion cueing has not considered these factors. This article proposes a novel optimal motion cueing algorithm that utilizes the driver's body model in conjunction with the driver's perception model to minimize the sensation error. Moreover, this article employs H∞ control in place of the linear quadratic regulator to optimize the quadratic cost function of sensation error. As compared to state of the art, we achieve decreased sensation error in terms of small root-mean-square difference (70%, 61%, and 84% decrease in case of longitudinal acceleration, lateral acceleration, and yaw velocity, respectively) and improved coefficient of cross-correlation (3% and 1% increase in case of longitudinal and lateral acceleration, respectively).

Optimization and biodynamic modelling of a 3D-printed honeycomb cushion and double-diamond seating suspension system for vibration isolation

Extended periods of driving, lasting up to 8 hours, can have a severe impact on a driver's health due to the presence of low-frequency vibrations caused by uneven road surfaces. This paper presents a novel biodynamic system modelling method for investigating how the human body responds to low-frequency vibrations. The lumped biodynamic parameter model predicts time-domain head acceleration and frequency-domain transmissibility ratio. This paper's design innovation involves a three-dimensional printed cushion composed of honeycomb cells and a seating suspension system featuring six double-diamond isolators. Using the Design of Experiments, Response Surface Method, and Genetic Algorithm methods, the structural parameters of the seating suspension system and cushion in the model are optimized for the minimum peak transmissibility ratio. The uniqueness of this paper's approach lies in its sensitivity analysis and optimization of the seat cushion and seating suspension system design parameters within a quarter-vehicle suspension system environment, which sets it apart from other literature. Furthermore, this paper explores the connection between the negative Poisson's ratio and quasi-zero stiffness as a means of reducing vibration transmission.

Fatigue in transportation operations: A contextual factors survey among Iranian suburban drivers.

Fatigue, as a persistent and serious occupational hazard, plays an important role in traffic accidents by reducing the driver's ability to maneuver with the vehicle and increasing the likelihood of falling asleep at the wheel. The purpose of this study was to identify the individual contextual factors, sleep condition, lifestyle, job characteristics, environmental, and economic conditions that affect the fatigue and alertness of Iranian suburban bus drivers. A questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey was used for this study. Non-probability sampling was used to study 401 suburban bus drivers from Tehran province, Iran, ranging in age from 24 to 67 years. The SPSS22 statistical software V27 was used for the analysis. Approximately half of the participants (50.5%) had experienced fatigue while driving in the previous six months. According to a logistic regression analysis, the contextual factors were all independently related to falling asleep and fatigue while driving. This study provides a thorough understanding of the contextual factors related to drowsy driving and emphasizes the importance of taking these things into consideration when developing interventions aimed at improving the driver's wellbeing and health and lowering the risk of errors and accidents.

Integrated Modelling and Control of Linear Actuator Based Automatic Pedal Pressing Mechanism for Low-Speed Driving in a Road Traffic Delay

Sitting in traffic congestion for hours in a posture that requires recurrent actions of manually pressing the pedal and braking excessively can result in fatigue, especially on the driver's leg and back. This fatigue can have long-term implications and adversely affect the driver's health. Thus, this paper aims to model and develop a control system that utilizes a linear actuator to replace the leg activities involved in pressing and releasing the brake pedal. This approach, combined with the implementation of a PID controller, offers a novel solution to control the vehicle speed by integration with the linear actuator that focus on low-speed driving condition. The design process begins with creating a 3D model using SolidWorks to visualize the movement of the linear actuator and Pedal subsystem. This model is then connected to Matlab-Simulink, where a PID controller is implemented and integrated into the electrical circuit to control the actuator's movement. Integration with the vehicle dynamic model enables a comprehensive analysis of the system's behavior on the vehicle dynamics. This research compares the trial and error method with the Matlab tuner for implementing the PID controller. The performance of the system will be evaluated based on the steady state error, overshoot, rise time, and settling time. The results demonstrate that the Matlab tuner outperforms trial and error method by achieving a faster response and significantly reducing steady state error during robustness testing. With the integration of the linear actuator, the system is capable of tracking the desired speed and has the potential to replace the leg activities involved in pressing and releasing the brake pedal. For future work, validating the proposed mechanism with a physical prototype of the linear actuator and pedal using hardware-in-the-loop techniques poses a challenge, as hardware constraints may vary with different environments.

Test and evaluation of driving comfort of rice combine harvester.

During the field operation of rice combine harvester, the vibration generated by vibration component will only reduce mechanical reliability and yield, but also cause resonance in the human body, leading to a decrease in driving comfort and even damage to the driver's health. To study the impact of combine harvester vibration on driving comfort, a certain type of tracked rice combine harvester was selected as the research object, and vibration tests were carried out based on vibration source analysis in the driving cab during field harvesting operations. The study showed that under the influence of field road conditions and crop flow, the operating speed of the engine, threshing rotor, stirrer, cutting blade, threshing cylinder, vibration sieve and conveyor were fluctuating, and their rotation and reciprocating motion would produce vibration excitation in the driving cab. A spectrum analysis was conducted on the acceleration signal of the driver's cab, and it was found that vibration frequencies at three measuring points, namely the pedal, control lever, and seat, can reach up to 36.7~43.3 Hz. These frequencies can cause resonance in various parts of the driver's body, such as the head and lower limbs, leading to symptoms such as dizziness, throat discomfort, leg pain, defecation anxiety, and frequent urination, and even affect vision of the driver. At the same time, a weighted root-mean-square acceleration evaluation method was used to evaluate the driving comfort of the harvester. The evaluation method showed that the vibration at the foot pedal (Aw1 = 4.4 m/s2>2.5 m/s2) caused extreme discomfort, while the vibration at the seat (0.5 m/s2< Aw2 = 0.67 m/s2<1.0 m/s2) and the control lever (0.5 m/s2< Aw3 = 0.55 m/s2<1.0 m/s2) caused relatively less discomfort. This research can provide some reference for the optimization design of the joint harvester driver's cab.

Vehicle and Driver Monitoring System Using On-Board and Remote Sensors.

This paper presents an integrated monitoring system for the driver and the vehicle in a single case of study easy to configure and replicate. On-board vehicle sensors and remote sensors are combined to model algorithms for estimating polluting emissions, fuel consumption, driving style and driver's health. The main contribution of this paper is the analysis of interactions among the above monitored features highlighting the influence of the driver in the vehicle performance and vice versa. This analysis was carried out experimentally using one vehicle with different drivers and routes and implemented on a mobile application. Compared to commercial driver and vehicle monitoring systems, this approach is not customized, uses classical sensor measurements, and is based on simple algorithms that have been already proven but not in an interactive environment with other algorithms. In the procedure design of this global vehicle and driver monitoring system, a principal component analysis was carried out to reduce the variables used in the training/testing algorithms with objective to decrease the transfer data via Bluetooth between the used devices: a biometric wristband, a smartphone and the vehicle's central computer. Experimental results show that the proposed vehicle and driver monitoring system predicts correctly the fuel consumption index in 84%, the polluting emissions 89%, and the driving style 89%. Indeed, interesting correlation results between the driver's heart condition and vehicular traffic have been found in this analysis.

State Immigration Policy Contexts and Racialized Legal Status Disparities in Health Care Utilization Among U.S. Agricultural Workers.

Research links restrictive immigration policies to immigrant health and health care outcomes. Yet most studies in this area focus on the impact of single policies in particular years, with few assessing how broader state-level immigration policy contexts affect groups by nativity, race/ethnicity, and legal status. Linking data from the National Agricultural Workers Survey (2005-2012) with information on state immigration policies, we use an intersectional approach to examine the links between policy contexts and health care utilization by nativity, race/ethnicity, and legal status. We also assess the associations between two specific types of state immigration policies-those governing immigrant access to Medicaid and driver's licenses-and health care utilization disparities. We find that state-level immigration policy contexts are associated with health care utilization among U.S.-born and naturalized U.S. citizen non-White Latinx agricultural workers, who report lower levels of health care utilization and greater barriers to care-seeking in more restrictive policy contexts. By contrast, we find little evidence that state policies shaped health care utilization among undocumented workers. These findings advance understanding of the impact of "policies of exclusion" on the lives of marginalized groups and underscore the importance of racialized legal status in considering the links between sociopolitical contexts and health and health care disparities.

Effects of a seat-integrated mobilization system on long-haul truck drivers motion activity, muscle stiffness and discomfort during a 4.5-h simulated driving task

ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of a seat-integrated mobilization system on motion activity, muscle stiffness and discomfort during prolonged driving. MethodDuring a 4.5-h driving task, motion activity, muscle stiffness and discomfort (measured subjectively and objectively) of long-haul truck drivers were determined and compared intra-individually in a test condition with mobilization (seat-integrated stimulation) and a control condition under standardized conditions in a simulated driving study (N = 16). ResultsIn the experimental condition, participants showed a significantly increased motion activity and a reduced muscle stiffness compared to the control condition. Furthermore, discomfort occurred significantly more frequently in the control condition. ConclusionThe mobilization system increased motion activity and reduced discomfort as well as muscle stiffness. Therefore, it provides considerable potential to counteract negative effects of prolonged sitting and to promote truck driver's health.

Urinary PAHs metabolites in Karakoram Highway's heavy traffic vehicle (HTV) drivers: evidence of exposure and health risk.

The current study features PAHs exposure on Karakoram Highway, a route of utmost importance in Pakistan. The drivers of heavy traffic vehicles (HTV) on Karakoram Highway spend long hours amid dense traffic and therefore, inevitably inhale huge amount of PAH carcinogens. The urinary metabolites of PAHs in such drivers (meeting selection criteria n = 48) and a control group (n = 49) were comparatively profiled. The higher urinary biomarkers among ninety-six percent HTV drivers were evident of PAHs exposure. We observed elevated concentrations of urinary benzo[a]pyrene metabolites (3-OH-BaP = 3.53 ± 0.62ngg-1 creatinine and 9-OH-BaP = 3.69 ± 0.74ngg-1 creatinine) in HTV driver's samples compared to controls (0.85 ± 0.08 and 0.31 ± 0.03ngg-1 creatinine, respectively). Interestingly, urinary benzo[a]pyrene metabolites were detected in almost similar amount among HTV drivers irrespective of their working hours. A distinct smoking effect was manifested with rising urinary levels of 1-hydroxypyrene, 2-hydroxyphenanthrene, and 3-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene with corresponding increase in driving hours per day. These metabolites exhibited characteristic exposures to low molecular weight volatile PAHs that are commonly found in vehicular exhaust. The elevated PAH body burden was directly linked to the nature of their job and the route-long environmental pollution on Karakoram Highway. Additionally, the poor economic status and smoking also increased HTV driver's health vulnerability and significantly declined their health capacity. There was conclusive evidence that HTV drivers were exposed to PAHs during a ride on Karakoram Highway, back and forth, an aspect not reported earlier.

Train Driver Cognitive Workload Management Framework Based on Neuronal Dynamics Principle to Maintain Train Driver's Health and Railway Safety

Train Driver Cognitive Workload Management Framework Based on Neuronal Dynamics Principle to Maintain Train Driver's Health and Railway Safety

HVAC CFD Analysis of Air Flow and Temperature Distribution Inside Passenger Compartment

The thermal environment and air quality in a passenger car can affect driver's and passengers' health, performance and comfort. Due to spatial and temporal variation of state variables and boundary conditions in the vehicle cabin, the heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) does not have to be designed to provide a uniform environment. This are due to individual differences regarding to physiological and psychological response, clothing insulation, activity, air temperature and air movement preference. Experimental study in vehicle HVAC system can be very costly to be conducted. In order to analyze the air flow and temperature distribution in passengers compartment, a numerical simulation was used in this study to analyze the air flow and temperature distribution of HVAC unit inside Proton Exora passengers compartment, with the air blower speed and air temperature used as parameter, to evaluate the airflow behavior and temperature distribution in the compartment. The simulation data obtained is then compared to the experimental data, showing good agreement between these two methods.

Automated complex for remote medical examination

Elements of telemedicine are increasingly being introduced into all spheres of medical services for the population. One promising example is automated systems for remote pre-trip medical examination of drivers. However, most of the telemedicine systems used only control the basic parameters of the body provided for by law. An urgent task is to create methods and tools for a comprehensive assessment of the driver's health based on processing of a set of biomedical signals and data that allow tracking the dynamics of the functional and psychoemotional status. Purpose – development of an automated system for remote medical examination of drivers, which allows not only to monitor basic health indicators for admission to a flight, but also to track indirect signs of fatigue, stress and exposure to psychoactive substances that can provoke inappropriate behavior on the road. A microprocessor-based system for collecting and preliminary processing of information received from a set of biomedical sensors has been developed. The original modules for measuring blood pressure and pulse, non-contact temperature measurement and tremor parameters evaluating have been implemented. The set of diagnostic procedures for the pre-trip examination is implemented in a unified cycle, which ensures the complexity of the interpretation of the results. The developed automated complex and the hardware and software tools included in it can be used to conduct pre-trip examinations of drivers of public and special transport, providing an increase in the diagnostic efficiency of identifying signs that are risk factors when the driver is allowed to work.

Development of a Real-Time Driver Health Detection System Using a Smart Steering Wheel

The number of vehicle accidents due to driver drowsiness continues to increase. Therefore, prompt and effective detection for driver health during driving is crucial to improvement of traffic safety. A set of real-time health detection system built into a smart steering wheel for the driver is proposed in the paper. The driver's health condition (drowsiness) is detected by a developed algorithm by monitoring the driver’s biological signals, including respiration, hand grip force, photoplethysmogram (PPG), and electrocardiogram (ECG). Meanwhile the driver's state of arrhythmia, as a common cardiac disease, can be diagnosed too. The test results indicate that the developed real-time driver health detection system can effectively monitor the state of vigilance and the cardiac state, i.e. arrhythmia, of the driver.

Testing and analysis of automotive gearshift performance based on gear shift analysis

AbstractWith the increasing demand for vehicle handling comfort in the market, the development of gear shifting performance test systems for automobile transmission has become one of the keys to improving the competitiveness of automobile products. In order to continuously improve the shifting quality of the automobile gearshift control, this research focuses on the study of shifting quality, uses GSA (gear shift analysis) test technology to test and verify the shifting performance of a domestic automobile gearbox, establishes the subjective and objective evaluation criteria for the shifting performance of automobile gearbox, provides a reliable theoretical basis for product optimization design and shifting performance evaluation, and formulates shifting control pertinently. Strategies and optimization measures to ensure that the power, ride, and transmission of the whole vehicle system meet the technical requirements and can shift quickly and smoothly. Not only does this allows to reduce the driver's fatigue strength, but also increases the comfort of the whole shifting process, so as to provide direction to improve the quality of the vehicle's shifting performance and effectively reduce the impact on the driver's health.

Assessment of the Risks of Occupational Diseases of the Passenger Bus Drivers.

BackgroundThe working conditions of bus drivers are difficult; they lead to occupational diseases and require careful study, particularly in Ukraine. The objective of the article is the description of occupational health risks of passenger bus drivers that lead to deteriorating health.MethodsThe risk assessment was performed using a modified Risk Score method, which allowed determining the generalized level of danger to the driver's health. The hygienic hazards level was assessed as based on Stevenson's law, which was generalized later.ResultsBased on the modification of the Risk Score method, it was possible to depart from expert assessments method of the risk level and calculate the general indicator based on the degree of dependence of the impact on the human body on its intensity, proposed by V. Minko. This allows objective determining of the impact of hygiene hazards on the health of the driver and to predict the occurrence of occupational diseases associated with the cardiovascular system, musculoskeletal system, and partial or complete disability due to the accumulation of emotional fatigue. The hazard assessment was carried out for three brands of passenger buses common in Ukraine, in which the driver is exposed to the dangers of fever, vibration, noise, harmful impurities in the bus cabin, and emotional load.ConclusionThe health of drivers in the cabins of passenger buses is most affected by hygiene hazards: fever, vibration, and emotional stress. The generalized level of risk is calculated by the modified method of Risk Score is 0.83; −0.99, −0.92 respectively.

Monitoring driver health status in real time.

Nowadays, surveillance systems have evolved significantly; hence, in order to meet the specific needs of the health sector and to monitor the patients' health conditions, intelligent systems have been proposed. These innovations represent a primordial role in road safety, which reduce the risk of traffic accidents. This paper describes an intelligent system design for remote monitoring (tele-monitoring) of a driver's health condition in real time. The measurement using new hardware and software devices is made possible through the contact between the driver contact and an intelligent steering wheel, which is coupled either to an integrated monitor or to a bluetooth link with a local Android smartphone. The driver's heart rate is calculated through the continuous collection of the electrocardiographic signal as well as the blood oxygen saturation SpO2 by using the photoplethysmographic technique. Consequently, it is necessary to monitor the two vital functions of the driver, cardiac and respiratory activity. This information is transmitted to a remote tele-vigilance center in the case of abnormalities in these functions under the transmission control protocol/internet protocol involving a 4G/3G connection. The application is associated with the system that triggers high and low alarms locally and remotely in the events of tachycardia, bradycardia, or cardiac arrhythmia. Furthermore, another alarm is also triggered in the event of respiratory decompensation.

Analysis of the influence the liquid cargo oscillations in a semi-trailer tank on the wheeled tractor motion indicators

A large amount of transport work of a wheeled tractor accounts for the transportation of liquid cargoes by tractor tanks. These tanks are different from road and rail tank containers with no internal partitions that would quench fluid fluctuations. The constant tendency to increase such freight transportation causes the appearance of negative factors affecting the driver's health and economic performance of the tractor. In the study of the influence of dynamic load on fuel efficiency, a mathematical model was used, which is capable of simulating engine operation at partial load and speed modes

Computation of safety design indexes of industry vehicle operators based on the reach angle, the distance from elbow to ground and the popliteal height

For safety design of industrial vehicles, it is important to understand the optimum posture parameters such as the elbow-ground distance, the popliteal height and the reach angle. RULA and REBA, which are most commonly adopted to evaluate the risk associated with posture exhibit higher dependence on the mentioned parameters. The relative significance of these parameters is not known for drivers in industrial vehicle. The main objective of this study is to develop a model using an automated neural network search (ANS) approach for the prediction of RULA and REBA based on the coupled interactions of posture parameters. In the context of model development, field study that contains measurement of these posture parameters was utilized. RULA and REBA were assessed from these posture parameters using CATIA software. Further, the study also reveals the relative significance of these posture parameters and identifies the most optimum parameters for minimum risk to driver's health.

Cross-subject driver status detection from physiological signals based on hybrid feature selection and transfer learning

It is a challenging and rewarding work for monitoring driving status in daily commute, which is favorable for declining the occurrence of traffic accidents and promoting driver's health. One big challenge that restricts this kind of research from real-life applications is the robustness and transfer ability of learning methods that can effectively tackle individual difference. Drawing knowledge from others through transfer learning could boost detection performance of a new driver. The present study aims to develop an efficient cross-subject transfer learning framework for driving status detection based on physiological signals. To grasp what part of knowledge was appropriate for transferring, cross-subject feature evaluation was used to measure feature quality. Then based on the evaluation score, several filtering algorithms were combined to search for better feature subsets that were not only helpful for later classification tasks but also robust to the individual difference. Finally, the framework based on hybrid feature selection and efficient transfer classifier was validated using simulated and real driving datasets. Our experimental results revealed that the proposed algorithm could achieve high recognition accuracy and good transferability among individuals, which could increase the scope of application of physiological data for drive status detection during daily life, as it alleviated the need of subject specific pilot data for assessing the physiological characteristics across subjects. This scheme can be further developed into an online warning and assistant system in vehicles helping to early detect driver's unfavorable status, better manage their negative emotion and decrease the occurrence of traffic accidents.