Driver physiological parameters monitoring–initial study in real-road driving

Among the human factors which contribute to road accidents and crashes special attention deserve medical conditions, drowsiness and fatigue. Monitoring the physiological parameters of the vehicle driver in a real-road driving is a very challenging task, as the signals from biomedical sensors are often distorted by noises, motion artefacts and vibrations inside the car. In this paper a system for monitoring a driver’s physiological signals from Electrocardiogram (ECG), Respiratory Rate (RR), Electrodermal Activity (EDA) and Photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors is presented. The signals are collected in real driving scenarios on different road types and various locations of sensing electrodes in order to determine their appropriate placement for obtaining high quality signals. The results show that placing the ECG sensor electrodes below the chest is preferable because the signal is less affected by motion artefacts, vibration and noise. Also, better quality signals are obtained when the belt with an integrated RR sensor is located in close proximity to the level of diaphragm, EDA electrodes are placed on the right hand palm and PPG sensor is attached to the earlobe.