Inventor

Dr. Siti Fatimah Binti Abdul Razak

• Description of Invention

  Polluted air harms human health and contributes to environmental changes such as global warming and weather fluctuations. Compared to outdoor air quality,  in-vehicle air quality has not been given much attention. Even though studies have shown that air quality influences drivers' vigilance state and well-being, it is challenging to trace or monitor the air quality their vehicle emits and also the air quality in the vehicle itself. Hence, our invention focused on indoor, confined and closed environments in vehicle context. In-cabin vehicle air quality needs to be monitored since the air quality may influence a driver’s vigilance state when they are behind the wheels. Poor air quality will decrease the driver’s attentiveness and the driver may be entering a sleep stage. An alert can be triggered, prompting them to stop for rest and switch on the in-cabin purification system to improve the in-cabin air quality. In this project, we provide drivers with real time monitoring or readings of the amount of pollutants within their vehicle. Six types of pollutants are being monitored, i.e., carbon monoxide, particle matters, ground-level ozone, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide in the vehicles using sensors. Sensor technology, which is one of the global Science and Technology drivers in MySTIE framework, is linked to two socio economic drivers, namely  (i)smart technology & systems and (ii) smart cities and transportation where the microcontroller is the core engine for this type of sensor-based system. Sensors are attached to the microcontroller and  the sensor data provides input to the microcontroller. The microcontroller analyzes the received data from sensors and aggregates the data based on the Air Quality index information. The microcontroller’s execute unit fetches the results and determines the output execution commands. If the pollutant level exceeds any of the predefined safe level, a warning will be triggered to inform the drivers. The microcontroller uses the GPRS protocol to communicate with a remote cloud where the analysed data will be sent to the cloud. The information collected is then visualised in real time through a dashboard panel which provides visual alerts. Besides, the information is also transmitted to the cloud where necessary processes can be taken into consideration. Our invention creates resilient utilisation of resources and prosperous living conditions through driver vigilance self-monitoring which allows data-driven decisions for drivers on the road. We conducted experiments in a controlled and actual road environment. The experiment results revealed that the air quality in the vehicle may be attributed by idle or moving vehicle duration of running the engine as well as the outdoor air quality. Visual alerts are useful to alert the driver of the vehicle in-cabin air quality and monitor the driver’s vigilance state to avoid potential  mishaps.

• Intellectual Property (IP) Status

  • Copyright Affirmed

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