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Title:
ENHANCED POSTURE MONITORING
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2017/164847
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
A posture of a vehicle occupant is determined based at least in part on data provided from a portable device worn by the occupant. One or more adjustments is made to vehicle components to adjust the posture of the occupant to a predetermined posture.

Inventors:
KOLISETTY PADMA AISWARYA (IN)
LEM JEROEN (NL)
PRAKAH-ASANTE KWAKU O (US)
TONSHAL BASAVARAJ (US)
CHEN YIFAN (US)
YANG HSIN-HSIANG (US)
Application Number:
PCT/US2016/023592
Publication Date:
September 28, 2017
Filing Date:
March 22, 2016
Export Citation:
Click for automatic bibliography generation   Help
Assignee:
FORD GLOBAL TECH LLC (US)
International Classes:
B60N2/02; B60N2/22; B60N2/24
Foreign References:
US20080297336A12008-12-04
US20140232155A12014-08-21
US20140240132A12014-08-28
US20100268424A12010-10-21
US6104101A2000-08-15
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
KEROS, Peter, E. (US)
Download PDF:
Claims:
CLAIMS

1. A system, comprising a computer including a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the computer to:

determine a posture of a vehicle occupant based at least in part on data provided from a portable device worn by the occupant; and

make one or more adjustments to vehicle components to adjust the posture of the occupant to a predetermined posture.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further include instructions to make at least some adjustments only when a vehicle transmission is in park.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further include instructions to make at least some adjustments only when the occupant is not present in the vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle components include at least one of an adjustable seat, a seat massager, and an inflatable bladder in the adjustable seat.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the adjustable seat includes a seat back with an adjustable seat back angle.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the adjustments include adjusting the seat back angle of the seat back.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the seat includes one or more individually inflatable bladders.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the adjustments include adjusting a bladder inflation level for each of the one or more individually inflatable bladders.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the adjustments include adjusting at least one of a seat back angle, a seat bottom position, and a seat inflatable bladder inflation level.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further include instructions to determine the posture based at least in part on at least one of an occupant back angle and an occupant torso angle.

11. A method, comprising:

determining a posture of a vehicle occupant based at least in part on data provided from a portable device worn by the occupant; and

making one or more adjustments to vehicle components to adjust the posture of the occupant to a predetermined posture.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising making at least some adjustments only when a vehicle transmission is in park.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising making at least some adjustments only when the occupant is not present in the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the vehicle components include at least one of an adjustable seat, a seat massager, and an inflatable bladder in the adjustable seat.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the adjustable seat includes a seat back with an adjustable seat back angle.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the adjustments include adjusting the seat back angle of the seat back.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the seat includes a plurality of individually inflatable bladders.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the adjustments include adjusting a bladder inflation level for each of the plurality of individually inflatable bladders

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the adjustments include adjusting at least one of a seat back angle, a seat bottom position, and a seat inflatable bladder inflation level.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining the posture based at least in part on at least one of an occupant back angle and an occupant torso angle.

Description:
ENHANCED POSTURE MONITORING

BACKGROUND

[0001] Occupants in vehicles may sit with a variety of postures. Occupants may be seated in the vehicles for long periods of time with certain postures. Often, an occupant's posture can have negative consequences and/or risks, e.g., be dangerous, unhealthful, etc. However, current vehicle system for monitoring and/or controlling occupant posture are lacking.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0002] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an example system for monitoring occupant posture.

[0003] Figure 2 illustrates a process for detecting occupant posture and determining adjustments to one or more vehicle subsystems to adjust the posture.

[0004] Figure 3 illustrates a process for actuating one or more vehicle subsystems to adjust occupant posture.

[0005] Figure 4 illustrates an example of data collected from a wearable device for detecting an occupant's posture and determining one or more adjustments to one or more vehicle subsystems.

[0006] Figure 5 illustrates another example of data collected from a wearable device for detecting occupant posture and determining one or more adjustments to one or more vehicle subsystems.

[0007] Figure 6 illustrates another example of data collected from a wearable device for detecting occupant posture and determining one or more adjustments to one or more vehicle subsystems.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0008] Adjusting vehicle subsystems based on posture information collected from a wearable device may allow a vehicle occupant to maintain a recommended posture while in a vehicle. A wearable device worn by a vehicle occupant sends information about the occupant' s posture to a computing device that compares a current posture to a predetermined recommended posture. Based on differences between the recommended posture and the current posture, the computing device causes actuation of vehicle subsystems, e.g., mechanisms such as are known in a vehicle seat, to move vehicle components (e.g., a seat, mirror, headrest, etc.) to promote the predetermined recommended posture. The computing device may send the adjustments as a notification on a vehicle human-machine interface and/or as instructions to a vehicle computer to adjust vehicle components. The computing device may store, e.g., in a memory in the vehicle and/or at a remote server, an occupant posture profile including adjustments made by an occupant and/or actuated in one or more vehicle subsystems without input from the occupant. The computing device may retrieve the posture profile and send a notification with adjustments to the vehicle subsystems to maintain the recommended posture.

[0009] Figure 1 illustrates a system 100 for monitoring, and/or adjusting vehicle 101 components according to, occupant posture. A computing device 105 in the vehicle 101 is programmed to receive collected data 115 from one or more data collectors 110, e.g., vehicle 101 sensors, concerning various values related to the vehicle 101. For example, the values may include biometric data related to a vehicle 101 operator, e.g., back angle, torso angle, seating position, heart rate, respiration, etc. Further examples of data 115 can include measurements of vehicle 101 systems and components, e.g., a seat back angle, a seat bottom position, an inflation level of an inflatable bladder in a vehicle 101 seat, etc. etc.).

[0010] The computing device 105 is generally programmed for communications on a controller area network (CAN) bus or the like. The computing device 105 may also have a connection to an onboard diagnostics connector (OBD-II). Via the CAN bus, OBD-II, and/or other wired or wireless mechanisms, the computing device 105 may transmit messages to various devices in a vehicle and/or receive messages from the various devices, e.g., controllers, actuators, sensors, etc., including data collectors 110. Alternatively or additionally, in cases where the computing device 105 actually comprises multiple devices, the CAN bus or the like may be used for communications between devices represented as the computing device 105 in this disclosure. In addition, the computing device 105 may be programmed for communicating with the network 120, which, as described below, may include various wired and/or wireless networking technologies, e.g., cellular, Bluetooth, wired and/or wireless packet networks, etc.

[0011] The data store 106 may be of any known type, e.g., hard disk drives, solid-state drives, servers, or any volatile or non-volatile media. The data store 106 may store the collected data 115 sent from the data collectors 110.

[0012] The vehicle 101 may include a plurality of subsystems 107. The subsystems 107 control vehicle 101 components, e.g., a vehicle seat, mirror, tiltable and/or telescoping steering wheel, etc. The subsystems 107 include, e.g., a seat adjustment system that could include one or more known elements such as a motor to move a vehicle seat back and/or seat bottom, an inflatable bladder in the seat, a seat massager, a seat heating subsystem, a seat cooling subsystem, etc. The seat massager, as is known, may be a cushion installed into at least one of a seat back or a seat bottom that includes, e.g., rolling balls, vibrating sections, etc., that contact and move along an occupant's body. The computing device 105 may actuate the subsystems 107 to control the vehicle 101 components, e.g., to move the seat back to move the vehicle 101 occupant to a recommended posture. Various subsystems 107 may be included in an adjustable seat to adjust the configuration of a seat, e.g., an angle of a seat back, a height of a seat bottom, an inflation level of an inflatable bladder, etc. The seat may include, e.g., a plurality of inflatable bladders, each individually inflatable by an inflation subsystem 107.

[0013] The vehicle 101 includes a human-machine interface (HMI) 108. The HMI 108 may be, e.g., a graphical user interface (GUI) and/or other known device that allows occupants to interact with the computing device 105 through graphical icons and/or other visual indicators. The HMI 108 may include a variety of known mechanisms for allowing a user to interface with the computing device 105, e.g., a microphone, a speaker, text to speech, a touchscreen, a haptic display, an interactive voice response (IVR) system, etc., as are known.

[0014] Data collectors 110 may include a variety of devices. For example, various controllers in a vehicle may operate as data collectors 110 to provide data 115 via the CAN bus, e.g., data 115 relating to vehicle speed, acceleration, system and/or component functionality, etc. Further, other data collectors 110 could include cameras, motion detectors, posture detectors, etc., i.e., data collectors 110 to provide data 115 for evaluating a condition or state of a vehicle 101 operator, e.g., an occupant posture. In particular, a posture detector 110 may be included in a wearable device 140 to collect data 115 regarding the posture of the vehicle occupant, as described below.

[0015] Collected data 115 may include a variety of data collected in a vehicle 101. Examples of collected data 115 are provided above, and moreover, data 115 are generally collected using one or more data collectors 110, and may additionally include data calculated therefrom in the computing device 105, and/or at the server 125. In general, collected data 115 may include any data that may be gathered by the data collectors 110 and/or computed from such data. For example, the computing device 105 may collect data 115 on occupant posture and/or seat position and store the data 115 into a posture profile stored in at least one of the data store 106 and the server 125.

[0016] "Posture," as that term is used herein, means a specific position and/or orientation of body parts of the vehicle 101 occupant when seated in the vehicle 101 seat. That is, the position and orientation of the body parts of the occupant define the "posture" of the occupant. The body parts may include, e.g., an occupant back, torso, legs, neck, arms, etc. Posture data 115 referred to herein are data 115 that specify an actual or recommended sitting position of a vehicle 101 occupant, and can include data 115 such as an angle of an occupant's back to a seat, a position of the occupant's legs on a seat cushion, movement of the occupant's torso while breathing, an angle between an occupant upper leg and an occupant lower leg, an angle between the occupant upper leg and an occupant pelvis, an angle between the occupant pelvis and occupant vertebrae, a curvature of the occupant vertebrae, an occupant neck angle, an occupant torso angle, an angle between an occupant head and the occupant torso, an angle between an occupant shoulder and an occupant upper arm, an angle between the occupant upper arm and an occupant lower arm, etc. The posture profile includes data 115 on the posture of the occupant, e.g., a back position, a breathing rate, a seat position, prior recommended adjustments to the seat etc. The posture profile may further include data 115 on the adjustments to vehicle subsystems 107 and whether the occupant adjusted the subsystems 107 according to the adjustments. [0017] In addition to data 115 of the vehicle 101 occupant, the data collectors 110 may collect data 115 on vehicle 101 components to determine the occupant posture. The data 115 may include, e.g., position of a steering wheel, orientation of the steering wheel, position of a vehicle 101 seat, orientation of the seat, position of a headrest, etc. The computing device 105 may use data 115 of the body parts as described above with data 115 of the vehicle 101 components to determine the posture, e.g., an angle between an occupant back and a vehicle 101 seat back, a position of an occupant's shoulders relative to a vehicle 101 steering wheel, a position of an occupant's legs on a vehicle 101 seat cushion, etc.

[0018] The system 100 may further include a network 120 connected to a server 125 and a data store 130. The computer 105 may further be programmed to communicate with one or more remote sites such as the server 125, via a network 120, such remote site possibly including a data store 130. The network 120 represents one or more mechanisms by which a vehicle computer 105 may communicate with a remote server 125. Accordingly, the network 120 may be one or more of various wired or wireless communication mechanisms, including any desired combination of wired (e.g., cable and fiber) and/or wireless (e.g., cellular, wireless, satellite, microwave, and radio frequency) communication mechanisms and any desired network topology (or topologies when multiple communication mechanisms are utilized). Exemplary communication networks include wireless communication networks (e.g., using Bluetooth, IEEE 802.i l, etc.), local area networks (LAN) and/or wide area networks (WAN), including the Internet, providing data communication services.

[0019] The server 125 may be programmed to determine an appropriate action for one or more vehicles 101, and to provide direction to the computing device 105 to proceed accordingly. The server 125 may be one or more computer servers, each generally including at least one processor and at least one memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor, including instructions for carrying out various steps and processes described herein. The server 125 may include or be communicatively coupled to a data store 130 for storing collected data 115. The server 125 may store an occupant posture profile that includes data 115, as described above, concerning the posture of a specific occupant, prior recommended adjustments to vehicle subsystems 107, whether the occupant actuated the subsystems 107 according to the adjustments, etc. The posture profile may be accessible by a plurality of vehicles 101.

[0020] A wearable device 140 may be any one of a variety of mobile or portable computing devices including a processor and a memory, as well as communication capabilities. As the moniker "wearable" implies, a wearable device 140 is provided to be worn on a vehicle occupant's body. For example, the wearable device 140 may be a watch, a smart watch, a vibrating apparatus, a lapel clip, a belt clip, clothing with at least one embedded microelectronic sensor, etc. that includes capabilities for wireless communications using IEEE 802.11, Bluetooth, and/or cellular communications protocols. Further, the wearable device 140 may use such communications capabilities to communicate via the network 120 and also directly with a vehicle computer 105, e.g., using Bluetooth. The wearable device 140 may be, e.g., an off-the-shelf posture detector configured to attach to at least one of the vehicle 101 occupant's clothing and/or the vehicle 101 seat. For example, a LUMO ® Lift made by LUMO Bodytech, Inc. of Palo Alto, California is a wearable device 140 worn below the occupant's collarbone that vibrates when the device 140 detects that the occupant is slouching. In another example, a Prana made by Prana Tech LLC of San Francisco, California is a respiration sensor clipped to an occupant's waist and determines whether the occupant is breathing through their diaphragm by measuring an occupant torso angle, and breathing through the diaphragm may be healthier than breathing through the chest. The Prana then sends alerts when it detects chest breathing rather than diaphragm breathing. In yet another example, a Darma ® cushion made by AnSing Technology Pte. Ltd. of Singapore is a seat cushion with fiber optic sensors that passively track posture, sitting time, heartbeat, and respiration. The wearable device 140 may include data collectors 110 to detect the occupant posture.

[0021] The system 100 may include a non- wearable user device 150. The user device 150 may be any one of a variety of computing devices including a processor and a memory, e.g., a smartphone, a tablet, a personal digital assistant, etc. the user device 150 may use the network 120 to communicate with the vehicle computer 105 and the wearable device 140. The user device 150 may store the occupant posture profile. The user device 150 may include at least one data collector 110 that may detect posture data 115, e.g., an accelerometer to measure a change in a torso angle.

[0022] Figure 2 illustrates a process 200 for identifying adjustments to vehicle 101 components based on the posture of a vehicle 101 occupant. The process 200 starts in a block 205, in which data collectors 110 in the vehicle 101 and the wearable device 140 collect data 115 about a vehicle 101 occupant. The data 115 may include data about an occupant position and/or physical characteristics, e.g., occupant back position, breathing, chest position, motion of occupant body parts, height, weight, gender, etc. The occupant data 115 may further include, e.g., a medical history of the occupant including a skeletal profile that identifies the location and position of bones of the occupant's skeleton. For example, an accelerometer in a wearable device 140 or a user device 150 may detect a torso angle of the occupant, e.g., in a manner as discussed further below with respect to Figures 4-6. The computing device 105 may further retrieve an occupant posture profile from the server 125. The data collectors 110 may collect data 115 when the occupant is outside of the vehicle 101 or sitting in the vehicle 101 seat.

[0023] Next, in a block 210, the computing device 105 determines a current occupant posture, i.e., one or more values such as an angle of the occupant's back, an angle of the occupant's chest, etc., that define the position of the occupant's body parts. The computing device 105 uses the occupant data 115 collected by the data collectors 110 and the wearable device 140 as well as data 115 of vehicle 101 components to determine the posture of the occupant using known methods. For example, the data 115 may indicate that the occupant is breathing primarily with their chest muscles rather than through their diaphragm, which may indicate that the occupant is slouching. The posture may alternatively be determined by the user device 150. In another example, the computing device 105 may determine the posture of the occupant based on movement of the occupant, e.g., occupant walking motion as the occupant approaches to the vehicle 101 and walks away from the vehicle 101, movement in the vehicle 101 seat, etc.. In yet another example, the computing device 105 may determine the posture based on the back angle measured by the wearable device 140 and the seat back angle of the vehicle 101 seat. [0024] Next, in a block 215, the computing device 105 determines a recommended occupant posture. The recommended occupant posture is a predetermined set of values for the specific data 115 collected by the wearable device 140. The recommended occupant posture may be determined using a known 3D computer-aided design (CAD) ergonomics model, e.g., RAMSIS ® produced by Human Solutions GmbH of Kaiserslautern, Germany, which uses data 115 of body parts of the occupant to determine the recommended posture. Such models develop a digital representation of the occupant's body, and determine, e.g., discomfort of the occupant based on posture data 115 stored in the model and data 115 collected from the occupant by, e.g., the wearable device 140 using known methods. For example, if the wearable device 140 detects occupant back angle, the recommended occupant posture as determined by the CAD ergonomics model would be a specified back angle. The recommended occupant posture may differ for different occupants, e.g. according to weight, height, etc. The computing device 105 may determine the recommended occupant posture using known methods, e.g., the CAD ergonomics model. Alternatively, the recommended occupant posture may be determined with the user device 150.

[0025] Next, in a block 220, the computing device 105 compares the current occupant posture to the recommended occupant posture and identifies adjustments to the subsystems 107. If one or more current posture values differ from one or more corresponding recommended posture values by more than a predetermined threshold(s), as determined by the ergonomics model, the computing device 105 can identify one or more adjustments to subsystems 107 so that the occupant can move into the recommended occupant posture. For example, the computing device 105 could subtract the measured data 115 from the wearable device 140, e.g., the occupant back angle, from the predetermined recommended occupant posture, e.g., the predetermined back angle, to determine the difference between the measured data 115 and the recommended posture. Based on the difference, the computing device 105 could determine adjustments to the vehicle subsystems 107 that would move the occupant toward the predetermined recommended posture. For example, if the current occupant posture indicates that the occupant is slouching, the computing device 105 may identify that inflating the inflation level in an inflatable bladder in the vehicle 101 seat would move the occupant into an upright posture, reducing the difference between the measured back angle and the recommended back angle. In another example, the computing device 105 may compare the walking motion of the occupant approaching the vehicle 101 to walking motion away from the vehicle 101, and if the walking motion of the occupant approaching the vehicle 101 differs from the walking motion away from the vehicle 101, the computing device 105 may determine that the occupant has strained muscles and that the seat massager subsystem 107 could be actuated to alleviate the strained muscles. In yet another example, the computing device 105 may determine adjustments to the subsystems 107 based on movement in the vehicle 101 seat, as described below in Figures 4-6. Alternatively, the user device 150 may calculate the differences between the measured data 115 and the recommended posture and determine the adjustments to the vehicle subsystems 107.

[0026] Next, in a block 225, the computing device 105 actuates vehicle subsystems 107 according to the adjustments determined in the block 220. An example process 300 for actuating vehicle subsystems 107 is described below in Figure 3. As described below, the subsystems 107 actuated may include displaying the adjustments that the occupant should take on the HMI 108, moving the seat, adjusting the seat angle, inflating individual bladders in the seat, etc. The computing device 105 may selectively actuate subsystems 107 based on whether the vehicle 101 is in motion; e.g., if the vehicle 101 is moving, moving the seat may distract the occupant, so the computing device 105 may actuate only a seat massager. When the vehicle 101 is not in motion, e.g., is in park, the computing device 105 may actuate more subsystems 107, e.g., may move the seat back to move the occupant's back to the predetermined back angle.

[0027] Next, in a block 230, the computing device 105 decides whether to continue the process 200. For example, the process 200 may end if driving operations, e.g., the vehicle 101, is powered off, a transmission selector is placed in "park," etc. If the process 200 should not continue, the process 200 ends following the block 230. Otherwise, the process 200 proceeds to the block 205.

[0028] Figure 3 illustrates a process 300 for actuating subsystems 107 based on the adjustments for the recommended posture. The process 300 may be implemented in the block 225 of the process 200 described above to actuate the subsystem 107. The process 300 starts in a block 305, where the computing device 105 collects data 115 on the occupant posture from, e.g., the portable device 140 and the recommended adjustments from the process 200 in the block 220.

[0029] Next, in a block 310, the computing device 105 determines whether the occupant adjusted the subsystems 107 according to the recommended adjustments in the notification sent in the block 225 of the process 200. The computing device 105 may optionally wait for a predetermined amount of time, e.g., 60 seconds, to allow the occupant to adjust the subsystems 107 according to the recommended adjustments. The computing device 105 collects data 115 to determine whether the occupant adjusted the seat according to the adjustments in the notification. For example, if one of the adjustments was to move the seat angle to a specific angle, the computing device 105 may measure the seat angle with a data collector 110 to determine whether the occupant moved the seat to the seat angle. If the occupant adjusted the subsystems 107, the process 300 continues in a block 335. Otherwise, the process 300 continues in a block 315. If the computing device 105 does not wait for the predetermined amount of time to allow the occupant to adjust the subsystems 107, the process 300 may skip the block 310 and proceed directly to the block 315.

[0030] In the block 315, the computing device 105 determines whether the vehicle 101 is in a parked mode, i.e., a transmission is placed in "park." Placing the vehicle 101 in the parked mode indicates that the occupant is no longer operating the vehicle 101 and may be about to exit the vehicle 101. Certain subsystems 107 may be actuated only when the vehicle 101 is in park, e.g., the computing device 105 may optionally adjust the vehicle 101 seat back angle only when the vehicle 101 is in park to prevent distracting the occupant while the vehicle 101 is in motion. If the vehicle 101 is in the parked mode, the process 300 continues in a block 320. Otherwise, the process 300 continues in a block 330. If the computing device 105 determines that the subsystems 107 to be actuated do not require the vehicle 101 to be in park, the process 300 may skip the block 315 and proceed directly to the block 330. [0031] In the block 320, the computing device 105 determines whether the occupant is in the vehicle 101 with the data collectors 110. For example, the computing device 105 may use a data collector 110 that detects weight present in the seat to determine whether the occupant is present. If the occupant is in the vehicle 101, the process continues in the block 330. Otherwise, the process continues in a block 325.

[0032] In the block 325, the computing device 105 actuates vehicle subsystems 107 according to the adjustments recommended to move the occupant to the recommended posture, i.e., parked seat subsystems 107. Because the occupant is no longer in the vehicle, the computing device 105 may actuate subsystems 107 that may normally disrupt vehicle 101 operation if actuated while the occupant is present. For example, the computing device 105 may adjust the seat back angle, seat bottom height, inflatable bladders, etc. The process 300 then continues in the block 335.

[0033] In the block 330, the computing device 105 actuates subsystems 107 according to the adjustments that may be actuated with the occupant present, i.e., drive seat subsystems 107. Some subsystems 107 may be actuated while the vehicle 101 is in operation without disrupting the occupant. For example, the computing device 105 may actuate the seat back massager, a seat cushion massager, a seat heating subsystem 107, a seat cooling subsystem 107, etc. The process 300 then continues in the block 335.

[0034] In the block 335, the computing device 105 sends data 115 about the occupant's actions to the occupant posture profile in the server 125 and/or the user device 150. If the occupant adjusted their seat according to the adjustments, the computing device 105 updates the profile to indicate that the occupant maintained the recommended posture. If the occupant did not adjust their seat according to the adjustments, the computing device 105 updates the profile to indicate the current posture of the occupant and to send another notification with the adjustments when the occupant next operates a vehicle 101.

[0035] Next, in a block 340, the computing device 105 decides whether to continue the process 300. For example, the process 300 may end if driving operations, e.g., the vehicle 101, is powered off. If the process 300 should not continue, the process 300 ends following the block 340. Otherwise, the process 300 proceeds to the block 305 to collect more data 115.

[0036] Figure 4 illustrates an example chart 400 of data 115 collected from the wearable device 140 indicating occupant movement in a vehicle 101 seat. The chart 400 includes a curve (or plot) 405, which is a representation of the data 115 collected. Here, the data 115 are measurements of an occupant upper torso angle, i.e., an angle of an occupant torso relative to a vertical axis as measured by, e.g., a LUMO ® Lift as described above. The chart 400 shows upper torso angle on the vertical axis and time on the horizontal axis, i.e., the curve 405 represents the measured upper torso angle over a period of time. The occupant may start with a baseline upper torso angle 410 measured at the start of the curve 405. The baseline 410 may be predetermined and may be collected from, e.g., the ergonomics CAD model or as an average of previous upper torso angle measurements collected over a predetermined period of time, e.g., the previous 5 minutes. The curve 405 falls a plurality of times from the baseline 410 and rises to the baseline 410 after falling, indicating that the occupant may be slouching and then moving their torso up after slouching. The plurality of changes in the upper torso angle beyond a predetermined angle threshold from the baseline 410 may indicate that the occupant posture differs from the recommended occupant posture. The predetermined angle threshold may be determined for each occupant and for each wearable device 140, and may be determined according to known methods, e.g., the ergonomics CAD model, to define the upper torso angle at which the occupant is slouching. In the example of Figure 4, the curve 405 drops three times below the baseline 410 beyond the predetermined angle threshold, rising each time to the baseline 410, indicating a change in the occupant posture, but the computing device 105 may have a predetermined number of times that the upper torso angle must drop and rise before indicating the change in occupant posture. That is, more than one change in the data 115 may indicate a change in occupant posture warranting an adjustment in one or more of the subsystems 107. As such, the computing device 105 may identify an adjustment to one of the vehicle subsystems 107, e.g., the seat back angle adjuster, to reduce a number of times the upper torso angle falls from and rises to the baseline 410. [0037] Furthermore, the computing device 105 may include a predetermined time threshold to determine whether the change in the curve 405 warrants an adjustment in one or more of the subsystems 107. The time threshold may be determined using known techniques, e.g., the ergonomics CAD model, for each occupant such that changes in the curve 405 from the baseline 410 that exceed the time threshold, i.e., the curve 405 differs from the baseline 410 by more than the predetermined angle threshold for longer than the time threshold, may warrant an adjustment in one or more of the subsystems 107.

[0038] Figure 5 illustrates another example chart 500 including a curve 505 representing upper torso angle data 115. As described above for Figure 4, the curve 505 may start with a predetermined baseline upper torso angle 510 determined from, e.g., the ergonomics CAD model or an average of previous torso angle measurements over a period of time, e.g., the previous 5 minutes. The computing device 105 may use the angle threshold and the time threshold described above for Figure 4 to determine whether the change in the curve 505 warrants an adjustment to one or more subsystems 107. The curve 505 drops below the baseline 510 beyond the angle threshold and maintains a value below the baseline 510 for longer than the time threshold, indicating that the occupant is slouching, and then rising and maintaining an angle higher than the baseline 510 beyond the angle threshold for longer than the time threshold, indicating that the occupant is overcorrecting his or her posture, and then dropping below the baseline 510 and returning to slouching again. That is, a change in the data 115 away from the baseline 510, coupled with a change away from the baseline 510 opposite the previous change in the data 115, indicating an overcorrection, may indicate a change in the posture requiring an adjustment in one of the subsystems 107. Here, the computing device 105 may identify an adjustment to one of the vehicle subsystems 107, e.g., the seat back angle adjuster, the seat massager, etc., to adjust the vehicle 101 seat to limit an angle by which the occupant slouches. As in the example of Figure 4, changes in posture away from the baseline 510 exceeding a predetermined threshold identified in the data 115, e.g., the upper torso angle measurements exceeding the angle threshold, may be used by the computing device 105 to identify subsystems 107 to adjust to limit the number, duration, and magnitude of the posture changes.

[0039] Figure 6 illustrates another example chart 600 including a curve 605 representing upper torso angle data 115. Here, the curve 605 falls from a baseline 610, determined similarly to the baselines 410, 510 described above, and returns to the baseline 610 once. The fall from the baseline 610 exceeds the angle threshold, but returns to the baseline 610 before exceeding the time threshold. Furthermore, the curve 605 falls only once, and not more than one time. The computing device 105 may interpret the single change in the curve 605 for shorter than the time threshold and then return to the baseline 610 as a voluntary movement, e.g., the occupant adjusting an entertainment subsystem 107, the occupant grabbing a drink, etc., rather than a change in occupant posture requiring an adjustment of one of the vehicle subsystems 107. Unlike the curve 405, the drop in the curve 605 does not repeat, and unlike the curve 505, the curve 605 does not go above the baseline 610 after dropping below the baseline 610, indicating an overcorrection. Because the curve 605 only exceeds one of the angle threshold and the time threshold, the computing device 105 may determine not to identify adjustments for one or more vehicle subsystems 107. Thus, the computing device 105 may identify adjustments to subsystems 107 for the examples of Figure 4, where changes in the curve 405 exceeding the angle threshold repeat, Figure 5, where changes in the curve 505 exceed the angle threshold both above and below the baseline 510 for longer than the time threshold, but not for the example of Figure 6, where the change in the curve 605 neither repeats nor exceeds the time threshold.

[0040] As used herein, the adverb "substantially" modifying an adjective means that a shape, structure, measurement, value, calculation, etc. may deviate from an exact described geometry, distance, measurement, value, calculation, etc., because of imperfections in materials, machining, manufacturing, sensor measurements, computations, processing time, communications time, etc.

[0041] Computing devices 105 generally each include instructions executable by one or more computing devices such as those identified above, and for carrying out blocks or steps of processes described above. Computer-executable instructions may be compiled or interpreted from computer programs created using a variety of programming languages and/or technologies, including, without limitation, and either alone or in combination, Java™, C, C++, Visual Basic, Java Script, Perl, HTML, etc. In general, a processor (e.g., a microprocessor) receives instructions, e.g., from a memory, a computer-readable medium, etc., and executes these instructions, thereby performing one or more processes, including one or more of the processes described herein. Such instructions and other data may be stored and transmitted using a variety of computer-readable media. A file in the computing device 105 is generally a collection of data stored on a computer readable medium, such as a storage medium, a random access memory, etc.

[0042] A computer-readable medium includes any medium that participates in providing data (e.g., instructions), which may be read by a computer. Such a medium may take many forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, etc. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical or magnetic disks and other persistent memory. Volatile media include dynamic random access memory (DRAM), which typically constitutes a main memory. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, DVD, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, an EPROM, a FLASH-EEPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, or any other medium from which a computer can read.

[0043] With regard to the media, processes, systems, methods, etc. described herein, it should be understood that, although the steps of such processes, etc. have been described as occurring according to a certain ordered sequence, such processes could be practiced with the described steps performed in an order other than the order described herein. It further should be understood that certain steps could be performed simultaneously, that other steps could be added, or that certain steps described herein could be omitted. For example, in the process 200, one or more of the steps could be omitted, or the steps could be executed in a different order than shown in Figure 2. In other words, the descriptions of systems and/or processes herein are provided for the purpose of illustrating certain embodiments, and should in no way be construed so as to limit the disclosed subject matter. [0044] Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present disclosure, including the above description and the accompanying figures and below claims, is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many embodiments and applications other than the examples provided would be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading the above description. The scope of the invention should be determined, not with reference to the above description, but should instead be determined with reference to claims appended hereto and/or included in a non-provisional patent application based hereon, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is anticipated and intended that future developments will occur in the arts discussed herein, and that the disclosed systems and methods will be incorporated into such future embodiments. In sum, it should be understood that the disclosed subject matter is capable of modification and variation.