Development of a Cardiovascular Mathematical Model Considering the Thermal Environment

Recently, traffic accidents caused by the drowsy driving are frequently featured by medias. The system capable of catching the sign of drowsiness and alert the driver to prevent him from drowsy driving is highly demanded. The purpose of this research is to reproduce the impact on driver drowsiness by the cabin thermal environment using cardiovascular mathematical model. In this research, the cardiovascular model considering cabin thermal environment was built based on the cardiovascular model developed by Kotani et al. (Phys Rev E 65:051923, 2002) and the thermoregulation model developed by Gagge et al. (ASHRAE Trans 77:247–262, 1971). In this model, the effect of the cabin temperature on the circulatory system is mainly reflected by the change of peripheral resistance (TPR) which is influenced mainly by sympathetic nerves activity (Okada, Med Sci Int 1:54–55, 2013). Finally, the model was evaluated by comparing with the experiment value.