Driver Alertness Monitoring

Basic Description

 

NHSTA estimates that there are about 1500 fatalities and 71,000 injuries which are related to driver fatigue. Another major cause of accidents is driver distraction. Reasons for driver fatigue include lengthy driving distances, lack of sleep, and body clock disturbances. Sources of driver distraction include cell phone calls, eating while driving, events occurring outside the vehicle and interactions with other passengers in the vehicle.

There are many systems available or under development to monitor the alertness of the driver. These systems monitor the position, general behavior or driving performance of the driver and signal a warning and/or take partial control of automotive systems when a lack of attentiveness is detected.

Some systems monitor the eye movements and blinking rate of the driver, while other systems monitor head movements (e.g. nods and tilt). Some systems under development include algorithms to track the driver’s facial expressions. These driver alertness systems typically use non-intrusive cameras mounted in front of the driver. Some systems, like Mercedes Benz Attention Assist, monitor driver input to the steering wheel along with other driver action such as use of turn indicators and application of pedals.

Sensors

Camera , steering angle sensor, pedal position sensor, vehicle speed sensor

Actuators

Display (usually in dashboard or instrument panel), speaker (audible warning) or in some cases lights.

Data Communications

Typically Control Area Network (CAN) communication with engine control module

Manufacturers

AssistWare, Eye Alert, Eyegaze, Mobileye, SMI, Smart Eye, Tobii

For More Information

[1] Asleep at the Wheel - New Technologies to Help Drivers Stay in Control, Thatcham Research News, Feb. 2009.

[2] Hey! What're You Lookin' At?, Kermit Whitfield, Automotive Design and Production.

[3] Mercedes-Benz Developing Systems to Counter Driver Fatigue, Autoweb, Nov. 22, 2006.

[4] Volvo XC60: Driver Alert Control, YouTube.com, 16 October 2008.