Driver condition detection system

• US 10,525,981 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2018
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsumura, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US15/870,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20180201274A1
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/06 responsive to incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0818 Inactivity or incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness

Abstract

The driver condition detection system comprises a driver monitor camera provided in a vehicle and capturing a driver of the vehicle to generate an image of the driver, and a driver condition judging part configured to judge a condition of the driver based on the image of the driver. The driver condition judging part is configured to judge that the driver is not in a condition able to drive if detecting the driver slumping against the steering wheel based on the image of the driver.

Claims

1. A driver condition detection system comprising:

a driver monitor camera provided in a vehicle and capturing a driver of the vehicle to generate an image of the driver, and

a driver condition judging part configured to judge a condition of the driver based on the image of the driver, wherein

the driver condition judging part is configured to judge that the driver is not in a condition able to drive if detecting the driver slumping against the steering wheel based on the image of the driver.

2. The driver condition detection system according to claim 1, wherein the driver condition judging part is configured to detect slumping against the steering wheel if a contrast of the image of the driver is lower than a contrast of an image in the vehicle generated by the driver monitor camera when the driver is not in front of the driver monitor camera.

3. The driver condition detection system according to claim 2, wherein the driver condition judging part is configured to update the contrast of the image in the vehicle by an image capturing operation of the driver monitor camera before starting the detection of slumping.

4. The driver condition detection system according to claim 2, wherein the driver condition judging part is configured to judge that the contrast of the image of the driver is lower than the contrast of the image in the vehicle if a ratio of an area of a region where a luminance difference is a predetermined value or less is higher in the image of the driver than the image in the vehicle.

5. The driver condition detection system according to claim 3, wherein the driver condition judging part is configured to judge that the contrast of the image of the driver is lower than the contrast of the image in the vehicle if a ratio of an area of a region where a luminance difference is a predetermined value or less is higher in the image of the driver than the image in the vehicle.

6. The driver condition detection system according to claim 1, wherein the driver condition judging part is configured to detect slumping against the steering wheel if it cannot detect a face of the driver in the image of the driver and detects a horn button of the steering wheel being pressed.

7. The driver condition detection system according to claim 2, wherein the driver condition judging part is configured to detect slumping against the steering wheel if it cannot detect a face of the driver in the image of the driver and detects a horn button of the steering wheel being pressed.

8. The driver condition detection system according to claim 3, wherein the driver condition judging part is configured to detect slumping against the steering wheel if it cannot detect a face of the driver in the image of the driver and detects a horn button of the steering wheel being pressed.

9. The driver condition detection system according to claim 4, wherein the driver condition judging part is configured to detect slumping against the steering wheel if it cannot detect a face of the driver in the image of the driver and detects a horn button of the steering wheel being pressed.

10. The driver condition detection system according to claim 1, further comprising a steering wheel touch sensor detecting the driver touching the steering wheel, wherein

the driver condition judging part is configured to detect slumping against the steering wheel if it cannot detect a face of the driver in the image of the driver and the steering wheel touch sensor detects the steering wheel being touched.

11. The driver condition detection system according to claim 2, further comprising a steering wheel touch sensor detecting the driver touching the steering wheel, wherein

the driver condition judging part is configured to detect slumping against the steering wheel if it cannot detect a face of the driver in the image of the driver and the steering wheel touch sensor detects the steering wheel being touched.

12. The driver condition detection system according to claim 3, further comprising a steering wheel touch sensor detecting the driver touching the steering wheel, wherein

the driver condition judging part is configured to detect slumping against the steering wheel if it cannot detect a face of the driver in the image of the driver and the steering wheel touch sensor detects the steering wheel being touched.

13. The driver condition detection system according to claim 4, further comprising a steering wheel touch sensor detecting the driver touching the steering wheel, wherein

the driver condition judging part is configured to detect slumping against the steering wheel if it cannot detect a face of the driver in the image of the driver and the steering wheel touch sensor detects the steering wheel being touched.

14. The driver condition detection system according to claim 5, further comprising a steering wheel touch sensor detecting the driver touching the steering wheel, wherein

the driver condition judging part is configured to detect slumping against the steering wheel if it cannot detect a face of the driver in the image of the driver and the steering wheel touch sensor detects the steering wheel being touched.

15. The driver condition detection system according to claim 6, further comprising a steering wheel touch sensor detecting the driver touching the steering wheel, wherein

the driver condition judging part is configured to detect slumping against the steering wheel if it cannot detect a face of the driver in the image of the driver and the steering wheel touch sensor detects the steering wheel being touched.

16. The driver condition detection system according to claim 7, further comprising a steering wheel touch sensor detecting the driver touching the steering wheel, wherein

the driver condition judging part is configured to detect slumping against the steering wheel if it cannot detect a face of the driver in the image of the driver and the steering wheel touch sensor detects the steering wheel being touched.

17. The driver condition detection system according to claim 8, further comprising a steering wheel touch sensor detecting the driver touching the steering wheel, wherein

the driver condition judging part is configured to detect slumping against the steering wheel if it cannot detect a face of the driver in the image of the driver and the steering wheel touch sensor detects the steering wheel being touched.

18. The driver condition detection system according to claim 9, further comprising a steering wheel touch sensor detecting the driver touching the steering wheel, wherein

the driver condition judging part is configured to detect slumping against the steering wheel if it cannot detect a face of the driver in the image of the driver and the steering wheel touch sensor detects the steering wheel being touched.