DROWSY DRIVER DETECTION SYSTEM

• US 20120169503A1
• Filed: 06/23/2010
• Published: 07/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: L&P Property Management Company (Leggett & Platt Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: L&P Property Management Company (Leggett & Platt Incorporated)
• Inventors: Wu, Riheng, Turner, Jason, Browning, Caleb, Brummett, Travis
• Granted Patent: US 8,957,779 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/575
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 23/00 Alarms responsive to unspecified undesired or abnormal conditions

Abstract

A method of detecting impairment of a driver of a vehicle. The method includes sensing, using a sensor, a position of the driver'"'"'s head at a plurality of time points; determining, using a microprocessor, changes in the position of the driver'"'"'s head between the plurality of time points; evaluating, using a microprocessor, whether the changes in the position of the driver'"'"'s head between the plurality of time points exhibit at least one of a periodic and a quasi-periodic pattern; determining whether the driver is impaired based on the pattern of the changes in the position of the driver'"'"' s head; and if the driver is impaired, alerting the driver using an alarm.

Claims

1. A method of detecting impairment of a driver of a vehicle, comprising:

sensing, using a sensor, a position of the driver'"'"'s head at a plurality of time points;

determining, using a microprocessor, changes in the position of the driver'"'"'s head between the plurality of time points;

evaluating, using a microprocessor, whether the changes in the position of the driver'"'"'s head between the plurality of time points exhibit at least one of a periodic and a quasi-periodic pattern;

determining whether the driver is impaired based on the pattern of the changes in the position of the driver'"'"'s head; and

if the driver is impaired, alerting the driver using an alarm.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensing is performed with an ultrasonic sensor.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising locating the sensor in a driver'"'"'s seat.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising locating the sensor in a headrest of the driver'"'"'s seat.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of periodic and quasi-periodic pattern of the changes in the position of the driver'"'"'s head is evaluated using an auto-correlation function.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of periodic and quasi-periodic pattern of the changes in the position of the driver'"'"'s head is evaluated using power spectrum density analysis.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of periodic and quasi-periodic pattern of the changes in the position of the driver'"'"'s head is evaluated using high-order spectrum estimation theory.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein using high-order spectrum estimation theory comprises using a Multiple Signal Classification power spectrum estimation algorithm.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein using the Multiple Signal Classification power spectrum estimation algorithm comprises identifying a spectrum peak.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of time points comprises a first group of time points and a second group of time points, such that evaluating whether the changes in the position of the driver'"'"'s head between the plurality of time points exhibit at least one of a periodic and a quasi-periodic pattern comprises comparing the at least one of a periodic and a quasi-periodic pattern from the first group of time points with the at least one of a periodic and a quasi-periodic pattern from the second group of time points.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein altering the driver includes using at least one of an audible alarm and a visual alarm.

12. A system for detecting impairment of a driver of a vehicle, comprising:

a sensor for sensing a position of the driver'"'"'s head at a plurality of time points, an alarm for altering the driver; and

a microprocessor, wherein the microprocessor is configured to

determine changes in the position of the driver'"'"'s head between the plurality of time points;

evaluate whether the changes in the position of the driver'"'"'s head between the plurality of time points exhibit at least one of a periodic and a quasi-periodic pattern;

determine whether the driver is impaired based on the pattern of the changes in the position of the driver'"'"'s head; and

if the driver is impaired, alert the driver using the alarm.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the sensor is an ultrasonic sensor.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the sensor is located in a driver'"'"'s seat.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the sensor is located in a headrest of the driver'"'"'s seat.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the microprocessor evaluates the at least one of periodic and quasi-periodic pattern of the changes in the position of the driver'"'"'s head using an auto-correlation function.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the microprocessor evaluates the at least one of periodic and quasi-periodic pattern of the changes in the position of the driver'"'"'s head using power spectrum density analysis.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the microprocessor evaluates the at least one of periodic and quasi-periodic pattern of the changes in the position of the driver'"'"'s head using high-order spectrum estimation theory.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein using high-order spectrum estimation theory comprises using a Multiple Signal Classification power spectrum estimation algorithm.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the microprocessor uses the Multiple Signal Classification power spectrum estimation algorithm to identify a spectrum peak.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of time points comprises a first group of time points and a second group of time points, wherein the microprocessor being configured to evaluate whether the changes in the position of the driver'"'"'s head between the plurality of time points exhibit at least one of a periodic and a quasi-periodic pattern comprises being configured to compare the at least one of a periodic and a quasi-periodic pattern from the first group of time points with the at least one of a periodic and a quasi-periodic pattern from the second group of time points.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein the alarm includes at least one of an audible alarm and a visual alarm.