Driver's drowsiness detection method of drowsy driving warning system

• US 6,243,015 B1
• Filed: 06/17/1999
• Issued: 06/05/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Yeo, Jung-hack
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): TWEEL JR, JOHN ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US09/334,960
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 340/576, 340/575, 340/573.1, 180/272, 348/789, 382/117, 382/118
• US Class Current: 340/576
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms

Abstract

A driver'"'"'s drowsiness detection method of a drowsy driving alarming system comprising the steps of: determining a vertical width of a driver'"'"'s eye from a driver'"'"'s face image input from a CCD camera, presetting a standard vertical width and a standard drowsiness factor on the basis of the average vertical width of the driver'"'"'s eye, comparing a real vertical width of the driver'"'"'s eye with the standard vertical width, increasing or decreasing a drowsiness factor depending on the vertical width of the driver'"'"'s eye, and judging whether the driver is drowsy or not by comparing the drowsiness factor increased or decreased to the standard drowsiness factor.

Claims

1. A method for detecting a driver'"'"'s drowsiness comprising the steps of:

detecting an average vertical width of a driver'"'"'s eye from a driver'"'"'s face image;

determining a standard vertical width and a standard drowsiness factor on the basis of the average vertical width of the driver'"'"'s eye, wherein the average vertical width is determined by averaging the vertical width of several parts of the drivers eye over a predetermined period of time;

comparing a current vertical width of the driver'"'"'s eye with the determined standard vertical width;

determining a current drowsiness factor wherein, if the current vertical width of the driver'"'"'s eye is less than the standard vertical width, the drowsiness factor is calculated on the basis of the following equation;

 

Drowsiness Factor_(new)=Drowsiness Factor_(old)×

(1−

0.05)+0.05; and

comparing the current drowsiness factor with the determined standard drowsiness factor.

2. A method for detecting a driver'"'"'s drowsiness comprising the steps of:

detecting an average vertical width of a driver'"'"'s eye from a driver'"'"'s face image;

determining a standard vertical width and a standard drowsiness factor on the basis of the average vertical width of the driver'"'"'s eye, wherein the average vertical width is determined by averaging the vertical width of several parts of the drivers eye over a predetermined period of time;

comparing a current vertical width of the driver'"'"'s eye with the determined standard vertical width;

determining a current drowsiness factor wherein, if the current vertical width of the driver'"'"'s eye is greater than the standard vertical width, the drowsiness factor is calculated on the basis of the following equation;

Drowsiness Factor_(new)=Drowsiness Factor_(old)×

0.95; and

comparing the current drowsiness factor with the determined standard drowsiness factor.