Method and apparatus for warning a driver of careless driving

• US 9,208,683 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2011
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology)
• Original Assignee: Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology)
• Inventors: Son, Joon-Woo, Park, Su-Wan, Lee, Tae-Young
• Primary Examiner(s): Tweel, Jr., John A
• Application Number:
  US13/882,282
• Publication Number:
  US 20130215274A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,554 Days
• Field of Search: 340/436, 340/439, 340/576, 340/937, 180/272
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: B60Y 2400/3015 Optical cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/029 Steering assistants using warnings or proposing actions to the driver without influencing the steering system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors

Abstract

Provided is an apparatus for sensing careless driving using a camera attached to a vehicle and warning a driver of a careless driving state, the apparatus including: a driving state determination unit for sensing a driving state of a vehicle based on a video of lanes; a lane-deviation sensing unit for sensing whether the vehicle deviated from the lane based on the video of lanes received from an image-processing unit; and a careless driving warning unit for generating a warning signal based on driving state information and lane deviation information received from the driving state determination unit and the lane-deviation sensing unit, respectively.

Claims

1. An apparatus for warning a driver of careless driving, the apparatus comprising:

a driving state determination unit for sensing a driving state of a vehicle based on a video of lanes;

a lane-deviation sensing unit for sensing whether the vehicle deviated from the lane based on the video of lanes received from an image-processing unit; and

a careless driving warning unit for generating a warning signal based on driving state information and lane deviation information received from the driving state determination unit and the lane-deviation sensing unit, respectively,

wherein the driving state determination unit senses the driving state of the vehicle according to a modified standard deviation lane position (MSDLP) operation.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the driving state determination unit recognizes a left lane and a right lane of the vehicle in the video of lanes, and sets a center point of the vehicle on a horizontal line connecting the left lane and the right lane.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the driving state determination unit calculates a standard deviation of the vehicle moving left or right based on the center point during a predetermined period of time, and when the standard deviation is higher than a threshold value, senses the driving state of the vehicle to be a careless driving state.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the lane-deviation sensing unit senses that the vehicle deviated from the lane when only one lane is recognized from the video of lanes.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the careless driving warning unit generates a weak warning signal when the driving state determination unit senses the driving state of the vehicle to be a careless driving state, and generates a strong warning signal when the lane-deviation sensing unit senses that the vehicle deviated from the lane.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the careless driving warning unit does not generate a warning signal by recognizing a driving road of the vehicle to be an unpaved road when the lane-deviation sensing unit does not recognize a lane from the video of lanes.

7. An apparatus for warning a driver of careless driving, the apparatus comprising:

a driving state determination unit for sensing a driving state of a vehicle based on a video of lanes;

a lane-deviation sensing unit for sensing whether the vehicle deviated from the lane based on the video of lanes received from an image-processing unit;

a careless driving warning unit for generating a warning signal based on driving state information and lane deviation information received from the driving state determination unit and the lane-deviation sensing unit, respectively; and

a distortion correction unit for correcting a video distorted by a lens of a camera; and

a location correction unit for correcting a location of a video according to an installation location of the camera.

8. A method of warning a driver of careless driving, the method comprising:

sensing a driving state of a vehicle based on a video of lanes;

sensing whether the vehicle deviated from the lane based on the video of lanes received from an image-processing unit; and

generating a warning signal based on driving state information and lane deviation information received from a driving state determination unit and a lane-deviation sensing unit, respectively,

wherein the sensing of the driving state comprises sensing the driving state according to a modified standard deviation lane position (MSDLP) operation.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the sensing of the driving state comprises recognizing a left lane and a right lane of the vehicle in the video of lanes, and setting a center point of the vehicle on a horizontal line connecting the left lane and the right lane.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the sensing of the driving state comprises calculating a standard deviation of the vehicle moving left or right based on the center point for a predetermined period of time, and when the standard deviation is higher than a threshold value, sensing the driving state of the vehicle to be a careless driving state.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the sensing of whether the vehicle deviated from the lane comprises sensing that the vehicle deviated from the lane when only one lane is recognized in the video of lanes.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the generating of the warning signal comprises generating a weak warning signal when the driving state of the vehicle is sensed to be a careless driving state during the sensing of the driving state, and generating a strong warning signal when the vehicle is sensed to deviate from the lane during the sensing of whether the vehicle deviated from the lane.

13. A computer readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for executing the method of claim 8.