Gaze time indicator for a vehicle

• US 9,619,695 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2013
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies Incorporated (Visteon Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies Incorporated (Visteon Corporation)
• Inventors: Tschirhart, Michael Dean, Cramer, Dale O., Ciatti, Anthony Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): KALAPODAS, DRAMOS
• Application Number:
  US13/911,969
• Publication Number:
  US 20140362202A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,405 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 for determining or recording eye movement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/18 for vehicle drivers or machine operators
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6893 Cars
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/066 actuating a signalling device B60K28/063 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 related to drivers or passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/165 using facial parts and geometric relationships
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/18 Eye characteristics, e.g. of the iris
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0476 Cameras to detect unsafe condition, e.g. video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms

Abstract

A system for tracking a gaze of a driver of a vehicle includes a tracking device, a processor, a memory, and a display. The tracking device is configured to track a gaze of a driver of a vehicle. The processor is in electronic communication with the tracking device. The memory is in electronic communication with the processor. The memory includes programming code configured to be executed by the processor. The programming code is configured to determine in real-time a duration of the gaze of the driver of the vehicle tracked by the tracking device. The display is in electronic communication with the processor. The display is configured to display a symbol showing the determined duration, or a portion of the determined duration, of the gaze of the driver of the vehicle as determined by the processor.

Claims

1. A camera-based system for tracking a gaze of a driver of a vehicle comprising:

a tracking device configured to track a gaze of a driver of a vehicle;

a processor in electronic communication with the tracking device;

a memory in electronic communication with the processor, wherein the memory comprises programming code configured to be executed by the processor;

wherein the programming code is configured to determine in real-time, a duration of the gaze of the driver of the vehicle tracked by the tracking device and whether the duration of the gaze of the driver exceeds a threshold of safe duration away from a path in which the vehicle is continuously moving, wherein the duration comprises a total time that the driver of the vehicle continuously gazes away from the path in which the vehicle is continuously moving with the duration beginning when the driver initially gazes away from the path in which the vehicle is continuously moving and the duration ending and resetting when the driver gazes back at the path in which the vehicle is continuously moving; and

a display in electronic communication with the processor, the display configured to, as controlled by the processor, display a symbol, while the vehicle is continuously moving, showing the real-time determined duration of the gaze of the driver as determined by the processor;

wherein the display is further configured to display the threshold of safe duration for the gaze of the driver away from the path;

wherein, when the real-time duration of the gaze of the driver meets or exceeds said threshold, the display is further configured to turn colors, flash, or otherwise graphically alert the driver, or the system is configured to sound an audio alarm through an audio device of the system;

wherein the camera-based system is configured to passively update the driver and does not interact with vehicle controls.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the tracking device comprises an eye gaze tracking device or a head tracking device.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the programming code is configured to reset the duration when the vehicle stops moving.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the memory is configured to store all duration determinations of the processor for viewing on the display at any time.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a database stored by the memory, wherein the database contains location coordinates of one or more objects other than the path or location coordinates of the path.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the database further contains an identification of the one or more objects with their corresponding location coordinates.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein the one or more objects comprises an instrument of the vehicle, a vehicle console, a person in the vehicle, an animal in the vehicle, an object in the vehicle, or an object outside of the vehicle.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the display is integrated into a vehicle console of the vehicle.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the symbol comprises a graph, a bar indicator, a pie chart, a number, or a word.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the programming code is further configured to display on the display a difference between the duration of the gaze and the threshold, to sound the audio alarm through the audio device of the system stating the duration, to sound the audio alarm through the audio device of the system stating the threshold, or to sound the audio alarm through the audio device of the system stating the difference between the duration of the gaze and the threshold.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the system is fixedly installed in the vehicle.

22. The system of claim 10 wherein the programming code is further configured to display on the display the difference between the duration of the gaze and the threshold.

23. The system of claim 10 wherein the programming code is further configured to sound the audio alarm through the audio device of the system stating the duration or the threshold.

24. The system of claim 10 wherein the programming code is further configured to sound the audio alarm through the audio device of the system stating the difference between the duration of the gaze and the threshold.

12. A method of camera-based tracking a gaze of a driver of a vehicle comprising:

tracking a gaze of a driver of a vehicle with a tracking device;

determining in real-time, with a processor, a duration of the gaze of the driver of the vehicle tracked by the tracking device and whether the duration of the gaze of the driver exceeds a threshold of safe duration away from a path in which the vehicle is continuously moving, wherein the duration comprises a total time that the driver of the vehicle continuously gazes away from the path in which the vehicle is continuously moving with the duration beginning when the driver initially gazes away from the path in which the vehicle is continuously moving and the duration ending and resetting when the driver gazes back at the path in which the vehicle is continuously moving;

displaying a symbol on a display, while the vehicle is continuously moving, showing the real-time determined duration of the gaze of the driver of the vehicle tracked by the tracking device as determined by the processor;

displaying on the display the threshold of safe duration for the gaze of the driver away from the path; and

when the real-time duration of the gaze of the driver meets or exceeds the threshold, the display turning colors, flashing, or otherwise graphically alerting the driver, or an audio device sounding an audio alarm;

the method passively updating the driver regarding the driver'"'"'s gaze as the vehicle is continuously moving without interacting with vehicle controls.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the tracking device comprises an eye gaze tracking device or a head tracking device.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising the processor resetting the duration when the vehicle stops moving.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the processor storing all duration determinations of the processor for viewing on the display at any time.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising the processor determining location coordinates of one or more objects other than the path or determining location coordinates of the path.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising the processor determining an identification of the one or more objects vehicle based on the determined location coordinates.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the one or more objects comprises an instrument of the vehicle, a vehicle console, a person in the vehicle, an animal in the vehicle, an object in the vehicle, or an object outside of the vehicle.

19. The method of claim 12 wherein the display is integrated into a vehicle console of the vehicle.

20. The method of claim 12 wherein the symbol comprises a graph, a bar indicator, a pie chart, a number, or a word.

21. The method of claim 12 further comprising the processor displaying on the display a difference between the duration of the gaze and the threshold, sounding the audio alarm through the audio device stating the duration, sounding the audio alarm through the audio device of the vehicle stating the threshold, or sounding the audio alarm through the audio device of the vehicle stating the difference between the duration of the gaze and the threshold.