'WEARABLE IN-_VEHICLE EYE GAZE DETECTION"

• US 20180244279A1
• Filed: 09/21/2015
• Published: 08/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kochhar, Devinder Singh
• Granted Patent: US 10,618,521 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/22 Motor vehicles operators, e.g. drivers, pilots, captains
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 for determining or recording eye movement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/398 Electrooculography [EOG], e.g. detecting nystagmus; Electroretinography [ERG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6803 Head-worn items, e.g. helmets, masks, headphones or goggles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/00 Safety devices for propulsion-unit control, specially adapted for, or arranged in, vehicles, e.g. preventing fuel supply or ignition in the event of potentially dangerous conditions for electrically-propelled vehicles B60L3/00; road vehicle drive control systems for purposes not related to the control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/00; drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0818 Inactivity or incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/225 Direction of gaze
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/26 Incapacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0605 Throttle position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/18 Braking system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/20 Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/08 Active safety systems predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision or attempting to minimise its consequences
• 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: G08B 21/06 indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence

Abstract

A system, including: one or more sensors included in an apparatus wearable by a vehicle operator to measure ocular muscle movement; and a computer that includes a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the computer such that the computer is programmed to: receive data indicating ocular muscle movement from the wearable sensor; determine, using the measurement, a gaze direction of the operator; use the gaze direction to determine a level of operator attentiveness; and actuate a vehicle operation if the level of operator attentiveness is below a predetermined threshold.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A system, comprising:

one or more sensors included in an apparatus wearable by a vehicle operator to measure ocular muscle movement; and

a computer that includes a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the computer such that the computer is programmed to;

receive data indicating ocular muscle movement from the wearable sensor;

determine, using the measurement, a gaze direction of the operator;

use the gaze direction to determine a level of operator attentiveness; and

actuate a vehicle operation if the level of operator attentiveness based on the gaze direction is below a predetermined threshold.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the computer is further programmed to retrieve, from the memory, a parameter concerning the gaze direction, and to use the parameter in determining the level of operator attentiveness.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the vehicle operation includes at least one of actuating a throttle, actuating a steering mechanism, and actuating brakes.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the computer is further programmed to provide the gaze direction to at least one of a human-machine interface of the in-vehicle computer and a mobile user device.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the computer is further programmed to provide the gaze direction to a remote server.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the computer is further programmed to determine a hazard from vehicle sensor data, and warn the operator when level of operator attentiveness indicates lack of attention to the hazard.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the computer is further programmed to determine the lack of attention to the hazard based on a trajectory of the gaze direction.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein the computer is further programmed to determine operator fatigue based on the gaze direction, and to determine a waypoint for the vehicle when operator fatigue indicates drowsiness.

29. A method, comprising:

receiving from one or more sensors included in an apparatus wearable by a vehicle operator to measure ocular muscle movement; and

determining, using the measurement, a gaze direction of the operator;

using the gaze direction to determine a level of operator attentiveness; and

actuating a vehicle operation if the level of operator attentiveness based on the gaze direction is below a predetermined threshold.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising retrieving, from the memory, a parameter concerning the gaze direction, and to use the parameter in determining the level of operator attentiveness.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the vehicle operation includes at least one of actuating a throttle, actuating a steering mechanism, and actuating brakes.

32. The method of claim 29, further comprising providing the gaze direction to at least one of a human-machine interface of the in-vehicle computer and a mobile user device.

33. The method of claim 29, further comprising providing the gaze direction to a remote server.

34. The method of claim 29, further comprising determining a hazard from vehicle sensor data, and warning the operator when level of operator attentiveness indicates lack of attention to the hazard.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising determining the lack of attention to the hazard based on a trajectory of the gaze direction.

36. The method of claim 29, further comprising determining operator fatigue based on the gaze direction, and determining a waypoint for the vehicle when operator fatigue indicates drowsiness.

37. A system, comprising a processor;

and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor to;

receive data from one or more sensors included in an apparatus wearable by a vehicle operator to measure ocular muscle movement; and

determine, using the measurement, a gaze direction of the operator;

use the gaze direction to determine a level of operator attentiveness; and

actuate a vehicle operation if the level of operator attentiveness based on the gaze direction is below a predetermined threshold.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the processor is further programmed to retrieve, from the memory, a parameter concerning the gaze direction, and to use the parameter in determining the level of operator attentiveness.

39. The system of claim 37, wherein the processor is further programmed to determine a hazard from vehicle sensor data, and warn the operator when level of operator attentiveness indicates a lack of attention to the hazard.

40. The system of claim 37, wherein the processor is further programmed to determine operator fatigue based on the gaze direction, and to determine a waypoint for the vehicle when operator fatigue indicates drowsiness.