Eye detection system using a single camera

• US 8,391,554 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2008
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Lee, Jin-Woo, Shin, Kwang-Keun, Ryu, Jihan, Litkouhi, Bakhtiar Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Jingge
• Application Number:
  US12/243,088
• Publication Number:
  US 20100080416A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,616 Days
• Field of Search: 382103-104, 180/271
• US Class Current: 382/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/59 inside of a vehicle, e.g. relating to seat occupancy, driver state or inner lighting conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/165 using facial parts and geometric relationships
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/19 Sensors therefor

Abstract

A system and a method for detecting the eyes of a driver of a vehicle using a single camera. The method includes determining a set of positional parameters corresponding to a driving seat of the vehicle. The camera is positioned at a pre-determined location inside the vehicle, and a set of parameters corresponding to the camera is determined. The location of the driver'"'"'s eyes is detected using the set of positional parameters, an image of the driver'"'"'s face and the set of parameters corresponding to the camera.

Claims

1. A method for detecting the location of at least one eye of a driver positioned in a driving seat of a vehicle using a single camera positioned inside the vehicle, said method comprising:

determining a set of positional parameters corresponding to the driving seat, where said set of positional parameters includes an angle between a back-rest of the driving seat and a vertical plane, a distance between an edge of the driving seat and a center of the camera and a length of the back-rest of the driving seat;

determining a set of parameters corresponding to the camera, wherein the set of parameters corresponding to the camera includes a focal length of the camera, an angle between the camera and a vertical plane and one or more positional parameters of the camera based on a known profile of an interior of the vehicle;

capturing an image of a face of the driver using the camera; and

detecting the eye location based on the set of positional parameters, the image of the face and the set of parameters corresponding to the camera.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the set of positional parameters is determined using sensors in the driving seat.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the set of parameters corresponding to the camera is determined using sensors.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein detecting the eye location includes processing the image to detect the eye location in the image and correlating the eye location in the image with the set of positional parameters and the set of parameters corresponding to the camera.

5. The method according to claim 1 further comprising calculating the eye location using the equation:

6. A method for detecting the location of at least one eye of a driver of a vehicle using a single camera positioned inside the vehicle, said method comprising:

determining a set of positional parameters corresponding to a first rear-view mirror of one or more rear-view mirrors, where the set of positional parameters includes an angle between a center of a head of the driver and the first rear-view mirror in a horizontal plane, an angle between the center of the head of the driver and the first rear-view mirror in a vertical plane, a distance between the center of the head of the driver and the first rear-view mirror in the horizontal plane, measured along a direction perpendicular to a direction of motion of the vehicle and a center of the camera and a distance between the center of the camera and the first rear-view mirror in the horizontal plane, measured along a direction of motion of the vehicle;

determining a set of parameters corresponding to the camera;

capturing an image of a face of the driver using the camera; and

detecting the eye location based on the set of positional parameters, the image of the face and the set of parameters corresponding to the camera.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein the set of positional parameters is determined using sensors.

8. The method according to claim 6 wherein the set of parameters corresponding to the camera includes a focal length of the camera, an angle between the camera and a vertical plane and one or more positional parameters of the camera based on a known profile of an interior of the vehicle.

9. The method according to claim 6 wherein the set of parameters corresponding to the camera is determined using sensors.

10. The method according to claim 6 wherein detecting the eye location comprises processing the image to detect the eye location in the image and correlating the eye location in the image with the set of positional parameters and the set of parameters corresponding to the camera.

11. The method according to claim 6 further comprising calculating the eye location using the equation:

12. A system for detecting the location of at least one eye of a driver positioned in a driving seat of a vehicle, said system comprising:

a driving seat position module for determining a first set of positional parameters corresponding to the driving seat, where said driving seat position module includes a driving seat inclination sensor to measure an angle between a back-rest of the driving seat and a vertical plane and a driving seat position sensor to measure a distance between an edge of the driving seat and a center of the camera;

a camera module for determining a set of parameters corresponding to a camera, where said camera module includes a camera position sensor to measure an angle between the camera and a vertical plane;

a rear-view mirror module for determining a second set of positional parameters corresponding to at least one rear-view mirror; and

an eye location detection module for detecting the eye location based on an image from the camera, the set of parameters corresponding to the camera and at least one of the first set of positional parameters and the second set of positional parameters.

13. The system according to claim 12 wherein the camera position sensor measures an angle between the camera and a horizontal plane of the vehicle.

14. The system according to claim 12 wherein the rear-view mirror module includes a position controller to re-position the at least one rear-view mirror based on the eye location.

15. The system according to claim 12 wherein the eye location detection module includes an image processing module, the image processing module processing the image to detect the eye location in the image.

16. The system according to claim 12 wherein the image processing module includes a gaze detection sub-module for performing gaze detection of the driver by identifying a pupil of the at least one eye based on the eye location and a drowsiness detection sub-module for detecting drowsiness condition of the driver based on the eye location.

17. A method for detecting the location of at least one eye of a driver positioned in a driving seat of a vehicle using a single camera positioned inside the vehicle, said method comprising:

determining a set of positional parameters corresponding to the driving seat;

determining a set of parameters corresponding to the camera;

capturing an image of a face of the driver using the camera;

detecting the eye location based on the set of positional parameters, the image of the face and the set of parameters corresponding to the camera; and

calculating the eye location using the equation;

18. A method for detecting the location of at least one eye of a driver of a vehicle using a single camera positioned inside the vehicle, said method comprising:

determining a set of positional parameters corresponding to a first rear-view mirror of one or more rear-view mirrors;

determining a set of parameters corresponding to the camera;

capturing an image of a face of the driver using the camera;

detecting the eye location based on the set of positional parameters, the image of the face and the set of parameters corresponding to the camera; and

calculating the eye location using the equation;

19. A method for detecting the location of at least one eye of a driver positioned in a driving seat of a vehicle using a single, camera positioned inside the vehicle, said method comprising:

determining a set of positional parameters corresponding to the driving seat, where said set of positional parameters includes an angle between a back-rest of the driving seat and a vertical plane, a distance between an edge of the driving seat and a center of the camera and a length of the back-rest of the driving seat;

determining a set of parameters corresponding to the camera;

capturing an image of a face of the driver using the camera; and

detecting the eye location based on the set of positional parameters, the image of the face and the set of parameters corresponding to the camera; and

calculating the eye location using the equation;