Driver Drowsiness Detection

ALSO KNOWN AS:

Driver Awareness, Fatigue Management System, Attention Alert, Driver Alert

WHAT IS IT?

Determines if a driver is starting to become distracted or fatigued to the point he or she should not be driving.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

There are two types of systems used to determine driver drowsiness. The first employs night vision cameras and facial recognition software. Infrared cameras are trained on the driver’s face to capture muscle movement, blinking patterns, head angle and more. The data is processed through facial recognition software to determine whether, for instance, facial muscles are tight or slackened, blinking patterns are erratic and what position the driver’s head is in. The computer then concludes whether the driver is fresh as a daisy or exhausted. In the latter is the case, the system issues an audible alarm and flashes lights on your car’s dash to pull over. If it concludes the driver is no longer awake, some systems will even slow the vehicle and steer it to the side of the road, where CMBS can stop the vehicle safely. The other DDD system uses sensors from a lane departure warning system and onboard computer continuously to analyze a person’s driving habits. It then creates a “driver” profile. It then compares that profile to real-time driving patterns, again using LDW sensors and cameras, to determine if, for example, steering patterns have changed, time behind the wheel is longer than normal and/or it’s later than normal for the driver to be on the road. If the driver’s behavior doesn't match his or her profile, the system determines that something's wrong and warns them to pull over.