Cockpit Display Ambient Lighting for Gaze Estimation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for determining aircraft operator fatigue using eye metrics are hindered by the pupillary light reflex, which introduces noise due to varying cockpit lighting conditions, making real-time objective measurements challenging.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and system that uses a light compensation model to correct for pupillary light reflex by capturing images of an aircraft operator's eye and compensating for the lighting configuration, allowing for accurate fatigue detection in real-time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pupillometry is used to detect fatigue in operational environments, then objective fatigue measurement is achieved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to pupillary light reflex noise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent captures the pupillary light reflex phenomenon and transforms it from a harmful noise source into a useful signal. By measuring the pupil's response to known lighting changes and using this information to calculate compensation factors, the system converts the harmful autonomic reflex into a beneficial correction mechanism that actually improves fatigue detection accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring the pupil's response to cockpit lighting and using this information to adjust and compensate for light-induced noise in real-time. The measured pupillary reflex serves as feedback that drives the compensation algorithm, allowing the system to adapt to varying lighting conditions and maintain measurement precision.
2Ease of operation
If cockpit lighting is used for visibility and instrumentation, then operational functionality is improved, but pupillometry measurement accuracy deteriorates due to pupillary light reflex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a computational intermediary layer that mediates between the cockpit lighting system and the pupillometry measurement system. This intermediary processing layer captures images, detects pupil position and size, calculates light compensation factors based on the pupillary reflex response, and applies corrections to the measurements, thereby allowing both goals to coexist.
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than trying to eliminate or avoid the pupillary light reflex, the system embraces it by using the measurable reflex response as a basis for calculating compensation factors. The lighting that causes measurement noise is simultaneously used to train and validate the compensation model, turning the harmful effect into a useful calibration mechanism.
3Speed
If real-time fatigue detection is implemented, then response time is improved, but measurement accuracy deteriorates due to lighting-induced noise
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-capturing images of the pupil under various lighting conditions and pre-calculating compensation factors before actual fatigue detection is needed. The light compensation model is trained in advance using captured images and known lighting configurations, allowing for rapid real-time compensation without sacrificing accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical or physiological methods of controlling lighting conditions with a computational approach. Instead of physically modifying the cockpit lighting environment, the system uses image processing algorithms and light compensation models to computationally correct for lighting effects, enabling real-time detection without environmental modifications.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively reduces noise caused by pupillary responses to cockpit lighting, enabling objective and accurate fatigue measurement in real-time, improving the reliability of pupillometry-based fatigue detection.
Implementation Method 1
The images also correspond to the light reflected from an eye of an operator occupying a cockpit of the aircraft
Implementation Method 2
The pupillary light reflex is an autonomic reflex within eyes in response to light. The pupillary light reflex causes the pupil of the eye to constrict or dilate in response to light
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method is described. The method is be implemented by processors of an aircraft system. The method includes receiving images of an eye and a lighting configuration associated with a cockpit of an aircraft. The method further includes detecting a position of the eye within each of the images. The method further includes compensating for a pupillary light response of the eye based on the position of the eye within the image and the lighting configuration. By compensating for the pupillary light response, a fatigue level of the operator is estimated with reduced noise.